What Was Indispensable

"Although life has gotten a lot better, I still... feel like something's missing. Something really important!" Yahiko scratched his head, looking troubled. He could feel something in his heart, but when he tried to put it into words, he couldn't figure out what it was. It was a terrible feeling.

"Something really important? What could it be?" Konan murmured. All in all, she was still just a simple, innocent girl. She was quite satisfied with their recently improved life and didn't overthink things like Yahiko did.

As the two talked, Nagato remained as silent as ever. Still, he, too, kept thinking about Yahiko's words. Unless someone asked for his opinion, Nagato rarely spoke up on his own. He lightly bit his lower lip. Yes, their life did seem to be missing something. But what was that important thing?

Yuehua Ai didn't offer his opinion on Yahiko's question. He simply continued following in Konan's footsteps. He wasn't entirely satisfied with their current life, either—not because he was unhappy with Nagato and the others, but because he was dissatisfied with the same old, uneventful days. What a dull life, without any passion or drive! Living in the spectacular Naruto World, without the life-or-death struggle against illness he'd faced in his previous life, he'd be no better than a salted fish if he couldn't do the things he loved.

Although things in town were relatively peaceful for now, Yuehua Ai had a feeling that the calm wouldn't last much longer. The number of refugees and orphans in the village had been steadily increasing in recent days. He knew the war was likely to spread here soon. During wartime, no place was absolutely safe. How could there possibly be a completely secure refuge in this little Land of Rivers or Amegakure?

Yahiko was another person, like Yuehua Ai, who was sensitive to the situation. He truly lived up to his future role as the founder and leader of Akatsuki. Though he usually seemed carefree, fearless, and almost too enthusiastic, he was remarkably talented at assessing the situation and making decisions as a leader. Now that the tide of war had just begun to shift, he had already noticed what was happening simply by observing the subtle changes around town.

So, after giving it some serious thought, Yahiko decided that before the war reached their town, he would find a way for everyone to escape and survive. That was why the four of them had left town to search for a new route. Yahiko had brought up his question while they were on the road.

After walking for a while longer, they reached a vast expanse of rocky terrain. Boulders stood everywhere, rising like trees. Years of rain had worn away their sharp edges, leaving them slick and smooth, like mushroom stalks. The terrain was just as unusual: the uneven ground was broken up by hills and gullies, with drastic differences in elevation. Visibility was poor in many places, and unless they reached a particularly open stretch, rocks blocked their view in every direction.

"Is everyone doing all right?" Yahiko asked, glancing back at the others from the front of the group.

"Mm!" Konan answered with a hum, and Nagato gave a slight nod. They had been walking for quite a while and were feeling tired, but they thought they could keep going.

Yuehua Ai was at the back. He couldn't be bothered to answer Yahiko. Although he was the youngest, he felt fine. The warm current inside him kept him going, and he wasn't particularly tired. He suspected that the current supporting him was the chakra unique to the Naruto World.

Without a ninja to teach him, Yuehua Ai couldn't have known the traditional methods for refining chakra. But as a transmigrator with a mature soul, he knew that anything that existed in the world would leave clues behind.

After all, the people who had first discovered chakra and learned to use it must have existed at some point. Through exploration and experimentation, they would eventually have made progress.

When Yuehua Ai was still an infant, he had tried to sense spiritual energy by calming his mind and emptying his thoughts. In fact, that was when he first managed to produce a warm current like the one inside him now. But the aftereffects had been severe. For days afterward, his body had felt drained and weak, and his mind had been dazed. Even the old man had thought several times that he wouldn't make it. Fortunately, he had pulled through.

After that experience, Yuehua Ai had learned a thing or two. Refining the warm current had drained his body's energy. Back then, simply getting enough food to survive had been difficult. His body had no energy to spare for refining anything.

He had only tried again to refine the warm current—what he suspected was chakra—after meeting Yahiko and the others and settling into a better life. And it had to be said, the current worked wonders. Even as a four-and-a-half-year-old child, he could keep up with Yahiko and the others physically when it supported him.

