Chapter 266: The past is like smoke, the dead are like this

That afternoon, Kakashi officially changed the mission focus from annihilation to search. Today, his thinking has changed. He is no longer obsessed with the mission completion rate, but more concerned about the survival rate of his team members.

The cans left on the small sailboat came in handy. The ninja dogs of the Inuzuka clan had super search capabilities and could smell the same smell in a wide area. For safety reasons, Kakashi divided the team into two groups, one bright and one dark. Aburame Shisho became the one hiding in the dark because of his excellent concealment ability.

Early the next morning, Yeshan received Kakashi's mission report and urgently summoned Uchiha Keiji, ordering him to send two elite Root ninjas to reinforce, and it was expected that they would be able to meet up with Kakashi's team within two days.

Yeshan originally intended to order Kakashi's team to complete their mission and return to the village, but he was worried that the Kirigakure Anbu team would make a big move, so he sent out the communication ninja eagle to change the content of the mission, which was roughly the same as the changes made by Kakashi.

At noon, Ye Shan, who was eating, felt uneasy and couldn't enjoy his meal, so he simply let Lu Jiu leave and planned to drink some tea and take a rest.

"Click"

Who would have thought that the well-made cup would crack as soon as the hot water was poured into it, and the hot water happened to soak a document. Ye Shan picked up the document and saw that it was the one Kakashi had reported, and his heart tightened. Ye Shan did not believe in coincidences, so he ordered the Hokage's direct ANBU A team to gather and go to the border, and be sure to bring back Kakashi and his men who were on a mission.

After arranging for the reinforcement of the ninja team, Ye Shan no longer had any intention to work. Suddenly, he remembered that he had not visited the Konoha Cemetery to visit his old friends for a long time, so he simply changed into casual clothes and walked out of the office.

Sitting outside the door, Nara Shikaku was concentrating on reading the journal of the Ninjutsu Research Association. According to custom, the Hokage would take a quarter of an hour's rest. Seeing Ye Shan leave the office, he stood up and asked, "Where are you going, sir? There is a meeting in the afternoon that needs your participation."

Ye Shan waved his hands with a slightly tired look. He was really tired: "I will not attend the meeting this afternoon. Please inform the two Vice Hokages and ask them to prepare for the follow-up work."

Nara Shikaku did not object. It was just a regular meeting. Since the Hokage did not want to attend, the content could be changed at any time. "Do you need to send someone to follow?"

"No need, you should go back and rest too. You have been working hard recently."

After saying this, Ye Shan walked out of the Hokage building. The dazzling sunlight made him a little dazed. Although he ordered that no ninjas should follow him, the diligent Anbu ninjas still followed him in the dark. It can be said that there is no privacy in the daily life of the Hokage. Wherever he goes, there are exclusive Anbu ninjas following him. Even when he sleeps, there are people watching him.

Over the past three years, Ye Shan has long been accustomed to it. He took a long breath and came to the cemetery located to the west of the village with the unique bustle and vitality of spring.

Konoha Cemetery was built in the second year of Konoha, ordered by the first Hokage and presided over by Tobirama Senju. It is huge in scale and solemn in architecture. At the entrance is a blue diamond-shaped stone tablet with names densely engraved on it. All of them are ninjas who once gave their lives for the village.

It was still early and there were not many people in the cemetery. Ye Shan walked past the diamond-shaped stone tablet and entered the cemetery. The first thing that caught his eye was the fiery red sign in the front. If nothing unexpected happened, his name would be engraved there in a few decades.

There are many small graves in front of the huge fiery red sign. According to regulations, only ninjas with a certain level of strength are qualified to be buried here, so this area is mostly empty.

Ye Shan walked straight to a grave, squatted down and lit a cigarette, but instead of enjoying it himself, he placed it in front of the tombstone. Then he took out a bottle of white wine and two cups from his arms and placed them on the ground, looking at the tombstone with a bleak look.

The tombstone is very simple, carved from a piece of marble, with a Konoha logo and a photo on it. The photo is of the owner of the tomb. He has thick eyebrows, big eyes, sharp edges, a faint smile on the corners of his mouth, and his eyes are looking straight ahead. It is not difficult to imagine his good mood when the photo was taken.

"Captain Du Fu, Ye Shan is here to visit you. How have you been down there recently? Don't worry, your son is now a businessman responsible for selling medicinal herbs. It's a lucrative job, and he lives a more comfortable life than me."

