The moment she said that, Shingetsu realized something was off.
Right, Izuna was an adult. Why would he play with little children? He wasn't Hashirama, the king of the kids!
But on second thought, Shingetsu figured that even if he didn't play with them, he could still get to know them. Back at the clan compound, didn't Izuna always get along wonderfully with his five little troublemaker students?
At that thought, Shingetsu tugged on Izuna's sleeve, fished a heap of colorful candies in all sorts of flavors out of her pocket, and held them out to him as though presenting a treasure.
"Let's give them some candy. Children all love sweets."
Looking at the candies in Shingetsu's hands and her beautiful, crystal-clear eyes, Izuna couldn't help smiling. Who could turn down such a sweet, thoughtful girl?
Yet Izuna still gently shook his head and tucked all the candy back into Shingetsu's pocket. His smile remained soft and gentle, but his expression quickly dimmed. The fire in his eyes died into stillness, covered by a thin layer of cold ice.
"Shingetsu, did you know? Children used to die very easily."
Izuna's voice sounded muffled, as though veiled in gauze. He sighed, a trace of heaviness and unease lingering in his expression.
Shingetsu tilted her head slightly, confusion flickering in her eyes.
She had grown up in a Shinobi Clan and knew only that children had to go to war once they reached a certain age. She knew very little about anything else. Only now, hearing Izuna's words, did she realize that the adults had deliberately kept certain things from her.
Or perhaps they simply never wanted to bring up those shameful memories again.
"Medicine used to be scarce. Once a child fell ill, it was hard for them to survive."
"Shinobi