Yahiko and the others had no idea what was going on with Yuehua Ai. They assumed that since they were tired, he must be having an even harder time.

When Yuehua Ai stayed quiet as they walked, Yahiko and the others thought he was so exhausted that he couldn't even speak. They couldn't help feeling deeply guilty. If they hadn't been so tired themselves, they might have forgotten that Yuehua Ai was still just a child.

The three of them stopped at once. Yuehua Ai, who had been lost in memories of the Naruto plot, couldn't react in time. He bumped right into Konan, then slipped and started to fall backward. Fortunately, Konan reacted quickly, catching him and pulling him into her arms.

"Xiao Ai, are you all right?" Konan asked. Nagato and Yahiko sounded just as concerned. After spending more than half a year together, Yuehua Ai had become indispensable to them.

"I'm fine." Yuehua Ai looked up at Konan with a smile.

"Phew." Konan let out a breath. She saw sweat and rainwater trickling down his little face and tenderly wiped it with her fingers.

"You must be exhausted!" Guilt filled Konan's voice.

Yuehua Ai pressed his cheek against her hand, deliberately rubbing against it. "Not at all!"

Seeing Yuehua Ai nuzzle Konan's hand, Yahiko was speechless. He gave a loud "Hah!" "Let's find somewhere to take shelter from the rain and rest for a bit. Until then, I'll carry Xiao Ai."

Yahiko had barely finished speaking when Nagato, who usually didn't say much, spoke up. "Let me carry Xiao Ai!"

Nagato wasn't good at expressing his feelings, but he had always felt a special fondness for Yuehua Ai. It was a feeling he had never experienced before—the kind of familial affection that made him want to care for a younger brother.

Yuehua Ai rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at Yahiko and Nagato. "I'm not that fragile!" With that, he walked to the front of the group.

Once he had his back to the others, Yuehua Ai's expression turned strange. He groaned inwardly. Ugh, getting younger has even made me childish. I actually acted cute without meaning to. That's... that's... so embarrassing!

Yuehua Ai didn't look or sound exhausted at all, but Yahiko still asked him again. "Don't push yourself just because you're a kid. Let me carry you!" As he spoke, he reached for Yuehua Ai's arm.

Yuehua Ai slapped Yahiko's hand away. Turning around, he gave Yahiko a scornful look. "I'm not letting a roughneck like you carry me!"

"Damn it!" Yahiko roared. Behind him, Nagato couldn't help laughing, while Konan pressed a hand to her chest, smiling brightly.

Roughneck, huh? What a funny word!

Yahiko shot Nagato a disgruntled look. That insult wasn't aimed at him alone, so how could Nagato laugh so happily? What an idiot.

Konan understood Yuehua Ai's personality. She knew he preferred being around girls like her, so she offered, "Xiao Ai, let me carry you."

Yuehua Ai kept walking at the front. At her words, he waved a hand without looking back. "No, I'm going to carry you, Konan!"

Konan smiled softly at Yuehua Ai's words, but she didn't think much of them. In the end, they stopped trying to persuade him. Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan exchanged helpless looks behind him. Yahiko shrugged, and Nagato said nothing more, simply hurrying to catch up with Yuehua Ai.

Before long, the four of them found a suitable place to rest: an enormous, umbrella-shaped rock. A spacious hollow beneath it made a rare natural shelter from the rain.

They rested for a while beneath the umbrella-shaped rock, then took out the rations and dried grilled fish they had packed before setting out for lunch. After a hearty meal, they had recovered their strength. Even Little One, who had been following at Nagato's feet the whole time, had perked up.

Little One barked twice and dashed into the rain. The others put on their rain gear and continued along their planned route.

"Smack!"

The group walked and chatted as they went. Not long after setting out, Yahiko suddenly clapped his hands. "I've got it!"

"What?" they all asked, puzzled.

"Earlier, on the road, didn't I say that I felt like something important was missing from our lives? I've figured it out. I realized what we're missing."

"Then what are we missing?"

As everyone's confused and bewildered gazes focused on him, Yahiko smiled proudly, brimming with confidence.

"A dream!"