Donation

Three days later, the sky was overcast.

Hatake Kakashi stood before a gravestone, holding a white flower in his hand.

A light breeze passed by, gently stirring his white hair.

"Dad..."

After saying that, Kakashi slowly crouched down and placed the white flower before the gravestone.

"Dad broke the rules for his comrades, didn't he?"

As he spoke, a sparse drizzle began to fall.

Kakashi lowered his head. It was impossible to tell whether the drops running down his mask were rain or tears.

After a long while, he spoke again.

"I have comrades now too, but I won't be like Dad. I'll definitely follow the rules. I definitely... will."

With that, he rose to his feet and took a deep breath.

There was no expression on his face.

"Dad, I'll come see you again when I have time!~"

He turned, habitually shoved both hands into his pockets, and headed out. Just as he left the cemetery, his gaze flicked to the side.

"When did you get here?"

Uchiha Yufeng handed him the extra umbrella in his hand.

"I've been here for a while."

Kakashi did not take it. He walked straight into the rain and soon vanished down the street.

Uchiha Yufeng withdrew his gaze and walked inside.

He looked at the gravestones of his own parents before him.

After standing there silently for a long time, he sighed.

"Mourning the dead is meaningless. Human life is something that can shatter so easily."

A cold voice came from behind him.

Uchiha Yufeng turned around.

The speaker had long black hair and golden vertical pupils, like those of a snake.

His skin was pale, and he wore blue-green tomoe-shaped earrings.

That chilling presence and distinctive appearance belonged to none other than Orochimaru, one of the Sannin.

"Then what has meaning?"

"Trying to change all of this. That is meaningful."

"Change it?"

"Find a way to make life as resilient as possible, even achieve eternity!"

A hint of fanaticism appeared in Orochimaru's golden eyes.

After speaking, he took a box from his robes.

"If you want to understand eternal life, come find me after you graduate from the Ninja Academy!"

Uchiha Yufeng accepted it.

Ding. Uchiha Sasuke (Shippuden) Fragments +5.

Ding. Yakushi Kabuto Fragments +2.

Fragments?

Uchiha Yufeng was not surprised that Yakushi Kabuto's fragments had been triggered.

But Sasuke's fragments had been triggered too!

Orochimaru worked as well?

Uchiha Yufeng thought about it.

After Sasuke defected, he followed Orochimaru and studied under him for two and a half years.

That could be considered a different kind of teacher-student relationship.

Seeing Uchiha Yufeng accept it, Orochimaru left on his own.

Watching Orochimaru's retreating back,

Uchiha Yufeng made up his mind.

It seemed that after graduating, he would have to interact with Orochimaru more often.

Uchiha Yufeng lowered his head. Sensing that the item inside the box was not a living creature, he slowly opened it.

"This is... shed skin from a white snake?"

Uchiha Yufeng was somewhat surprised.

He had not expected Orochimaru to give him this.

White snakes symbolized luck and rebirth, and meant a great deal to Orochimaru. It seemed Orochimaru had high expectations for him!

Uchiha Yufeng closed the box, left the cemetery, and headed toward his intended destination—the Konoha Orphanage.

"You're from the Uchiha Clan? What are you doing here?"

The ninja guarding the Konoha Orphanage watched Uchiha Yufeng approach. He did not underestimate him just because he was young.

His eyes were full of vigilance.

"I would like to see the director!"

See the director? The several ninja at the entrance looked Uchiha Yufeng over and exchanged glances.

One of them ran into the Konoha Orphanage.

"Wait here for now. I've already sent someone in."

Uchiha Yufeng nodded, found a place sheltered from the rain, put away his umbrella, and waited quietly.

Before long,

a mature woman in her twenties, dressed like a nun and wearing black-rimmed glasses, walked out.

She lifted her hood, letting her blonde hair spill free.

"Hello, I am the director of the Konoha Orphanage, Yakushi Nonō!"

Yakushi Nonō did not underestimate Uchiha Yufeng because of his age. A smile remained on her face throughout.

"Hello, my name is Uchiha Yufeng. I'm from the Uchiha Clan, and I came today to sponsor your orphanage in my personal capacity."

"Sponsor?"

An elderly woman following beside Yakushi Nonō frowned deeply upon hearing that.

Clearly, she did not quite believe what Uchiha Yufeng was saying.

After all, no matter how she looked at him, Uchiha Yufeng was a child himself.

"Before my parents passed away, they left behind several houses and an inheritance of eight hundred thousand ryō. I want to donate all of it to the orphanage."

"Your parents passed away?"

When Yakushi Nonō heard that Uchiha Yufeng's parents had died, she looked at the young boy before her. A trace of heartache and helplessness flashed through her eyes.

Ding. Yakushi Kabuto Ninja Fragments +2.

"Yes. They died on a mission some time ago..."

Uchiha Yufeng lowered his head and fell silent after speaking.

Ding. Yakushi Kabuto Ninja Fragments +5.

"That still won't do. You are a member of the Uchiha Clan. If you wish to dispose of your property, you still need the Uchiha Clan Head's approval."

The elderly woman beside Yakushi Nonō sighed and shook her head.

Uchiha Yufeng moved the backpack from behind him to the front, opened the zipper, and handed over a contract from inside.

"This is... the clan's letter of approval?"

Seeing the contents of the contract, excitement flashed through the elderly woman's eyes.

The Konoha Orphanage's financial situation had not been optimistic lately. Ever since the Second Ninja World War ended, the Root Organization had been bringing in batch after batch of war orphans from other villages and dumping them at the orphanage.

The orphanage was now running a severe deficit, with expenses exceeding income.

If Director Yakushi Nonō had not been going to Konoha Hospital every day recently to work part-time as a Medical Ninja and barely keep things afloat, this orphanage would likely have already closed down.

The Root Organization only kept sending people in without sending any money along.

"This..."

Yakushi Nonō's gaze moved from the letter of approval back to Uchiha Yufeng.

"Although I am from the Uchiha Clan, I am also part of Konoha. I'm alone, and I receive monthly subsidies from both the clan and the village. I can't spend that much normally anyway, so please accept it."

After speaking, Uchiha Yufeng took the property transfer documents out of his backpack.

"This is the transfer agreement. Director, if you agree, please sign it!"

The elderly woman beside them looked at Director Yakushi Nonō.

"Director, this is a good thing! If you sign it, not to mention anything else, this money alone can keep the orphanage running for two and a half years..."

Hearing the elderly woman's earnest persuasion, a trace of struggle flashed through Yakushi Nonō's eyes.

She was still somewhat hesitant.

"Director, there are only my younger brother and me left in my clan now. We count as orphans too, so I understand the pain of not having parents.

"If possible, I want to help them as much as I can, because they will become Konoha's great trees in the future too. But when I come to the orphanage in the future, Director, remember to feed me!~"

Hearing this explanation, Yakushi Nonō took a deep breath, determination flashing through her eyes.

"Alright, I'll sign!"

Uchiha Yufeng reached into his backpack and took out a pen.

Yakushi Nonō caught Uchiha Yufeng's hand and shook her head.

"I want to add another clause. If you encounter difficulties in life in the future, or if you want it back, I will return all of this to you in full. But when that time comes, you must give me some time to prepare... If you agree, I'll sign it now."

Uchiha Yufeng was somewhat surprised. He had not expected Yakushi Nonō to be so strong-willed.

If he did not agree, she probably would not sign it.

"Alright, Director. I agree!"