Damn Sympathy

"Earth Release: Earth Shore Return!"

"Earth Release: Rock Pillar Spear!"

In the cool morning breeze of the courtyard, Senba looked at the effects of his Earth Release ninjutsu, then sensed the remaining chakra in his body, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips.

Refining chakra and wielding ninjutsu—this was the only hobby that had never bored him since arriving in this world. The power of the extraordinary was truly captivating.

Starting from his grandfather's generation, the bloodline of the Forest Clan within Senba's lineage had already become mixed. His grandmother was merely an ordinary person.

By Senba's generation, only two chakra natures remained within him: "Earth" and "Wind," indicating he still carried a trace of the Forest Clan's blood.

His parents, who had passed away early, left behind only a few Earth Release scrolls as inheritance. After sifting through them, Senba had mastered only three—or rather, only three met his training conditions.

Still, Senba believed that when the opportunity arose, he should undergo another chakra nature test. An increase in bloodline density should bring changes to his chakra natures.

"Clap" "Clap" "Clap"

A burst of applause broke the silence of the courtyard. Senba turned to look, and at that moment, three figures slowly walked in.

"Grandfather Yunhua, long time no see."

Standing before Senba now was a kindly old man. His name was unremarkable, and he carried no pressure of a superior, but Senba knew this person's identity was no simple matter.

Through a chance encounter, Senba had learned from his grandfather that this man had an older sister named "Senju Momoka."

"Little Senba, it's been a while. Your ninjutsu has improved quite nicely, hasn't it? Releasing two C-rank jutsu in a row without changing your expression—your chakra growth rate is fast, very good."

As he spoke, Senju Yunhua raised his wrinkled right hand and patted Senba on the shoulder, as if sensing something, a look of relief flashing in his eyes.

"Grandfather Yunhua, I have a mission to head out, so I'll take my leave now. Grandfather is resting in the back—you can go on your own."

With that, Senba bowed and was about to leave.

"Little Senba, wait."

Calling Senba back, Senju Yunhua took a lunchbox bundle from his attendant and placed it in Senba's hands.

"A ninja's body is the key to training and refining chakra. Only with a full stomach can you train better. Go on."

Taking the bundle, Senba bowed, thanked him, and then turned to leave.

Watching Senba's thin, retreating figure, a trace of guilt appeared on Senju Yunhua's face.

The Senju Clan had now merged into Konoha, which had caused the clan's scale to become enormous. Currently, the clan had emptied its savings, only able to distribute a meager amount of supplies to each household. Just managing to avoid deaths was already pushing their limits.

Back when the Senju Clan split, compensating those who gave up the Senju surname had already been a massive bloodletting. Since then, things had only worsened. The clan's foundation truly had little left.

He hoped Hiruzen Sarutobi would soon negotiate with the other ninja clans.

Thinking of that "Shinobi Hero," Senju Yunhua could only shake his head and head toward the backyard.

Walking along the street, looking at the shattered houses around him, Senba lowered his head and sealed the lunchbox into a miniature scroll. This was a small talent of his—he grasped Space-Time Ninjutsu quickly.

Just as Senba planned to head to the assembly point to receive a mission, a burst of crying came from behind a collapsed building at the street corner, nailing his footsteps to the ground.

Hearing the childish sobs, a struggle flickered in Senba's eyes. He lifted his foot to move on, but as the crying grew louder in his ears, he finally couldn't hold back and kicked a nearby pebble flying.

"This damn sympathy—one day, it's going to get me killed!"

Muttering complaints to himself, Senba turned back and walked toward the direction of the crying.

"There, there, don't cry. Big brother is here." Young Kabuto, wearing glasses, had a voice that was surprisingly steady. His white bangs hung neatly, and his right arm cradled a baby girl.

Beside him, seven or eight young children huddled tightly together. They were orphans rescued one after another since the disaster three days ago, now settled in this temporary tent.

Kabuto, who came from the orphanage, had been assigned to look after them temporarily. All the other adults had been sent to repair the damaged Konoha, while the remaining women handled logistics like laundry and cooking.

Just as Kabuto looked at the hungry eyes of the children around him, his own stomach let out an untimely growl. His eyes dimmed slightly.

"Crack"—the sudden sound made Kabuto's gaze sharpen instantly. His left hand reached behind his back, where a kunai was hidden.

Kabuto stared intently at the white-haired boy approaching from ahead. Though the other was about his age, the forehead protector on his brow told Kabuto he was a ninja.

