Indifference

The feeling of being on the brink of death was like all the oxygen in my chest being instantly squeezed out, a sudden suffocation that bred an instinctive, bone-deep fear, gradually stealing my sense of touch as I experienced the tragedy of loss bit by bit in a progressively darkening space.

Once was enough for that kind of experience… yet Ye Zi had gone through it twice.

Not far from the ninja hospital, a cherry blossom tree was in full bloom, its faint fragrance drifting from afar, through the window, and brushing against Ye Zi's nostrils.

The morning sun was warm but not glaring, falling on his pale face, yet failing to penetrate his ink-black eyes.

"The choice I made then was wrong," Ye Zi murmured, gazing at the sky outside the window, his low voice a rebuttal to his inner turmoil.

How many times can one experience near-death in a lifetime? How many times can't one experience near-death?

Walking from the darkness, hearing familiar voices fading into the distance, even feeling the deepening fear, I walked for an unknown length of time in the endless dark before finding a single sliver of light. It was like a drowning person finally breaking free from the water's embrace, struggling to open their mouth and greedily gulping in air.

I thought I was going to die, but I survived, and then I started to regret it.

In that dark corridor, a voice of a loved one was behind me, but the light was ahead.

If I died, then everything would be gone.

Ye Zi slowly clenched his fist, a faint chill coloring his ink-black eyes. He had never been someone willing to sacrifice for others, except for his closest loved ones…

But why, that night, driven by what motive, did he step forward and almost die?

Crack!

The door opened without warning.

A girl with deep red hair entered carrying a fruit basket, accompanied by two others: Minato and Bei Xingye.

Hearing the sound, the coldness in Ye Zi's eyes slowly receded. He turned his head, quietly watching the newcomers.

Kushina walked over, placed the fruit basket on the table, and looking at his pale face, drained of blood, asked with concern, "Does your wound still hurt?"

"I'm almost healed," Ye Zi replied calmly, avoiding Kushina's concerned gaze.

Bei Xingye leaned in then, looking at Ye Zi's pale face. "You really scared me. Even if you wanted to train, you didn't have to go to such a dangerous place."

When he learned Ye Zi was injured that day, he had rushed to the hospital to see him, only to find Ye Zi wrapped up like a mummy and unconscious.

Ye Zi gave a faint smile, offering no comment. When he woke up yesterday, Orochimaru had already given him a brief explanation of the relevant matters. Regarding Kushina being held hostage this time, he could vaguely sense something was amiss. He was certain that everyone and everything involved was far from simple, so much so that he couldn't afford to get even a sliver of involvement.

Enemy ninjas invaded and took Kushina hostage. Ye Zi was severely injured while rescuing her. The official explanation given in the end was that he was being overconfident and went to the Death Forest to train, resulting in an accidental severe injury. Fortunately, he was discovered in time and his life was saved.

The real reason was completely concealed. He thought that if he had unfortunately died, he might have died meaninglessly, his death unknown.

But he didn't care anymore. After this brush with death, he understood many things. The people in this world had no connection to him; he didn't belong here…

Minato stood quietly by the side of the hospital bed. The sunlight streaming through the window made his golden hair even more dazzling. He looked at Ye Zi on the bed, a faint admiration in his deep blue eyes.

He had always been gentle and never fought with others, but he had absolute confidence in his own strength. However, since Ye Zi's appearance, he realized that competing with others wasn't necessarily a bad thing, especially when that person surpassed him.

Kushina picked up a red apple and asked Ye Zi with a smile, "Do you want an apple?"

Bei Xingye's expression turned strange at the sight. Kushina's demeanor was too out of sync.

Minato, who usually paid attention to Kushina, saw her gentle, smiling appearance and seemed to have discovered something peculiar. His expression, like Bei Xingye's, was slightly odd.

Kushina didn't notice their change. If she had, she might have accidentally crushed the apple in her hand.

In the past, Ye Zi would have unhesitatingly pointed out Kushina's pretense and explained her personality and the corresponding situations in simple terms.

But now…

A hint of coldness flashed in the depths of Ye Zi's eyes. He glanced at the bright red apple and refused in a perfectly measured tone, "I'm not hungry, thank you."

Kushina's arm holding the apple trembled almost imperceptibly. She stared at Ye Zi's expression and behavior, which seemed no different from usual, and frowned slightly. That "thank you" seemed to make her realize something.

However, she didn't dwell on it. She put down the apple and said irritably, "Fine, don't eat it if you don't want to. I was going to peel it for you."

Ye Zi smiled faintly and turned his gaze to the blue sky outside the window. Although their appearances were very similar, their personalities were worlds apart. Risking his life for such a foolish act was enough for once.

Bei Xingye glanced at the calm Ye Zi, then at the slightly huffy Kushina, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say. Vaguely, he seemed to sense something was off too. The usual atmosphere of their interactions didn't feel like this.

"If there's nothing else, I'd like some quiet," Ye Zi said, feeling uncomfortable for some reason and thus asking them to leave.

"Oh? Oh!" Bei Xingye was startled. After reacting, he looked at Kushina, whose brow was slightly furrowed. After a moment, she said, "Rest well."

With that, she turned and left. Bei Xingye watched Kushina walk out and then said to Ye Zi, "Ye Zi, get well soon. I'll treat you to yakiniku later."

Ye Zi continued to stare out the window, nodding gently in agreement.

Seeing this, Bei Xingye followed Kushina out. Minato looked at the three of them, seeming to have understood something as well. He politely greeted Ye Zi and then turned to leave the room.

Soon, Ye Zi was alone in the room again.

"The only one I can rely on is myself."

"Kushina, wait for me." Bei Xingye called out as soon as he left the hospital.

Kushina had no choice but to slow her pace, waiting for Minato and Bei Xingye to catch up.

Minato looked at Kushina's unusual behavior, a hint of inquiry in his eyes. A team that had been together for over a year shouldn't be like this, especially when Ye Zi was willing to risk his life to save Kushina. So why was the atmosphere just now so strange?

"Kushina, don't you think Ye Zi is acting weird?" Bei Xingye glanced at Minato, then thought about it and spoke his mind without reservation.

"Who knows," Kushina's eyes flashed with a hint of disappointment. She waved her hand irritably and replied impatiently.

She noticed Ye Zi's unusual indifference, a coldness reminiscent of when they first met, though it was well disguised beneath his calm expression.

Why?

She was puzzled, and the more she thought about it, the more agitated she became.

Having spent over a year with Ye Zi, Bei Xingye wasn't foolish. His senses were sharp, not much less so than Kushina's. He too had sensed the deep-seated indifference Ye Zi hid, an indifference that had long since melted away during their time together.

"What exactly happened?" Seeing that Kushina didn't want to dwell on the topic, Bei Xingye wisely fell silent, but he pondered what could have transpired in just these few short days.

Minato, who was an outsider in this situation, found it difficult to grasp what was going on. He looked at Kushina and smiled gently.