In the village of Konoha, there is a memorial stone called the Memorial Monument, inscribed with the names of many of Konoha's heroes. Besides the monument, there is also a graveyard where many of these heroes are buried. These so-called heroes are the shinobi who sacrificed their lives for Konoha.
Each grave contains a different past, and these pasts are remembered in the form of honor, buried in the ground, marking them as heroes.
When someone touches the light during their lifetime, they can sink into darkness after death, a process in which they are remembered by others. Just like leaves: they flourish in the light and die in the dark, but people know that even the withered, fallen leaves ultimately contribute as nourishment, making their last contribution to the tree.
The roots buried deep in the ground, however, are different—they remain in eternal darkness and die in darkness.
The bodies of Root members are dealt with simply—they are burned until nothing remains, leaving no trace behind.
Just like how they arrived alone, without family, friends, or love, when they die, there is no grave, no tombstone, not even a dirty wooden marker.
Their birth determines their fate.
"What is your name?"
"Codename: Blue Butterfly."
They have no name, only a codename.
Tools are tools, and people are people. How can the two be forcibly combined?
Some people are unwilling, so the method of corpse disposal shifts from being burned completely to being buried hastily in a remote mountain forest. Not too far from Root, just outside the exit, beneath a certain tree, next to a rock, or under some grass.
"See that tree? Blue Butterfly is buried there."
There is no need for a grave or tombstone to serve as a memorial, so can a tree suffice?
Two Root members, carrying the body bag, arrived under a tree. The man in the short-eared fox mask began to dig.
They were responsible for disposing of the body. They remembered that many places around Root's exit had already been filled with bodies, so now they had to bury them further away.
The pit was quickly dug, its width and length measured precisely, not too deep, not too shallow, just right to fit the body.
Out of respect for a fellow comrade, the other member gently placed the body in the pit, then covered it with soil and patted it down.
This became a grave remembered by only a few, marked by a tree.
After burying the body, the two members turned and left without delay. Naturally, they didn't notice that inside the body bag, the heart they believed to have stopped beating gave a slight tremor.
...
In a dark room, a pair of eyes suddenly opened, shining brightly.
"Huh."
The owner of the eyes exhaled slightly, sat up in bed, and silently looked at the window covered by thick curtains. Touching the heart that was beating faster than usual, they thought about the moment of unease they had just felt and took a deep breath.
They moved slowly, leaning against the wall, and sat in silence in the darkness.
It had been a long time since they had slept so deeply. It was probably still daylight outside.
Even though they had just woken up, they felt tired and didn't want to get out of bed, preferring to sit there in a daze.
Yet, unwilling as they were, they still had to get up.
Ye Zi sat for a while, then got out of bed to wash up. He pulled back the curtains, and the blinding sunlight immediately poured in, causing his eyes to squint slightly.
"What should I eat?"
His stomach, naturally, was hungry. He pondered whether to go out to eat or just cook a few dishes at home. In the end, going out seemed more practical—it would save cooking time, after all.
He changed into a simple outfit and headed out, wandering through the streets.
"Ye Zi."
He hadn't walked far when a somewhat familiar voice called out from behind.
Turning his head, Ye Zi saw that the speaker was the rising star, Minato Namikaze.
"What a coincidence," Minato said with a slight smile.
Ye Zi nodded. Minato was a friend with whom he had a good relationship. Thinking about it, Minato was actually one of the first people he had met.
"Are you out to eat?" Minato walked over to Ye Zi with a few quick steps.
"Yes," Ye Zi replied calmly.
"So am I. Let's go; I'll treat you to some ramen." Minato's eyes lit up as he made the decision, not giving Ye Zi a chance to refuse before walking ahead.
Ye Zi watched Minato's back and quietly followed. It wouldn't be polite to turn around and leave.
Ramen, huh? Ye Zi preferred meat, and as it turned out, he'd never actually tried ramen before.
Speaking of ramen, only Konoha's Ichiraku Ramen was really famous, and the shop Minato was taking Ye Zi to was indeed Ichiraku Ramen.
Soon, the two arrived at the small Ichiraku Ramen shop. Lifting the curtain, they bent slightly to enter.
"Welcome."
The shop was small, with a single, not-too-long counter. In front of it was a row of chairs, and behind the counter stood a young man with eyes squinting into narrow slits and a faint smile on his face.
This was Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku Ramen.
There were no other customers in the shop at the moment, so Minato and Yezuki took a seat wherever they liked.
"What would you like to order?" Teuchi asked.
Minato raised a finger and smiled. "I'll have the special BBQ pork ramen."
"Got it," Teuchi nodded slightly, then turned to Ye Zi.
Perhaps because of Teuchi's squinting eyes, Ye Zi couldn't detect any hint of disgust in his gaze. After a brief pause, Ye Zi said, "I'll have the same."
"Got it," Teuchi replied and went to prepare the ramen.
In no time, two bowls of ramen were served, and the rich aroma filled the air.
Looking at the ramen, Minato picked up his chopsticks and rubbed them together, saying, "Let's eat."
With that, he began slurping the noodles with enthusiasm.
The smell was indeed tempting, but Ye Zi wondered how it would actually taste.
With this thought in mind, he picked up some noodles and took a bite. The firm noodles, as soon as they touched his tongue, released a rich flavor that filled his mouth.
It was delicious...
With each chew, the broth splattered, and the flavor deepened.
Ye Zi quietly sped up his eating, and before Minato had finished half his bowl, he had already cleaned his.
"Another bowl," Ye Zi said, pushing the empty bowl forward.
"Got it," Teuchi took the bowl and started preparing another.
Seeing how much Ye Zi enjoyed the meal, Minato's eyes showed a faint smile. Even though Kushina only had eyes for Ye Zi, Minato didn't let that affect his view of him.
He believed in fair competition and would never harbor any ill will toward Ye Zi.
Many people in Konoha hated Ye Zi for one thing, but as someone directly involved, Minato admired Ye Zi. Despite how brutal and terrifying the scene had been, His actions had been meant to protect them.
Soon, the second bowl of ramen was served, and before long, Ye Zi finished it. Naturally, he asked for another.
At this point, Minato had barely finished the bottom of his first bowl, while Yezuki was already starting his third.
If Ye Zi knew enough people, there might be a saying circulating among them: never invite Ye Zi to a meal.
Under the somewhat helpless gazes of Minato and Teuchi, Ye Zi kept eating bowl after bowl, as if his stomach were a bottomless pit.
Teuchi was happy that Ye Zi liked his food, but he also worried about whether Ye Zi might overeat.
As for Minato, watching Ye Zi tackle his eighth bowl of ramen, he was quietly relieved that he had invited him for ramen—anything else would have drained his wallet dry.
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Currently on Chapter 177 - Whispers of War