Rules for Surviving in a Chaotic Era

Seeing Yuehua Ai's frozen expression, Nagato's hand, which had been reaching toward the air to pat the other boy's head, stiffened.

"S-sorry! I scared you, didn't I?" Nagato jerked his hand back as if he'd been shocked. He lowered his head, then ruffled the hair over his forehead, trying to hide his eyes. Seeing Yuehua Ai's reaction, he thought his unusual eyes had frightened him, utterly unaware of the storm raging in the other boy's heart.

Hearing Nagato apologize and seeing how dejected he looked, Yuehua Ai quickly realized he'd misunderstood.

He slowly sat up, wrapping the blanket around his neck so it still covered his whole body. Only one arm emerged from beneath it.

What a sensitive, insecure boy. Yuehua Ai reached out and brushed the hair away from Nagato's face, letting him show his whole face.

"I'm not scared at all. I was just thinking about something else."

In the original story, Nagato had possessed power that could put him at the pinnacle of the Ninja World. But looking back on his life, hadn't he been a simple, pitiable person? Because of his innocence and his longing for peace, everything in his short life except his devotion to his friends and his faith in Yahiko's ideals had been manipulated and arranged by Madara and Obito. The Uchiha had created tragedy after tragedy for him, forcing his life down a crooked path and trying to make him a pawn they could control. Yet in the end, Nagato still upheld the ideals he and Yahiko had shared. Though he'd done many terrible things, he'd always done them for his friends, never losing his pure heart or his resolve.

Nagato, whom Yahiko had called a crybaby, wasn't weak. He was simply more sensitive than most and placed more importance on the bonds between people. Seeing the dejection on Nagato's face, Yuehua Ai felt he needed to give him some encouragement and confidence.

"Your eyes are beautiful. Why hide them?"

"..."

"Beautiful? You... You really... really aren't afraid?"

Seeing Nagato's dumbfounded expression, Yuehua Ai felt speechless. The Rinnegan was a power that practically broke the rules of the Naruto World. Thinking of how Nagato had always felt troubled and insecure because he possessed it made Yuehua Ai feel as if his heart were bleeding. If you don't want them, give them to me! I'm so jealous I could die...

Of course, he didn't say that aloud. Yuehua Ai put on an innocent expression and nodded. "How could I be scared? Your eyes really are beautiful, Big Brother. They look so mysterious and magnificent. I wish I had eyes like yours, too!"

Calling Nagato "Big Brother" to act cute made Yuehua Ai cringe inwardly. He was trying to comfort Nagato, but... calling him that when he'd lived two lives was really embarrassing!

Though Yuehua Ai found his own words both nauseating and cloying, he didn't feel that way about the two boys and the girl in front of him.

"Really?"

Seeing Yuehua Ai nod with such sincerity, Nagato still found it hard to believe him. For years, people had treated him differently because of his unusual eyes. Then, a year ago, on that night when his parents were accidentally killed by Konoha Ninja, the shock had made his eyes unleash a terrifying power, killing the two shinobi instantly. Even after wandering for so long, he still feared the power of his eyes. But today, this child Konan had found wasn't afraid of them. Instead, he'd said Nagato's unusual eyes were magnificent and beautiful, and that he envied them. For some reason, Nagato suddenly felt like crying.

Nagato lowered his head and pressed it against his chest. His eyes were so wet that he could only bite his lip hard to keep from crying.

Yahiko was moved, too. He flashed Yuehua Ai a huge smile, then gave Nagato a hearty slap on the shoulder.

"Little Ai's right, Nagato. You need to have confidence in yourself!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yahiko grinned mischievously and leaned close to Nagato, teasing him. "Why's your head hanging so low? Don't tell me you're crying because you're moved! Haha, seriously, Na-ga-to is such a cry-ba—"

Before Yahiko could finish, Nagato gave a snort and slapped away the hand on his shoulder. He wiped his eyes twice with his sleeve, then lifted his head and turned his face aside, avoiding Yahiko's gaze.

"I'm not... I-I-I just got smoke in my eyes!"

