Naruto: IHCS Ch. 140

Midnight.

The sky was as black as if an ink bottle had been overturned. The small town in the Land of Grass was shrouded in night.

All was silent.

Occasionally, a faint chirping of insects drifted from the distant forest.

Inside a shabby little inn of the town, three figures were fast asleep on the soft tatami mats that still carried the scent of sunlight.

Shiratori was sleeping by the window. Nagato lay on the tatami beside him, breathing evenly.

Aoki slept near the door.

During their rest, Suguru had returned to the violet vortex.

Even in sleep, Aoki's brows remained furrowed.

Suddenly, a blinding white light lit up the room. Then came an explosive blast with piercing force.

Boom.

The sound was like thunder before a storm. The inn where they stayed trembled with the shock. The window lattices rattled sharply.

Almost at the same instant the sound arrived, Nagato's eyes flew open. The Rinnegan contracted in the darkness as he immediately looked toward Shiratori at his side.

Shiratori yawned, propping himself up, eyes shifting toward the fading white glow outside the window.

Aoki practically sprang up, his movements so fast they stirred the air.

His breath grew hurried, and a flicker of alarm flashed in his eyes.

On guard, he scanned the surroundings, instinctively pulling a short blade from beneath his pillow and holding it before his chest.

Nagato sat up and moved beside Shiratori, the two of them staring out the window.

"What happened?" Nagato asked quietly.

Realizing the danger hadn't reached the town, Aoki frowned and lowered the blade in his hand. His gaze fell on Shiratori and Nagato, who looked both curious and tense.

Calmly, he explained, "You should know, we're close to the frontlines. It's probably Iwa and Konoha fighting again."

Then he lay back down. For him, this was nothing unusual. But under the covers, sleep eluded him.

He said to them, "War can break out in the Land of Grass at any moment."

The explosion left behind a brief silence.

Soon, new sounds arose, no longer single detonations, but endless rumbling, mixed with sharper, stranger noises.

Shiratori, familiar with battlefields, recognized them: the clash of blades, the release of jutsu.

The heavy night sky outside was lit now and then by unfamiliar flashes.

Aoki rolled over, his back to them.

"Go back to sleep. It's noisy, yes, but if you want to stay long in the Land of Grass, you'll have to get used to these sounds. Ninja battles don't wait for the right time."

His tone was flat. Once, he too had been part of such battles. Now, he no longer wished to return to that meaningless life.

"Konoha and Iwa are fighting? Here? So close to the town?" Nagato asked Shiratori, his face giving nothing away.

"Better to get used to it," Aoki sighed, his expression numb.

"This is the Land of Grass, after all. A buffer zone between the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire, one of the frontlines for Iwa and Konoha. Skirmishes this size? A small clash every three days, a big one every five. It's routine."

Turning his head toward them, still leaning at the bedside, he added:

"They fight their battles, we sleep. Unless an explosive tag or large-scale jutsu drops on the roof, treat it like distant thunder. Tomorrow morning, everything goes on as usual. Do what you need to do."

Although Shiratori was already famous in the ninja world, he was still just a child. Aoki felt it was his responsibility to look after the two children.

Outside, the town was still silent.

No cries, no panic, no chaos, only the distant rumbling that continued like background noise.

"..."

It seemed the townsfolk had long grown accustomed to it.

Nagato looked at Shiratori. Though the room and the world outside were dark, he could see it in his glowing eyes, he didn't want to go back to sleep.

Whatever Shiratori chose to do, he would stay by his side.

[Faith detected: Nagato +1000 points]
[Energy transferred to Suguru]
[Development progress: 74.7%]

Suddenly, Shiratori threw off his blanket, stood, slipped on his ninja sandals, and stepped silently onto the cool floorboards, moving toward the door.

"Shiratori?" Nagato asked softly.

"I'm going to take a look outside." He answered briefly, then quietly slid open the door.

The corridor was empty, pitch-black.

Through the railing, he looked out, none of the town's low houses had a single window open. All doors and shutters were tightly closed. The whole town was deathly still, as if long inured to these midnight sounds.

Far off at the horizon, fire flashed, and another muffled explosion followed.

The town remained asleep.

Konoha and Iwa ninjas were fighting... He could no longer sleep. He gently closed the door and turned back.

"I'm going to take a look."

His voice wasn't loud, but it rang clearly through the room.

"What?"

Aoki jolted upright from his bedding, staring at him in shock and disbelief.

Nagato simply looked at him seriously. He didn't react like Aoki, but asked calmly, "Is that the battlefield between Iwa and Konoha?"

"What's so great about looking at a battlefield?"

Before Shiratori could answer, Aoki spoke again in rapid succession, his emotions surging, words almost incoherent.

Aoki's pupils dilated, bloodshot veins spreading across his eyes.

