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Naruto: IHCS Ch. 21
🕑 Added 2025-07-30 22:50:00 +0000 UTC"Ame is drowning in war. Countless people like us have had their lives destroyed and are living in misery."
Shiratori's voice grew steady, controlled. He let his hands rest flat on the table, fingers spread slightly.
"I learned medical ninjutsu from Tsunade-sensei, hoping to save more lives."
"With great power comes great responsibility."
"Only by doing what I believe is right can I live with peace of mind and enjoy a stable life."
"I'm going to save people."
His head bowed, and drops of water hit the wooden table with soft taps.
"Even if you don't agree, I'm still going."
His voice cracked slightly. "I'm sorry."
Jiraiya looked at his bowed head, at the tears falling without pause, and said helplessly, "There's no need to apologize. You don't need to apologize."
As his teacher, he felt proud to have such a student. With great power came great responsibility.
Who would have thought that a child could say such things?
[Affection detected: Jiraiya +1000 points]
[Energy transferred to Rika]
[Development progress: 47%]
"Jiraiya-sensei…"
Shiratori looked up, his eyes still glistening.
Jiraiya smiled warmly at him in encouragement.
"But… it's very dangerous," Konan said softly. Her own eyes shimmered with unshed tears, clearly wanting to stop him from leaving. She didn't want him to get hurt.
The horrors of those ninjas had left a deep shadow in her heart.
"I'm not afraid of danger. I'll be careful."
He reassured Konan. She didn't know what to say to stop him. This was his own decision. If she insisted on stopping him, he would surely be hurt emotionally. But letting him go just like this… she couldn't help but worry for his safety.
Her brow furrowed deeply, struggling inside.
"I'll train hard too." Nagato, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke up.
Jiraiya and Yahiko were both stunned.
Shiratori also turned to look at Nagato, who raised his head, his serious Rinnegan eyes peering through his red bangs, and said word by word, "Once I'm strong enough to catch up to you, I'll go with you to change Ame!"
[Affection detected: Nagato +1000 points]
Nagato, usually so reserved, had suddenly spoken such bold words, leaving Jiraiya momentarily speechless. The next second, Yahiko beside him suddenly slapped the table and stood up passionately.
He wiped away his tears and shouted, "Nagato's right!"
Looking at Shiratori, he declared, "I'll train hard too! When the time comes, we'll come find you! Together, we'll realize our dreams!"
[Affection detected: Yahiko +1000 points]
[Total accumulated: 2000 points]
[Energy transferred to Rika]
[Development progress: 49%]
Jiraiya looked at the genuine emotions in the children's eyes and couldn't help but smile.
Hearing the system notification, Shiratori also couldn't help but beam. He nodded to Yahiko and the others, promising, "I'll wait for you."
Until the day Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato could no longer contribute affection points.
After lunch, all of them stood at the wooden hut's door to see Shiratori off.
He, carrying his backpack, waved to them.
They watched as his figure faded into the distance.
He climbed up the hill. The seaside wooden house now looked no bigger than a fist. Without a trace of hesitation, he headed toward the center of Ame. The seaside hut and the village center were nearly 20 kilometers apart.
He didn't encounter a single person along the way.
Thanks to recent physical training, the 20 kilometers didn't feel too difficult.
He stopped in his tracks and took a deep breath.
Ahead of him was a dense, lush forest. As long as he passed through this forest, he would reach the center of Ame. Once he reached the central town, the first thing he needed to do was sharpen his blade.
Jiraiya was a good man. Before he left, the teacher had secretly stuffed some money into his backpack.
As he stepped into the forest, he heightened his alertness.
Ame was in the middle of war, anywhere could suddenly turn into a battlefield. And the forest ahead was the perfect place for ninjas to engage in combat. The thick canopy of the towering trees blocked out what little dim light there was, plunging his surroundings into sudden darkness.
He carefully stepped onto the damp, soft humus-covered ground.
A faint scent of iron and rust lingered in the air. All around, the thick trunks of the trees were marked with traces left by ninjutsu and ninja tools.
The deeper he walked into the forest, the taller the trees became. Their twisted roots snaked out of the earth, burrowing deep into the black soil.
He placed a hand on a nearby ancient tree, climbed onto a raised root, and as soon as his foot touched down, his body suddenly dropped uncontrollably.
Something had grabbed him and was pulling him down!
His heart almost leapt out of his chest.
He immediately stabilized his posture, struggling while looking down, a hand, caked in mud and blood, had grabbed tightly onto his ankle.
No matter how hard he kicked, the owner of that hand refused to let go.
Realizing there was no immediate danger, and his heartbeat returning to normal, he cautiously crouched down beside the person on the ground.
Black mist coiled around the ring on his hand.
If the person below made any sudden move, Rika could instantly rip him to shreds.
He brushed away a thick layer of fallen leaves.
A cold glint reflected in his eyes. It was the shine of a forehead protector.
During their time at the cabin, Jiraiya had not only taught them taijutsu and ninjutsu, but also provided knowledge about the shinobi world.
From the emblem on the headband, he could tell that the ninja before him belonged to Ame.
"Help… Help… Me…"
The ninja's pale, cracked lips trembled, barely whispering.
His gaze moved downward, on the man's chest was a massive impalement wound.
"..."
Even Tsunade might not be able to heal a wound this severe. But what she couldn't do didn't mean he couldn't.
As long as this ninja still had one breath left, his Reversed Cursed Technique could heal him.
A green glow emitted from his hand. The green light enveloped the ninja's chest.
Due to extreme blood loss, the man couldn't even open his eyes. Just calling for help had taken all the strength he had left. The sharp pain in his body felt like a needle being driven into his brain. But suddenly, his numbed, clouded consciousness became sharply awake.
The intense pain began to ebb away like a receding tide.
Chiba forced his heavy eyelids open, his vision still blurry.
He blinked several times, feeling strength return to his body.
Who… saved him?
His pupils slowly shifted. As his vision became clear, he saw the youthful, delicate face of a child enter his view.
"You're awake?"
Shiratori looked at the Ame ninja who had opened his eyes.
Chiba used both hands to prop himself up into a sitting position. He placed a hand on his chest, feeling smooth, unbroken skin, his pupils contracted to the size of pinpoints.
Where was the wound?
His eyes immediately locked onto Shiratori.
