Chapter 9 The war is over

World War III is finally over.

The ninjas returned to Konoha one after another, exhausted and injured.

Some people lost their loved ones, some became disabled, and many were buried underground, waiting for the day when they would be brought out of the dust of the earth.

After listening to the teachings of the third elder, Suzumiya Musashi directly entrusted the settlement of merits to Uchiha Itachi, and then ran to Ichiraku Ramen without stopping.

How much merit can he get as a cook for the ninjas and with a 0-0 record?

Sister Calamus at home is still the most fragrant.

Ichiraku Ramen Shop.

"Sister Acorus!"

Acorus, who was distracted, suddenly turned around, and the next moment, a figure threw himself into her arms.

"Sister Ayame!" Suzumiya Musashi hugged the person in front of him tightly, breathing in the familiar scent desperately. "I'm back!"

In the end, he couldn't bear it anymore and hit the uncle to separate the two.

"Really? What are you doing hugging these two kids? Musashi, go wash yourself. Ayame, can't you see that the guests are waiting?"

"Ah! I'm so sorry sir, I'll have it ready for you right away."

After returning home and cleaning up, Suzumiya Musashi rushed back to the ramen shop to help.

Washing the familiar dishes and listening to the hand-cranked uncle entertaining guests, my heart gradually became peaceful and fulfilled.

As they spend a long time together, the relationship between him and the father and daughter of Acorus is no longer just that of a 'poor kid working part-time', but is slowly becoming like a family.

Only here can he feel that he is truly alive, and not just dreaming.

Only here can one dispel the coldness in one's heart and forget the bloodiness and cruelty of the ninja world.

While entertaining the guests, Ayame would occasionally feed a piece of sushi or tempura to the busy Suzumiya Musashi, who swallowed it with a smile.

As expected, I like Sister Acorus the most!

In the evening, after saying goodbye to Ayame, Suzumiya Musashi and Nojiri Oki who rushed over after hearing the news returned home and cleaned the house together.

After that, Oki Nojiri wanted to pull Suzumiya Musashi to study artistic creation.

The new writer 'Midnight Bull Knife' hasn't updated for a long time. If this continues, his popularity will drop significantly!

Suzumiya Musashi refused.

He just wanted to have a good sleep today.

Nojiri Oki was still trying to persuade him, but he struck him with a knife.

The two of them fell asleep on the tatami.

A few days later, Konoha held a funeral for the deceased ninja.

The Sandaime and a group of Konoha's high-ranking officials led everyone in mourning. The gloomy weather made the funeral even more desolate.

Uchiha Itachi stood in the crowd, staring blankly at the memorial not far away.

【This is war, not just a fight between people, but a fight between countries. 】

【So strangers can fight each other meaninglessly, and many people die meaninglessly. 】

【This is the world of ninja. 】

As he was thinking, he suddenly turned his head as if he realized something. Orochimaru, one of the three ninjas, was standing alone in an open space.

"There is no point in mourning for the dead." Orochimaru looked at the people in front of him, his eyes calm and without ripples.

"If death has any meaning, it only exists when he can use it."

Uchiha Itachi walked up to Orochimaru and looked at this strong man who had made great contributions in the war. He asked, "So, what is the meaning of life?"

Orochimaru's hoarse voice remained emotionless: "Life has no meaning."

"If there is, it exists only during the eternity of life."

Uchiha Itachi couldn't come back to his senses for a long time.

After the funeral, he walked aimlessly, and before he knew it, he came to the Hokage Rock in Konoha.

Looking at the village below, his eyes were empty.

"Life... has no meaning."

The screams from the battlefield rang in my ears, and blood and broken limbs kept appearing before my eyes.

The conscription orders from the top, the endless struggle, the constant death of ninjas...

The sound of wind passed by and the body naturally began to fall downwards.

Things on the ground kept getting bigger and bigger before my eyes, as if they would overlap with me in the next moment, making my fragile and meaningless life disappear in the next moment.

'So, what is life?'

As his body continued to fall, Uchiha Itachi suddenly felt the desire to survive deep in his consciousness.

However, before he could take any action, a whistle sounded and a rope was tightly wrapped around his ankle.

The huge inertia caused by his falling body caused him to suddenly hit the stone wall!

Bang!

"Cough! Cough cough!!"

The close contact with the stone wall made him fall down. Even with Uchiha Itachi's calm personality, he couldn't help but get angry at this moment.

"Who did this!?"

"It's me!" Suzumiya Musashi's voice sounded from above: "I saw you standing there and suddenly fell down, so I quickly pulled you up, huh~ I was scared to death! Fortunately, I arrived in time."

Uchiha Itachi: "..."

Suzumiya Musashi struggled to pull up Uchiha Itachi at one end of the rope, and then he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Really? This is what happened even when I was just running. Itachi, are your legs weak? Don't tell me you don't want to live anymore."

The atmosphere was interrupted and Uchiha Itachi was in pain from the fall, his face was puffed up with anger.

But after all, Suzumiya Musashi was trying to save him, and as he was well-educated, he couldn't get angry at him.

"I...I was practicing Taijutsu and you interrupted me."

Realizing that Uchiha Itachi seemed unhappy, Suzumiya Musashi agreed with his explanation.

"Oh, the search is so intense. You can't practice Taijutsu in such a dangerous place! That's it, I won't disturb you from practicing Taijutsu. Bye."

Having said that, he ran away in a flash.

Leaving Uchiha Itachi behind always felt like something was wrong.

After a moment, I suddenly realized.

"No! He just attended the funeral with me, how could he run?" Turning his eyes to the direction where Suzumiya Musashi disappeared, Uchiha Itachi's expression fluctuated: "This guy, is he worried about me and came with me?"

……

Suzumiya Musashi, who was running far away, breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Uchiha Itachi did not catch up with him.

"Huh, I really saw the famous scene of Itachi jumping off the cliff, and I even gave him a knock. I made a lot of money! Hehe..."