Ye Shan was muttering to himself, but his hands were not idle either. He poured some white wine on the tombstone and carefully wiped the dust off until he was satisfied.

"When I just graduated, I was assigned to the Duff Team. Do you remember what you said when we first met? You said: This guy looks like a smart guy, his eyes are looking around and he doesn't look like a good guy. I even had a few words with you about this."

The small cups were filled with white wine, one cup for the dead and one cup for the living.

"By the way, although your strength is not that great, you are really good at judging people. The graduates from the same batch have long died, and I am the only one who is still alive, and I have even become a team leader."

Squatting was a bit tiring, so Ye Shan sat down on the grass and continued, "I thought you would be able to survive the Ninja World War safely. After all, you survived many crises. Unexpectedly, you died in a hidden corner. If I hadn't run away in a panic and encountered you, I would have treated you as a missing person."

"Missing people don't have the same treatment as now. At most, they can carve their names on the door to seek comfort. Where is the honor of posting photos?"

"To this day I still remember the first ninjutsu you taught me. Even though I don't use it anymore, I still remember your kindness."

Ye Shan sighed and lamented the fickleness of fate: "I still don't know who killed you. Maybe that guy has been dead for a long time, or he may still be alive and kicking. But it doesn't matter. What matters is that you are dead."

"The guy who wasn't a good kid back then has also become a big bad guy, doing things that others don't like all the time. You like to show off everywhere. If you were alive today, you wouldn't know how to brag."

"'Hey, have you seen the Hokage? He was my little follower more than ten years ago, and I brought him up with every effort', there will definitely be a lot of words like this!"

The spring afternoon was a bit dull. Ye Shan looked up at the sky and found that a dark cloud had floated in and covered most of the cemetery.

"This is so fucking weird! I actually became the Hokage. Something that I couldn't even imagine a dozen years ago has actually happened. This is like pie in the sky!"

There wasn't much sadness on Ye Shan's face, and there was even a smile on the corner of his mouth. Only his eyes looked a little depressed and lonely. Few of his old friends were still alive, and he would still feel depressed when he thought of them occasionally.

"I have to go now. My time is too precious to be spent on you alone. There are many old friends waiting ahead. I'll come to see you next time."

Ye Shan stood up with his hands, bowed deeply and left. A breeze blew by, and the burnt cigarette butts followed his footsteps and floated away, as if Big Bear Duff was seeing him off again.

The weather in spring is a bit like that in summer, both change suddenly. It was sunny just now, but now it is full of dark clouds. The refreshing breeze in the air has also become gloomy, and a rainstorm is just around the corner.

Ye Shan looked at them one by one. One by one, the people he once knew turned into colorful photos, sticking on the cold stone and staring at him, making him feel more and more depressed.

The few tombstones carry not only the past of the deceased, but also the memories and sadness of Yeshan for more than 20 years; the dead ninjas are not only the once vivid past, but also the life that Yeshan has long sighed for.

When he finally arrived in front of the Hokage sign, the rain that had been brewing for a long time finally began to fall. First, one drop, two drops, three drops, soaked the tombstone and the photo, and soon they became one piece, soaking his clothes.

Hatake Sakumo made great contributions to the Konohagakure, so his tombstone was placed closest to the Hokage, and the surrounding area was left empty. Perhaps in the future the three ninjas will move in to accompany him.

The man in the photo had white hair tied into a ponytail at the back, with a gentle smile on his face. You couldn't tell at all how cold and decisive he was on the battlefield. He looked like a good family man.

The spring rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the people in the cemetery were gone, leaving only Ye Shan standing in front of the tombstone and reminiscing about the past. He carefully looked at this photo taken in Konoha forty years ago. In the corner of the photo, there was a hand holding a cigarette, looking at his.

The ANBU ninja hiding in the shadows stepped forward hesitantly, holding a raincoat in his hand, but was rejected by Ye Shan.

"Dao Zhi stayed, and the rest of the people dispersed."

The Anbu ninja named Toshi stood behind Yeshan. After everyone else left, he took off his mask to reveal his face and slowly knelt on the ground.

"You were also there on the night Hatake Sakumo committed suicide. What's the story between you two?" Ye Shan asked softly.

"Lord Sakumo is my leading jonin, the one who led me through the brutal First Ninja World War." Toushi replied simply as always.

