After Shinji stepped out of the house, he noticed that Gilgamesh, who was originally there, had vanished.
Not paying much attention to it, he heard stumbling footsteps behind him. Glancing back, he saw Haku, holding onto the door frame and looking at him.
Seeing Haku in thin, dirty clothes in such extreme weather, Shinji took out two modern-looking pieces of clothing from his system space.
"Put these on. And don't forget, you now have a purpose to live for."
Although not fully understanding, Haku still nodded. However...
Holding up the white stockings that came with the lolita dress, Haku blinked in confusion.
"What... are these?"
...
Half a month later.
"Teacher, where are we going?"
In the depths of a remote mountain within the Land of Water, far from Kirigakure, Haku looked up and asked Shinji.
At this moment, Haku was holding a black, lace-trimmed parasol. Her hair had been meticulously styled according to the picture Shinji provided, paired with a black-and-white gothic lolita outfit.
With this appearance, as long as Haku didn't speak, anyone would see her as a cool, black-haired loli character straight out of a manga.
As for "Teacher," that was the name this man had given himself.
Though Haku knew this might not be his real name, she didn't ask much, feeling a sense of closeness with the title.
"Who knows, but..."
Shinji looked up towards the mountain peak.
"...I feel like I'm living a meaningless life."
...
On the mountain was the main base of the Kaguya clan.
But it seemed they had bad timing, as there wasn't a single person there, not even someone left behind to guard the place.
The Kaguya clan, in the Naruto world, were even crazier than the Uchiha. They loved excitement, relentlessly pursuing their desires for thrills.
They weren't afraid of death or defeat.
This collective madness meant they were either fighting or on their way to a fight every day.
In such a clan, a young man who began to ponder the meaning of life was born.
Kimimaro, originally not someone Shinji planned to kidnap, piqued his interest when he found the Kaguya clan's main base by chance and found Kimimaro imprisoned there.
In a cage made of natural rock formations and a wooden prison door, Kimimaro, who had nearly perfectly inherited the Kaguya clan's bloodline abilities, had locked himself in.
White-haired, slightly frail, Kimimaro sat in the cage hugging his knees, glancing at the blue-haired man and the impeccably dressed Haku passing by.
Then he withdrew his gaze, seeing them as unrelated passersby.
Gurgle—
Hearing the stomach growl from the cage, Shinji wondered if Kimimaro's illness was from starvation, as his clan often forgot to bring him food, leaving him hungry for days.
Haku's act of giving food interrupted Shinji's thoughts. Watching her kindly place a piece of bread outside the cage, he shook his head, then glanced at the rusty, broken door lock.
"It's useless. Someone who imprisons themselves cannot open the cage. They lack the most important thing."
Haku didn't understand but noticed the broken lock and the fact that the door was merely ajar.
"Why doesn't he come out if the lock is broken?"
"Because there's an even stronger, invisible lock on his heart."
After answering, Shinji observed Kimimaro's reaction. Unfortunately, Kimimaro remained silent, hugging his knees, without any change in expression.
"Let's go, Haku."
"But..."
"Someone without the courage to reach out of the cage is just a meaningless puppet, destined to remain imprisoned forever."
With that, Shinji turned and walked away. Although Haku hesitated, seeing no reaction from Kimimaro, she followed Shinji.
Just as they left, Kimimaro moved, looking at the bread Haku left and then at the outside world.
"The meaning of life..."
...
Slowly descending the mountain path, Shinji saw Kimimaro, who had leaves on him, seemingly running straight from the cage. Shinji couldn't help but feel amused.
This guy is easy to persuade!
"Can opening the cage free me from a meaningless life?"
Kimimaro asked.
"Who knows..."
Shinji shrugged, walking past Kimimaro, who showed no change in expression or reaction, and added.
"At least from the moment you opened the cage, you could freely search for the meaning of life. Even if you spend your life searching and never find it, searching for it becomes your life's meaning."
Hearing this, Kimimaro's eyes gradually widened, the dead look in them fading, the darkness lifting.
Seconds later, Kimimaro turned to watch Shinji and the black-haired girl walking away, making his first decision after gaining freedom.
He followed them!
...
A week later.
At the coastline of the Land of Whirlpools, late at night.
Kimimaro, his forehead dot and eyeliner wiped away by Shinji, his hair cut to a normal short length, and dressed in age-appropriate clothes, sat quietly by the campfire.
Haku, like Kimimaro, sat quietly, waiting for something, and Shinji, with closed eyes, also waited silently.
"Alright! Three minutes are up!"
Suddenly, Shinji opened his eyes.
Each of the three grabbed a cup of instant noodles and started eating...
Morning update, had a bit too much at the dinner gathering...