Ninjas Fear Death Too... (Seeking Follow-ups)

At the end of March in the 47th year of Konoha, the annual graduation season arrived as scheduled. Unlike previous years, however, there were fewer students graduating early.

The outbreak of war had come faster than many had anticipated; as soon as the weather began to warm, conflicts erupted repeatedly along the borders of Konoha.

Although the high-level leadership had been prepared for some time, facing enemies on all sides proved to be a far more severe situation than their initial plans had accounted for.

The Sunagakure, in particular, had resolutely dispatched troops despite being in the midst of internal strife. This "madman" style of conduct drew scathing rebukes from many Konoha ninja.

Konoha ninja did not believe they had done anything wrong; undercutting others to snatch up commissions was merely "market behavior," and Sunagakure had no business interfering!

The students at the Ninja Academy naturally heard news of the war. Fortunately, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, stepped forward at this time, making a promise during the graduation ceremony:

"Konoha was founded so that children would not have to experience war too early. The village will not send genin to the battlefield."

"The Will of Fire inherited from the First Hokage must be passed down by the youth..."

"..."

The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, spoke of the Will of Fire with a smile. The graduating youths were deeply moved by the Hokage's promise, and many even felt their blood boil, shouting excitedly:

"Lord Hokage, we are willing to give everything for the village!"

"Kill those invaders!"

"Make them pay the price!"

These passionate cries caused some of the chunin instructors to reveal expressions of unbearable pain. The comfortable life within the school had smoothed away the edges of most teachers, and they did not want to see these youths sacrifice themselves so early.

In this atmosphere, this batch of roughly 11-year-old students officially graduated. The youths, eager to distinguish themselves, continued to discuss the war after the ceremony ended, while another portion of the graduates remained silent.

The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was quite satisfied with his speech. Upon returning to the school office and seeing several chunin who looked as if they had something to say, he chuckled and asked:

"Ryosuke, are you worried about the children appearing on the battlefield too early? The village has not yet reached that point."

"The Jonin Division began mobilizing last month. With Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and the others there, the conflict will end soon."

Ryosuke Kimura turned to look at his colleagues, hesitated for a moment, and finally lowered his head to ask in a deep voice:

"Lord Hokage, will the children who graduated early in previous years and have mission experience be conscripted?"

"Not for now. The conflict has not yet fully spread."

Sarutobi Hiruzen gave a definitive reply. The village had accumulated many genin and chunin over the years; it would not come to the point of throwing 10-year-olds into the fray.

The several chunin instructors all responded in kind. They were not "hardliners," and they truly did not want to see the youths they had taught sacrifice themselves so early.

The arrival of war affected business on the commercial streets. No matter how thick-skinned the villagers were, they began to intentionally store some food, and previous levels of consumption naturally shrank accordingly.

In a teahouse on Tea Street, a girl of about 12 rested her chin on her hand, watching the shop in boredom. Suddenly, a tuft of silver hair appeared in her field of vision, and she immediately shouted happily:

"Kakashi-senpai! Would you like to have a cup? My treat!"

Kakashi, who was carrying a short blade, turned his head. He pondered slightly upon seeing the girl's face before remembering that her name seemed to be Mami:

"No need to call me senpai. You are older than I am."

"Senpai is just like always—not cute at all!"

Mami feigned anger as she pulled Kakashi into the shop, then looked at the others who were showing curious expressions, greeting them with a sweet smile:

"Everyone, come have a cup. It's my treat today."

Might Guy had wanted to shout a "declaration of youth," but Genma Shiranui and Ebisu, who knew their companion well, pushed him directly into the shop while grumbling:

"Guy, balance work and rest!"

"That's right, don't you want to hear Kakashi's story? I'm very curious!"

Ebisu pushed up his small sunglasses. He always felt that the girl and Kakashi had an unusual relationship, and he felt an itch to gossip about it.

"You guys are truly boring. Mami gave up the ninja profession not long ago."

