Chapter 37

Bei Xingye's death was like an insignificant pebble falling into a lake, stirring up faint ripples that soon faded.

Bei Xingye's parents wept bitterly upon hearing of his death. Leaning against each other, they hobbled home. That home no longer held anything resembling hope.

Once, they had been proud of their son for becoming a ninja. Now, despite their grief, they would still feel proud—but their sorrow would forever outweigh that pride. Even a substantial compensation payment could not soothe the grief that would continue from then on.

Kushina watched Bei Xingye's parents leaning against each other as they walked away in the distance. She seemed to have many things to say, but in the end, she could only watch from afar.

Ye Zi leaned against a wall not far beside her, turning his head to watch the two departing figures. His eyes were utterly calm. He regretted Bei Xingye's death, but he would not grieve over it.

Kushina turned her head and happened to meet Ye Zi's calm, almost frightening expression. Then she looked at him as though he were a stranger and said, "You really have changed."

Facing Kushina's gaze, Ye Zi inexplicably felt a trace of irritation, but his expression remained as calm as ever, as though Bei Xingye's death were merely a harmless joke.

"This is the real me." His answer was brief and forceful.

Kushina bit her lip and said sadly, "If this is the real you, then why did you come to save me?"

Ye Zi's thoughts paused. He wanted to know why as well. Was it because they looked alike?

He did not want to answer that way, so he did not want to answer at all. Thus, faced with Kushina's probing gaze, the irritation in his heart grew increasingly fierce.

"It was just a whim. Something like that won't happen a second time."

"Is this really you?" Kushina seemed to have touched upon a fragment of the real Ye Zi. It was only a fragment, yet she could already feel the chilling coldness and selfishness within him. When she recalled the bloody path they had carved through the encirclement that night and the will to survive displayed by the person who had charged ahead, her thoughts became muddled again.

She shook her head, unwilling to think about it any longer, and turned to leave.

Ye Zi watched her back without saying a word.

At that moment, the team truly fell apart.

Bei Xingye had died, and Kushina withdrew from the team to study under Tsunade.

She had started learning medical ninjutsu because of Ye Zi, yet she had never once used it on him. Now, she might never have the chance, but she continued studying medical ninjutsu under Tsunade all the same.

She possessed precise Chakra control and had a natural talent in this area.

With Bei Xingye's death and Kushina's withdrawal, Orochimaru's team could no longer be called a team.

This mission's failure left no blemish on Orochimaru's or Ye Zi's record, because although the mission had failed in substance, it had been completed on the surface.

The team had fallen apart, yet no one had any intention of rebuilding it. Neither the Third Hokage nor Orochimaru had such plans. There were many reasons, but the greatest was the pressure.

Two Stone ninja youths had died that night. Unfortunately, they were direct descendants of the Stone ninja leadership. As a result, some among the Stone ninja were furious. Those who were angry wanted an explanation, and they cared nothing for shame—their objective was clear.

The fuse of war was lit for no apparent reason. Since anything could become the fuse of war, starting one required no reason at all.

That day, a person from Konoha died silently, remembered only by a few. Another person, however, became famous. Perhaps the tale had been greatly exaggerated, but the blade wielded that night had indeed left a deep impression on many people, and in the future, it might make many more tremble in fear.

Konoha's Little White Fang.

This was the name that spread among the Stone ninja. It sounded childish and somewhat laughable, but those who knew what Ye Zi had done would not find it funny. This boy who wielded a blade had once killed Jiu Xiao of the Cloud ninja by himself. Anyone who knew Jiu Xiao knew how formidable his blade was.

Konoha's Little White Fang. People could discern several things from this name.

First, the Little White Fang used a blade.

Second, the Little White Fang's blade was very fast.

Thus, Ye Zi was placed on the lists of high-priority targets by the other ninja villages.

A boy—a boy who might grow into Konoha's second White Fang. No one wanted him to grow up safely.

The Stone ninja's target was Ye Zi. They disregarded all appearances and stated clearly that they would abandon their offensive stance only if Konoha handed Ye Zi over.

Compared with this troublesome matter, no one could still spare any thought for rebuilding the team.

Dying while carrying out missions was commonplace. Jiu Xiao, who had once shone during the Second Ninja World War, had died at Ye Zi's hands because of bad luck. Even though the Cloud ninja knew Jiu Xiao had died at Ye Zi's hands, they could do nothing about it. Ultimately, it was because Jiu Xiao had not been strong enough.

By the same logic, Daiyan and Dick had died at Ye Zi's hands during the clash of missions because they were not strong enough. They could only blame their own weakness.

But the Stone ninja's conduct in this matter made it seem as though their faces were covered by a layer of hard rock—frighteningly thick, almost shameless.

They demanded that Konoha hand over Ye Zi because Daiyan and Dick had carried extraordinary surnames.

What a ridiculous and shameless demand. Tragically, Konoha, which had only enjoyed a few years of recuperation, did not want to plunge into war again so soon. Thus, faced with the Stone ninja's utterly brazen threat, the conservatives felt that handing over Ye Zi was the best choice. Even if it meant being slapped in the face several times, they considered that inconsequential.

"This was something they decided only after weighing the gains and losses." Hiruzen looked at the gloomy Orochimaru before him, his index finger lightly tapping the desktop.

Yes, even though Ye Zi had once killed Jiu Xiao, and even though he might grow into a second White Fang in the future, that was the future, not the present.

"It doesn't matter what those old fossils think. I only want to know what you think."

Perhaps the decision had stirred up anger he had not felt in a long time. Orochimaru did not even use an honorific, addressing him directly as "you."

Hiruzen stopped tapping his index finger. A thread of weariness passed through his eyes. Sometimes, being helpless while sitting in the Hokage's position was made painfully clear. Under pressure from the higher-ups, he could not decide such a crucial matter according to his own will. It required a vote by the majority, and he was only one person. After remaining silent for a moment, he said, "I can't guarantee that there is still room for negotiation, but I'll try again."

"Heh heh." Orochimaru let out a cold, unpleasant laugh. Once those old men had decided something, how could there be any room for negotiation? If there truly was room for negotiation,

Hiruzen froze for a moment. Suddenly, he saw an extremely serious expression on Orochimaru's face. It seemed that no matter what happened, regardless of the cost, Orochimaru was determined to protect Ye Zi.