Please Don't Die

Senju Kyogawa felt the Uchiha ninja pull his hand out of his chest. He could feel the flesh and nerves in his chest being tugged at. Since Pain Suppression was active, he could only feel a faint pain.

What a strange feeling...

Did he pierce my heart?

The Uchiha's Sharingan really is amazing... If the system hadn't activated its defensive function, I might not even have known how I died...

The Uchiha ninja finally pulled his hand out of Senju Kyogawa's mangled chest. Blood spurted out, and Senju Kyogawa blankly covered the wound with his hand, but he couldn't stop the blood from pouring out.

Then he began to feel a little cold. The chill slowly spread from his fingertips to his limbs, then through his whole body.

Only his chest felt warm.

Why was that?

Oh... The blood was warm...

Tsk, it really did hurt a little...

"Little brother—"

As he fell, Senju Kyogawa thought he heard his second brother, Senju Tobirama, shout.

That voice sounded absolutely heart-wrenching...

It doesn't hurt that much, Tobirama...

Don't worry...

Go save Itama...

Those were Senju Kyogawa's last thoughts before he closed his eyes.

In the darkness, the system's electronic voice rang out in Senju Kyogawa's mind. But he was already in a deep coma and on the brink of death, so there was no way he could hear it.

[Skill "Thou Shalt Not Die" passively activated. Detecting—conditions met. In use...]

[Ding—Thou Shalt Not Die (incomplete version) activated successfully.]

[Please remember, host: this is a passive skill. The conditions for converting it into an active skill have not been met. Please search diligently for the conditions required for conversion.]

At the Senju Clan's main camp, Senju Hashirama paced anxiously outside the tent. His hands kept rubbing together, and the tears on his face had yet to dry.

Senju Tobirama leaned against a nearby tree, head bowed, his thoughts unreadable. He was covered in blood, most of it Senju Kyogawa's.

On closer inspection, even his once-sleek white hair had lost much of its luster.

Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama had suffered far too many shocks in a single day.

Inside the tent, their younger brother was being treated. Outside, the two brothers stood with their minds in turmoil.

Senju Kyogawa and Senju Itama had been attacked while transporting supplies. By the time they received the message and rushed over after seeing the signal flare, it was already too late...

They knew the situation might be dire, and they had prepared themselves for the possibility of losing their younger brothers. After all, they had been attacked by more than a dozen adult Uchiha ninja, including... one who had already awakened his Sharingan.

But when they saw the scene, they still couldn't hold back their grief.

Senju Hashirama was the first to reach the place where his fourth younger brother, Senju Itama, had met with disaster, but there was clearly nothing he could do...

All Senju Hashirama could see was—

His little brother Itama's small body, stained with blood, slumped beneath a massive boulder with his back against it. The stone behind him was smeared with his younger brother's bright red blood.

The wounds on the body made it clear that Senju Itama had fought fiercely. The enemy had used the Sharingan to confuse him, then calmly plunged a blade into his young chest, crushing his beating heart—a lot like what had happened to Senju Kyogawa.

But the enemy's strike had completely extinguished Senju Itama's hope of survival.

Senju Hashirama held his younger brother Itama, grief-stricken and despairing. He was cold and clammy—just like his younger brother Kawarama, just like countless Senju clan members who had fallen in battle.

A great deal of resentment rose in Senju Hashirama's heart, directed at this cruel shinobi world.

He wept, letting out a suppressed growl as he railed against the world's cruelty. Why had it taken the lives of two of his younger brothers in succession?

Senju Tobirama had seen two huge fire dragons collide in the distance and hurried over to Senju Kyogawa.

He had thought he would find a Senju ninja fighting fiercely against the Uchiha.

He never expected to arrive and find his youngest brother, Senju Kyogawa, pierced through the chest by a hand.

The Uchiha ninja quickly fled. Even though the three of them had suffered burns, the power of the Sharingan had still kept the Senju ninja from capturing them.

Senju Tobirama helplessly and sorrowfully gathered his younger brother into his arms, only to discover, to his surprise, that his youngest brother still had a faint breath.

Senju Kyogawa opened his eyes and looked around in a daze, surprised to find that he was still alive.

The next second, a sharp pain in his chest made him cry out.