Nagato's halting, tearful excuse nearly made Yuehua Ai laugh. Yahiko didn't mind Nagato's snappishness at all. He laughed and knelt down beside him, draping an arm over his shoulder again. This time, Nagato didn't stop him.

"...Little Ai... Nagato... Yahiko..." Konan clasped her hands in front of her chest and murmured the boys' names. Their laughter and teasing stirred something in her. It was warm and comforting, and she really loved it.

"Little Ai, stay here and watch the house. We're going to find something to eat. Even if we still have some food, we can't just live off our savings forever!" After talking through the night, they'd learned about Yuehua Ai's circumstances. Compared to their own, his life had been far more difficult. The boys and girl could hardly imagine how he'd survived on his own for so long.

Their backgrounds were tragic, too, but at least they'd been old enough to take care of themselves when they lost their parents. But Little Ai, standing before them, was so young... Their hearts overflowed with sympathy for him. They felt nothing but affection for the little brother who'd just joined their family. How could they bear to make him come along to look for food? Besides, looking for food usually meant stealing it. They didn't want to teach a little kid bad habits—and more importantly, if they got caught and beaten, what could they do for Little Ai? They weren't capable of protecting him.

Having lived two lives, Yuehua Ai could easily see what Yahiko and the others were thinking. But he was surviving in the same chaotic era as they were. How could he expect the boys to raise him just because he was young? Age meant nothing in wartime. Children who'd lost their homes weren't evil for stealing to survive. Justice and kindness were just lofty ideals; survival came first.

Yuehua Ai tugged at the clothes on his chest, making them fit more snugly. He wasn't wearing the same clothes as the night before. These were old clothes the boys had picked up sometime earlier, but they were much better than the filthy, ragged coat with rat meat hidden inside.

Yuehua Ai was too small, and there were no clothes here that fit him. So the garment he wore was still only a shirt, its hem reaching his knees and leaving his pale little legs bare. It still didn't fit well, but at least it didn't get in the way. Konan had also given him a pair of shoes she'd worn before. They were a little worn, but still in better shape than Yahiko's and the others' shoes. Yuehua Ai didn't care much that his clothes were old and shabby. What bothered him was that he was wearing nothing underneath. There was only the outer shirt, and the loose fabric rubbed against his butt, making him feel awkward. Even after living here for three or four years, he still wasn't used to it.

"No way. I'm coming, too. I'm not a freeloader!" Yuehua Ai paid no attention to Yahiko's words. He scampered a couple of steps and followed behind Konan.

"Damn it, you're just a little squirt! Stay here like a good kid. Finding food is our job!" Seeing Yuehua Ai ignore him, Yahiko couldn't help shouting.

"Yahiko, keep your voice down!" Konan chided him.

Konan turned around, took Yuehua Ai's little hand in one of hers, and patted his head with the other. "Little Ai, Yahiko's right. You're still young. Finding food is our job, so stay here and be good, okay?"

Yuehua Ai felt rather helpless about Konan liking to pat his head, but there was nothing he could do. He was only four years old in this life, after all!

"Konan, how can I let you go by yourselves? Since last night, I've been part of this group, haven't I?"

Everyone froze at Yuehua Ai's words. Before they could react, he continued, "In an era like this, if you want to survive, being young isn't a reason to shirk responsibility and enjoy the fruits of your friends' labor."

"..."

They stared at one another, speechless. At last, Yahiko said in exasperation, "Honestly, how can a little one like you sound more mature than us?"

At the words "little one," a small dog that had been running around at Nagato's feet stopped and looked at Yahiko in confusion, as if to say, "Did you call me?"

"B-but, Little Ai... we..." Nagato began.

Before he could finish, Yahiko turned to Yuehua Ai and said, "We understand that you want to come with us to find food, but do you know how we get it?"

"Yahiko!" Konan frowned slightly.

Yuehua Ai nodded and summed it up in one word. "Stealing!"

"Uh..." Not only Yahiko, but Konan and Nagato froze, too. That really hit the nail on the head, but it was so awkward!

The only creature there who wasn't bewildered by everyone's sudden stiffness was the little dog that followed Nagato. Named Little One, it ran around everyone's feet once, then sat down and gave a couple of puzzled whines.