Preparations Before Crossing Over (Please Favorite and Recommend)

Preparations Before Crossing Over

The next day, before dawn had even broken, Zhong Hao woke the three of them up and rewarded each with a cold towel, instantly driving away their sleepiness. Then came their daily training routine.

At breakfast, Zhong Hao noticed Ji Mei and the other two secretly exchanging glances. He knew those three were hiding something from him.

Sure enough, after hurriedly finishing breakfast, Ji Mei grabbed Zhong Hao's hand and gave it two shakes. "Brother Zhong Hao, today is Sunday. Even the Ninja Academy is closed. Can't we take a day off too?"

Da Ye and Tang Ze stood behind her, nodding vigorously with shamelessly eager expressions.

Zhong Hao had wanted to refuse, but seeing their eyes, his heart softened. Though they were all six or seven years old, they were ultimately different from someone like him, who had lived a previous life. Besides, their meals were not particularly good. If they lacked nutrition while training too intensely, it could harm their bodies and leave lasting ailments.

Thinking of this, he said to the three of them, "All right, take the day off. The three of you can do whatever you want today. Da Ye, you're the strongest. Tang Ze, bring your samurai sword. No matter what happens, you two must protect Ji Mei."

Da Ye scratched his head and grinned foolishly. Tang Ze nodded solemnly. Only Ji Mei pouted unhappily; she could tell Zhong Hao was not planning to go with them.

Zhong Hao and the other three had originally all lived in Konohagakure's orphanage. But the orphanage was not entirely harmonious and friendly; there were all sorts of cliques there as well. Da Ye had been tall and sturdy since childhood, with exceptional strength, but he was honest and not very bright, so the others often mocked him.

Tang Ze's full name was Tang Ze Jian. Of the three, only he had a surname—Tang Ze was his family name. Born into a traditional samurai family, he was the one who had taught Zhong Hao swordsmanship. He often practiced alone while holding his sword, unable to fit in at the orphanage, and was also ostracized by the others.

Ji Mei had been weak and sickly since childhood, making her another target for bullying. Only after Zhong Hao often caught fish and wild animals to nourish her, then gradually led her through physical activity, did she slowly become healthy.

When Zhong Hao had first arrived at the orphanage, he beat up every child who wanted to teach the newcomer a lesson. He too was then excluded by the others. Only Ji Mei, Tang Ze, and Da Ye were willing to be close to him.

Gradually, the four formed a circle with Zhong Hao at its center and became targets of the orphanage children. Later, they simply moved out of the orphanage. Though the director tried hard to persuade them to stay, she could not overcome Zhong Hao's insistence.

After two years of living together day and night, supporting one another and sharing food and lodging, they had become as close as family.

After Ji Mei and the others left, Zhong Hao went alone to the central streets of Konohagakure. He had to prepare for crossing over in three days.

Walking down the street, he stared blankly at the few remaining coins in his hand. After buying some supplies, this was all he had left. He still had not solved the problems of a parachute and a boat. More importantly, he needed to prepare living expenses for Ji Mei and the others after he left.

He had never had much money to begin with. Most of it had been earned by taking Ji Mei and the other two into the forest to gather herbs and hunt animals, along with the occasional low-paying job.

Konohagakure did provide relief funds for orphans, but Zhong Hao refused to accept them, and would not allow Ji Mei and the others to accept them either. Taking the money meant owing Konohagakure a debt, and they would inevitably have to work for the village in the future. That was his principle. Besides, he had no favorable impression of Konohagakure.

Just as he was lost in thought, both his shoulders suddenly sank under more than a hundred pounds of weight.

A voice came from above his head. "Hao, you still have time to wander around the streets? Youth must not be wasted in idleness!"

"I think you should get down first, Might Guy. With all those weights on you, you're going to crush someone to death." Zhong Hao resisted the urge to throw Might Guy off his shoulders.

Might Guy pushed off with his arms and abruptly leaped into the air, twisting his body sixty degrees before landing steadily on the ground.

