"Hakuto, come here for a second."
Anya, who had been happily playing in the distance, left behind one of his shadow clones to stay with his younger siblings before quickly making his way over to Hakuto.
"Anya, what's up?"
Hakuto spoke gently. "The new Chunin Exams are about to start. I'm stepping out for this one—be sure to let your mom know. I'll be serving as the lead instructor from Konoha this time."
"Huh?" Anya responded with surprise. "You haven't gone on any missions for two years now, barely even doing any work—you've been staying home full-time as a stay-at-home dad. Why would you suddenly volunteer to take part in the Chunin Exams?"
Hakuto patted Anya on the head and smiled. "Because... the winds have risen." With that, he vanished like a whisper carried away by the wind.
"What do you mean by that?" Anya muttered discontentedly. "Still treating me like a little kid, not explaining things clearly."
Arriving at Konoha's small town, Hakuto made straight for Genzo.
At that moment, Genzo was relaxing over breakfast at a small morning eatery. When he saw Hakuto arrive, the owner quickly brought over a bowl of noodles. Seeing this, Hakuto didn't rush into conversation. The two sat together like old friends and enjoyed their meal.
They slurped down the last of their noodles shortly after. Genzo greedily drank down the broth, then sighed in satisfaction. "Master, I remember when we first crossed paths—we also shared a breakfast back then. At that time, I said I'd treat you, but you beat me to the tab. This time, I've learned my lesson. I paid for both our noodles early on."
Hakuto chuckled. "That was so long ago. I didn't expect you to still remember."
"Yeah," Genzo reminisced. "It was because of that single bowl of noodles fate brought us together. From that day on, my fate took a completely different turn. I feel lucky to have met you in this lifetime."
Hakuto's brows furrowed. Something about Genzo's words felt off. He lit up his hand with green chakra and placed it on Genzo's shoulder. After checking, he discovered that Genzo's vitality had weakened significantly—his body's functions were aging rapidly, nearing the end of his life.
"What happened to your lifespan?"
Genzo nodded. "Heh, back in my youth, I took too many old battle wounds. Now that I'm old, they've all finally caught up with me. To live this long already feels satisfying enough."
Hakuto's eyes transformed into Mangekyō patterns, an invisible aura gathering within him. His voice turned grave. "Don't worry. I can extend your life."
"No need," Genzo's expression briefly flickered with reluctance before settling into a serene smile. "I mean it—I was once lifted from despair by you. Together, we saved the village. Since that moment, I've held no regrets in my heart. Being able to see you one last time before death and share a bowl of noodles with you makes me truly happy."
Hearing this, it became clear that Genzo had already let go of any attachment to this world, ready to face death peacefully.
Hakuto grew slightly angry. "Don't forget you still have a child you raised from infancy. She has gone off for the Chunin Exams. Are you really planning to die without seeing her one last time?"
"Fuu indeed is a wonderful girl—the very essence of my later years. But as long as you remain, Master, you will protect her, won't you?" As he said this, Genzo's gaze carried a hint of pleading.
From the moment Sasori ordered him to send Fuu to participate in the Chunin Exams, Genzo had sensed something was wrong. A clever man himself, there was nothing he could do—except come and visit the person he once followed closely, just to reminisce a bit.
"You fool," sighed Anya. He understood everything now. Although Genzo's body had always suffered from chronic illness, with proper care it shouldn't have aged so quickly. The only explanation was that Genzo had deliberately sought death.
He traded his life for Fuu's.
Anya's expression hardened: "You really trust me that much? Maybe after you die, Fuu will immediately follow you."
Genzo merely smiled: "As you've said yourself, you're cold-blooded and detached. Detachment isn't heartlessness. If Fuu truly were to die, then she would simply have bad luck."
Standing up, Anya turned his back on Genzo and said, "Fuu will survive. Not only that, I will find her an excellent man like Taka to marry. In the future, she will make no fewer than a hundred friends. Wherever she goes, there will always be new friends waiting for her."
"Thank you." A tear of gratitude trickled down Genzo's eye. Just as he was about to close his eyes forever, a lingering thought struck him, and he couldn't help but ask, "If years ago, when I left Konoha, I'd been captured because of a mistake and exposed your identity, would you really protect me then?"
Anya didn't turn around but still satisfied his curiosity: "If you'd already exposed me, why would I even bother protecting you? Besides, villagers wouldn't believe accusations coming randomly from a book thief. Even if someone had doubts and launched an investigation, my Master White Fang's presence would cause everything to quietly drop anyway."
"Hahaha..." Genzo's previous emotion dissolved into loud laughter. With his final breath, he chuckled, "You're quite the mischievous one."
After saying this, Genzo closed his eyes forever.
A deep sense of sorrow welled up inside Anya. Striding out of the breakfast shop, he cast one profound glance backward before disappearing above the small town.
Soon, a carriage stopped in front of the breakfast shop. Shibuki, the village headman who had waited outside for a long time, entered the shop. His face filled with grief, he bid farewell to Genzo's corpse. Then together with other villagers, they lifted his body, placed it onto the carriage, and departed toward Takigakure.
Meanwhile, flying at maximum speed atop his flying device across the sky, Anya felt heavy-hearted—Genzo had been among those who had followed him the longest. Unexpectedly, he had gone away so simply. Would more people leave him in the future?
No, absolutely not. Now he had fully matured; there was nothing in this world that frightened him. Once the opportunity came, he would fulfill his dream and completely transform this world.
Recovering from sadness, Anya's gaze turned resolute, even ruthless. He had stayed silent for far too long. Now, it was time to unsheathe his sword. From now on, anyone daring to stand in his way would meet only the sharpest edge of his blade.
After some time flying forward, Anya crossed into Sunagakure territory. Looking down from the sky, he saw oasis after oasis blossoming amidst what should have been endless desert. These green patches clearly bore signs of planning—appearing regularly, each assisting and watching over the next like interconnected defensive outposts.
The raging sandstorms that could erupt at any moment were nowhere to be seen, and instead of the once suffocating heat, a faint coolness now lingered in the air.
Two and a half years had passed, and just looking at the area outside Sunagakure Village, you could tell something huge must've gone down here.
As for Yamato, though... how was he holding up? Hopefully, they hadn't worked him to the bone.
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