northernbook Chapter 429 Yearning in the Eyes
Chapter 429 Yearning in the Eyes
Rainwater sizzled as it washed over the charred wooden beams, extinguishing the last few sparks.
The air was filled with a strange smell, a mixture of dirt, blood, and burnt odor, which made one's chest feel tight.
The battle is over.
Obito Uchiha supported himself on his knees, his hand gripping the shuriken still trembling involuntarily. This wasn't fear, but rather a lingering effect of excessive adrenaline after the battle.
He looked up, and rainwater slid down the edge of his goggles.
Half of the cellar door was burned away, and behind it, several dirty little faces were peeking out, staring at him with eyes that were a mixture of extreme fear and faint hope.
Staring at the Konoha ninja who had just devoured the demon with flames.
In that instant, Obito felt as if his heart had been gripped by an invisible hand.
So this is what hope is.
It's not some slogan you just keep saying, nor is it some cold vocabulary from textbooks.
It is real, carrying the scent of burnt straw and the dampness of earth, heavy and pressing down on your shoulders.
The children were still clutching a few shriveled, blackened pieces of food that they had salvaged from the fire; they had nothing left.
Obito subconsciously touched his goggles. The anxiety and anger churning in his chest slowly subsided and solidified into something he had never truly understood the moment he saw those pairs of eyes.
responsibility.
"Hey, stop crying."
He heard his voice was a little dry, and he tried hard to put on a reliable older brother expression, but the muscles in his face seemed to be not cooperating with him. He strode over and awkwardly pulled out a packet of dried meat wrapped tightly in oil paper from his pocket.
That was a special Konoha No. 1 Pig Essence made by the Akimichi clan. Choza forced it on him before he left, saying it was the fastest way to replenish his stamina.
"The people from Konoha have arrived."
Obito stuffed the jerky into the hand of an older child, his voice unconsciously softening considerably, "This kind of mess won't happen again."
He assured them, and he assured himself.
The children didn't move; they just stared at him blankly, as if they still couldn't believe the nightmare was over.
"Take it, you idiot."
Obito was getting anxious; he didn't know how to communicate with these terrified children.
A hand reached out from the side, picked up a piece of jerky, gently broke it open, and offered it to the youngest girl's mouth.
It's Nohara Rin.
Her gentle expression dispelled the chill in the air.
The girl hesitated for a moment, then finally opened her mouth and took a small bite.
The aroma of the food instantly relaxed her tense body, and tears streamed down her face.
Obito stood there helplessly watching this scene.
A clean cloth was handed to him.
He turned his head, and there was Kakashi Hatake.
Kakashi didn't look at him or say anything; he simply used his other hand to wipe his short sword, which emitted a chilling white light.
Obito paused for a moment, took the cloth, and hastily wiped his face, removing the cigarette ash and rainwater.
"……I know."
He turned around and watched as Lin patiently comforted the children, watched as the bleeding of the Cloud Ninja he had saved was stopped under Lin's treatment, and watched as this village ravaged by war began to sprout within him.
Becoming Hokage, gaining Rin's approval, surpassing Kakashi... all those dreams he used to talk about seemed to have a new and more solid weight at this moment.
The other end of the village.
Yahiko clenched his fists tightly.
His anger did not subside with the victory in battle; on the contrary, it burned even more fiercely.
He looked at the Cloud Village genin who had lost an arm. The man looked younger than him and was now looking at the Konoha ninja who was treating him with a complex expression of bewilderment, gratitude, and hatred.
Why?
"Damn it... those guys... they're not even ninjas! They're just bandits in ninja costumes! Scoundrels!"
Yahiko's voice was suppressed, as if he were questioning, or perhaps asking himself, "Why did they do this? Is this war? Is this what they call profit?"
There is no clash of the strong, no collision of wills, only the most despicable and shameless bullying of the weak.
This reminded him of the Land of Rain, and of the days he struggled to survive in the mud.
All of this happened right before his eyes again.
The young man from Kumogakure, who had been treated, moved his lips and weakly uttered, "They...are bandits...not ninjas..."
His companions were all buried underground by the earth-escape technique of the Iwa ninja.
One sentence silenced Yahiko completely.
Yes, robbers.
The most vicious bandits armed with ninjutsu.
Xiao Nan walked to his side and gently tugged at his sleeve, silently conveying comfort.
Nagato, on the other hand, always stood in the farthest shadow.
He didn't approach anyone; he just stood there quietly.
He closed his eyes.
His immense sensory power spread like a tide, covering the entire ruins. He could "hear" the sound of raindrops falling, the sound of embers dying out, and the heartbeats and cries of the survivors.
You can also "hear"... the final echoes of life that have been silenced forever.
In his mind, the image of the little girl hiding under the ruins, her life force, that faint glimmer of light like a candle flickering in the wind, being extinguished by her own hands in an instant, was playing on repeat.
That wasn't caused by the enemy.
It was her own choice.
Because they didn't want to be a burden to good people.
This cruel truth, unknown to anyone, was like countless fine needles piercing his heart, bringing sharp pain with every breath.
He silently endured it all, his face remaining unchanged.
He sank his senses deeper into the earth, scanning inch by inch, stubbornly and futilely searching, hoping to find even the slightest trace of buried life.
"Alright, everyone, cheer up."
A gentle yet firm voice dispelled the gloom that lingered in everyone's hearts after the war.
Minato Namikaze appeared beside them at some point, his golden hair still dazzling in the rainy weather.
He didn't preach any grand principles; he simply looked calmly at his students and these young allies from the Land of Rain.
"You did a great job, absolutely fantastic."
He first gave his approval.
"But the battle is not over yet."
His tone shifted, putting everyone on edge again: "Lin, Konan, take stock of the wounded, prioritize treating civilians and that Kumogakure genin, and set up a temporary aid station."
"Kakashi, Obito, conduct a fan-shaped search outwards from us to check for traps or any escapees."
"Yahiko, Nagato, collect the enemy corpses and gather them at the village entrance. Their ninja tools, scrolls—any piece of information could be crucial."
"The Hyuga squad has flanked us from the side, while Inoichi is in charge of communications and surveillance from the rear. We are not fighting alone."
He issued clear and specific instructions in an orderly manner.
These procedures, repeated countless times in tactical simulation classes at the ninja academy, are now imbued with a calming power on the real battlefield.
The young ninjas, though their hearts were still churning, had already reacted through their bodies before their brains could process it.
They instinctively straightened their backs and responded loudly:
"yes!"
The entire team, this sophisticated war machine personally crafted by Hiruzen Sarutobi and continuously optimized by Tobirama, Sakumo, and others, once again began to operate efficiently.
Minato watched as his disciples performed their duties and breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Minato Namikaze walked to the pile of Iwa ninja corpses, squatted down, and examined them personally.
These Iwa ninjas are equipped with standard gear: headbands, ninja tool pouches, standard kunai... everything conforms to the configuration of Iwagakure ninjas.