Roy's Answer: The Decisive Battle is Imminent

There are still five hours until midnight.

There are thirteen hours until 8:00 AM tomorrow...

The clock hanging on the south wall ticks away, second by second.

At 7 p. m., as the sun set, its afterglow painted Kuku Lushan Mountain a Kukuroo Mountain hue.

Silva, shirtless, stretched his body, legs spread, and leaned against two chairs. The muscles in his thighs, back, chest, and arms were bulging with blood, and the large veins beneath the skin were clearly visible, like writhing dragons—a sight that created a powerful visual impact and a sense of oppression.

At one point, the man turned his head to look at the door.

With a creak, the door was pushed open from the outside, and immediately... a head of white hair, standing straight up like a hedgehog, came into Silva's view. Zeno, having finished dinner with Netero, walked in with his hands behind his back.

He took a few quick steps to the window, looked at the Kukuroo Mountain, which resembled a giant dragon winding and crawling on the ground, and said softly, "You seem to be in a hurry?"

"Crack... crack... crack..." The joints of his elbows, shoulders, and fingers made soft sounds as Silva moved his body... The man's silver hair cascaded down the floor like mercury, and he remained silent.

Zeno ignored him and continued, "We've waited a year, two years, Silva... did you ever think Roy would have such a day?" "Did Father ever think of that?" Silva turned his neck, his gaze passing over Zeno's shoulder, watching the sunset completely disappear below the horizon, the night deepening as the bright moon rose in the east, and asked Zeno in return.

Zeno opened the window, letting the evening breeze tousle his white hair, and readily admitted, "No."

"I initially thought he was just mediocre, maybe with some talent, but his potential was barely enough to qualify him as an assassin. Who knew he'd end up like this..."

Zeno turned to Silva and asked, "Tell me, when did this child start to change?"

"From the day he asked me to help him open his Aura Nodes." Silva looked back and would never forget the stubbornness in the Sun-Earring Boy's eyes back then... It was a look of unwillingness to be mediocre, unwillingness to sink into obscurity, unwillingness to live a life of mediocrity, an intense desire to become stronger!

It was also a gaze full of fighting spirit and ambition!

The man gazed at the bright Moonlight, draping the Kukuroo Mountain in a thin veil, and said deeply, "He doesn't want to be an ordinary person," "Therefore,"

We've come this far step by step!

"You've stepped in front of me!"

"Yes, it seems like it's been less than three years..." Zeno tilted his head, gazing at the deep night, his eyes wandering, a sense of melancholy lingering... Silva lowered his eyes, remaining silent.

I almost forgot, from that day until now, as my father said, it's been less than three years!

As the man's emotions surged, strands of hair were blown by the wind and fell in front of his eyes.

Zeno glanced back at him again, gave a meaningful sneer, and said, "Judging from your expression, Roy is much calmer than you."

Silva: "What is he doing now?"

"Sleeping." Zeno's expression was slightly strange. He tucked his hands into his sleeves and chuckled in a suppressed voice, "He's quite heartless, it seems... he doesn't care about you at all."

Silva stretched out his arms expressionlessly, then clenched his fists with a "snap," the air in his palms bursting open with a Youyou sound that echoed outwards.

The man looked up again, a cold smile curving his lips, and said, "Tomorrow, he'll know what's what."

Zeno narrowed his eyes, gave a noncommittal "hmm," and said casually, "Back then, I thought the same thing, about achieving male fertility..." "No result!" Silva interrupted Zeno without room for argument.

He simply said, "I am not you, Father. I am not that weak."

Zeno:..."

With his back to Silva, a twitch appeared at the corner of his eye, and he gave a cold smile, "Then I'll have to take a good look."

There's only one night left...

He Zeno insisted that he could wait...

A head of white hair flaunts its presence.

Zeno, hunched over, left Silva's study with his hands behind his back.

"Tick-tock... tick-tock..." The clock on the south wall ticked forward another ten minutes. The old man changed into his bathrobe, looking remarkably like Maha from afar, and strolled away, muttering, "The child slept really long that afternoon nap..." "Bang!" He slammed the door shut.

The door trembled and wailed; clearly, Zeno had used force and was somewhat angry.

But Silva didn't care at all.

He's just always telling the truth, just like he's always firmly believed... he won't lose!

There is no reason or excuse for losing in any aspect...

He continued to stretch and prepare for tomorrow...

"Hiss~" It was eight o'clock in the evening, a full seven hours had passed since Roy took his afternoon nap.