Senba, who had no idea he was facing the future dream-weaver "Yakushi Kabuto," noticed the wariness in the other's eyes and stopped five meters away.

Then, to Kabuto's confusion, Senba pulled out an oversized lunchbox, unwrapped layer after layer, revealing its luxurious contents.

Sushi, golden tempura, tamagoyaki, fried chicken, and a serving of mixed-grain rice—this instantly silenced the crying of the many young children. Drool unconsciously dripped from their mouths as they stared at the lunchbox in Senba's hands.

Without a word, Senba simply took two pieces of sushi for himself, placed the rest on a stone, and turned to leave.

Watching the figure gradually fade into the distance, Kabuto finally realized he had misunderstood the other. That person must have been as kind-hearted as the orphanage director—perhaps just not good at expressing it.

Senba sprinted through the broken streets, chewing on sushi as he thought back to the scene just now, a chill radiating from his eyes.

"Senba!" A familiar voice made Senba stop. Following the sound, he saw a boy his age with a scar on his face looking at him.

"Iruka? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be handling your aunt and uncle's funeral arrangements?"

Senba looked at Iruka, whose eyes were red, and asked with some confusion. Since the other's parents were victims of this disaster, Iruka shouldn't be here right now.

"Senba, there's only me left at home now. The village has already taken care of my parents' remains. I thought I could come and help out. In our team, Teacher Sarutobi is hospitalized with serious injuries, and Tsuki can't come out because of her status. It's just you and me now."

As he said this, tears welled up in Iruka's eyes again.

Knowing Iruka's personality well, Senba understood exactly why he had come out—it was mostly fear, fear of loneliness. As the class dead last, he was already ostracized by everyone, and now with both parents gone, he could hardly bear to be alone by himself.

"Let's go, Iruka. We'll take on missions together. With you around, I won't get bored either. Come on."

Senba patted the other's shoulder and led him toward the temporary mission office to receive new assignments.

In the spacious courtyard, the blue stone slabs were darkened by morning dew, and the dry landscape sand tray in the corner gleamed with a fine white light. An elderly woman with white hair sat by the tatami edge under the eaves, her face still bearing traces of former beauty as she gazed tenderly at the figure beside her.

Next to her, a dark green haori hung loosely tied at the waist, a tight inner layer wrapping a full, tall figure. An arm with defined muscle lines lifted a bottle of sake to her lips, about to drink.

This person was none other than Hime Tsunade, one of Konoha's Sannin.

But catching the old woman's kind gaze, Tsunade clicked her tongue, set down the sake, and looked at her with some resignation.

"Grandma Momoka, you urgently summoned me back just for treating the wounded from the Nine-Tails' Rampage, didn't you? You know I have hemophobia. Even if I came back, I'd just be a decoration."

Hearing Tsunade's somewhat desolate words, Senju Momoka—the eldest living authority of the Senju clan, who had survived the Warring States period—gently patted Tsunade's head and said, "Little Tsuna, you don't need to do the work yourself. Just stand in the hospital and let people see you. A few casual pointers from you would be more than they could ever learn on their own. That little Shizune has been learning by your side for so long—isn't this the perfect chance for her to practice?"

"Besides, Little Tsuna, you've been away from home for so many years. Sometimes you need to come back and see this useless old woman. I don't know how many years I have left. I just hope that when you're tired out there, you remember there's still someone waiting for you at home. Come back and visit often."

"Grandma Momoka, I..."

Tsunade looked at the kindly old woman before her, her voice dropping low for a moment. Perhaps only by this elder's side could Tsunade reveal such a girlish demeanor.

Just then, footsteps sounded. Tsunade instinctively composed herself and looked up.

Pushing open the door, Senju Yunhua saw two figures in the courtyard and subconsciously stopped. When he recognized one of them as Tsunade, delight spread across his face.

"Tsunade, you're back! Perfect. With you taking charge, Konoha will surely recover quickly—"

"Yunhua!"

Cut off by his elder sister, Senju Yunhua seemed to remember something. He immediately lowered his head and stood to the side, not daring to say another word.

Toward Senju Yunhua, Tsunade showed none of the closeness she had with Grandma Momoka. Tsunade's current status and her innate talents meant that only Senju Momoka—who had fought alongside the First and Second Hokage on the battlefield—could earn her respect.

"Little Tsuna, you've just returned. Go rest for now. We'll discuss medical matters tomorrow."

Knowing that Grandma Momoka didn't want her to get entangled in Konoha's whirlpool again, Tsunade obediently nodded, picked up her sake, and left.

Only the two elders remained in the courtyard, facing each other in silence.