The Family's Hidden Secrets

Shiraishi Yoshijo had only one thought on his mind: What had he been doing for the past two years?

He'd risked his life raising a bug that devoured his lifespan, thinking he could emerge from its cocoon as a butterfly. And now you were telling him that without money, the butterfly couldn't fly?

In the end, he'd still chosen the Multi-Eye Butterfly, the Thunder Butterfly, and the Water Butterfly.

The Multi-Eye Butterfly was a reconnaissance-type Ninja Butterfly. Its eyes were on top of its head, allowing it to observe its surroundings from every direction without a single blind spot, within a range of about a hundred meters.

Shiraishi Yoshijo already had sensory abilities. The reason he still chose this kind of Ninja Butterfly was that he—

was afraid of dying.

He'd already felt the world's deep malice toward him, especially now.

As for the Thunder Butterfly and Water Butterfly, both were support types. They could enhance the effects of Ninjutsu, and they had another advantage: they were cheap.

Seeing that Shiraishi Yoshijo was unhappy, Shiraishi Eizawa tried to lift his spirits. "The Explosion Butterfly is an option too, but you don't have enough Chakra to keep up with it. Raising one would be pointless. As for the Gluttony Butterfly, our clan has a flying technique."

Unfortunately, Shiraishi Yoshijo didn't believe a single punctuation mark of what he said.

Even if the clan really did have a flying technique, it probably wasn't something he could learn easily.

The kid was too old to fool now. Shiraishi Eizawa felt awkward.

"Since you've made your choice, I'll begin. Are you ready, little guy?"

As Mei spoke, she waved her hand, and a swarm of butterflies flew from her, circling Shiraishi Yoshijo.

Shiraishi Yoshijo nodded. Now that he'd chosen the butterfly species, only one final step remained: drawing blood.

He'd thought they would cut his wrist with a knife, but he hadn't expected the butterflies to draw his blood.

These butterflies seemed to be Blood-Sucking Butterflies.

According to the book, they could drain a person dry in an instant. They were useful against ordinary people, but against shinobi they were rather unimpressive.

He took off his shirt, and the Blood-Sucking Butterflies began sucking blood from his body. Thinking it would hurt, he closed his eyes.

After a while, he still hadn't felt any pain, so he opened his eyes and studied the butterflies carefully. Aside from their bellies beginning to swell, there didn't seem to be anything unusual about them.

Gradually, he began to feel that something was wrong. His whole body went limp, and he couldn't muster any strength. His knees buckled, and he nearly fell to the ground.

Fortunately, Shiraishi Eizawa caught him in time. Then the Blood-Sucking Butterflies began flying out of the hall.

"Come back once every half month to have your blood drawn. You may leave. I'm a little tired."

After saying this, Mei closed her eyes. Shiraishi Eizawa carried him on his back and took his leave.

Back at the square, Shiraishi Eizawa didn't hurry home. Instead, he asked, "Would you like to see this place? It's our clan's Pure Land."

The word Pure Land had come up again from Shiraishi Eizawa. Shiraishi Yoshijo was curious about the place, and he still had some questions, too.

When he nodded, Shiraishi Eizawa simply picked him up and held him in his arms. "Did you choose the Gluttony Butterfly because you wanted to fly? Flying is actually very simple."

As he spoke, countless butterflies flew out from Shiraishi Eizawa and joined together in the air, gradually forming a broad chair.

Shiraishi Yoshijo stared in astonishment. That worked too?

Noticing his surprise, Shiraishi Eizawa carried him onto the chair. "Butterflies can fly through the sky. As Butterfly Users, of course we can fly too."

The butterflies carried them slowly upward and drifted toward the outskirts of the village.

This way of flying was extremely slow—only a little faster than walking.

All show, Shiraishi Yoshijo thought, at a loss for words.

Still, no matter how slow it was, he was flying. His first flight left him excited.

Once they'd flown out of the village, Shiraishi Yoshijo felt as though he'd entered a fairy-tale world. Everything he saw dazzled him.

Beneath the azure sky stretched an endless sea of flowers, with countless butterflies bobbing up and down among the blossoms.

A gentle breeze brushed his cheeks, soft and soothing. Birds flew past, chirping curiously.

The Pure Land?

He'd never understood how Shiraishi Eizawa could face death so calmly. Now, at last, he understood a little.

If the Pure Land really looked like this, why fear death?

Looking down at the sea of flowers, Shiraishi Yoshijo felt as though his very soul had been cleansed. His heart opened wide, and he couldn't help shouting, "Aah~~~"

Ever since he'd been reincarnated into this inexplicable clan, he'd felt a strange sense of tension.

As one clan member after another, one family member after another, disappeared, that tension had reached its peak.

Fear of death. Fear of disappearing. Fear of the unknown.

A person on the verge of death would clutch at the last straw. Even a blind person would yearn for light.

At that moment, he felt he'd grasped hold of the future.

He knew perfectly well it was only an illusion, but the feeling was wonderful.

No one wanted to wake from a beautiful dream.

Hearing that shout of release, Shiraishi Eizawa wore a complicated expression. His lips trembled, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything.

After a while, Shiraishi Yoshijo finally came to his senses and immediately felt awkward. Shiraishi Eizawa only smiled and stroked his head.

"Uncle Eizawa, what's the story behind Butterfly Habitat Valley? There's no record of it in the clan's texts. And there were clearly people living in the village earlier. Why didn't anyone come out to take a look when we arrived?"