Tsubone had been preparing lunch and dinner the whole time, keeping a close eye on Roy's movements. Taking advantage of a moment of free time, she held the two babies in her arms, one on each side, and began to soothe them...

The baby on the left has snow-white skin, while the baby on the right has dark skin.

The old housekeeper moved a small stool and sat by the kitchen passageway, absentmindedly looking after the child. Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming from the other end of the passage, followed by the appearance of two heads of blonde hair... one tied in a high ponytail, the other softly draped over her shoulders...

Kurajing, accompanied by Kurapika, walked slowly towards her, bowed, and said, "Tsubone,"

Tsubone glanced at Kurapika and nodded slightly to Kurajing, saying, "There's hot food in the kitchen, help yourself."

Kurajing nodded shyly.

Noticing that Tsubone was holding two children in her arms, she quickly said, "How about I help you deliver the meal to the Young Master?"

Tsubone gently patted Canary's back, "No need, Young Master hasn't woken up yet."

Kurajing paused, Kurapika beside him, his eyes flashing, followed her gaze...

The girl snapped out of her daze and respectfully replied, "Yes."

Turning around, he led Kurapika into the kitchen.

"Sister, what's wrong?"

The kitchen has tables and chairs specifically for the Zoldyck and servants.

Kurapika followed Kurajing to get his food and sat down at the table. He glanced at his sister and asked in a low voice.

Kurajing, finishing his dinner in quiet contemplation. He then led Kurapika back to the bedroom Tsubone had arranged for him. Reaching the window, he gazed through the hazy moonlight at the Zoldyck Family Ancient Castle atop the mountain, and with his back to Kurapika, said Youyou, "Kurapika, didn't you ask me today just how powerful the Young Master is?"

I think you'll see tomorrow.

Kurapika's eyebrows twitched; he wanted to ask, but considering his sister's status and his current dependent status, it wasn't wise to know too much. He simply gave a soft "hmm."

Looking up again, Kurajing gazed at the summit of Kukuroo Mountain, silently calculating the time.

"Time:..." At nine o'clock in the evening, the wooden grandfather clock in the corner struck the hour.

In Roy's bedroom, the curtains rustled in the breeze, letting in Moonlight that streamed through the bright glass windows, adding a touch of tranquility to Roy's peaceful state as he lay on the soft bed.

The Sun-Earring Boy remained lost in his dream, not yet awakened.

At that time, in the Hokage world, he was in the Southern Forest with Sakumo Hatake, while Shisui and Itachi danced beside him, quietly enjoying tea.

Even though there were no tea leaves, just boiled water, one could still faintly taste a hint of sorrow at parting... Namikaze Minato was going to the battlefield, Obito was going to the battlefield, and now the White Fang before him, along with his son Kakashi and Nohara Rin, were all going to the battlefield... Roy raised a cup to Sakumo Hatake from afar, tilted his head back, and drank the hot tea in the cup clean...

His nonchalant and carefree demeanor gave Sakumo Hatake a fleeting illusion, as if... the Sun-Earring Boy before him were his peer, not... a child not even ten years old.

White Fang of the Leaf returned Roy's greeting, taking a sip of hot tea and smiling, "Then I wish everyone victory in the battle..." Roy smiled, meeting Sakumo Hatake's warm gaze.

Suddenly, he asked, "Uncle White Fang, tell me, is the mission more important, or are your companions more important?"

Sakumo Hatake paused slightly, holding the stone cup, rubbing it as he fell into deep thought...

After a moment, he looked up at Roy and asked, "Why did you ask that?"

Roy stated bluntly, "I'm just curious and want to know the answer."

Sakumo Hatake frowned, pondered for a moment, and stared intently at the ripples in the stone cup caused by the breeze. He murmured, "In terms of duty, Ninja's everything must be based on completing the mission. Therefore, the mission is important..."

"In terms of loyalty, even Ninja can't abandon their comrades to complete a mission, letting them be killed by the enemy. So, comrades are important too..." "So?" Roy poured some tea for Sakumo Hatake, looking at the man intently. "Uncle White Fang, do you prioritize the mission or your comrades?"

Sakumo Hatake frowned, pondered for a long time, and slowly shook his head. "I don't know either, but I don't think I can abandon my comrades and ignore them."

"That means they're favoring their own teammate," Roy said knowingly.

White Fang of the Leaf is still the same White Fang of the Leaf, a true man who values bonds more than missions and is more important than anything else!

