Life Is Like a Play, All Depends on Acting

The morgue was on the first basement level of Konoha Hospital. The corridor lights were somewhat dim, and the passageway was cramped and narrow, giving it an eerie feel. But Shiraha was not afraid in the slightest.

After all, Wizard was hardly a kind and benevolent profession.

At the academy in his previous life, some instructors had even used Wizard apprentices who "voluntarily" cooperated as experimental subjects.

In a world with supernatural power, strength was the foundation of survival!

Shiraha and Shizuko came to the bodies of three Jōnin who had died not long ago.

Watching Shiraha calmly clean the bodies of the deceased, Shizuko's expression shifted. She could not help asking:

"Shiraha, I've always wanted to ask—how did you adapt so quickly? Aren't you afraid at all?"

Dissecting corpses and directly preparing a corpse for burial were two entirely different things.

Many of the bodies brought back from the battlefield could only be described as horrific. Even trained medical staff like them had needed many encounters before they got used to it.

Obtained Yin Attribute Creature cells (1/1). Cell activity and bloodline purity meet the standards. Quality: Ordinary

The data displayed by the Eye of Truth nearly made Shiraha jump for joy.

He had not expected to collect two samples that met the requirements in a single day!

Hearing Shizuko's voice, Shiraha came back to himself. He lowered his head and worked up his emotions for a moment, then pointed at the body before him and said in a deep voice:

"They were heroes who sacrificed themselves for the village's peace. How could I be afraid?

When my parents were brought back from the battlefield, it was impossible to tell whether they were male or female.

Every ninja in the village is my family!"

Shiraha seemed to be trying hard to suppress his emotions, but he looked as though he were about to burst into tears at any moment.

Shizuko's heart trembled. Though she had witnessed countless deaths and farewells, Shiraha's deliberately resolute tone still touched the softest part of her heart, and her eyes grew hot.

She knew something of Shiraha's background, and guilt filled her heart at that moment. How could she have asked such a thing?

Shizuko hastily wiped her hands clean, went over to Shiraha, and pulled him tightly into her arms. "Shiraha, it's your sister's fault. Don't be sad anymore!"

Shiraha felt his entire face buried in a soft, warm embrace. He could barely breathe and instinctively pushed against her.

But to Shizuko, his struggle only looked like stubborn bravado, and she hugged him even tighter.

At that moment, the Kunoichi who were preparing to send the processed bodies to the corpse storage room on the second basement level also came over to comfort him.

After a long while, Shiraha gently pushed against Shizuko's lower abdomen. "Shizuko-neechan, I'm fine now."

Only then did Shizuko let him go.

Looking at Shiraha, whose emotions had already "settled," Shizuko felt a tightness in her chest. Holding his little face in her hands, she said gently, "Shiraha, from now on, I'm your family! I'll protect you!"

"I'll protect you too, Shizuko-neechan, and our companions in the village!" Shiraha nodded firmly.

Shizuko knew that children like Shiraha were the most prideful inside, so she resisted the urge to pull him into another tight hug.

This child was so sensible that it broke her heart!

That evening, after dinner at Shizuko's home, Shiraha repeatedly insisted before she finally let him return home.

After all, Shizuko's apartment only had one bed. His body was that of a child, but his soul was that of an adult.

Wouldn't sleeping together be torture for him?

Besides, "deceiving" such a kind person had never been his intention. It was merely a persona he needed while he was weak.

"Now I only need one last Yang Attribute cell. Looks like I'll have to get Kushina to help." After spending this time together, Shiraha had grown quite close to Kushina and come to understand her much better.

Kushina and Tsunade were cousins, and she was also the princess of the Land of Whirlpools. Her status was far from ordinary.

The Third Hokage possessed a technique called the Telescope Technique, which allowed him to use a Crystal Ball to remotely monitor specific individuals.

Though he had to know the person's Chakra signature in order to monitor them.

But given the terrifying amount of Chakra Kushina had displayed, she clearly had not come to Konoha merely to seek refuge.

