Chapter 321 Burning Heaven (5)

As autumn deepens, the leaves are ready to drift away from home, and the grass tries hard to straighten its back to absorb nutrients, as if it is fighting the final battle against the iron law of birth, aging, sickness and death.

In fact, the autumn in Konoha is very beautiful but also very short. It only takes one or two autumn rains for the plants that have been green all summer to turn yellow. If there is a cold wave from the north, it means that the village will soon be covered in snow. The interval between the autumn rain and the cold wave is so short that many busy people have no time to appreciate it and leave in a hurry.

Konishi Kakuei stood on the road with a gloomy face. The road was lined with specially planted maple trees. The maple leaves were like flames rising and falling with the autumn wind, which brought a visual feast to the retina from a distance. But Konishi Kakuei was in no mood to appreciate the rare beauty of the New Rain Country. His eyes were filled with bloodshot and he stared at the familiar figure in front of him.

The ninja who was supposed to sleep forever underground showed up. When Konishi Kakuei received feedback from the frontline troops, he didn't believe it at all. Hatake Sakumo died in his own bedroom. This was something that countless people witnessed. He even wiped his body for the last time. The cold touch was definitely not fake, so Konishi Kakuei was sure that someone was lying.

But when he really saw the man with his own eyes, Kakuei Konishi formed seals with his hands and released ninjutsu without hesitation. He firmly believed that this was an illusion of the enemy.

"Are you... Konishi Kakuei? Seeing you gives me a vague idea of ​​time... You are already old..."

Konishi Kakuei held his hands in front of his chest, his heart trembling violently as the man spoke. His lips moved a few times, but he said, "Are you an enemy now? An enemy that endangers the Konohagakure."

Hatake Sakumo's expression was very monotonous, and there was not a trace of life in his body. Instead, he exuded a strong smell of decay, and even his eyes had turned pitch black - it was impossible to distinguish between the pupils and the whites of his eyes.

"Although I don't want to admit it, a team has already died in my hands just now... Their fighting spirit is good, and their tactical coordination is impeccable. The only shortcoming is that they are too young. They should have escaped at the first opportunity."

Konishi Kakuei's eyes were filled with sorrow, and it was unclear whether it was for the annihilated team or for the man in front of him: "If you die, can you please go back to where you belong?"

"I'm afraid that's not possible." Hatake Sakumo reached out and pulled out the short knife behind him: "My body is controlled by the caster. Although I have never given up struggling, the power of the spell is very strong and I can't break free."

"I see..." Konishi Kakuei lowered his eyes and slowly grasped the short sword of almost the same style: "You were my former captain. I will attack you for the sake of the village."

The perception ninja who had been standing next to Konishi Kakuei said, "Wait!"

He raised his head, and everyone's eyes followed him into the air, where they saw a figure with water wings flapping behind him, rushing towards them like a meteor, and soon turning from a small black dot into a living person.

Ye Shan hurriedly flew here from the Hokage's office, and even Uchiha Keiji cursed and stopped him for this, but he still came. To Ye Shan, Hatake Sakumo was a strict teacher and a brother, one of the few brothers who treated him as an equal. He had to come and see him no matter what, even if he fell into the enemy's trap.

All the ninjas lying in ambush in the dark came out, and dozens of them blocked Ye Shan's way. Although they did not say a word, their meaning was obvious: we are not dead, so it is not the turn of the Hokage to fight the enemy in person.

Konishi Kakuei grabbed Ye Shan's sleeve, his expression no longer indifferent, but rather anxious, "You shouldn't have come here."

Ye Shan patted the other person's hand and chuckled, "Don't worry, I'll just say a few words and see what happens. I won't do anything."

Because of the crowd, Ye Shan couldn't see Hatake Sakumo's face. He raised his voice a little and said, "Stand behind me. Don't worry, nothing will happen."

After a while, Ye Shan finally saw the person who often appeared in his dreams. He looked a little dazed, and his eyes narrowed. "Since you are standing here, it means that the caster is not far away, and it is very likely that he saw everything here. Listen to me, no matter if you are Orochimaru or some other demon, you are on Konoha's must-kill list. I will kill anyone who blasphemes the souls of our ancestors!"

Hatake Sakumo's eyes narrowed suddenly, as if he had regained his autonomy, and his expression became more vivid: "Are you Ye Shan?"

"I'm Baiyun Yeshan, are you... him?"

"At the moment, I am Hatake Sakumo, not a puppet controlled by the enemy."

Ye Shan had a blank expression on his face, but his slightly trembling hands revealed his inner unrest: "How are you... doing over there?"

"It's not very good. I sit by the campfire all day long without anyone to talk to. Although I don't like noise, I don't like it if it's too quiet. The worst thing is that I have lost all the fun of being a human. I don't feel hungry, thirsty, tired, happy, sad, painful, etc. It's as if I have become a thinking human specimen. So when I realized someone was calling me, I agreed without hesitation. Now think about it, it's more comfortable to be alive, even though everyone will die."

Ye Shan pursed his lips: "My impression of Hatake Sakumo is that he doesn't talk so much."

