Father and Son

Hui entered the small room without attracting anyone's attention, since it was pitch-dark inside.

It seemed the shadow clone he'd left behind had been a huge help. With no time to look around, Hui quickly used the Flying Thunder God Technique to send the seven remaining people away.

He left comforting them to his shadow clone. Hopefully those guys wouldn't screw things up again.

The only difference between Space Leap and the Flying Thunder God Technique was whether a Shortcut formed on the spot.

But as the last person left the room, a piercing alarm rang throughout the Root.

Damn, was there some method I hadn't noticed? Nothing had happened with the Anbu last time. Could it have been those seven people just now?

Damn it!

Flying Thunder God Technique

Hui's form vanished abruptly from midair.

A team of Root shinobi shoved open the door and searched the entire room, but found nothing.

In the town, Hui led the group to this outdoor paradise.

"Little Boss! Why are you the one bringing people today?"

Toshio recognized Hui from a distance and flashed his familiar smile, but when his eyes fell on the timid children behind him, his voice caught.

"Ah, why do these kids have so many little cuts? I'll take them to a doctor right away!"

Though they'd only just met, the children clung tightly to Hui as if he were their only lifeline.

When Toshio approached, they all shrank behind Hui.

"Sorry, Toshio." Hui's voice was low as his gaze swept over the children's dirty faces.

"I rescued them from somewhere... They probably can't go back. I'm counting on you!"

Toshio nodded solemnly. "Leave them to me!"

He crouched down to meet the children's eyes and deliberately softened his voice. "Don't be afraid. Come with me. There's a warm meal and a clean bed waiting for you."

"Oh, and the doctor's going to give you candy, too!"

Toshio's past had made him very good at this. Over the years, he'd guided many people.

A new light seemed to kindle in the children's eyes. They hesitantly took a few steps, and Toshio turned to lead them toward the clinic.

Hui stood where he was, watching them disappear into the distance.

Suddenly, one child turned around and called in a hoarse voice, "Thank you, Little Boss!"

The others saw this and turned as well, awkwardly waving their thanks.

Hui froze. He raised his hand without thinking and waved back.

By then, Chuanhe had come to Hui's side.

"How are you feeling?" Chuanhe set his hand on Hui's head and ruffled his hair vigorously.

Hui paid no mind to the large hand on his head. He kept looking ahead.

"Father, why is there war in this world? Why do people hurt one another?"

"I'm sorry, Hui. That's a very complicated question." Chuanhe, too, looked at the newcomers.

There wasn't much he could do. People like them could be found all over the world. All Chuanhe could do was let things take their course.

"Father, is there a way to achieve true peace?" Hui's voice trembled slightly.

Chuanhe abruptly turned to look down at his son.

"Hui, why are you thinking about this? It's not something a kid your age should worry about." Chuanhe's voice was deadly serious.

Hui placed his right hand over his heart. An unfamiliar feeling echoed there, and Hui understood it was his mother's emotion.

But it wasn't just an echo of Yuki's memories. Right now, Hui truly felt the same way.

Wasn't the Reverse Memory Well supposed to hold only happy memories?

Hui was a little confused, but there was no doubt that this familiar feeling came from the tattoo.

"Father, you came from the stars. You have a way to achieve peace that's different from this planet's, right?"

"Enough! Hui, we're not discussing this anymore. It's not something you should be worrying about. Just focus on your studies." For the first time, Chuanhe lost control of his emotions in front of Hui.

Chuanhe had realized there was a serious problem. Hui's dreams were changing too quickly. If this continued, he'd spend his entire life trapped in this endless whirlpool.

Hui stared blankly at his father. This was the first time Chuanhe had ever yelled at him.

His instinct as a child told him to back down, but he resisted.

He really wanted to know the answer. Everything he'd seen in the Root today was challenging the limits of what he believed.

If the village was like this, what was the battlefield like?

Hui felt himself trembling.

Chuanhe was frustrated. He'd planned everything out. Hui only had to follow his plan.

Why was he thinking about peace? The question was too broad. True peace was impossible in this world!

Chuanhe looked at Hui beside him. Hui was still staring back at him stubbornly, his small body trembling ever so slightly.

Had he planned something wrong? None of this should have happened.

A plan? It seemed he'd ended up on the same path, never asking what Hui wanted and simply arranging everything for him.

So that was it. He'd become the very person he hated most.

Chuanhe took a deep breath, reined in his emotions, put an arm around Hui's shoulders, and led him to sit down.

Chuanhe and Hui looked into each other's eyes.

"Hui, there is no true peace in this world. Peace is just a word humanity came up with."

Hui said nothing, only gazed quietly at Chuanhe.

In the reflection in Hui's eyes, Chuanhe could faintly see that his face looked grim and his expression stiff.

That reflection set Chuanhe's thoughts wandering. It was as if the whole world's patterns were shifting from that glimmer of light. Those were his memories.

Chuanhe sank into a distant memory.

Long ago, the "village" he came from had been just as chaotic as this world. A group of wonderful people had stood up and fought without hesitation.

Back then, Chuanhe had only seen their battles. Now, he could see more.

He'd already felt deeply conflicted watching Hui head to the battlefield with a kunai. Now that Hui was stepping into the abyss without hesitation, his feelings were even more complicated.

Had their parents felt the same way? Chuanhe closed his eyes.

Was this Hui's dream? Dream was a distant word for Chuanhe.

He had no idea what his own dream was. What he was doing now was nothing more than a promise he'd made to Yuki.

Chuanhe opened his eyes again. The moon was bright, its light casting an unusual calm over the ground.

Looking at the moonlight, Chuanhe raised his head to the sky.

The night sky was dark, yet filled with dazzling stars. A milky-white river of stars stretched across the heavens, like a brilliant ribbon drifting through the night.

Stars?!

He'd called himself a four-dimensional being, yet he'd lost sight of the most important dream.

Now, at last, he remembered his original dream—to stand on a star.

A completely new feeling coursed through Chuanhe's body. It was the feeling he'd had back when he was a young man chasing his dream.

At last, Chuanhe slowly said, "I don't know how to achieve true peace, but I'll tell you the ways people have tried."

"That's enough!" Hui smiled happily.

"But!" Chuanhe's tone turned stern.

"Hui, no matter how much you long for peace right now, I'll give you just one chance. And whatever you plan to do, you have to wait until you're an adult!"

"When this body of yours dies, you'd better... come back! The moment I sense your Soul Sealing Technique exposed, this all ends!"

Hui's expression stiffened, but then he answered with firm resolve, "Every person has only one life. This is only right."

"Fine, then it's settled! I'll tell you the methods after I've dealt with the Uchiha problem." Chuanhe's tone grew cheerful as he put an arm around Hui's shoulders.

"Huh? Father, that's cheating!" Hui protested, but his face was bright with happiness.

Hui was happy now because Chuanhe had decided to support his dream.