"That's impressive."
Kojiro raised an eyebrow, leaped down from the high wall, and landed steadily in front of Haruki and the others.
"What are your names?" Kojiro observed the four children before him.
Yahiko looked at Haruki.
Haruki nodded to him.
Only then did Yahiko speak, "My name is Yahiko, and these are my younger siblings: Haruki, Konan, and Nagato."
Kojiro's gaze shifted back and forth between them.
Although Yahiko, who spoke, claimed to be the older brother, the leadership of the group clearly belonged to the child named Haruki.
Haruki?
Why did that name sound so familiar?
Haruki!
Kojiro's pupils constricted, and his gaze immediately fixed on Haruki. He remembered where he had heard that name before.
Not long ago, when the Land of Rain ceased hostilities, wasn't the person who turned the tide in the final battle named Haruki?
He heard he was also Hanzo's student. So Haruki was this young.
Kojiro stared at Haruki in disbelief.
The possibility of having the same name was very low, the young man before him was Haruki. No wonder he dared to say what he just did.
However, the young man before him was far from the Haruki he had imagined.
The young man had short black hair, eyes the color of peacock feathers, fair skin, and exuded a gentle and soft aura. He didn't look like the same person as the Haruki described in the intelligence spread throughout the Ninja World.
"You are Haruki? You are Hanzo's student?" Just in case, Kojiro still cautiously asked.
Haruki nodded honestly.
The man before him was not a bad person. The man appeared when Haruki and the others were being followed by samurai. His initial intention was to save them, but after seeing that they could protect themselves, he didn't show himself, waiting until Haruki said those words before he couldn't stand it anymore and proactively spoke up to warn them.
"You are here to restore order, is that Hanzo's will?" Kojiro asked.
Haruki said, "You could say that."
Kojiro looked at him in confusion. "Then how else could you say it?"
"My mission is to expel all ninjas and samurai who do not belong to the Land of Rain. But even without this mission, I would still come here."
"The order here is chaotic, people bleed every day, people die every day. I came here precisely to stop such things from happening." Haruki said, looking at the man before him.
Kojiro scrutinized Haruki, his upturned eyes carrying a hint of mockery. "From what you say, you seem to want to be a savior?"
"No, you misunderstood." Haruki said calmly.
"I have never thought of gaining the title of savior. That word carries too many gazes and expectations, which can make one forget what truly needs to be done."
"What I think is actually very simple. To let children no longer have to go to war, to let the pain of losing loved ones end in this generation."
"This is not some grand salvation, it is just the small effort of someone who no longer wants to see tragedy repeat itself."
"I am just an ordinary person who has seen too much suffering and cannot ignore it."
"If I must have a wish, it is to hope to become a bridge connecting understanding, rather than a high and mighty savior." Haruki corrected him.
His voice echoed in Kojiro's ears. Kojiro looked at Haruki in shock, a storm raging in his heart.
These words were spoken by a mere boy!
Kojiro couldn't help but show a bitter smile.
He was now living a life worse than these children.
"Aren't you afraid?" Kojiro still couldn't help but ask.
When he was Haruki's age, he only knew how to be lazy and play. The great matter of Ninja World peace never crossed his mind. The only education he received was his parents' advice— "You must train well, lest you die on the battlefield one day in the future." As a child, no one ever told him to sacrifice for peace.
"Whether I am afraid or not is not important."
Haruki stared at Kojiro with firm eyes and said, "What is important is that there are things that must be done before me, and people that must be protected behind me. When the meaning of a matter far surpasses personal safety, fear, this emotion, can only make way for determination."
Kojiro was speechless. He didn't know what to say. No matter what he said, it couldn't hide the fact that he had become a selfish adult.
"Truly amazing!"
Kojiro looked at the four children before him. People with such firm beliefs would surely become famous in the Ninja World. Perhaps, they could truly bring peace.
Kojiro introduced himself, "My name is Kojiro Momochi, and I know a place where food is sold cheaply. I'll take you there."
Yahiko's eyes lit up. "Okay."
Kojiro led the way, casually chatting with Haruki and the others.
"What are you planning to do? You might be in big trouble tonight." Kojiro glanced at Haruki and the others out of the corner of his eye.
He was not too willing to see such excellent young people die on the path to realizing their ideals like this.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Haruki was very confident in the strength of his cursed spirits.
Kojiro smiled. He suddenly turned and stared at Haruki and the others.
"Hey! If I can see you tomorrow, I'll join you. And together, we'll achieve that dream that sounds like a joke."
Kojiro sighed deeply, "Although I'm already old, losing ideals and beliefs will make one age even faster, won't it? You won't despise me for being too old, will you?"
Haruki shook his head. "No, because there are others even older than you who have joined us."
"...Is that so."
It seemed he wasn't the only one conquered by the ideals spoken by these young people.
"Someone joined you before me, do you already have a mature organization?"
"Not mature. We've just established our organization, and it's called Akatsuki."
"Akatsuki? What a great name!"