"Ahem... gulu gulu..."
"Help! Help me..."
"Hahaha... Look! He fell down to feed the fish..."
"Gulu gulu..."
Dad, Mom... where are you...
The water is so dark...
What's that on top of your head? It's so big...
My head feels so stuffy and sleepy...
"Hey... kid, wake up! Wake up!"
"Ah wu..."
Wow... Wow.
A young man who was washed to the shore by the river slowly opened his eyes.
"Ahem... ah...".
"Not dead..."
After coughing a few times, he covered his chest with his hands and breathed heavily.
After forcing himself to stand up, he looked around for his backpack.
And when he saw his backpack being washed away by the current, he stepped forward and picked up the backpack.
When he opened it, he found that most of the items inside were soaked.
But fortunately, some herbs, notes and bandages were still intact in the iron box where he placed them.
He sat down with his back against a rock, took a deep breath, and raised his hands to lift the ice on his chest.
"Uh-huh..."
He groaned in pain.
After the ice layer was completely lifted, bright blood flowed out from his hideous wound again.
He gritted his teeth and found a few herbs in the iron box that could stop bleeding and disinfect them, then put them in his mouth and chewed them.
The bitter grass juice spread from his mouth, and he resisted the thought of vomiting. He chewed the herbs in his mouth into pieces before spitting them out and applying them to the wound.
Immediately afterwards, he raised a hand tremblingly. After carefully checking the incoming palm, a green light spread from the palm of his hand.
And this... was also the most basic healing technique he had learned in the medical class.
Once and twice... Because he was not proficient, the green light also flickered on and off.
He endured the severe pain in his chest and concentrated on mobilizing Chakra to gather in his hands.
Finally, after an unknown number of failures, soft green light steadily covered the wound.
A weak warm current seeped in, working together with the power of the herbs, slowing down the bleeding and slightly alleviating the pain in the chest.
After a long time, he put on a bandage.
And when he finished all this, his face was pale, and his face was covered with beads of sweat or river water.
He stood up panting, not daring to stay here too long.
After putting on the soaked clothes and picking up the backpack, he stumbled and walked deeper into the forest.
And within his Byakugan field of vision, he could clearly see that there happened to be a medium-sized cave there.
Although the space is not large, it is enough to fit in.
And this... will be the first step to freedom.
Two days later...
Konoha Hyuga Clan Compound.
The Branch Family guard was standing in a room at the moment, reporting the mission in detail to several Main Branch elders, especially the outcome of Ning Xue's heroic death in the battle to protect Main Branch.
An elder snorted coldly after hearing the report.
"It is indeed Branch Family's waste."
And that elder is also the grandfather of the boy Main Branch.
"If I hadn't been worried and secretly sent someone to follow him, my good grandson might have died in this mission. If it's more serious, Byakugan might even be living in another village."
His tone was quite satisfactory, and he was proud of this prediction.
At the same time, there was blame in his tone, because that damn Branch Family didn't fully protect his grandson.
But at this moment, another elder spoke.
"That boy Branch Family... although he was not strong enough, he finally fulfilled his duty as Branch Family and died to protect Main Branch.
According to the rules, a pension should be given to his family, which can be considered as some compensation for him from the clan."
When he said this, his tone was extremely calm and casual, as if he was talking about what to eat tonight.
The Branch Family ninja standing behind him took the order and stood down to execute.
After checking, he found that Ning Xue's parents, Hyuga Ning and Hyuga Yuki, had passed away, and there were no immediate relatives in the family. He returned to report, with a relaxed look on his face that seemed to save him from trouble.
"Reporting to the elders, it has been verified that Hyuga Ningxue's father, Hyuga Ning, and mother, Hyuga Yuki, are both dead, and there are no direct relatives in his family."
There was a brief silence in the room, which was then broken by the elder from before.
"It turns out that child is the eldest son of Hyuga Ning..."
He raised his eyebrows, and there was no trace of regret in his tone. Instead, he seemed to have solved a small trouble, which was good, and the pension was also saved.
"Since there are no immediate relatives, let's inform the people we knew well before death, such as the instructor or team members."
"It also just lets them know that he died for the glory of Hyuga."
The order was executed promptly.
The Nakamura family.
"No! It's a lie."
