Chapter 63 The Value of Life

"Orochimaru?"

Hearing Haruko's voice, Orochimaru came out of his emotions and watched her walk towards him.

Orochimaru explained as Haruko carefully examined the tombstone in front of her in the morning.

"These are my parents. They died in the Ninja World War."

His calm narration seemed to show that he didn't care, but after hearing his words, Haruko Zao's heart was still filled with sadness.

"Orochimaru's parents are also heroes worthy of praise."

"Um……"

Orochimaru rarely said anything harsh. He just stood quietly in front of the cold stone monument with Haruko Hayama to keep them company.

After a long time, Orochimaru spoke.

"Life... is such a fragile thing."

Haruko Asama also agreed with what he said in her heart, but when Sarutobi Hiruzen appeared in her mind, she changed the words she was about to say.

"Perhaps this is the realization of the value of life. Some lives can exist for a long time if they are carefully cared for."

"But some lives are not content to live in mediocrity and only want to realize the value of their lives through 'saving'."

“The tenacity and fragility of life often lie in our own choices.”

The gentle and calm words seemed to be comforting Orochimaru, but also seemed to be enlightening himself.

But Orochimaru looked at her and asked, "What about you? What will you choose?"

Haruko Asahi hesitated under his gaze and said, "I...I don't know."

"So you don't even know how to choose..." Orochimaru seemed disappointed by her answer.

Noticing his reaction, Haruko Zaoma was stunned for a moment.

It turns out that Orochimaru is just like himself, unable to face the passing of life...

When Haruko Zao thought about this, she actually felt a sense of sympathy. Perhaps it was because she was not the only one who felt lonely. The fear that Haruko Zao had always felt was finally relieved at this moment.

"Orochimaru is the same as me."

Orochimaru gave her a strange look, "You know me?"

Morning Haruko smiled, "That's a decision that concerns life. When I make a choice one day in the future, Orochimaru will know."

"The future?" Orochimaru relaxed at her words and returned to his normal attitude. "I don't think we will still be related in the future."

"I will find a way to keep Orochimaru by my side." Haruko Asagi looked at him seriously and said, "I want to treat Orochimaru as a family member."

"..." Orochimaru was speechless.

"I will also find a way to stay by Orochimaru's side, so, Orochimaru, you must wait for my choice!"

Orochimaru looked at his parents' tombstone.

Life is a very fragile existence. Even you who are strong can be crushed like ants in war.

But an idiot said that you are doing this to realize the value of life. I don’t understand... I don’t understand why you should die for others. Isn’t the value of life to work hard and try your best to find a way to survive?

I wish someone could give me an answer, but unfortunately you can no longer speak and tell me how you feel.

What would I choose when it comes to the value of life? Actually… I don’t know. I don’t know now, and I may not know in ten or twenty years.

Perhaps, when I see her future choices, I can also make a choice...

"that is……"

Hearing Haruko Asahi's voice, Orochimaru came back to his senses and looked in the direction Haruko Asahi indicated.

It is something that looks like a white snake but is not a white snake.

Orochimaru picked it up and turned to Haruko Asama, who said, "I didn't expect there would be a snake slough here."

"Snake skin?" Orochimaru was puzzled.

"It's the skin shed by a white snake. Don't underestimate it, it symbolizes luck and rebirth!" In the morning, Haruko remembered what she had read in a book.

"Luck and rebirth..." Orochimaru couldn't help but mutter.

Asahi Haruko raised her hands and held his hands from bottom to top, wrapping his hands and the snake skin together.

"It's as if he appeared just for Orochimaru."

Even after several years of hardships, Haruko's words at that moment in the morning would still ring in his ears in the dead of night.

It was clearly just an inexplicable emotion on her part, but for some reason it had a special meaning in her heart.

*

It wasn't obvious at first, but later on Jiraiya's progress was extremely rapid.

With Haruko's witness in the morning, he gradually became proficient in training. Even Tsunade and Orochimaru felt a sense of crisis because of him. Sarutobi Hiruzen also changed his previous behavior and praised him highly.

Year after year, Jiraiya finally gained Fukasaku's recognition when he was nine years old.

"Leave a blood stain on this scroll, and you can summon us at any time from now on." Fukasaku explained while standing in front of Jiraiya.

Morning Haruko took a closer look at the large green scroll and said, "It feels bigger than Jiraiya."

Jiraiya bit his finger directly and excitedly pressed his handprint on it.

"I will definitely be more powerful than Orochimaru in the future!" Jiraiya proudly boasted to Haruko Hayama.

"Orochimaru? Is that the vampire-like guy Haruko mentioned?" Fukasaku asked.

Morning Haruko nodded, "He and Jiraiya are good friends who make progress together!"

"Who is good friends with that guy?!" Jiraiya raised his spikes like a hedgehog in danger.

Fukasaku laughed a few times, "It seems like a very interesting bond."

"Fukasaku, please smoke less in the future, otherwise you will become old and dark like that big toad Bunta."

Haruko Zao didn't expect that the big toad actually had a customized pipe.

"Smoking???" Jiraiya looked at Fukasaku with a confused look on his face.

My Master, how come I didn’t know it was smoking?!

Fukasaku coughed, "Well, it's getting late, you should go back."

When Haruko Hayama and Jiraiya were saying goodbye to them and preparing to leave, Fukasaku suddenly called out to Haruko Hayama.

"Human girl, life is a cycle, one round after another, there is no beginning without an end."

Haruko was very confused in the morning, "Fakasaku, why are you being a riddle teller again?"

"He must want to create the identity of a mysterious master in the end!" Jiraiya answered confidently.

"But Fukasaku is a mysterious master, isn't he?"

"Why didn't you mention that I was the child of destiny!"

"Jiraiya is so proud..."

"It's true! It's true!"

……

*

"I discovered... Hiruzen seems to have a secret!"

The three little brats squatted together and discussed in a low voice. In order to prevent Orochimaru from feeling excluded, Haruko specially asked others to gather around Orochimaru while he was training in the morning.

Orochimaru: ...It's such a nuisance.

Jiraiya was curious, "What secret could he have? Hiding his unwashed socks?"

"He must have been caught peeping at the beauty!" Tsunade guessed positively.

"How could it be such a small matter!" Jiraiya retorted, "There must be a big crisis in Konoha, and a hero like me is needed to charge into battle!"

Tsunade smacked the emotional Jiraiya on the head, "No matter what, it's not your turn to save the world!"

"Then what do you think it could be?!" Jiraiya pouted and looked at her.

Tsunade thought about it for a while, "Could it be possible... that he is having an affair?!"

"An affair?" Haruko repeated in the morning, "But Hiruzen doesn't even have a wife."

"Well...how about you tell me what's going on with him?" Detective Tsunade needed more clues.

When Haruko heard this, she counted on her fingers and said, "Hiruzen has been coming home late recently. When I asked him where he went, he said he was late because he finished his mission. Um... and he always smiles obscenely when he's alone, and he's absent-minded when he talks to me."

"That's for sure, it was cheating!" Detective Tsunade solved the case.

***

Thank you for reminding me of the reminder for the update sent by an old friend yesterday! Your update has been deliveredヾ(≧u≦*)ノ