vncnus Chapter 43 Funeral
Chapter 43 Funeral
Shinno Ishikawa held his mother's hand and squeezed forward through the gaps in the crowd.
"Hurry, Mom! My brother might be in the line."
His mother patted his little head: "Slow down, don't fall."
A hint of panic flickered in the woman's eyes—the worry of a mother.
Xinye is five years old this year and has idolized his older brother since he was little.
He had no memory of his father; the tall figure in his heart was always his brother's back.
The three-colored dumplings handed to me, a wooden kunai, and the morning that guided my training.
Scene after scene filled Ishikawa Shinno's entire memory.
"Welcome home, hero..."
As the convoy entered the gates of Konoha, the villagers on both sides of the road immediately erupted in cheers like a tsunami.
Xinye pulled his mother to the front, and the other children raised their hands to join the welcoming crowd.
The walking ninja raised his head, and even the seriously injured man in the car struggled to sit up.
Seeing the cheering faces and the admiring, joyful eyes, the ninjas in the convoy were extremely excited.
Pain transforms into strength, and a sense of responsibility grows in my heart, making me realize that this is the meaning of striving.
Some even shed tears, feeling that their ninja career had come to an end.
From the moment the convoy entered the city, Xinye's mother's gaze searched for that face she had been longing for day and night.
As time went by, she became increasingly flustered, and the fingers gripping her clothes gradually turned white.
As her gaze swept over the last person, her heart sank into an abyss.
He opened his mouth, but no air came in.
"The Hokage has arrived."
Wearing his signature Hokage robes, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood in the middle of the road to personally greet him.
He was followed by two advisors; the three represented the highest administrative core of Konoha Village.
The convoy stopped in front of the Hokage, and all the ninjas who could stand bowed in respect.
"Greetings, Hokage!"
As the cheers subsided, everyone's attention turned to the Hokage robe.
The space suddenly fell silent.
"You are heroes!"
The Hokage's voice was calm and steady, naturally carrying the authority of a superior.
Just standing there, he exudes an aura of imposing grandeur and profound tranquility.
The word "hero" clearly reached the ears of everyone present, and the hearts of the ninjas in the team also skipped a beat.
The Hokage continued:
"You used your flesh and blood to block the invaders' swords and bring a peaceful life to your loved ones in the rear."
So you are heroes!
The ninjas on the scene clenched their fists even tighter.
He said, "It was you again who disregarded your own lives and sacrificed yourselves to bring peace to the village."
So you are heroes!
The villagers watching were filled with excitement, their hearts pounding with intense emotions.
"It is you who, with lofty ideals in your hearts, have put the will of fire into practice for future generations: wherever leaves dance, fire will never die."
Let's pause for a moment.
"Who dares to say you aren't heroes!"
After three sentences, the atmosphere suddenly froze for less than half a second, and then—cheers pierced the sky.
"Hero! Hero! Hero!"
The crowd's emotions reached their peak, and they shouted with flushed faces and hoarse voices.
The ninjas on the scene, fighting back tears, chanted in unison: Where leaves dance, fire burns eternally.
Mo Jingxian, mingling among the group, always felt out of place and out of place.
The lines recited by the ninja beside him seemed to have a different meaning when they entered his ears, unconsciously reminding him of proverbs he had heard before.
"Raging flames, consume my mangled body..."
Yu Guangzhong: In the morning, Baiyun and Tekuno sat in the car, supporting each other and waving their arms while shouting.
Judging by their spirits, if they were asked to get up now and chop down a few Sand Ninja, they probably wouldn't even bat an eye.
Great.
He had to admit that the Hokage was truly amazing.
With just three sentences, not only were dissenting thoughts eradicated, but a new batch of Fire Will inheritors were also gained in the blink of an eye.
Mo Jingxian secretly glanced at Hinata Ayako, who happened to be looking at him.
Their eyes met in the air, and they both understood the flutter in each other's hearts.
The Hokage waved his hand, and the noise gradually subsided.
"Today, this old man won't delay your family reunion. The day after tomorrow at nine o'clock, we will hold a unified burial for the fallen heroes—may their spirits live on forever!"
May their spirits live on forever!
The villagers who had been watching dispersed, and a little boy looked up at his mother and asked, "Mom, why are you crying?"
Mo Jingxian returned to her home.
Upon opening the door, a sense of unfamiliarity washed over me.
After a moment's thought, he smiled helplessly.
Indeed, he hadn't even lived in the house for a few days before he rushed off to the front lines.
It's normal to feel a sense of unfamiliarity.
After months of being deserted, the room was covered in a thick layer of dust.
An hour later, he cleaned the house and felt a sense of relief after working up a sweat.
I slept soundly on my first night back in Konoha.
The next morning, he was awakened by a knock on the door.
"Squeak." Mo Jingxian opened the door, and standing outside was Hyuga Ayako: "So early."
"It's getting late." Hinata Ayako held up the breakfast she had brought. "Are you hungry?"
He turned and went inside, and Ayako closed the door behind her and followed him in.
One by one, breakfast items were placed on the table. By the time Mo Jingxian finished washing up, breakfast was ready.
"I never knew you had such a virtuous side."