Nakamura Daisuke looked at the Hyuga member outside the door in disbelief. His legs were weak, but his fingers were firmly holding on to the door frame.
After a moment, he accepted this cruel reality.
After sending away the Hyuga Clan person, his eyes were red and he stumbled towards the place where he was kneading dough.
Looking at the Shanzhe Snacks written in memory of Sugiyama Tetsu.
For some reason, he cried again.
He tried hard to wipe away his tears, started writing again, and changed the name of his future food stall again.
"Snow Mountain Snack Shop"
This is his unique way of commemorating...
After Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki heard the news, they looked at each other in silence, and finally turned into a heavy sigh.
Hyuga In the ancestral land.
After Hyuga Neji received the news of Hyuga Ningxue's death, the pile-driving action suddenly stopped.
His pupils trembled slightly and his breathing became heavy.
After sending the messenger away, he stopped training.
Instead, when he returned to the room and looked at the box that Hyuga Ningxue asked him to keep, he shed a tear unconsciously.
Ninjas may not shed tears.
But... Best Friends.
After a long time, he wiped away his tears and threw himself into training again.
But at this time, his eyes no longer had the calmness of the past, but instead had a hint of fierceness.
He wants to break Caged Bird, and then kill that Main Branch waste.
Finally, the news reached Ichiraku Ramen.
"Clang--" the sound of broken dishes was heard.
"You... what are you talking about...Ning Xue That child... how could..." Uncle Teuchi repeated in a dry voice, unbelievable.
How could that taciturn, kind-hearted kid who had been working in his shop since he was six years old...
The great sadness seized his heart and made it difficult for him to breathe.
After the visitor left, he looked at the shop that was a little cold today, preparing to close early and digest the painful news alone.
At this moment, an energetic voice came.
"Teuchi! Let's have a huge bowl of miso char siu ramen!"
It's Naruto.
Uncle Teuchi looked at the lively and cheerful Naruto, as if he had returned to the day when he first met Ning Xue.
"Boss."
"Use this money to treat the yellow-haired man outside to a bowl of noodles."
I don't know if he wants Naruto to remember the person who silently helped him, or if he needs to vent his sadness.
Teuchi Take a deep breath.
"Hey, uncle? Why did it close so early today?"
When Naruto approached, he noticed that Ichiraku Ramen was actually preparing to close the store so early.
He scratched his head and looked at Uncle Teuchi with a puzzled look.
But when he saw Teuchi's expression clearly, he was a little stunned.
"What's wrong, uncle? You look... sad."
Naruto asked cautiously.
Teuchi took a deep breath and tried to calm down, but ultimately failed.
He looked at Naruto and said slowly.
"Ning Xue That kid... you know him, he is your classmate."
"He... passed away while performing his mission to protect his companions."
"Wha... what?!"
Naruto's expression froze instantly, his eyes were wide open, and his face was in disbelief.
"That white-haired, quiet Ning Xue? He... he's dead? Impossible!"
Teuchi closed his eyes, nodded heavily, and tears fell from the corners of his eyes.
He looked at Naruto with a reminiscence in his tone.
"Naruto, do you still remember the time when you were a lucky customer and had a huge bowl of miso barbecued pork ramen?"
Naruto was stunned for a moment, tried to remember, and then nodded vigorously.
"Remember! Of course I remember! That's my rare luck!"
Teuchi shook his head, his voice was hoarse and gentle.
"That's not luck... it's Ning Xue.
That day... you also met."
"He said to me.
Use this money to treat the yellow-haired man outside to a bowl of noodles."
"He said... you look hungry."
Naruto Hearing the truth behind this extra-large bowl of miso char siu ramen, I felt like I was struck by lightning.
He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
He thought of his childhood... He didn't expect that someone would help him at that time...
A complex and unspeakable emotion filled Naruto's chest, and he looked at the tears on Uncle Teuchi's face.
I can no longer bring out the interest in eating ramen.
He clenched his fists tightly and looked at the sky, as if he didn't want anything to fall.
"Thank you... that bowl of ramen... is delicious."
(Oh, let me tell you, I may skip one chapter tomorrow because I have to take the exam for Subject 3 tomorrow. If I pass it, I will update it. If I fail, it depends on my mood.)