"Ah! That hurts—"

System—

Why isn't the Pain Suppression Card working? Senju Kyogawa demanded angrily.

[Host, if the system hadn't activated its protective function, you might already be in the Pure Land. Please behave yourself.]

[Also, the Pain Suppression Card conflicts with the "Thou Shalt Not Die (incomplete version)" skill card.]

[The system detected that the host was in a near-death state, so the "Thou Shalt Not Die (incomplete version)" skill passively activated and saved your life. However, after using the skill, the Pain Suppression Card will be ineffective for a while.] The system explained smugly.

Hey—you're getting cheekier by the day, aren't you? But... thanks. Senju Kyogawa was still grateful that the system had saved his life.

He had managed to claw his way back from death...

Right—

Itama... Senju Kyogawa suddenly thought of Senju Itama, who had been attacked by the Uchiha ninja alongside him.

Although they had been forced apart midway through the fight, Senju Itama had also faced several Uchiha ninja. His situation clearly couldn't be good, either.

As Senju Kyogawa was thinking about this, someone pushed open the door and came into the room.

"Kyogawa—you're awake!" Senju Hashirama cried out happily.

"Hashirama... How is Itama? How badly is he hurt?" Senju Kyogawa asked hurriedly.

Senju Hashirama froze. His lips trembled, and he couldn't answer Senju Kyogawa's question.

Seeing Senju Hashirama's reaction, how could Senju Kyogawa not understand what had happened?

Could it be... Could his older brother Senju Itama already be...

It was clear that Senju Hashirama was pale, too. Dark purplish circles shadowed his eyes, and he looked utterly dejected.

But...

Senju Hashirama was usually such a cheerful person...

Neither of them spoke again. The room fell into a heavy silence.

It was a clear morning.

Inside the Senju Clan Territory.

Senju Itama was buried. He was a little luckier than Kawarama—his body was whole... except for the gaping hole where his heart had been.

The clan members hadn't used Earth Release. Instead, they had dug up the soil one shovelful at a time, placed him in the coffin, then filled the grave one shovelful at a time. This was how the Senju Clan honored their comrades who had fallen in battle.

The morning breeze still carried a slight chill. Senju Kyogawa coughed softly a few times; his injuries hadn't fully healed.

That blow hadn't injured his heart, but his lungs had suffered. Until he recovered, every breath Senju Kyogawa took hurt.

Senju Kyogawa felt as though the pain in his lungs had spread to his heart, too. Otherwise, why would his heart be aching now?

Senju Kyogawa's eyes felt dry. He simply continued to watch Senju Itama's coffin being lowered into the grave in silence.

"Waaah..." A boy's sobbing came from not far away.

Senju Kyogawa looked up. The little boy seemed about his age, with short black hair. He was trying to stifle his sobs.

Senju Kyogawa glanced at the child a few times, then looked away, overcome by boundless sorrow.

Look at this world. It was just this cruel.

Senju Tobirama held Kyogawa's hand and checked on how he was doing.

That was right. This time, it was Senju Tobirama holding Kyogawa's hand. He gripped it so tightly, as if afraid the wind might blow Kyogawa away.

Senju Kyogawa shook his head to show he was fine, then leaned against Senju Tobirama and struggled to remain standing. After all, his injuries were extremely severe, and the pain was unbearable.

This time, Senju Hashirama said nothing. The three brothers watched in silence as Itama's coffin was buried... beside Senju Kawarama's.

Senju Butsuma watched in silence, too.

Perhaps it was just Senju Kyogawa's imagination, but he couldn't help feeling...

That Senju Butsuma, whose posture had always been ramrod straight, had finally let his back bend.

His silhouette looked like that of a grieving father, desolate and forlorn.

Senju Kyogawa stared at Senju Butsuma's back, lost in thought.

Then Kyogawa let go of Senju Tobirama's hand, walked over to Senju Butsuma, and took his hand. He gave him a gentle hug, though he could barely reach Senju Butsuma's thigh.

Senju Butsuma crouched down and gave Kyogawa a proper embrace, holding him tightly.

Senju Butsuma's embrace was so warm, so warm.

Then Kyogawa did the same and hugged Hashirama and Tobirama.

When words couldn't express comfort, actions could take their place...

The dead were gone, and a new day had arrived. They all had to keep going—with the wishes of the departed in their hearts.