allendalepharm Chapter 315 The Lost One
Chapter 315 The Lost One
The rain has finally stopped.
The night sky, washed clean, was exceptionally clear, dotted with a few scattered stars. Moonlight, like a thin veil, gently draped over the tranquil eaves of Konoha Village.
At this moment, Konoha has shed its daytime hustle and bustle and is immersed in a peaceful and warm slumber.
The ninja guarding the village gate tightened his vest to ward off the chill of the post-rain night.
"Speaking of which, this rain has really lasted a long time."
The young ninja yawned and complained to his senior.
"yes,"
The older Chunin leaned against the wall, arms crossed, "But it's alright, it feels quite nice when the wind brushes past my ears."
As soon as he finished speaking, the two of them fell silent.
Because they saw it.
At the end of the lantern's glow at the village entrance, on the moonlit road, a figure is slowly walking towards them.
It was an old man.
He was tall, but looked somewhat forlorn with age.
Her waist-length white hair fluttered slightly in the night breeze, and she wore a dark robe of antique style, making her look like a figure who had stepped out of a painting from the Warring States period.
He walked very slowly, each step extremely steady, without carrying any ninja tools or wearing any village headbands.
An invisible pressure spread silently as he approached.
The young ninja instinctively gripped the kunai pouch at his waist, his body tensing.
"Who are you?"
His voice sounded somewhat abrupt in the quiet night, even carrying a slight tremor that he himself was unaware of.
The old man stopped and looked up.
The lantern's light illuminated his wrinkled face, a face etched with the marks of countless hardships, yet his deep eyes were so sharp that the two gatekeeper ninjas dared not look him in the eye.
That wasn't murderous intent, but rather a sense of oppression emanating from a pure, pinnacle level of life.
"Please show your identification. Are you here in Konoha as a merchant, tourist, or...?"
The older Chunin forced himself to calm down and questioned the inmates according to procedure.
The old man didn't answer, but just looked at them quietly, or rather, looked through them at the village behind them that was both familiar and strange.
Just as the atmosphere was about to freeze, a gentle voice came from inside the door.
"Alright, you've worked hard, you can leave now."
The ninja turned around at the sound and saw that Uchiha Kagami had been standing behind them at some point.
Kagami was dressed in an ordinary dark kimono, without her clan crest or any weapons. She was as gentle and warm as a piece of jade bathed in moonlight.
"Lord Kagami!"
Several ninjas immediately bowed respectfully.
The head of the Uchiha clan, an elder of Konoha, and one of the Hokage's most trusted high-ranking officials, his appearance instantly put the group at ease.
Jing waved gently at them, signaling them to step aside.
Despite his doubts, the gatekeeper ninja carried out the order without hesitation.
They gradually retreated to a distance, wondering what the mysterious old man's identity was that made Lord Jing personally come out to greet him.
Uchiha Kagami slowly walked up to the old man and stopped three steps away.
He straightened his robes, then bowed deeply and solemnly to the old man before him.
"Mada-senpai."
The voice was clear and calm, carrying a heartfelt respect.
Welcome home.
The old man known as Madara was none other than Uchiha Madara.
Looking at this outstanding junior before him, the Uchiha clan leader who had inherited the Will of Fire and awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, a ripple appeared in his usually calm Rinnegan.
go home……
He hadn't heard that word in years.
I thought I had already abandoned this place and everything here.
But when those two words were uttered by a junior Uchiha, his long-dead heart still trembled uncontrollably.
"Um."
After a long while, Madara Uchiha finally uttered a low syllable from his throat.
He lifted his foot and stepped across the defensive line that symbolized the village's boundary, officially entering the land he had created with his own hands and then resolutely left.
A warm breeze, carrying the fragrance of earth, the aroma of food, and the scents of countless people's lives, wafted towards me.
He looked up, his gaze passing over Uchiha Kagami's shoulder, and looking into the depths of the village.
The Konoha I remember was nothing like this.
The wide, flat stone road gleamed under the moonlight. Shop signs lined both sides of the road, and although most of them were closed, the lanterns hanging under the eaves still emitted a warm glow.
In the distance, tall buildings stand in a staggered pattern, and the faint sounds of laughter and chatter from people returning home late can be heard.
There was no chilling atmosphere of war, no shadow of hatred here, only something he had never experienced before: the peace and prosperity of life.
This was completely different from the village he remembered, which was pieced together from military fortresses.
Hiruzen Sarutobi...
They really did it.
Uchiha Kagami stood quietly to the side, neither urging nor asking any questions.
He could sense the profound loneliness emanating from this legendary ancestor, and the icy chill that was slowly melting away beneath that loneliness.
After a long while, Madara Uchiha withdrew his gaze.
"Take me...to try some of the village food."
Uchiha Kagami was slightly taken aback, then realized what was going on.
This old man didn't want to touch upon those heavy past events; he just wanted to experience this new village as an ordinary person returning home.
"Yes, senior."
Jing nodded and turned to lead the way.