The Direct Line

Listening to the boy's heartfelt words, she remained silent for a moment, then slowly spoke:

"Since you know about the Fuma Clan and have personally experienced these messy things now..."

"What does becoming a ninja mean? I don't need to explain it to you, do I?"

He raised his hand and pointed to the edge of the dueling arena, at the shattered corpses of Root ninjas, and at the children lying haphazardly in the distance.

The moonlight illuminated the unseeing faces with exceptional clarity. Several children's eyes remained open, their gazes blankly fixed on the dome torn open by the Magatsuhi God.

"Even those you consider invincible, including myself, are all capable of dying."

He withdrew his fingers, his cold gaze sweeping over the faces of the children before him.

"This is what a ninja is."

"Instead of living in constant fear, I'd rather find a peaceful place to farm."

At least I don't have to worry about my head falling off every single day.

"Kids, listen to this advice from someone who's been there."

Looking at the children before him, he said earnestly:

"The Ninja World world is too treacherous; you can't handle it."

The children listened to his words and all lowered their heads in silence.

Having experienced hell, they are no longer ignorant children.

They knew that what Kou said was true.

In this Ninja World, being able to peacefully farm for a lifetime is perhaps the most luxurious and unattainable happiness.

"But... can we really still live a peaceful life?"

Fuma Naoto raised his head, staring blankly at Koto with his bewildered eyes.

"We have nowhere left to go back to."

He listened to Naoto's words and fell silent, a rare occurrence for him.

"Even if you erase all our memories of this experience, we, who have lost our families, have nowhere to go."

Naoto, fighting back tears, choked out:

"In this Ninja World, we can only feel safe and secure when we are by your side."

Even if one day we die, at least, at least until then... by your side, we can live in peace.

Please accept us! Even if you only use us as tools... Please, please let us stay by your side!

The boy's voice was choked with tears at that moment, and he could only slam his forehead heavily onto the cold stone floor once more.

The muffled thud echoed through the empty ruins, and the other children, who had been silently bowing their heads, raised their heads one by one.

One by one, the children who had been keeping their heads down raised their heads in the silence.

Their swollen, red eyes were all fixed on Kou, as if they were looking at the only sun in the Ninja World.

He looked at the group of children covered in wounds and remained silent for a long while.

The wind blew in from the dome, stirring his clothes and the pools of blood on the ground that were slowly congealing.

Kou slowly closed his eyes and fell into deep thought.

To be honest, these children are actually useful to me...

I am not a philanthropist, and I don't have any extra kindness to squander.

But he is a pragmatic person.

One day, I will have to leave Akatsuki and Mist Village.

One day, at some point, I will have to completely part ways with Kenji, who has already embarked on a path of no return!

By that time, if they wanted to develop their own power base outside, they would need a sufficient number of people.

No matter how strong you are, you can't do everything by yourself.

Cultivating loyal subordinates is essential.

These children, with no way out, desperately needing security, and whose values are still developing, are the perfect candidates for nurturing...

Thinking about this, Kou seemed to have finally found a reason enough to convince himself.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the children in front of him with a calm expression.

But under the moonlight, that face, which was deliberately kept indifferent, still revealed a subtle, deliberately concealed softness:

"Let me make this clear beforehand: I'm not some pushover, and I have no reason to support a few burdens for no reason."

If you want to live a good life, then in the days to come, show me your worth.

Hearing Kou's words, Naoto a moment, and a glimmer of hope finally appeared in his eyes, which were full of pain and confusion.

He slammed his forehead against the ground again, hitting it even harder than before.

"Thank you... really, thank you!!"

His voice was drowned out by his uncontrollable sobs, but every word seemed to be ripped from the deepest part of his chest, burning and scalding.

Kou shook his head, shifting his gaze from him to each child's face.

His expression remained calm, but the coldness in his voice had unconsciously diminished somewhat.

"Don't be too happy yet. Since you've chosen this path, you'd better be prepared."

Those who can't hold on, be prepared to have your memories erased and be kicked out.

As he spoke, he raised his hand and looked at Orochimaru beside him.

Orochimaru silently stepped forward, creating two Shadow Clone, one of which nodded slightly to Koko.

Koko also created a Shadow Clone, which stood alongside one of Orochimaru's Shadow Clone in front of the children.

"This snake-faced monster will accompany my clone and take you to a new place."

Kou pointed to Orochimaru's Shadow Clone, then to his Shadow Clone, and said earnestly to the children:

"After you get there, treat the wound first, then eat, sleep, and start training immediately once the injury is fully healed."

"Remember, don't let me down."

The children stared wide-eyed at the three shadow Shadow Clone that had appeared out of nowhere, their mouths slowly agape.

But then they remembered the devastating scene they had just witnessed, and suddenly it didn't seem like such a big deal.

Led by two Shadow Clone, the children disappeared one by one at the edge of the ruins.

Naoto was the last to leave.

He turned and took a few steps, then suddenly stopped, turned back, and looked deeply at Kou with his still red and swollen but no longer empty eyes.

His eyes held gratitude, admiration, and an almost instinctive attachment to the person before him, as if he regarded him as the only person he could rely on in the world.

Looking into the child's eyes, he couldn't help but recall the look in Karin's eyes when he saved Karin in the Land of Grass many years ago.

He sighed deeply, then raised his hand and waved to Naoto.

Only when those small, thin figures completely disappeared into the night at the edge of the ruins did Kou slowly lower his arm.

A moment later, in this dilapidated base, only the original Orochimaru, Orochimaru, and his other Shadow Clone remained...