This Man Wasn't So Cold

"So cute!

You're just going to leave such a tiny child in the care of a young junior and then have nothing more to do with him?

That's not something a father should do."

The woman in the middle, wearing a hat, gazed at Bing San with teary eyes.

"Danzo, is this the child you adopted?

Tsk, tsk, tsk. Look at those eyes, that nose, that mouth.

Oh my, who would abandon a child who looks so much like you?"

The other woman spoke sarcastically as she gestured.

"What exactly are you here to do?"

Danzo's voice trembled faintly, as if he were forcing himself to hold back his emotions.

"Danzo, there's no need to be so embarrassed. You're a grown man, and we haven't said anything about you.

Come here, good boy. Don't be nervous. We're your father's teammates. Come over and let your uncle have a look at you."

Judging by his clothes, that should be Mitokado Homura. The sarcastic one was Utatane Koharu.

The man with the X-shaped scar on his chin was Pot Kage Shimura Danzō.

Then the handsome, spirited man in the middle must be the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

But who was the woman wearing a hat, with red eyeshadow and bright eyes?

Bing San just narrowed his eyes and quietly watched them bicker.

The atmosphere was inexplicably strange. Danzo's old face had turned bright red; it was hard to tell whether he was angry or holding something back.

"All right, all right. Don't frighten the child."

The beautiful woman in the middle, who looked so warm and gentle, smiled and said, "What's your name? How old are you?"

Bing San wasn't frightened at all. In fact, he almost wanted to laugh. His eyes darted around as he said, "My name is Bing San. Are you my long-lost mother?"

The air suddenly fell silent.

Danzo's eyes widened. Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura shrugged, struggling to hold back their laughter, while the Third Hokage furrowed his brow.

"Hehehe, no. You should call me Auntie."

The woman had chestnut-brown hair and red eyeshadow that complemented her bright eyes. She gave off such a warm feeling that people couldn't help wanting to get closer.

She squatted down kindly, gently ruffled Bing San's hair, and smiled.

"Here, this is a gift from your auntie. Children should be polite, so don't say things like that, all right?"

Then she handed Bing San a tiny scroll. The character "Seal" was written on it, but he had no idea what was inside.

The Third Hokage thought for a moment, then pulled out something and handed it to Bing San as well. "This is a gift from your uncle, the Hokage."

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura also smiled and gave Bing San gifts, though both were wrapped in cloth bags, so it wasn't clear what they were.

Bing San bowed to thank them. The adults smiled and waved, saying it was nothing.

Judging by the way they acted, they seemed to have a pretty good relationship.

"Danzo, why does such a cute child have such a strange name? Are you bad at naming people?"

Utatane Koharu looked like she wouldn't be satisfied unless she took a jab at him, and kept needling Danzo.

Danzo's face flushed with anger. He waved at Bing San and said, "You can go now!"

Bing San turned to leave, thinking, Keep pretending. Go on, keep pretending.

As if I don't know you're all practically dying to get rid of Danzo.

Bing San hurried back to his room. He wasn't interested in what the people inside were doing.

He took the things from his arms and examined them closely.

One was a Sealing Scroll, about the size of his thumb. It was made of ordinary material and was very light. It probably contained some small object. After all, the things sealed in a Sealing Scroll didn't lose their weight.

Inside Mitokado Homura's package was a book. Was this really something for a child? It had illustrations and explanations, sure, but could he really expect a child who couldn't read to understand it?

Inside Utatane Koharu's package was a piece of candy? It looked a bit like a lollipop, though it was oddly shaped and didn't look very tasty.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had given him a pair of goggles, the kind that looked like what divers wore, with a full-face covering.

From the looks of it, those people really had just come to make fun of Danzo.

That evening, Danzo sat facing Bing San in the main hall. He remained silent for a long while, then sighed, as if he had remembered something.

Bing San suddenly felt that Danzo didn't seem quite so terrifying after all.

After a long silence, Danzo finally said, "Starting tomorrow, Tomoko will take you to school."

Tomoko suddenly interjected, "Clan Leader, isn't Young Master Bing San a little too young to start school? Bing San isn't even five yet."

Danzo glanced at Tomoko and rubbed the corners of his eyes. He looked exhausted and helpless.

Tomoko immediately bowed and said:

"I understand, my lord. I'll take Young Master Bing San to school."

"Leave," Danzo said, waving his hand.

The two had barely stepped outside when they heard Danzo smashing things inside. They could faintly make out phrases like "ostracized while he was alive" and "now that he's dead, his juniors..." as well as Danzo's incoherent shouting.

No one was born evil. It was merely that different experiences led to different choices, gradually causing people to slip into darkness.

That night, Bing San lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. The scenes he had experienced in his dreams over the past three years weighed heavily on him, both mentally and physically.

That night, Bing San continued to experience different memories in his dreams.

Tonight, he was a student, learning all sorts of things.

But he couldn't understand any of it, and could only try to memorize it with his little brain.

Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, and his whole body began to convulse.

Tomoko came in carrying a small basin of water. She took the towel from it and wiped Bing San's body and face again and again.

Danzo stood in the doorway, watching.

The night grew deeper. The bright moon slowly rose above the wall, its gentle light falling on the gloomy man and making him seem especially lonely.

Spring in the Land of Fire was still chilly. The wind blew through the open door into the inner room, making the lamplight flicker.

The long shadow cast by the light clawed and thrashed like a vicious demon choosing its next prey.

Tomoko gently wiped the sweat from Bing San's little face. The veins standing out beneath his skin and his pallid complexion made her heart tremble.

Suddenly, Tomoko's hand shook and stopped.

At some point, Bing San's hand had clamped tightly around her arm.

Tomoko bit her lip, her face gradually turning deathly pale as large beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. Her other hand, still holding the towel, trembled slightly. She gritted her teeth, afraid to make a sound.

As the marks on her arm grew deeper, Bing San's hand gradually lost its strength.

She gently raised her arm. Three black finger marks stood out clearly.

Danzo glanced at Tomoko, then looked into the room. His gaze gradually grew cold and resolute.

"You all forced me into this. You made me do it."

Danzo's gaze grew increasingly cruel. Muttering under his breath, he left the doorway to Bing San's room.

Maybe that was how villains were made.