"I don't know where Butterfly Habitat Valley came from. No one in the clan can explain it, either. It's just been passed down from one generation to the next. Perhaps Lady Mei knows something, but..."

Shiraishi Eizawa hesitated. "In any case, don't worry about Butterfly Habitat Valley. You only need to know that this is our summoning ground. As for the village, the ones living there aren't people, but Ninja Butterflies. They're all our deceased clan members."

"The Cocoon Binding Technique? Ninja Butterflies live like people? If they're clan members, why don't they come out to meet us? And what's the difference between Ninja Butterflies and Summoning Butterflies?"

"Ninja Butterflies are a race formed from clan members who used the Cocoon Binding Technique. Summoning Butterflies, on the other hand, are butterflies that the Ninja Butterflies breed for us. Most of them have no consciousness, and their lifespans are short."

"As for why they don't meet us, it's because a lot has happened here."

"Can't you tell me?"

Shiraishi Yoshijo was genuinely curious. Everything here was beyond anything he'd ever heard of, and it had never appeared anywhere in Naruto.

"It's not that I can't. You'll encounter this problem sooner or later, so telling you now might help you prepare."

Shiraishi Eizawa hesitated, then asked tentatively, "Now that you know a little about this place, what do you think about becoming a Ninja Butterfly and living here after you die?"

"Sounds pretty good?"

Those were words Shiraishi Yoshijo didn't mean. He would rather live as a person than as a butterfly.

"This place really is wonderful. It's just that not everyone in the clan used to think so."

"They believed the clan had been bewitched by butterflies, and that the only way to save it was to stay away from them. For generations, the clan split into two factions and argued endlessly over this. Even now, there's still no answer."

"The reason was the clan members' suicides."

Suicides?

Shiraishi Yoshijo froze.

"Everything here is far too beautiful, almost like living in a dream."

"But the world outside is completely different. The chaos of war and the wickedness of people weigh on every clan member's heart."

Shiraishi Yoshijo fell into thought.

Flowers that were too beautiful were often poisonous. The human heart was unexpectedly fragile; even stones weathered by wind and rain could develop cracks. How could people of flesh and blood be any different?

"In times of peace, clan members rarely took their own lives. But whenever war broke out, the number of suicides would peak. The clan leaders of every generation racked their brains over it and never came up with a solution."

Hearing this, Shiraishi Yoshijo couldn't help saying, "Why not just stop teaching the Cocoon Binding Technique?"

"It's not that simple. A shinobi's corpse contains a great deal of intelligence. Only the Cocoon Binding Technique can prevent that information from leaking."

"The Butterfly Manipulation Secret Technique has no bloodline restrictions. If outsiders ever learned of it, not only the clan, but this place too, would be invaded."

"Butterfly Habitat Valley is the clan's greatest foundation. No matter what happens, we can't lose it."

"Even if the clan is defeated and its members scattered until only one person remains, as long as we still have this place, we can rise again."

At this, Shiraishi Eizawa sighed. "If you want to restore the clan someday, these are the problems you'll have to solve. Don't repeat the mistakes of the past."

Restore the clan? That topic was getting a little ahead of itself.

"What do the clan members' suicides have to do with the Ninja Butterflies in the village not meeting us?"

Shiraishi Eizawa's expression grew complicated. "The more clan members took their own lives, the more people began to share that way of thinking. About a hundred years ago, they used the Reverse Summoning Technique to come here and carry out a massacre."

"They wanted to destroy this place to prevent the clan members from killing themselves. They were eventually suppressed, but the relationship between the clan and the Ninja Butterflies—or rather, the relationship with Lady Mei—hit rock bottom."

"After several years of easing tensions and mediation, Lady Mei finally reached an agreement with the clan, but she imposed many rules."

"Anyone who isn't a direct-line member of the clan is forbidden to enter this place. Violators will be killed. The Ninja Butterflies will no longer fight for the clan; they'll only raise Summoning Butterflies for us. There are also many examinations, and anyone who fails them can't learn the Secret Technique."

"But now only the two of us are left in the clan, so there's no need for you to take the examination. Do you remember the Summoning Scroll I had you sign?"

Shiraishi Yoshijo nodded.

"That scroll was once able to summon all the Ninja Butterflies. But even if you summon them now, they won't respond."

"Only a direct blood relative, such as your parents, can get a response. But if the bloodline is more than three generations removed, there won't be one."

"And even direct blood relatives aren't allowed to help us fight. Any Ninja Butterfly that breaks the rules is forbidden from returning here and can only remain in the Shinobi World."

What kind of stupid rule was that? Shiraishi Yoshijo was speechless.

He had no idea how strong the Ninja Butterflies were, but if they couldn't fight, what was the point of signing that scroll?

Thinking this, he asked outright, "So, are we raising the butterflies, or are the butterflies raising us?"

It was no wonder he asked. Clan members used the Cocoon Binding Technique to become Ninja Butterflies, and the Ninja Butterflies no longer fought for the clan. So who was raising whom?

"A butterfly lives for a few months at the shortest, or a few years at the longest—far less than a person."

"We nourish the butterflies with our own bodies and bring the Ninja Butterfly race into being. Their lives are extended because of us."

"Without us, they'd be ordinary, mindless butterflies, and their numbers would never grow."

"Without them, we would lose the Secret Technique that lets us survive in the Shinobi World. We depend on each other. There's no question of who's raising whom."

Was that really true?