The little girl stared at the three of them with wide, terrified eyes, too frightened to move.
Sosuke glanced at her. Her little face was on the verge of tears, and he looked thoughtful as he murmured softly,
"An orphan of war..."
Minato met the little girl's fearful gaze, his expression complicated.
He seemed lost in thought.
Suddenly, he turned respectfully toward Sosuke and said quietly,
"Captain Aizen, this village has been destroyed. If we leave her here, she'll have nothing waiting for her but death."
A hint of amusement entered Sosuke's eyes. He turned to Minato and smiled warmly.
"Minato, do you want to save this child? That's very unlike you."
Minato hesitated, then said solemnly,
"On this filthy land, children may be the only ones who are truly innocent. I want to take her to a village that hasn't yet been touched by the war."
He paused, then continued,
"If you think she'll be a burden, I'll kill her myself right here. At least then she won't have to suffer through living on this land."
Sosuke chuckled softly and replied warmly,
"Don't be so formal, Minato. If you want to care for her, then do so. The fact that she survived is proof enough of her good fortune."
"And we should keep carrying out that good fortune on Heaven's behalf."
Minato's face brightened slightly at Sosuke's approval.
Then he walked toward the little girl.
As Minato approached, the fear on her face deepened. Her whole body trembled, but she didn't dare move.
"The ninja who slaughtered your village are dead. Come with us. We'll take you away from here. You... don't have a home here anymore."
Minato spoke to her expressionlessly.
The little girl didn't know if she understood him. She only stared up at him with wide,