Might Guy only had talent for taijutsu. Every day, he proclaimed the brilliance of youth and declared that he could become an outstanding jonin through taijutsu alone. After meeting Zhong Hao, he had been deeply moved by Zhong Hao's determination to train desperately in taijutsu despite having no chakra. He often came to spar with Zhong Hao, and over time, the two became close friends.

Might Guy was a little over two years older than Zhong Hao. Without fighting to the death, the two could trade blows evenly. But as time passed, Zhong Hao, without chakra, would eventually lose. That was something he could not accept.

This world was absolutely not a peaceful place. The coming Third Shinobi World War; the Nine-Tails' attack on the village afterward; Pain flattening Konohagakure; the Fourth Shinobi World War; Otsutsuki Kaguya's Infinite Tsukuyomi; Otsutsuki Toneri dropping the moon; Otsutsuki Momoshiki's invasion—it could truly be called a world plagued by disasters.

Without strength, he would eventually be killed one day. And placing his hopes on the prince and princess was not Zhong Hao's style.

Might Guy gave Zhong Hao a thumbs-up, a flash gleaming across his white teeth. "Hao, let's duel!"

"Before dueling, shouldn't we warm up by running five laps around Konohagakure first?" Zhong Hao shook his head. How could he possibly be in the mood to duel right now?

"As expected of Hao! Let's run five laps around Konohagakure and see who finishes first! Oh! Fu—" Before Might Guy had even finished speaking, he was already running away, kicking up dust all along the road.

"What a live treasure..." Zhong Hao did not chase after Might Guy. Instead, he headed down another road. He had already decided to swallow his pride and borrow money from Kurenai Yuhi.

Zhong Hao stood in front of Kurenai Yuhi's house and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Kurenai Yuhi's sweet voice came from behind the door. It opened, revealing her in an apron, as cute and pretty as ever.

"Um... good morning, Sister Kurenai Yuhi." Zhong Hao greeted her.

Kurenai Yuhi was startled at first, then pulled him inside with delight. "So it's Hao. Your sister thought you were never coming back."

Once inside, Zhong Hao looked around. The furnishings were still the same as two years ago, giving him a familiar feeling.

Sitting on the sofa, Kurenai Yuhi placed a glass of milk and a plate of cake on the coffee table, then sat beside Zhong Hao. "What bad timing. Father went out on a mission. Hurry and try this—it's something your sister made herself!"

Zhong Hao finished the cake in two bites. Under Kurenai Yuhi's expectant gaze, he praised it. "Mm, it's delicious. Sister Kurenai Yuhi is really good at this."

The smile on Kurenai Yuhi's face could no longer be hidden. "Then your sister will make it for you every day."

Zhong Hao smacked his lips. He wanted to speak, yet felt embarrassed. He picked up the milk and gulped it down. "Um, Sister Kurenai Yuhi, could... could you lend me some money..." By the end, his face had turned red. He swore he had never been this embarrassed before.

"Huh?" Kurenai Yuhi had never seen Zhong Hao like this. She wanted to tease him, but was afraid of hurting his pride. She stood and went into a room. Before long, she returned carrying a basin-sized box. She placed it on the coffee table and opened it, revealing stacks upon stacks of banknotes inside.

"There should be eight hundred thousand ryo here. If that isn't enough, you'll have to wait until Father comes back." Kurenai Yuhi sat down and spoke gently.

Zhong Hao felt ashamed. While he had been worrying over a few thousand ryo, Kurenai Yuhi casually brought out eight hundred thousand. "Five hundred thousand ryo will do. I'll pay you back once I earn the money." (Five hundred thousand ryo was roughly equivalent to five million yen, or a little over two hundred thousand RMB.)

Kurenai Yuhi's face immediately darkened. She grabbed Zhong Hao's cheek with one hand and gave it a hard pinch. "What are you talking about? Who asked you to pay it back?"

