Personally Wishing You Happiness

Minato Namikaze was always a fleeting presence.

Kato Osamu sometimes didn't quite understand just how far this blond man was capable of.

At the forefront of the four-person team, Minato Namikaze's slightly weary figure flashed out.

Having just dealt with some of the last remaining 'harassments,' Minato Namikaze gained a new understanding of Ōnoki's shamelessness.

Disguised as a wandering ninja, he constantly harassed the Konoha Ninja on their way back. Once captured, he would immediately commit suicide. Even if he was captured alive, he was like a stubborn Stone Shinobi in the Yamanaka, unyielding to both soft and hard tactics.

Even though both Konoha and Stone Shinobi were fully aware of the situation, they had no evidence whatsoever. Ōnoki seemed to have a firm grasp on Konoha's bottom line, constantly shifting his stance.

Minato Namikaze shook his head slightly, somewhat puzzled by the Stone Shinobi's actions, which seemed to be a completely pointless display of their defeat and resentment...

"Very well, let's get back to Konoha as soon as possible..."

Fugaku Uchiha had already reached the rear of the column, and the task of covering the rear was something they had volunteered for. Since these were not Stone Shinobi, they no longer needed to hold back.

Seemingly unaccustomed to the silent atmosphere, Minato Namikaze and looked at Kakashi Hatake and Rin. The two remained silent, their expressions still filled with sorrow and grief.

Minato Namikaze wanted to say something, but he only sighed and offered no words of comfort.

Pain is most profound when experienced personally, and it is also what truly helps a person grow.

"Let's go..."

"There are more important things to do..."

"Yes..."

He responded with a soft, muffled sound, but made no move, as if he were still immersed in his own world.

Kakashi Hatake had never hated war more than at this moment. His left eye was still stinging slightly, while his remaining right eye had become even dimmer, as if it had lost all its light.

"Let's go..."

Kato Osamu looked at the two people who seemed somewhat numb, and slowly approached them. However, his voice softened, breaking the almost unspoken silence between the three of them.

"Xu-kun... still as cold as ever..."

Minato Namikaze didn't tell anyone about his ambush, but no one who survives a brutal war is a fool. Even the slightest changes or a glance can reveal countless clues.

Lin has always been very perceptive.

"Maybe..."

Lin had no idea how she got here from the Land of Grass; her memory was completely blank. She stared blankly at the two people in front of her.

One was her teacher who had been with her day and night, and the other was a comrade-in-arms with whom she had fought side by side and whom she could entrust her life to. But for some reason, she could no longer face them as she had before.

When a person establishes a close relationship with another person, they unconsciously use the other person's emotions to fill certain gaps in their soul.

But when that person dies or the relationship ends, the part that had become one with it suddenly disappears, as if it has lost a part of itself. The heart that was once filled is now filled with translucent emptiness.

With her head slightly lowered, Lin's tears rolled down her cheeks, as if overflowing from countless voids. Her heart, once full, was now riddled with cracks, and nothing could ever mend those gaping wounds...

The scorching Milky Way burns away human ideals; without you, I am riddled with wounds...

His eyes held suppressed indifference and a hint of hidden anger, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Was it resentment towards Minato Namikaze for not going to the rescue? Was it resentment towards Kato Osamu for only appearing after Obito Uchiha's death? Or was it resentment towards Konoha for sending them to the battlefield?

What reasons could she possibly give? She could only hate her own weakness, hate that she had become a burden to them.

It's not that I don't understand those principles, but I just can't seem to stay rational. It's just that when I should be using my brain, I let my emotions get in the way...

If only anyone had helped him even a little, Obito Uchiha might not have died...

"Let's go... Lin, the village is waiting for us to risk our lives for it..."

Kakashi Hatake's cold voice rang out, causing Kato Osamu to glance at him. This was the first time he had taken Kakashi Hatake seriously.

With only his right eye visible, Kakashi Hatake glanced sideways at Kato Osamu before passing by Kato Osamu expressionlessly.

"Weakness is evil..."

The words echoing in Kato Osamu's ears made him turn his head slightly, squinting as he looked at Kakashi Hatake and Rin leaping through the woods. For some reason, the more he looked at Kakashi Hatake, the more he resembled his former self.

The clouds of the Land of Grass and the rain of Konoha fall together in the slightly desolate autumn. The forest is filled with rising clouds and colorful clouds, and as you walk forward, the mist turns into dew and wets your clothes. The wind and fallen leaves float, and when they meet the autumn rain, they return to silence.

"Perhaps everyone comes from hell, struggling with all their might to reach heaven. It's just that on the road to earth, we are fortunate enough to meet him on his journey."

