Chapter 18: The Lonely One Who Has Lost Their Bonds
Memorial Stone.
Today, a newborn baby lay beneath that sculpture... It was said that this was the village's new Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
The villagers of Konoha had gathered here once again.
During the night of the Nine-Tails' rampage, Konoha suffered heavy casualties, almost creating a generational gap among Konoha's middle-aged ninjas...
The deaths of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki were equivalent to shaking Konoha's foundations... And the inevitable rift between the Uchiha and Konoha's high-ranking officials meant Konoha could no longer maintain a strong stance externally.
Kitahara stood on Uchiha Itachi's shoulder. It had followed him here voluntarily, to bid farewell to the couple who had remained loving even amidst the turmoil...
Not many from the Uchiha clan came to attend the memorial. Their own clan's losses were minimal; only the members from outside the main clan suffered grievous casualties.
For example, Uchiha Izumi's father – Uchiha Hazuki, had died in battle.
The little girl looked around in bewilderment... She wanted to find someone to rely on.
Suddenly, a whisper reached his ears, "Captain, some clan members... want to return to the clan grounds..."
"The clan grounds need to be rebuilt. Let those clan members move back! No matter which family, if they have any difficulties, they must report it."
Uchiha Fugaku privately didn't want those clan members to return, but single-parent families in the ninja world found it hard to make a living. Especially since many female clan members had already abandoned their ninja status; they could barely manage even with the clan's help.
Although the clan gathering again would continue to affect the relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha's leadership, Uchiha Fugaku felt powerless in this situation... Anyway, when you have too many lice, you stop itching...
Unless Konoha faced a life-or-death crisis, at the very least a war, both Konoha's leadership and the Uchiha clan would undoubtedly unite against a common enemy.
The problem was, after the Shinobi World War, no ninja village was willing to start a war; most were desperately licking their wounds... And with Konoha's current strength, it was hard to say if they could win against anyone.
After mourning the dead, the people in front of the Memorial Stone gradually dispersed.
Uchiha Shisui quietly stood beside Itachi and patted the back of his head, "Itachi, let's go together."
"Caw!"
The crow looked fiercely at Shisui. Why is there always someone trying to mess with my cub...
"The crow you're raising is getting fiercer, Itachi..."
"Don't say that, Kitahara is very gentle..."
"...Caw..."
As they passed the graves of heroes, Kitahara noticed the white-haired young man standing alone among the tombs and couldn't help but grip Itachi's shoulder slightly harder.
"What's wrong?" Uchiha Itachi looked up in confusion, following the crow's gaze to the solitary figure, "That's Kakashi..."
"It's Senior Kakashi." Uchiha Shisui frowned slightly. He said softly, "I remember he was the Fourth Hokage's student. I encountered him once during a mission..."
As they were speaking, the white-haired young man glanced in their direction. Shisui raised his hand in greeting, "Senior Kakashi!"
Kakashi Hatake ignored them and left the graves, his face expressionless.
Uchiha Itachi murmured, "Cold-blooded... Kakashi?"
"No... I always feel he's a kind person at heart..." Uchiha Shisui had fought alongside Kakashi before. He recalled those fragments but couldn't connect the Kakashi from then with the white-haired young man now.
"...Caw..."
The crow's cry lingered over the graves, making the place seem even more desolate.
The deaths of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki meant their child became an orphan, and it also meant... Kakashi Hatake had lost all his bonds as a ninja...
The White Fang, Uchiha Obito, Rin Nohara, Minato Namikaze... all eventually departed from his life.
Sadness might pass, but loneliness, like a ghost, would always follow him.
"Let's go get something to eat first..." Uchiha Shisui placed a hand on Itachi's shoulder. He understood Kakashi's sorrow and the despair hidden beneath the mask.
Uchiha Itachi nodded, "Then let's go eat Three-Color Dango..."
"Caw!"
Kitahara glared at Itachi. Kid, are you toxic or something... Every time you get a chance to eat out, all you think about is Three-Color Dango?
"Eh? If we always go to Ichiraku Ramen, wouldn't Kitahara get tired of it?"
"Hmm... How about this..." Uchiha Shisui clapped his hands and suggested, "Let's go to Ichiraku Ramen first, then buy some Three-Color Dango. We'll be at the training grounds for a long time this afternoon!"
"Caw!"
"Don't be like that, Kitahara... I've clearly made a concession..."
Today, they seemed to have a fateful encounter with Kakashi Hatake, meeting him again at Ichiraku Ramen. He was currently slumped over the table, eating noodles.
Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi didn't try to strike up a conversation with him again.
"Mr. Teuchi, we'll have six bowls of Miso Ramen." Uchiha Shisui tapped the table and pointed to the small wooden plaque hanging on the wall, "Three bowls to eat here, three bowls to hang on the wall."
"Oh oh, okay, okay!" Uncle Teuchi was clearly somewhat absent-minded, likely due to the turmoil of the Nine-Tails' rampage last night, which had left Konoha in a state of panic.
Kitahara curiously scanned the surroundings. The small ramen shop was completely intact... The barbecue restaurant across the street was bustling with activity, clearing away rubble...
Perhaps Uncle Teuchi is the true chosen one...
The curtain at the back of the kitchen twitched slightly, revealing little Ayame's timid face. She was secretly looking at Kakashi Hatake... Only, this hiding technique in front of a ninja...
"Ahem..."
It seemed someone had choked on their noodle soup.
Fortunately, the little girl quickly noticed the new customers in the shop, who were all quite cute... Seemingly unable to see clearly, she simply lifted the curtain and walked over.
Of course, what little girl doesn't like Itachi! And there's the bonus Shisui-niichan beside him!
"Hey! Why did you and this crow come over?" Ayame stood with her hands on her hips, chest puffed out, glaring fiercely at Itachi and Kitahara, "You're not going to bring those scary people over again, are you!"
"...Caw?"
Kitahara looked up. He felt Ayame's expression was much fiercer than those from the Police Force...
Perhaps because the incident where the Police Force surrounded Ichiraku Ramen when it ran away from home was too egregious, she had no favorable impression of the Uchiha clan whatsoever.
What handsome big brothers and cute little brothers... they'll all grow up to look like those people from the Police Force, super fierce!
The little boy looked at the crow with resentment, "..."
"Sorry, customers, my little girl is being impolite..." Mr. Teuchi quickly pushed his daughter away, "Alright, alright, didn't you say you wanted to make ramen? Hurry up and go make it!"
Uchiha Shisui watched the little girl excitedly run towards the back kitchen, his expression hesitant, "...Um, what she's making, it won't be... for us, right?"
"...Absolutely not!" Boss Teuchi waved his hand righteously. The little girl's ramen tasted very good. So far, only two people had been fortunate enough to taste it. One of them was naturally him, her father. As for the other person...
"Miss Ayame's noodles are delicious. Thank you for the meal..." Kakashi took out a coin, placed it on the table, and left after saying that one sentence.
The Big Boss Teuchi: "..."
The atmosphere suddenly became a bit awkward.
(End of this chapter)