As he spoke, he sat down at the table and began to write fluently.
Ayako Hinata ignored his nonsense and quietly watched him finish eating.
"Let's go." Mo Jingxian wiped her mouth and got up, and the two went out together.
No one said where they were going, and the two remained silent the whole way.
In a civilian neighborhood of Konoha, several children were playing ninja games by the roadside.
In front of a gatehouse on the east side of the block, Mo Jingxian raised her hand and gently knocked twice.
I waited for a while.
The door opened.
"Who are you looking for?" The little boy gripped the doorknob, tilted his head back, and looked wary.
"Your name is Ishikawa Shinno, right?"
How do you know my name?
Mo Jingxian subconsciously rubbed the boy's head: "I also know that you have an older brother named Ishikawa Shinki."
The boy's eyes widened: "Who are you?"
"We're your brother's friends, why aren't we welcome?"
"How could that be?" The boy's eyes lit up, and then he ran back into the house like a whirlwind: "Mom! Mom! My brother's friend is here!"
The faint smile faded, and Mo Jingxian suddenly felt a little scared.
"Let's go in," Ayako Hinata said softly.
He exhaled a long breath and stepped over the threshold.
The house is somewhat old, and the yard is small, with only one cherry blossom tree planted there.
The wind chimes hanging in the corner of the room occasionally emitted a clear, crisp sound.
The two entered the house, where Ishikawa Araki's mother had been waiting for a long time.
She had her hair neatly combed, and her Wu-style clothes were the same style from ten years ago, yet they were well preserved.
She knelt on the couch, with a square table in front of her, the tea already poured on it.
"I'm sorry to trouble you both. My humble abode is simple, please have a cup of tea first."
Shinshu's mother is a typical housewife. It's clear she's not very familiar with these etiquettes, but she's trying her best to maintain a semblance of decorum.
Her eyelids were red and swollen, her lips were dry, and her eyes held a heartbreaking sadness.
Mo Jingxian sighed inwardly.
"Madam..." The two sat down on the other side of the table.
He was stuck, unsure how to begin.
"Have some tea, you two." Shin-ki's mother pushed the teacup forward and glanced back at Shin-ki's younger brother. "Shin-ye, go play outside for a while."
"Oh." The little boy reluctantly went out.
Mo Jingxian raised the teacup and took a sip. The glaze on the rim of the cup had peeled off, revealing a white edge.
"Please excuse my poor appearance," Shinshu's mother apologized softly.
Mo Jingxian sighed softly to herself; this family's financial situation wasn't optimistic either.
"Please accept my condolences, Madam." He put down his teacup and took a package from Ayako Hyuga's hand.
He handed the package to the woman, saying, "These are the belongings left behind by Xinshu. Please keep them safe."
The package contained Ishikawa Shinki's only headband and the death compensation issued by Konoha.
Of course, Mo Jingxian and Hinata Ayako pooled together some money, hoping to help the family.
Xinshu's mother's hands trembled slightly as she took the package.
When she touches the headband her son left behind, she can even hallucinate the lingering warmth of his body.
The child who came out of her womb and called her "Mom" for ten years.
The mother could no longer hold back.
A loud wail erupted from the room: "My son!"
Ayako Hinata sobbed, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand, but she couldn't wipe them away completely.
Mo Jingxian looked up at the roof, holding back her tears.
He really didn't want to go through that excruciating pain and the self-blame of losing his child a second time.
A full half hour passed before Xinshu's mother calmed down a bit.
"Please excuse my poor appearance," the woman said, bowing deeply.
This is a great mother who, even at this time, is still trying to maintain a decent appearance for Ishikawa Araki.
Mo Jingxian felt a tightness in her chest, unable to catch her breath.
He didn't even know how he walked out of that house; all he could think about was the image of Shinshu's mother, her eyes red and her back trembling as she bent over.
"Damn this world."
The two fled as if running away, but an invisible responsibility was placed on their shoulders.
Mo Jingxian lost all interest in anything and locked herself in her room, staying there quietly for a day and a night.
As the sun rises, Konoha welcomes a new day in the morning light.
Mo Jingxian, dressed in all black, attended the collective funeral held by Konoha for the fallen ninja.
He stayed by Shinki's mother's side, and Ishikawa Shinno's tears fell like broken beads onto the bluestone ground, leaving tiny marks.
The little boy experienced a life-or-death separation at the age of five.
The Hokage stood at the front of the crowd, followed by the elders.
Standing in the second echelon was the Konoha ninja clan's team, and Hyuga Ayako was among them.
These clans each have their own reputation: Hyuga, Uchiha, Sarutobi, Nara...
Then come the families of the ninjas who lost their lives on the battlefield.
"Konoha is Konoha for everyone, and we will remember those who made great sacrifices for it..."
The eulogies for the deceased flowed through a solemn atmosphere.
Everyone wore a sorrowful expression, whether genuine or feigned.
Mo Jingxian suddenly felt a sense of suffocation. He feared that one day he would become like them, reciting eulogies and then easily starting to plan the next struggle for interests.
We observed three minutes of silence.
In the silence, the girl's question suddenly rang out: "Hokage-sama, could you please repeat 'The Will of Fire'?"