IMPORTANT: For every 30 POWER STONES there will be an extra chapter!
That cluster of low buildings had a nickname: the slums.
When the old man brought Ye Zi and his sister to his home in the slums, it was nothing more than a deformed shack, cobbled together from scattered wooden planks. It leaked from all sides, and the door was nothing more than a flimsy board.
The old man instructed him to carry his sister, Rui, inside and lay her on the bed. He then told Ye Zi to fetch some water and wet a towel to place on Rui's forehead.
Just from looking, it was impossible to tell how high her fever was. Rui's face was flushed red, her breathing was rapid, and her body burned with heat at the touch.
Frowning, the old man told Ye Zi to watch over his sister and went outside to prepare some medicine.
Luckily, the old man had some knowledge of medicine. Living alone, he always kept some medicinal herbs at home during the harsh winter, knowing that catching a cold in the selfish environment of the slums could easily mean death.
Ye Zi was fortunate to have encountered the old man. It was also thanks to his decisive words that the old man had decided to take them in. Otherwise, in these conditions, Rui's high fever would have undoubtedly been a death sentence.
From that point on, the slums gained two new children.
Ye Zi never told the old man that he had a home in the bustling city to the south, nor did he reveal that they had escaped from an orphanage where he had killed someone.
From then on, Ye Zi honored his promise. He took over the old man's sled, using his small body to search the snow-covered streets for food every day. He scavenged anything that seemed edible and brought it back for the old man to decide what was safe to eat.
Ten days later, the old man firmly secured the wooden boards of the shack and locked the door before taking Ye Zi, now filthy and disheveled, to a place.
Along the way, they passed many people, all heading in the same direction.
Leaving the cluster of buildings behind, they arrived at a foul-smelling open area—a garbage dump.
Many people from the slums slowly emerged and gathered around the dump, their eyes fixed longingly on the distant silhouette of the prosperous city to the south.
"Why are we here?" Ye Zi asked quietly.
"We're waiting for the garbage," the old man replied.
"Waiting for garbage?" Ye Zi raised an eyebrow.
"Once a month, the city dumps its garbage here. If we're lucky, we can find some food or useful things," the old man explained, also gazing toward the city.
Ye Zi was left speechless in shock. This was his first real understanding of the slums.
Before long, several trucks carrying garbage arrived, one after another, and dumped their loads into the pit. As soon as the trucks left, the surrounding people rushed toward the heaps of trash with a roar.
The old man grabbed Ye Zi's hand and dragged him into the chaotic pile of garbage.
The old man managed to find three relatively intact pieces of clothing, a package of sausages that would expire in two days, a half-eaten piece of bread, and a crushed cigarette. Ye Zi, on the other hand, returned empty-handed.
Under the old man's disdainful gaze, they returned to their broken-down shack.
When they arrived, Rui greeted them with a big smile, though she soon pouted and said, "Brother, I'm hungry."
Ye Zi hesitated for a moment, but the old man handed the sausages to Rui and said, "Eat up."
"Thank you, Grandpa," Rui said cheerfully, her smile returning as she happily began eating the sausages.
The old man, hearing her call him "Grandpa," couldn't help but feel a warmth in his heart, watching Rui take bite after bite with a satisfied grin.
Seeing this, and reflecting on his own failure at the garbage dump, Ye Zi suddenly had the urge to rush back there and try again.
From that day on, Ye Zi and Rui began their life in the slums.
Perhaps due to some concerns at the orphanage, even though someone had been killed, no news of it ever surfaced.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, five years had passed.
The old man had grown frailer with age, unable to be active for long periods. As a result, Ye Zi was left to shoulder the responsibility of finding food for the household.
Over those five years, the amount of garbage dumped from the city steadily increased. What had once been a monthly occurrence now happened every few days.
While the monthly dumps had once brought decent finds to the slums, the constant flow of trash soon became overwhelming.
The ever-growing piles of garbage began to encroach on the slums, making life more difficult for its residents. Eventually, the people of the slums revolted. One day, when the garbage trucks arrived, they blocked the entrance and refused to let the trucks in. Defeated, the drivers had no choice but to turn back.
That night, without warning, a massive fire broke out.
By the time it was discovered, the flames were already too fierce to be stopped. The night sky was illuminated by the fire, and from a distance, it looked as though the low buildings of the slums were engulfed by a dragon of flames.
The fire had come without warning, and by the time Ye Zi noticed, the area around their shack was already ablaze.
The old man, knowing he was too weak to flee, realized that if Ye Zi tried to carry him along with Rui, all three of them would likely perish in the flames.
So when Ye Zi reached out to grab his hand after pulling Rui along, the old man slapped his hand away.
"Go."
Those two words were firm and resolute.
Ye Zi, however, responded without hesitation, "We'll go together."
The old man gave him a disdainful look and said, "You're not that stupid. You know why I'm staying."
Ye Zi fell silent but repeated, "We'll go together."
"Foolish boy, living is the most important thing. Do you want Rui to end up dead?" the old man sighed softly.
"Grandpa, if you don't go, then I won't go either!" Rui, sensing what was happening, cried out in desperation.
"Haha," the old man chuckled. "Don't say such silly things." He then shot Ye Zi a fierce look, making his meaning perfectly clear.
"Goodbye," Ye Zi said quietly, biting his lip. With a swift, determined tug on Rui's arm, he dragged her away without looking back.
As Rui struggled and cried, "How can you do this? Grandpa will be burned alive!" Ye Zi remained silent, pulling her out of the burning building.
That night, many people knelt in silence, watching as the fire devoured their homes. Some cried uncontrollably, while others cursed the heavens.
Rui sobbed until she could barely breathe, while Ye Zi stood quietly, staring at the flames without a word.
This was a deliberate act of arson—there was no need to investigate further.
Such cruelty was something Ye Zi had witnessed firsthand when he was only six years old.
And so, this was what he had come to expect from the world...
As the scene faded and distorted, it was suddenly sucked into a black void.
In the dark underground chamber, Madara stood by the bedside, his usually expressionless face now showing a rare hint of shock. For once, he had lost his composure.
Zetsu, noticing Madara's reaction, was surprised but had no idea what Madara had seen.
"Hah, hahahahaha...!" A deep, dark laughter echoed through the quiet underground chamber.
"This is... truly fascinating. It has stirred something deep inside me," Madara said, looking at the unconscious Ye Zi with a strange, eerie glint in his eyes.
Could it be... there's another world out there?
Check out the patreon and get 49 chapters in advance
Currently on Chapter 211 - Sasori Joining the Akatsuki and his Requirements