"Never heard of it," Kazuki said calmly.
The little beggar looked at Kazuki's unwavering face and knew that he wasn't lying. Of course, it might also be that the other person's control over his facial expressions was too strong, making it hard to read.
The little beggar's face showed struggling emotions, but he finally made up his mind to speak out.
"Ninja-sama, Shinjuku Village is a village that was massacred by Konoha ninjas!"
"Oh."
The little beggar said angrily, "Does the life of a village seem so insignificant to the ninjas of Konoha?"
Kazuki looked confused. "I didn't kill them. Why should I care?"
"You!"
The little beggar was furious and wanted to retort but found himself at a loss for words. It was like saying that a man in Shinjuku Village had peeped at a widow bathing and was scorned by people from other villages. Should he also be ashamed of it?
It's not what I saw!
He was angry, but not at Kazuki—he was angry at the Konoha ninjas who had killed his family members in the village for no reason!
After calming down, he suddenly realized that he had spoken rudely to a powerful ninja! What the hell happened to me just now? Do I have a death wish?
"Ninja... Ninja-sama..."
Looking at the little beggar whose voice suddenly trembled, Kazuki felt puzzled. One moment he was cautious, the next rude, and then suddenly timid. Neuropathy!
"If there's nothing else, just leave and take the money with you. It's for you."
"But... Ninja-sama, I want to..."
"You do not want."
Before the little beggar could finish speaking, Kazuki interrupted him. "Don't expect me to help you find out the truth. You and I are not related, and I won't help you get revenge. I'm not someone with a strong sense of justice. Understand?"
The little beggar hadn't expected Kazuki to guess his thoughts so easily.
He had seen Kazuki as a Konoha ninja, not as cruel as the ones who had massacred his village. He had hoped to get close to him, maybe even gain his pity.
But it seemed Kazuki was not what he thought, and the atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
"This world is never just."
Kazuki stood up and handed him a roasted rabbit. "Live well. If you want revenge, then gain strength and find out the truth for yourself."
"But I don't know ninjutsu. How could I ever be a match for those ninjas..." The little beggar subconsciously took the roasted rabbit but didn't eat a bite.
"Then don't think about revenge. Life is short. You're just an ordinary person. Don't let hatred waste the rest of your life."
Kazuki patted the little beggar on the shoulder, called Yaya, and left.
"You haven't finished your roast rabbit yet," Yaya said.
"Leave it for him to eat. It looks like he hasn't eaten in a long time."
"Then what will you eat?"
"I'll just take a soldier's grain pill. It'll be fine."
"Is that delicious?"
"Compared to your dry food, it's not much worse."
"Then why do you eat it?"
"You can't go hungry, right?"
...
The little beggar watched the two of them walk away, gripping the roasted rabbit in his hand without moving for a long time.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but when the sun was about to set, he cried!
Looking at the dazzling sun setting, the bright sky dimming, what about the forest, a leaf, and an ordinary him?
He always knew he was ordinary, unable to change many things.
But he had never officially accepted it until now.
But just now, after he formally faced his own weakness and incompetence, and realized that he was destined to always be this way, he cried!
Crying like a child...
Tears welled up from his eyes uncontrollably,
He choked and took a bite of the roasted rabbit.
It was cold, but it didn't affect its taste.
The smell of roasted rabbit and the salty tears were swallowed into his stomach together, as if he was trying to swallow all the pain.
His past, his future, his dreams… everything was swallowed.
In this life, he could only survive.
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+60 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg
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