War Orphans

The three children standing before them looked only a little younger than Xuanhui.

The three children were barefoot, their bodies covered in mud.

Jiraiya crouched down and looked at the children. Just to be safe, he asked a question.

"Where are your parents?"

The three children shook their heads. Apart from the sadness on the red-haired boy's face, the other two seemed long accustomed to it.

"Jiraiya, the three of them are war orphans."

Tsunade stroked the little girl's head.

"War orphans don't have it easy. Either we take them back to Konoha, or we can only give them a quick death."

Orochimaru's suggestion surprised Xuanhui somewhat.

In the original story, Orochimaru had only suggested giving the three of them a quick death.

"No! We won't go to Konoha!"

Yahiko shook his head firmly. Nagato's parents had died at the hands of Konoha ninja.

Besides, the three of them would one day revitalize Hidden Rain and bring about peace. How could they go to Konoha and peacefully accept shelter there?

"Then all we can do is spare you a little suffering."

Orochimaru took out a kunai and gripped it in his hand.

"OROCHIMARU!" ×2

"Sensei!"

Jiraiya and Tsunade immediately cried out in rebuke, while Xuanhui stepped forward and grabbed Orochimaru's wrist.

"They're only children! Do you really have to treat them so cruelly?"

Yahiko stared at Orochimaru nervously as well. He shielded Konan and Nagato behind him, and they trembled uneasily.

"Jiraiya, you know how cruel war is too.

I've seen too many war orphans. They usually don't come to a good end.

Since they don't want to be adopted, wouldn't it be better to give them a quick death? At least they'd suffer less."

"What kind of—"

Jiraiya was about to argue when Xuanhui pressed his little hand over Jiraiya's mouth.

Jiraiya looked at Xuanhui with some confusion in his eyes.

Orochimaru was the same.

"Sensei, even the faintest breeze might turn the windmill of the ninja world, right?"

Orochimaru froze. Why did those words inexplicably move him?

"The breeze itself doesn't know whether it will die away or become a storm. But we shouldn't snuff out their potential, should we?"

Orochimaru looked at his disciple and remained silent for a long while.

His hand slowly loosened around the kunai.

"If that's the case, I'll stay behind and teach the three of you ninjutsu."

Jiraiya's sudden words left everyone present except Xuanhui stunned.

"Thank you, Jiraiya-sensei!"

Yahiko reacted especially quickly. He immediately pulled the other two down to their knees, thanking him over and over.

"Jiraiya, have you thought this through?"

"There's nothing to hesitate over. What if one of them is the Child of Prophecy...

The front lines are temporarily under a truce. If I stay behind, I can handle any unexpected developments too, can't I?"

Jiraiya did not have much to do back in the village anyway. Going back would only mean visiting his teacher and peeping into the women's bathhouse.

He might as well stay and teach these children some survival skills.

Jiraiya stepped forward and helped the three children up.

Xuanhui walked over as well, took out several soldier pills, and stuffed them into the children's hands.

"I'm also a disciple of the Three Sannin. From now on, call me Big Brother. I'll look after you!"

The smile on Tsunade's face was impossible to hide.

She nudged Orochimaru with her elbow and secretly watched for his reaction.

Konan and Nagato were somewhat shy around strangers. They merely nodded in response. Yahiko was still the first to thank Xuanhui, then ate the soldier pill in his hand.

When Konan and Nagato saw Yahiko eat the soldier pill, they also wolfed theirs down.

They were tasteless, but they filled the stomach remarkably well.

Xuanhui turned to discuss something with Jiraiya.

"Lord Jiraiya, every night, an hour after sunset, summon the wooden gate over. I want to spend some time with them every day too."

"That's easy enough. Who would've thought you were such a kind-hearted kid?"

Jiraiya's large hand ruffled Xuanhui's head, making his rain-soaked hair even messier.

"You three, hurry up and call me Big Brother. Tomorrow night, I'll bring you some Konoha delicacies."

"Big Brother!"

Yahiko immediately called out, a sunny smile appearing on his face.

"Big Brother..." ×2

The other two sounded rather bashful. Clearly, they still were not used to Xuanhui's overly familiar style.

"Big Brother will be going now. See you tomorrow night!"

"Goodbye, Big Brother!"

Yahiko waved in Xuanhui's direction.

Jiraiya also waved at the three departing figures. Orochimaru and Tsunade looked back once, then took Xuanhui and continued on toward Konoha.

They had set off at noon that day. By the time they reached Konoha, it was nearly dawn the next day.

The three of them saw that the sun had not even risen yet, Hiruzen Sarutobi had not gone to work, and none of the restaurants were open.

After discussing it, they decided they might as well go to Tsunade's house for breakfast.

Nawaki was currently carrying out logistics work on the Hidden Sand Village battlefield, so no one was staying at Tsunade's house for the time being.

Once they arrived at Tsunade's house, the three of them remembered that they had been away for so long that there were no vegetables left at home at all!

Left with no choice, they sat around the table and each swallowed a soldier pill.

When they had free time, chatting was the best way to pass it.

Tsunade recalled the orphanage Orochimaru had mentioned earlier, so they began discussing it.

"Why did Xuanhui suddenly want to start an orphanage?"

Xuanhui thought over his wording. He could not exactly say he wanted to lure every orphan he knew to Konoha!

"I just think war orphans have had too many possibilities in this world snuffed out.

They should have brighter futures. It would be such a pity for them to end here."

Tsunade pursed her lips and raised her cup, taking a gulp of sake.

There were no vegetables in the house, but alcohol could still be kept.

Whenever she faced Xuanhui, she felt as though she were facing her grandfather and granduncle.

He had a certain sense of justice, though not to the point of her grandfather's naïveté.

Sometimes his words carried some depth, though he was not as logically precise or strict as her granduncle.

Still, none of that seemed quite fitting for a child his age.

While children his age were still in that youthful stage of dreaming big and seeking fame, Xuanhui always considered problems from a practical perspective.

He was practically like an adult...

Perhaps it was precisely because of his maturity and reliability beyond his years that Orochimaru regarded him so highly.

He had even influenced Orochimaru little by little...

Meanwhile, Orochimaru poured himself a small cup of wine and carefully tasted it.

He had never drunk alcohol before. Even when the Three Sannin gathered, he would only quietly drink some apple juice by himself.

He looked at Xuanhui's profile, Xuanhui's words from yesterday echoing through his mind.

"What... is the wind really like?"

Tsunade's pretty face was flushed red from drinking. She suddenly draped an arm around Xuanhui's shoulders and breathed out half a mouthful of alcohol.

"The casino is open now. How about I teach you how to gamble?"

"You should go by yourself!"