If the Third Hokage had Kushina's Chakra signature, then whenever Shiraha was in the same designated space as her, he would naturally be monitored as well.

Asking Kushina for blood or plucking out her hair would completely conflict with his persona.

Shiraha had already come this far. He had to proceed step by step and be as careful as possible.

"Come to think of it, Kushina's hair is absurdly good. It doesn't shed at all." Shiraha could not help sighing inwardly.

In any case, Magic Power and Mental Power still needed twelve more charges. Factoring in the time needed to recover Mental Power and Magic Power, it would take at least one or two months.

He could not rush it!

Over the next period of time, Shiraha spent nearly all his free time at Konoha Hospital.

If he was not in class, he was helping out with "odd jobs."

Unfortunately, the previous situation never happened again.

The fighting on the front lines seemed to have gradually eased, and the number of wounded brought back to the village sharply decreased.

But perhaps this was merely the calm before the next great battle.

Of course, Shiraha did not neglect Kushina. Whenever he had time, he still trained and went shopping with her.

One day during the lunch break.

Because his daily training schedule was packed, and he also had to expend Mental Power and Magic Power to supply the Book of the Ancient Warlock, Shiraha took a nap every day during lunch break to restore his energy.

Just as Shiraha drifted into a light sleep, he heard several naughty boys in the back row teasing Kushina.

"Tomato! Nyah nyah nyah~"

"Super sour tomato!"

"Your hair color is ugly too!"

Soon, in his daze, Shiraha heard a burst of crackling impacts.

When he sat up and looked over, he saw Kushina's little face flushed bright red while several boys had already been knocked to the ground.

She was straddling one boy's back and pummeling him viciously. "Don't look down on me! I hate tomatoes too! Don't call me Tomato!"

"What are you doing!? I-I was wrong!"

The boys who had not yet been hit saw Kushina's red hair floating without wind. Terrified, they backed away again and again before screaming and running out.

When Kushina caught sight of the sleepy-eyed Shiraha from the corner of her eye, she turned to meet his gaze. Her movements immediately stopped, as though she did not want to show her violent side in front of him.

What Kushina did not expect was for Shiraha to give her a thumbs-up. "Well done! Kushina."

Kushina froze. Shiraha's reaction was completely beyond her expectations.

In the time she was distracted, the boy she had pinned down seized the chance to crawl away. He ran out crying, "Ah! Red Hot Habanero is beating people up!"

"Don't care too much about what others think. I like red, and I especially love tomatoes. Isn't that nickname pretty cute?" Shiraha said with a smile.

The tension left Kushina's face, and a blush spread across her cheeks. Suddenly at a loss, she fled the classroom as if escaping, chasing after the boys.

That evening, after school.

Shiraha packed his schoolbag and prepared to head to Konoha Hospital.

There were no classes that day, but he planned to help at the hospital. It was precisely because he had kept watch there every day before that he had collected qualifying cells so quickly.

But just as Shiraha reached the door, Kushina called out to him.

"Shiraha."

"Hm? What is it, Kushina?"

"Tonight... want to train together?" After what had happened that afternoon, Kushina suddenly became bashful.

Shiraha paused, then nodded. "Sure!"

Being alone would give him more chances to collect Kushina's cells.

"Want to eat together later? Nawaki-nii has applied to graduate early and passed the assessment. Tsunade-neechan isn't in the village, so let's celebrate for him."

Kushina continued.

"Please let me join!" Shiraha said with a serious smile.

If you weren't proactive about eating, there was something wrong with your brain!

Time really flew. The semester would end soon.

Shiraha had met Nawaki a few times. He had a sunny, cheerful personality and was easy to get along with.

As the grandson and granddaughter of the First Hokage, Nawaki and Tsunade were both targets for Shiraha's cell collection. Unfortunately, he currently had no chance to get close to either of them.

Through Kushina's connections, along with his own performance, deepening his relationship with Tsunade and Nawaki would be highly beneficial for his future development.

"Then let's go quickly!"