"Who are you?" Aoki didn't answer Haruki's question, but asked instead.
Although the young man in front of him had saved him, he couldn't just lower his guard.
What if it was an enemy's plot?
While such a possibility was small, it shouldn't be ignored just because of its low probability.
Haruki stared at the Iwa ninja named Aoki in front of him and said sincerely, "My name is Haruki, and I'm from the Land of Rain."
Hearing that name, Aoki's pupils constricted.
Haruki!
Haruki of the Land of Rain?
The disciple of the demigod Hanzo?
The Genius with Curse Power?
The Haruki in front of him was completely different from the description in the intel he had received.
The Haruki before him was like a friendly kid from the neighborhood in peacetime, making him feel an involuntary sense of closeness.
Aoki hesitated for a moment before replying in a low voice, "My name is Aoki, an Iwa ninja."
His voice was still hoarse, but much better than when he had just woken up.
Aoki paused to catch his breath, then continued, "Our squad was attacked two days ago, and only I..."
He suddenly couldn't continue speaking. His throat choked, and pain and fear flashed in his eyes.
Haruki could guess what had happened from Aoki's answer.
"Thank you for saving me."
As soon as Aoki finished speaking, he began to cough violently.
"What do you plan to do next?" Haruki asked, looking at Aoki.
Without waiting for Aoki's reply, Haruki continued to ask, "Can you return to your Iwagakure camp by yourself?"
Aoki's breathing gradually steadied.
Hearing Haruki's question, a trace of fear quickly flashed in his eyes. His body stiffened, and he looked at Haruki, his deep brown eyes filled with helplessness.
"I..."
"I don't want to go back..."
Aoki's voice trembled.
After saying this, his face was pale, as if he had used all his strength. He lowered his head, not looking at Haruki.
An unexpected answer.
Haruki stared at Aoki in surprise and asked curiously, "Why?"
Nagato frowned, and the vigilance and rejection in his Rinnegan, fixed on Aoki, never disappeared.
Suguru stared at Aoki with interest, a flicker of amusement in his narrow eyes.
"I know you must look down on me now..."
"You think I'm a deserter..."
"A rogue ninja..."
Aoki's head drooped lower and lower. He dared not meet Haruki's gaze, as if he would see mockery and disdain on their faces.
"But I just want to live." Aoki's voice became tearful.
His throat felt as if it had been split open, and it grew even hoarser due to his overly agitated emotions.
"As soon as I go back, I'll be on the battlefield again." Aoki's emotions slowly calmed down. His voice was very soft, revealing a numb despair.
Haruki looked at Aoki, who had his head down, and saw deep exhaustion in his eyes.
War indeed ravaged both body and mind.
Haruki advised him practically, his tone gentle, "But you are an Iwa ninja after all. If you don't go back this time, you won't have a chance to go back in the future."
For ninja like Aoki who miraculously survived the battlefield, they either returned quickly or forgot their Iwagakure identity, pretending they had died on the battlefield and living as a rogue ninja. The price for doing so was that they would never be able to return to their hometown with their former identity.
Aoki let out a bitter, light laugh, full of endless sorrow. Of course, he knew this fact, but he could no longer fight. The blood and corpses of his comrades tormented him constantly.
"I'm so tired. If I return to the Iwagakure camp, perhaps the next time I go to the battlefield, I will stay there forever, and I still won't be able to return to my hometown."
"Leaving the battlefield, although I can't return to my hometown, I can still look at it."
Aoki struggled to sit up from the ground. Haruki reached out and helped him.
Aoki was startled for a moment, then smiled at him. "Thank you."
Aoki leaned weakly against the wall behind him, his breathing heavy.
"Three months ago, my best friend died in front of me." Aoki's expression was calm.
"He died saving me. From then on, I hated this world full of war."
Haruki listened silently to Aoki's story.
Why did he feel this story sounded a bit familiar?
However, in times of war, such things happened every day, so it was not surprising.
Complex emotions surged in Aoki's eyes.
"Then my sensei..."
Aoki stared blankly at the distant ruins and said, "Last month, to cover the retreat of the intelligence unit, she faced ten enemy ninjas alone, and in the end, not even her body could be found."
Aoki's voice began to tremble again. "Now all my teammates are dead, and only I miraculously survived. But I don't feel lucky at all. I know what awaits me."
"After my wounds heal... No! I won't even wait for my wounds to heal. I will continue to participate in the war until one day I also become one of the statistics."
Aoki suddenly grabbed Haruki's wrist with astonishing force. He stared at Haruki and said, word for word, "I don't want to go back. I hate war. I hate endless slaughter. I hate that people who are by my side today might be killed tomorrow. I don't want to go back to that hell."
Haruki believed that Aoki had said these words sincerely. Aoki's eyes were bloodshot, filled with hatred and fear.
Haruki didn't pull away, but calmly asked, "If you don't go back, where do you want to go?"