Ye Shan didn't force it. The Anbu ninjas were a group of guys who tried their best to suppress their inner emotions. It was difficult to expect them to open their hearts and talk.

"You are good at swordsmanship, and you have the style of the Hatake clan. I think you have received great favor from Sakumo."

"Ok!"

"Tell me the truth, did you ever think of deserting the village that night?"

"I dare not lie in front of the Hokage. We, the ninjas loyal to Master Sakumo, have agreed privately that if the village insists on punishing us, we will fight back!"

"He's got guts, he's a real man!" Ye Shan praised.

"Hatake Sakumo is considered your mentor, go and light a cigarette and toast him a glass of wine."

Daozhi put down the mask in his hand, took off the ninja sword behind him, knelt in front of the grave, picked up the cigarettes and white wine and did the same.

Ye Shan's face was wet with rain and his eyes were moist. He remembered that it was a sunny afternoon and he was resting in the tent with Yamashiro Tatsu lying next to him. He had just completed a covert mission and was extremely tired physically and mentally. He slept soundly. Hatake Sakumo opened the tent with a slight smile on his face and asked the first question: "Who is Baiyun Ye Shan?"

It was also from that time that he left the Hayama team and joined the Sakumo team, which was ranked at the top of the Konohagakure Village. He met Konishi Kakuei, Sakata, and the man who changed his life.

Although Hatake Sakumo taught him because of the Uchiha clan's request, Ye Shan never dared to forget that time. He learned lightning chakra from Hatake Sakumo, learned the secret technique passed down from generation to generation by the Hatake clan - Xiangleisha, and learned how to become a strong man.

Ask yourself, if you were in a different position, Ye Shan would most likely choose to perfunctorily teach a few ninjutsu and consider it as completing the commission, after all, it was just an exchange of interests. However, Hatake Sakumo did not do so, but really treated himself as the successor, even teaching the secrets of a ninja clan. Who in the world can do that?

"Hokage-sama" Toushi said softly "You seem to be crying. Sakumo-sama doesn't like ninjas crying."

Ye Shan sneered and said, "How could I cry? You saw it wrong. It was just rain that got into my eyes."

Dao Zhi hesitated for a moment, and then said, "You are a man of great accomplishments. Lord Shumao would be very pleased if he knew about this."

"You mean Sakumo will support the new policy?"

"Sakumo-sama's lifelong wish is to protect the village and save everyone from the suffering of war. Now that you are implementing a new policy that can solve the war from the root, how can he object?"

"You are good at speaking nicely."

"Every word I say is true!"

Ye Shan raised his head, and the rain poured into his slightly opened mouth, which surprisingly tasted sweet: "Sakumo is dead after all, and the dead can't talk."

"Sakumo-sama's spirit lives on!"

Ye Shan opened his arms, hugged Chun Yu, and closed his eyes.

"In my hometown, there is a saying that goes 'Even if you die nine times, you still have no regrets'. Hatake Sakumo fits that saying very well. He is a ninja who truly inherited the will of fire. He is ten thousand times stronger than the likes of Shimura Danzo!"

"Don't kneel down, stand up. It's just a piece of stone, it's not worth kneeling for so long!"

Toushi remained silent, still kneeling upright, blatantly disobeying the Hokage's orders.

Ye Shan suddenly kicked him and threw him into the mud, shouting, "If you had been determined to fight to the death, how could Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others dare to force you so recklessly? People are dead, what's the point of kneeling now?"

Dao Zhiyi got up and knelt, shouting: "Hokage-sama, you scolded us well! We deserve to die! We received a great favor from others but dared not show our heads to help. We are worse than animals!"

"You guys are all cowards! I was about to lead the defection in the courtyard that night, but you all became dumb and dared not even fart! What kind of jonin are you?"

Ye Shan was still not satisfied, so he kicked again: "Are the things in your hands for eating? I dare to kill the dogs at the root, why don't you dare?"

Dao Zhi groaned, obviously having been kicked quite hard, but he gritted his teeth and said nothing.

Ye Shan sighed, squatted down, picked up the glass of white wine mixed with rainwater and drank it all, looked directly into the other person's eyes and asked, "Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt!"

"Bullshit! Not a single word of truth!"

The rain was getting heavier and heavier. The two of them, one squatting and the other kneeling, just stayed in front of Hatake Sakumo's grave.

The past is like smoke, and thinking about it now makes my eyes wet and my heart broken.