Cruelty

At the gates of Konohagakure.

The village had issued a notice in advance—bodies and wounded were being returned from the Land of Grass. Many had gathered to wait.

Senju Linmu stood at the front, eyes blank, arms limp at his sides, shoulders slumped, strengthless.

The head of the Senju Clan, son of Hashirama Senju, no longer carried the fire of former days—only the hollow sorrow of a father who had lost his child.

The convoy approached slowly.

Body bags were claimed by family members one by one.

Some wept. Some stared blankly. Some quietly asked how much compensation they'd receive.

The final body bag held Senju Nawaki.

Linmu heard nothing of the noise around him. A constant ringing filled his ears. With stiff legs, he moved forward.

He still couldn't believe Nawaki was truly dead.

His son had shown talent rare even once in decades, mentored by a jonin as elite as Orochimaru.

The resurgence of the Senju had been just within grasp—only to come to a screeching halt.

In that instant, Senju Linmu had the passing thought of giving up on everything.

If the village elders wanted half the Senju district—let them take it.

If they wanted the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki—let them seal it. The Senju would no longer involve themselves.

If they demanded the sealing scrolls of the Senju and Uzumaki—hand them over.

Watching Linmu's swaying body, Kushina whispered, "Uncle…"

Linmu shook his head, brushing the weakness aside.

He couldn't surrender. The thousand-year glory of the Senju couldn't end with him.

Death?

His father had founded Konoha. Could today's deaths compare with those at the end of the Warring States era?

Nawaki had died at age twelve—far later than two of Linmu's own uncles had.

The Senju… did not fear death.

Yako stood off to the side, nose clenched shut.

There was preservation medicine in the body bags, but the stench of death was still overwhelming.

But what to Yako was a revolting smell… to Senju Linmu was the scent of his beloved son.

Linmu unzipped the body bag. Nawaki's face was pale as bone.

He reached out and gently touched his son's face. Linmu's stern expression shifted multiple times—until at last, his head bowed low.

The Senju claimed Nawaki's remains, along with those of other fallen clansmen.

The family had already given too much to Konoha.

Black Ape's wife—the woman Yako had seen at the hospital once—arrived to collect her husband.

Black Ape had removed his mask. Now, he looked like a broken, aging man—limp, armless, with sunken cheeks.

He no longer resembled an Akimichi at all.

Yako returned to ANBU headquarters to complete the debriefing. Then he reported the personnel loss to Root and left ANBU grounds.

Back at the familiar Tsurugetsu Tavern, Yako sighed internally. He was finally back.

Somehow, this place had become his true refuge.

"Jōi, anyone suspicious been watching you lately?"

"Nope. Haven't seen a thing."

Yako had already checked the mission scroll archives for anything targeting Jōi—there were no ongoing investigations. ANBU had dropped the matter.

"I've got people upstairs. This whole mess was cleaned up for you. Don't you owe me a little gratitude?"

"And how exactly should I thank you?"

"Yin Release and Yang Release are getting dull. Got anything new to spice things up?"

Jōi bit her silver teeth and pressed close. "You've been gone a while. Tried some new tricks with some little fox out there and came back to reminisce?"

"Now, now. I've grown stronger—I need stronger stimulation."

Jōi rolled her eyes and said, "Then let's try a secret technique from Iwagakure kunoichi…"

"Oh? What jutsu?"

"Ever heard of Mountain Earth Technique?"

"Sure. A massive Earth Release dome that crushes enemies into paste. Is this the Earth Style successor to Yin and Yang Release?"

The two of them were already lying in bed. Jōi slowly vanished under the covers—unleashing her own Ball Release: Mountain Earth Technique.

After midnight madness, she lay across Yako's chest.

Suddenly, she tensed.

"It's coming!"

"What's coming? We just—"

Before he could finish, Yako felt it too—that icy chakra creeping in.

He threw on his pants and vanished through the window in a blur, landing atop the roof.

From the Senju sector, a baleful chakra oozed into the streets of Konoha.

Birds and bugs everywhere fell silent.

Uzumaki Mito… was she reaching her limit?

Yako leapt down and returned to the rear side room.

"Has this cold chakra been showing up while I was gone?"

"Yeah… especially the last two weeks. Almost every night."

"A troublesome season indeed. Whatever, let's not dwell on it. That Mountain Earth Technique… I still don't quite get it. Maybe we should investigate further…"

Amid the nightly chill, the new year came.

And with it… Yako's birthday.

He had no one to celebrate with except Jōi.

The New Year here was colder, hollower than in his last life.

A few days after, Yako carried two jin of marinated beef and entered the Akimichi compound.

He didn't know where Black Ape lived. Didn't even know his name. But surely it wouldn't be hard to find.

After all… both arms were gone.

He spotted three aunties chatting on a corner. Yako paused. Weren't these the Akimichi intel center operatives?

"Excuse me—do you know of a retired shinobi here with both arms missing?"

"You mean the one who lost his left arm first, or the one who lost his right arm first?"

Yako froze. Wait… there are multiple armless Akimichi?

"Left first, right later. Just returned to the clan grounds."

One of the women asked again, "You want the one whose left side is more missing, or right side?"

Seriously?

"How about the taller one—darker skin, taller, and more missing on the right."

Finally, one of the aunties pointed him in the right direction.

Yako felt a pang of sadness.

Such a simple question revealed a glimpse of war's cruelty.

The Akimichi district did indeed have many disabled shinobi.

With a clan to support them, even the crippled could survive—provided the bare minimum to live.

But among civilians… you'd see far fewer retired disabled ninja. Not because they got hurt less—but because they didn't live long once crippled.

Survivor bias.

He arrived at a small courtyard. Someone was moving house.

There, a tall, gaunt man with both arms missing sat in silence.

Black Ape.

Yako approached.

"Big bro. I came to see you."