"Ah... ah, that hurts. Let go first." Zhong Hao rubbed his cheek, secretly grumbling to himself, but he said aloud, "Aren't you afraid someone might steal so much money if you keep it at home?"

Kurenai Yuhi kept some of it and put it in her pocket, probably for her own daily expenses, then stuffed the rest, box and all, into Zhong Hao's arms. "These apartments were arranged by the village. The people living nearby are all jonin or special jonin. No one would dare steal from here."

Only then did Zhong Hao understand. It was probably similar to a military residential compound from his previous life. He then asked Kurenai Yuhi to help him find someone to make a parachute. After leaving behind the drawings he had made, he rose to take his leave.

"It's almost noon already. Stay and eat at home. Your sister will make your favorite grilled meat," Kurenai Yuhi urged.

"When I left, I didn't tell Ji Mei and the others that I wouldn't be back for lunch. If I don't return, they might wait for me hungry until nightfall." Zhong Hao refused.

Kurenai Yuhi could only let it go.

After leaving, Zhong Hao found a carpenter's workshop and asked them to make a boat with oars within three days, no matter what.

When he returned home and had only reached the courtyard gate, he heard Ji Mei crying. The sound came from Tang Ze's room. Zhong Hao's heart jolted, and he hurried inside.

The moment he entered, he saw a clear slap mark on Ji Mei's face, slightly swollen. She sat on the floor, wiping away tears again and again. Da Ye stood to one side, gritting his teeth. A bandage was wrapped around his neck, and blood seeping from his throat had stained it red. Tang Ze lay unconscious on the bed, his face wrapped in bandages. His body was covered by a blanket, so Zhong Hao could not tell his condition.

"Brother Zhong Hao—" Ji Mei looked up, saw Zhong Hao, climbed to her feet, threw herself into his arms, and burst into tears.

Zhong Hao suppressed his rage and gently patted Ji Mei's back to comfort her. At the same time, he coldly asked Da Ye, "Da Ye, what happened?"

"Ji Mei wanted to find rabbits for Brother Zhong Hao... then that person... hit Ji Mei, and breathed fire to burn Tang Ze..." Da Ye spoke incoherently, his face flushed red and the whites of his eyes filled with blood vessels. He was not good with words and did not know how to explain.

Zhong Hao understood part of it. Someone had attacked the three of them, but he did not know the details. He turned to Ji Mei. "Ji Mei, you tell me."

Ji Mei held back her tears and said between soft sobs, "We wanted to go to the forest to catch rabbits for Brother Zhong Hao. Then we saw someone older at the training ground. We told him it was ours, but he said it was his and told us to get lost. Then Da Ye fought with him. Da Ye couldn't beat him and almost died. Tang Ze couldn't beat him either. That person knew ninjutsu and breathed fire to burn Tang Ze. Then we took Tang Ze to the director."

"The director? Nonō?" Ji Mei's words were somewhat jumbled in her agitation, but the meaning was clear. Zhong Hao understood.

He walked to the bedside, lifted the blanket, and saw Tang Ze's entire body wrapped in bandages. He covered him again, then examined Da Ye's neck.

Ji Mei added, "The director said that if it had gone any deeper, it would have cut his blood vessels, and then... then he couldn't have been saved. The director also said she wanted us to move back there..."

Zhong Hao gritted his teeth so hard they nearly shattered. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and tried not to let his fury erode his reason. Yet he could not help recalling how full of life they had been that morning. Catch rabbits? They had probably overheard Kurenai Yuhi yesterday saying that the enormous consumption from taijutsu training could leave his body depleted, and wanted him to replenish his nutrition. A few rabbits might be insignificant, but their thoughtfulness warmed his heart—and made his anger burn even fiercer.

How long had it been? One lay unconscious in bed, while another had nearly had his throat cut.

At that thought, Zhong Hao could no longer endure it. He told Ji Mei and Da Ye to stay home and not go out. Then he returned to his room, picked up his sword, and ran toward the training ground.