"We should bless all the dead..."

Near the forest of the Land of Fire, the branches and leaves have become a little more lush, perhaps because it is a bit warmer. A few leaves still hold the last bit of green, stubbornly struggling on the last branches.

Kato Osamu slowly raised his head and gazed at the vast sky, where the wind and clouds blew from the endless wilderness and the misty rain, imbued with a faint fragrance, condensed in the sky to form the world of his dreams.

As her soul merely wandered within it, Kato Osamu's lips involuntarily curled into a slight smile.

"Perhaps it's time to bring my Root ninja career to a close..."

Kato Osamu's gaze was fixed on the direction of Konoha. His deep blue pupils shone brighter than ever before in the sunlight, yet they concealed an indescribable ferocity.

The Konoha Intelligence Division stands in a somewhat remote part of the city. The part that appears above ground looks no different from other Interrogation Division or Police Division. However, the hidden second basement level, as if deprived of sunlight, still exudes a somewhat sinister aura.

The bodies of ninjas from other countries, ninjas from their own country who died in battle for special reasons, and ninjas with special bloodlines—as long as they are kept secret—are all transported here to contribute their last bit of value to Konoha.

This is a special department that every village is unwilling to admit, but which certainly exists in every village.

"The causes of death of Jota Jonin, Yudai Jonin, and Yoshino Ei Jonin been determined, but..."

The young Chunin standing before Morino Kira seemed somewhat puzzled, hesitant to voice his guess. He had thought it was just a routine task, but it seemed to contain something special.

"Smack..."

Slamming his notebook shut, Morino Kira looked at the young Chunin. All the information was written in the report in his hand, and he vaguely guessed why the young Chunin to speak—it might involve some dark secrets.

"The following will not be recorded in the scroll..."

After looking around and confirming that no one in the room, except for the three mangled pieces of flesh on the lab table, would hear their conversation, Morino Kira slowly nodded.

"Tell me your thoughts first..."

"I..."

"The three Jonin were pierced by sharp wooden splinters, causing damage to multiple organs, and ultimately died from excessive blood loss."

"But these were only superficial wounds; wooden weapons had pierced through the three men's limbs, from their hands and feet."

"Furthermore, dissections of the wooden weapons' connection to the flesh revealed... these wooden weapons were intricately intertwined within their bodies, even containing some delicate, root-like branches. It's hard to imagine how someone could have killed three Jonin... it's as if..."

Perhaps thinking of something, the young Chunin hesitated, not daring to make a hasty judgment. Morino Kira's gaze was fixed on the young Chunin in front of him, and he couldn't help but say the words that the young Chunin dared not say.

"It's like Wood Release Ninjutsu that's constantly growing inside their bodies!"

"Captain... Wood Release... Is that even possible?"

"Whether it's possible or not, this is the fact now!"

"Immediately seal off Research Lab 28 and prohibit anyone from entering!"

"All intelligence is upgraded to top secret!"

"Yes!"

As Morino Kira slowly walked out of the research lab, he gently stroked the scroll in his hand, a strange sense of confusion in his eyes. He knew what kind of shock such an intelligence report would cause, but he couldn't understand how there could be a Wood Release ninja outside of Shinobi World Konoha.

"Could it be...?"

As a mid-level member of Konoha Intelligence Division, whose body is half-hidden in the shadows, he, as a captain, always had some secret intelligence sources and had heard rumors that ordinary ninjas would never hear.

As if he had just realized something, Morino Kira's pupils suddenly contracted, and the scroll in his hand suddenly seemed to turn into a time bomb.

His loyalty to Konoha is beyond doubt. However, after years of ups and downs in Konoha, he is no longer a hot-blooded, immature teenager. He needs to consider not only the greater good of Konoha, but also his own family...

Although he was considered one of the top figures in the intelligence department, in the face of the secrets and infighting at the top, he was just a tiny ant that could be crushed at any moment...

"Dongtai, these three Jonin's corpses, were they sent from the Stone Shinobi battlefield...?"

"Yes..."

"Um..."

"I don't need to say anything more, right? You've been working in the intelligence department for several years now; secrecy is the most important rule in the intelligence department..."

Morino Kira looked at Dongtai quietly, his face expressionless, yet it sent a shiver down Dongtai's spine.

"Yes, Morino!"

Although the ninja named Dongtai was young, he had worked here for so long that he knew what such news meant. Although he was unaware of the deeper secrets, he knew that for a lowly soldier like him, it was best to pretend he knew nothing.

"Hmm... go ahead and get busy..."

Morino Kira shook his head slightly, and sighed softly as he looked at Dongtai's somewhat frightened expression.

"I hope I'm just overthinking it..."