Unfortunately, such men are too rare. Their brilliance shines too brightly, making them easy targets for villains, who may then bury and harm them. Roy stared intently at Hatake Sakumo. In the original story, the one who harmed him or even killed him was none other than... the comrade he had single-handedly saved!

If his companions hadn't colluded with those villagers who gossiped about him behind his back, he probably wouldn't have been so despondent as to choose to commit suicide! If only someone had said a word in his defense, just one word, the tragedy wouldn't have happened!

Of course, whether the Hokage tacitly approved of this, or whether Danzo, Koharu, and Mitokado Homura were behind it all, Roy didn't know, nor did he want to know.

A cup of tea is filled to the brim...

The Sun-Earring Boy put down the stone pot in his hand, smiled at Sakumo Hatake, and said, "Uncle White Fang, would you like to hear my answer?"

Sakumo Hatake was slightly taken aback, then smiled at Roy and said, "Go on, I'm listening."

Roy reached out and plucked a green leaf that was slowly drifting down in the wind, playing with it in his palm. He said, "My mission companions are important, yet they're also unimportant. In my opinion, nothing is more important than 'my survival'!"

The Sun-Earring Boy's mind raced; he rubbed his index finger and thumb together, and a small flame suddenly appeared, instantly igniting the green leaves and burning them to ashes... Then he stood up, watching Shisui and Itachi steadily and methodically advance the "Ten Thousand Swings," and narrowed his eyes, saying, "When a person dies, even a raging flood has nothing to do with them anymore. Therefore, only by living, and living on, can one truly find the answer to this question."

What do you think?

"Uncle with White Fang?"

Roy turned his head to look at Sakumo Hatake at the opportune moment.

Sakumo Hatake visibly fell silent, clearly... taken aback by Roy's answer!

Clearly, the Sun-Earring Boy's answer was more "selfish," more "egocentric," and more "extreme," contradicting Konoha's current "mainstream understanding," and even more so, the "Will of Fire," passed down through generations since the First Hokage founded Konoha nearly a century ago. Yet... a voice seemed to be constantly telling Sakumo Hatake...

Upon further reflection, the Sun-Earring Boy's answer wasn't entirely unreasonable!

When you lose your own life, you lose everything—the "mission" and the "comrades." Just like those Ninja who died in war, you end up as nothing more than a handful of dust, and you might not even be able to find a complete corpse!

A glimmer of light gradually returned to Sakumo Hatake's pensive eyes.

He snapped out of his reverie after a moment, looking at Roy with a wistful expression, and said, "Sometimes, I feel like you're more mature than a child your age..." Roy shrugged, "The Hokage said the same thing."

"Is that so?" Sakumo Hatake chuckled, his brows relaxed, and he picked up his teacup with Namikaze Minato, tilting his head back and gulping down the tea in one go!

"Phew~"

In the blink of an eye...

The tea is finished.

The glass was empty.

The man let out a satisfied sigh, glanced at Roy again, put down his teacup, stood up, and looked at Roy warmly, saying, "Jin, I'm leaving too..." "I'll have tea with you again when I return."

Roy extended his right hand, sticking out his little finger, and winked at Sakumo Hatake, saying, "Pinky promise, Uncle."

"If I really don't see you when I get back, don't blame me for taking it out on Kakashi!"

Hatake Sakumo was slightly taken aback, pointed at Roy, and laughed, "You brat, you dare to threaten me! Pinky promise it is!"

Having said that, she extended her little finger and hooked it with Roy's.

Meanwhile, Shisui, who had been secretly watching, suddenly lost focus. As he swung his sword, his aim faltered, and two pebbles, uncooperatively, fell straight out of the basket with a "plop."

Then, the Sun-Earring Boy shuddered, feeling a breath of cold air blow against the back of his neck.

"Shisui, add ten thousand!"

"Yes... rub..." Shisui said dejectedly, wanting to slap himself.

He hurriedly rearranged the sword stand and began to wield the blade earnestly. Before he knew it, the sun was setting, and the evening glow had painted half the sky red.

The Sun-Earring Boy finally completed two "Ten Thousand Swings" (a type of ancient Chinese poetry) performances.

Dragging his aching arms, Roy grabbed him by the collar and led him back to the Uchiha Clan's compound...

"Caw!" As night deepened, a crow occasionally pierced the night sky, landing on a rooftop and preening its feathers with its beak... Roy took Shisui home, then led the weasel home, had dinner with his mother Mikoto, and went to sleep.

When I opened my eyes again...

A pair of hazy Buddha ears came into view...

"Huo Yao... you're awake..."