The Meaning of a Friend

No matter how Tsunade questioned him, Jiang Feng only sneered—a smile that made Tsunade shiver to her core, as if everything she was thinking and contemplating had been seen through by the man before her.

"Playing mysterious."

Tsunade muttered, unwilling to get tangled up with Jiang Feng over personal matters, and stated her true purpose: "You said Yahiko and the others are your friends?"

"Very good friends."

"Yet you watch as your friends sink deep into a quagmire, unwilling to pull them out."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The Akatsuki Organization has almost no chance of success."

Tsunade criticized Yahiko's philosophy decisively: "To make the major ninja villages lay down their arms and disputes, to resolve conflicts through peaceful dialogue, and to achieve world peace. This is a completely impractical, naive ideal."

Tsunade was, after all, Tsunade. Having walked through storms and rain, experienced the early stages of Konoha's founding, and witnessed and participated in two Ninja World Wars, her life experience was quite extensive. At a glance, she saw the naivety in the philosophy of Yahiko and the Akatsuki Organization.

"I know," Jiang Feng replied indifferently.

"You know?"

"I know."

You say you know, so you just know? If you know, and you consider Yahiko a good friend, how can you be so calm and detached?

Therefore, Tsunade felt that Jiang Feng was likely pretending to know when he didn't. He was still very young, about the same age as Yahiko, and his life experience was not yet rich enough.

Tsunade continued: "It is very difficult for people to truly understand one another. Never mind getting two ninja villages to lay down their disputes and coexist peacefully; even getting two individuals with a grudge to let go of their conflict is not an easy task."

"I know."

"When applied to factions, it is even more difficult. Behind every ninja village are countless clans, ninjas, and civilians. It is their collective interests that determine the will of a village. Perhaps he could persuade one Kage, but it is almost impossible to persuade an entire village."

"I know."

"To persuade those villages, you either need the strength to make them fear you, or you need to satisfy their demands for profit. The Akatsuki Organization can do neither. They are neither strong enough nor wealthy enough."

"I know."

"Not to mention other villages, I fear that the Akatsuki Organization's philosophy and platform would struggle to even convince Amegakure. While their strength is far inferior to the major ninja villages, they are no longer a small force. With such an organization appearing in the Land of Rain, perhaps even Hanzo the Salamander would be wary of them."

"I know."

"You know everything?"

"I know everything."

Tsunade was very surprised. "Since you know everything, why didn't you persuade your friend not to do such an unrealistic thing?"

Jiang Feng asked in return, "Then do you think Jiraiya, Yahiko, and the people gathered around him don't know this?"

That's right.

Do they not know this?

Tsunade suddenly froze.

When Jiraiya went to see her last time, he even boasted to her about the deeds of Yahiko and the others, saying that his students had done many remarkable things.

In the past few days, Yahiko had gone out with Jiang Feng to rescue refugees and promote the philosophy of the Akatsuki Organization. She had also followed them a few times and could see with her own eyes that the development of the Akatsuki Organization was not going smoothly.

There were far too many people unwilling to let go of their hatred; this was understandable. There were also far too many smart people like her who pointed at Yahiko's nose and said, "You are just daydreaming."

They had encountered far too many difficulties and far too many setbacks. Along the way, having experienced bitterness and hardship, they knew better than anyone how difficult it was to realize this great ambition.

Yet Yahiko remained tireless in his efforts, and the members of the Akatsuki Organization remained tireless, firmly believing in the justice within their hearts, firmly believing in their own philosophy, and putting in the effort for it.

They cut paths through mountains and built bridges over rivers, like an arrow released from a bow, never looking back.

Tsunade could not help but murmur, "Since they know it will all end up as a dream in the end, why do they still struggle and fight so hard?"

"But the meaning of life lies in the struggle itself."

Jiang Feng lay motionless on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, also somewhat lost in thought. He remembered someone from his past life.

That person was far more capable and knowledgeable than Yahiko, yet like Yahiko, he had an ideal that others considered naive and unrealistic.

The betrayal of former comrades, the lack of understanding from the people... The difficulties he encountered were millions of times greater than those of Yahiko, yet he still struggled and fought hard against all those difficulties.

Jiang Feng was not such a person; he considered himself far from being that great, but he admired such people.

"So, is this the reason you support Yahiko?"

"No, this is probably the reason Jiraiya supports Yahiko." Jiang Feng collected his thoughts and shook his head.

Yahiko would likely be unable to realize his ideal, but his efforts could at least make the ninja world a little more lovable, allowing him to become a pioneer, a single spark.

This was perhaps the reason why the experienced Jiraiya still supported Yahiko and did not discourage him.

"Then what is your reason for supporting Yahiko?"

"Because he is my friend."

"???"

Tsunade wore a look of utter confusion. She truly could not understand what Jiang Feng meant by that answer.

"How long has it been since you did something you truly wanted to do?"

Jiang Feng posed the question first. Without waiting for Tsunade to answer, he continued with a sigh: "This world is not perfect; it is filled with joys and sorrows. Perhaps at this very moment, in some corner of the Shinobi World, a tragic story is unfolding."

"It is precisely because of this that, throughout history, countless poets and writers have been moved to create endless sorrowful and desolate waka and haiku."

"Yet, no matter how mournful those poems may be, none make my heart ache as much as this one sentence: 'I have never done what I truly wanted to do.'"

When a person does what they truly want to do, the joy they feel is something others can never comprehend. No matter how bitter the hardships or how many the setbacks, they can hardly erase the happiness that comes from sincerity.

Yahiko and his friends are striving for a great, perhaps difficult, but righteous goal. They are striving with all their hearts, and that is enough.

"Sooner or later, their dream will wake them."

"Then we shall wait until the day the dream ends. At the very least, they are happy during this process."

Tsunade continued to pour cold water on the idea: "They might be shattered into pieces long before that dream ever ends."

"I will do my best to prevent that from happening. That is the meaning of being a friend."

Tsunade stopped pouring cold water and merely sighed: "No wonder you have so many friends. No wonder everyone wants to be your friend."

Why is the Shinobi World filled with so much strife?

Because the people of the Shinobi World are just like the masters in Gu Long's novels—everyone is stubborn. Everyone has their own logic and persistence, wanting to change the world or change someone else according to their own philosophy.

From their perspective, you can never say they are wrong—at least, not entirely wrong.

Jiang Feng is neither desperate to change the Shinobi World nor does he ever expect to impose his own views on others. He never demands that others let go of their obsessions to live the way he deems correct.

He really is just a breeze, a passerby, an immortal cast down from the heavens. He simply appreciates and supports, then lends a hand when his friends need it most. He has no fundamental conflicts of interest or ideology with any of the stubborn souls in the Shinobi World.

Jiang Feng just smiled. For the first time since Tsunade entered the room, he moved, patting the bed beneath him: "It's getting late. Shall we sleep together?"

"My bed is exceptionally soft."

"That girl named Konan laid out three mattresses for you; of course your bed is soft."

Already drowning in romantic debts and you're still trying to flirt with me?

Tsunade rolled her eyes, pushed the door open, and left Jiang Feng's room.

Heh, women. She must be jealous.

[All future updates will be posted after 23:50 until the book is officially published.]