Hatake Sakumo was stunned for a moment, then he sat cross-legged on the ground, reached out and picked up a maple leaf and said, "I've been lonely for too long, and I couldn't help but talk a little more when I met someone I knew. Hayama, they call you Hokage, have you come this far?"

Ye Shan also sat cross-legged: "A lot of things happened after your death. I became Hokage with the support of my fellow villagers. Is there anything else you want to ask?"

"There are a lot. How are you doing as Hokage?"

"It's okay, at least it's better than Sarutobi Hiruzen. I created a new Rain Country to test whether some ideas are feasible. In the future, it will bring about a complete change to the entire ninja world."

"change?"

"A world without war, or at least a world without war in the next one or two hundred years. A prosperous world where everyone can afford food and education. A world where science and technology are flourishing, and chakra is widely used in production and life."

Ye Shan spoke seriously, just like every time he visited the graves: "We were all wrong before. Chakra is an absolutely clean and pollution-free energy source. It can promote the rapid development of ninja technology and greatly improve productivity. In the future, several times the population will live happily. This is my dream, and it is also the common dream of countless ninjas who have suffered from war. In the future, our children can grow up healthy and happy, and they don't have to pick up swords and step into the Shura field like we did."

"What a great dream. Although I am destined not to be able to participate in it personally, Ye Shan, I sincerely wish you success."

"Thank you."

The two stopped talking, and a few fiery red maple leaves playfully fell on the open space with the autumn wind, adding a hint of autumn.

Hatake Sakumo hesitated for a moment, and finally asked apologetically, "Is Kakashi okay?"

"Very good. Kakashi's talent is unique among his peers, and what's even more rare is that he has a high emotional intelligence. Now I have sent him to the New Rain Country to implement new policies. If nothing unexpected happens, I will promote him to the position of Deputy Hokage in the future, and he will most likely be in charge of organizational personnel work."

Ye Shan did not hide his selfishness in front of everyone. He just favored Kakashi and wanted to let him be the Hokage, but unfortunately this was not the best arrangement. Kakashi's peak was at the quasi-kage level, and such strength was not enough to control the unruly Uchiha clan. Unworthy of the position could only bring serious consequences.

Hatake Sakumo's expression was complicated: "What I want to know is what he eats and drinks every day, whether he wears more clothes, whether he has made close friends, whether he has premature love, alcoholism, gambling..."

"But Ye Shan, I am very grateful to you. In the years before my death, I did deliberately ignore you and thought you were not worthy of being entrusted with everything."

Ye Shan waved his hand to interrupt Hatake Sakumo's words and chuckled, "There's no need to talk about these past events. You have your own difficulties and hardships. I won't blame you even if it happens again."

"Anything else you want to ask? The village is not peaceful, I have to rush back to handle official business."

Hatake Sakumo stood up with one hand on the ground, holding the fiery red maple leaf in his hand, and shook his head and said, "I am very satisfied. After death, I can return to the world to see and hear the voices of my old friends."

Ye Shan was sad, his eyes were quietly moist, looking at the blurred face opposite, his voice trembling: "You know, after you left, the whole world was like a dark night waiting for dawn, I was locked in a maze by myself, like a butterfly with clipped wings, I could only choose to say goodbye. You died, Chen died, you all died, leaving me alone to live in the dark world, my heart was clearly and secretly stranded due to lack of oxygen..."

"I often go to the Nanhe River and the cemetery to look at your photos. I don't even dare to put the photos in my bedroom because in my heart I am a coward who only knows how to run away."

Hatake Sakumo tightly grasped the maple leaf and said in a flat voice: "You have become the Hokage. Countless people in the village are counting on you for leadership. You can no longer have these unnecessary emotions."

Ye Shan wiped his tears: "Yes, I am already the Hokage. Countless people need me to lead, and national affairs need me to make decisions... But I am a living, flesh-and-blood person, not a machine. I also have a heart and a liver, and I also have seven emotions and six desires..."

"But why, why couldn't you just say hello when we said goodbye? Even just a hello... I also want to be cared for, I also want to be loved, why does God take away those who care about me and love me one by one!"

After Hatake Sakumo stuffed the maple leaf into his forehead protector, he continued to emphasize: "You are the Hokage!"

Ye Shan remained silent, nodded, and then wings grew on his back and he was about to leave. Hatake Sakumo stared deeply at his thin face, and when he was about to fly away, he said in an almost inaudible voice: "Are you okay, Ye Shan? I hope you are always well... But this is a life-and-death war! If I ask you about your well-being, will you be soft-hearted?"

"Maybe, after you die, we can talk like a family around the campfire. I'm really looking forward to that scene..."

A few minutes later, Konishi Kakuei received the order to attack over the radio...

The maple tree in October is already a little overwhelmed, and it puts all its energy into its leaves, which are as red as fire.

A quarter of an hour later, all Konoha ninjas received a ban issued by the Hokage, strictly forbidding anyone to show mercy. Once the enemy appears, no matter who they are or what their identity was in their previous life, they must be killed with the most severe means.

The bow of Konohagakure gradually tightened as Yeshan pulled it.