A few days later, during a lull between missions, the squad returned to the frontline base for a brief rest.
Warm sunlight spilled over the relatively peaceful camp, a stark contrast to the bloodshed on the battlefield.
The four were checking their equipment and replenishing their ninja tools when they overheard several Konoha ninja nearby, freshly rotated off the main battlefield, talking in low, somber voices.
"Did you hear? That boy from the Senju Clan-Lord Nawaki-was killed in action."
"What? How? Wasn't he the First Hokage's grandson?"
"It happened during an assault mission on the Land of Earth's border. He ran into an explosive tag trap-they say there wasn't even a body left..."
"Ah... even the Senju Clan's bloodline..."
The voices gradually faded into the distance, but their words struck the four members of the Hatake Squad like a cold, massive stone.
The air seemed to freeze.
Miwako covered her mouth, her eyes instantly reddening. "Nawaki... didn't he just write Shinji a letter? How could he..."
Hizashi silently lowered his head. His hands tightened on his knees, and the veins around his Byakugan bulged slightly, betraying his inner turmoil.
Though he had not spent much time with Nawaki, the memory of fighting beside him at the Forest Barrier remained vivid. A boy so full of fiery enthusiasm, someone who embodied Konoha's future, had been snuffed out so suddenly.
Shinji leaned against a tent pole and slowly closed his eyes.
Nawaki's slightly boyish face, shining with idealism, surfaced in his mind.
He remembered how Nawaki had risked his own life to protect his comrades during the defense of the Forest Barrier. He remembered his loudly proclaimed vow to become Hokage, and the letter from afar he had only just received, as though its warmth had yet to fade.
*The weight of