"Haven't you ever seen a battlefield before?"

"There's nothing worth seeing in a place like that!"

As Aoki spoke, images of the battlefield rose in his mind unbidden.

Blood, corpses, severed limbs, weapons... Everywhere he looked, it was blood. Everywhere he turned, it was corpses.

The battlefield was hell itself!

It was the hell that he desperately wanted to escape from. Yet now, the place he had tried so hard to leave behind, Shiratori wanted to deliberately go and see?

"The battlefield is too dangerous!"

Realizing he was too agitated, he drew in a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Looking at Shiratori, he earnestly advised, "On the battlefield, even a random attack could take our lives! Don't go, it's truly dangerous!"

He was deeply troubled by Shiratori's dangerous idea. He did everything he could to crush this absurd thought of approaching the battlefield.

Nagato stood up. He looked at Shiratori but said nothing. His Rinnegan reflected Shiratori's figure with clarity, his gaze was firm, yet seemed to say everything without words.

Shiratori looked at Aoki and nodded with certainty.

"I know it's dangerous to head to the battlefield right now, but I must go."

His gaze shifted back and forth between Aoki and Nagato.

"Don't worry, I'll definitely be back before dawn!"

A splitting headache throbbed in Aoki's skull.

No. He couldn't let Shiratori go alone.

What if... what if he died?

It was too dangerous. The battlefield was far too dangerous. Shiratori must not die. Nagato must not die either.

Even if Aoki himself died, the other two couldn't be allowed to.

If they died, in this war-torn world, there truly would be no hope left.

Aoki pressed a hand to his forehead, as a deep, unfamiliar voice echoed in his mind.

At that moment, Nagato took a few steps toward Shiratori, standing by his side.

"I'll go with you."

"..."

Shiratori looked at Nagato, patted his shoulder.

Though bringing Nagato along might affect his performance a bit, the impact wouldn't be too big. In fact, Nagato could even provide him with extra emotional energy.

Bringing him along was fine.

"You two are really being reckless..."

Aoki looked helplessly at them standing by the doorway.

Shiratori said, "Then you stay here and wait for us!"

Aoki's eyes widened. His gaze flicked back and forth between Shiratori and Nagato.

He hadn't expected that, for someone who seemed quiet and taciturn, Nagato was anything but timid.

Nagato didn't look at Aoki, Aoki's words meant nothing to him, as if spoken by a vaguely familiar stranger. His reaction didn't matter at all.

His gaze fell on Shiratori.

"Where you go, I go."

Nagato's attitude even made Shiratori pause in surprise. He looked at Nagato with a complicated expression.

Aoki looked at the two standing side by side. His mouth opened, but all the words of persuasion caught in his throat. He knew the two boys were serious. He also knew that no matter what he said, it would be useless.

Go back there again?

Back to that terrifying battlefield!

But... If he didn't go, what if they encountered danger?

Struggle filled his eyes.

That man's words echoed once more in his mind.

Gradually, the fear and hesitation in his eyes gave way to resolve.

No.

This world had yet to achieve lasting peace. They could not die.

"I'll go with you!"

Without waiting for Shiratori to respond, he quickly pulled on his ninja sandals and checked the tools in his pouch.

Shiratori's gaze slid away from Aoki. He nodded, slinging the katana from beside the bed onto his back, and promised, "Don't worry! I'll protect you both! I won't let anything happen to you!"

For him, making promises came as easily as breathing, no skill required.

But his face carried a sincere smile. Even in the dark of night, one could feel the weight of his words. Aoki lowered his head, his fingers trembling slightly.

When preparations were complete, Shiratori led the group to the door. Taking a deep breath, he slowly slid it open.

Outside, the night sky at the end of the corridor was dyed a strange orange glow by bursts of firelight. Deep rumbling thundered on continuously.

The town was still deathly silent.

The three of them stepped into the night.

"Be careful."

Aoki lowered his voice.

"Remember, staying alive is the most important thing. Only if we live can we do more."

He fixed his gaze on Shiratori as he spoke, convinced he was someone who acted recklessly.

Shiratori smiled and nodded back at him. The three moved noiselessly through the silent town. Not a sound came from their footsteps.

Distant firelight flickered at the horizon, reflected in their eyes.

Aoki could hear the rapid pounding of his own heart. His face remained expressionless, his gaze sweeping about like a searchlight.

Nagato stayed by Shiratori's side, his peripheral vision lingering on his face.

Why was Shiratori heading to the battlefield?

Even if he was strong, he couldn't possibly stop a war.

But Shiratori's breathing was steady. The thought of collecting more emotional energy filled him with excitement.

Although his real goal was to collect emotional energy, hadn't he still managed to help others?

A gentleman was judged by his actions, not his intentions.

He was more or less a good person.