Sitting at the table, Kakashi glanced sideways at the "closet pervert" Ebisu. He had persuaded quite a few students to quit; Mami was just a bit scatterbrained, which had left a deep impression on him.

"Senpai is bad-mouthing me again!"

The cheerful Mami served everyone tea and snacks before sitting across from Kakashi to complain. Seeing Might Guy and the others shouting about how "delicious" it was, she immediately narrowed her eyes and said:

"Thanks to Kakashi-senpai, I was able to avoid this war."

"It's a bit embarrassing to say, but I really am a coward. When I heard the war broke out last month, I only felt relieved."

"Actually, even if people don't say it out loud, many of the ninja Kakashi-senpai persuaded to turn back are secretly grateful."

"I'm just being honest. Also, I really like Kakashi-senpai, and I wouldn't mind dating a younger boy..."

Might Guy coughed several times in a row; the girl's sudden confession to Kakashi had startled him. Ebisu, meanwhile, wore a grin, staring at Kakashi to see his reaction.

"Talking nonsense again. Didn't I say it long ago? Don't reveal your emotions so easily."

Kakashi replied calmly while holding his tea. He was long used to such confessions; in the squads he had led, there were always girls who liked to tease him.

Mami laughed upon hearing the familiar critique. The girl wasn't exactly beautiful, but her vibrant, energetic demeanor was quite attractive:

"Thank you, Kakashi-senpai. You are different from most of the ninja in the village!"

"If you agree to go on a date with me, the meal is on the house!"

"I have no interest in spending a girl's money."

Kakashi revealed his dead-fish eyes and continued to grumble. He hadn't expected his attempts to brush people off to have this effect; the number of thank-you gifts he had been receiving lately was only growing...

As the four of them left the shop, Mami was still waving goodbye from behind. Genma Shiranui, with a bamboo toothpick dangling from his mouth, suddenly sighed:

"Even ninjas fear death! Back in school, I always thought ninjas were fearless..."

"I will carry my youth through to the very end! Don't worry, I will protect you all."

Might Guy's strength was growing rapidly. At this moment, he flashed a brilliant smile at his companions, his white teeth seemingly sparkling. For once, Ebisu offered a compliment:

"That sounds reliable!"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes and said nothing. Having teamed up with these few lately, he began to miss those high-level missions. Suddenly recalling the rhetoric of the "hardliners," he inwardly mocked himself:

"Am I also craving slaughter?"

Inside Konoha Hospital, Shu Furukawa watched a family weeping in silence. A fourteen-year-old boy had been critically wounded by an explosive tag, and after holding on for two days, he had finally returned to the Pure Land.

The girl clutched her brother's hand, sobbing incessantly. Her father, who had lost an arm, wiped away his tears before shouting in a deep voice:

"Ninjas do not need tears! The village needs us..."

"You're insane, Kyoko is only thirteen!"

The girl watched her parents bicker over plans for their future, a look of bewilderment crossing her face. Without her brother's protection, she might die on a mission.

Thinking of death, the sobbing girl began to tremble. She regretted becoming a ninja.

Having finally received the gratitude he came for, Shu Furukawa left the ward in silence. In a sense, death was beneficial to him; lately, the opportunities for [Collection] were becoming more frequent.

"Tsunade-sensei, there's no need to hide in the corner every time. You know I can sense you."

Tsunade, dressed in her blue jonin uniform, walked to Shu Furukawa's side and crossed her arms, looking at her student:

"If you were on the front lines, you would encounter many more situations like this!"

"Medical ninjas are not omnipotent. Many times, there is nothing you can do but watch your companions die right in front of you."

"This is also why I have always supported Sarutobi-sensei; war is the worst possible choice."

Shu Furukawa had long since formulated his plan. Death would not make him back down. At this moment, he once again displayed his "Will of Fire":

"I won't let you appear on the battlefield, Tsunade-sensei."

"Facing death head-on—as a Konoha ninja, I have already made my resolve."

"..."