Analyzing the Ninja World Starting from Konoha

Chapter 199 Do you want to know the meaning of life?

At the end of the fiftieth year of Konoha.

No one expected that the Third Shinobi World War would end in such a way.

After the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, took the initiative to end the long-standing conflict between Kirigakure and Konoha.

With Kirigakure's withdrawal, Iwagakure, severely weakened by its crushing defeat at the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, was forced to sign a ceasefire agreement.

Needless to say, the death of the One-Tailed Jinchuriki deprived Sunagakure of its last trump card.

Thus, this catastrophe that swept across the entire ninja world and lasted for several years finally came to an end.

The war is over.

In terms of victory or defeat, Konoha ultimately emerged victorious.

But the price of this victory was so heavy that none of the survivors could smile.

Aoba thought he would have to stay on the border of the Land of Rivers for a while longer, since the alliance agreement referred to the Land of Wind, not the Sand Village.

No one can guarantee that the Sand Village group won't suddenly pull off some amazing move again.

However, just a few days later, a transfer order was delivered to him.

Back to the village!

Qingye looked at the transfer order in her hand, remained silent for a moment, and then carefully put it into her bosom.

That same day, he dumped the mess at the front lines on Nara Shiso and left without a trace.

"Nara Salt Water, the rest is up to you."

"Lord Aoba! At least finish signing the documents before you leave!"

Nara Saltwater roared from inside the tent, his voice almost cracking.

Qingye didn't even turn her head, and waved her hand nonchalantly.

"Thank you for your hard work. I'm counting on you from now on."

"I don't want to!!"

'

A few days later, Konoha Village.

The sky was overcast, casting a solemn and melancholic hue over the entire village.

Today is the day Konoha holds a unified memorial ceremony.

The square in front of the cemetery was packed with people.

Everyone changed into black mourning clothes, held white chrysanthemums, and stood quietly in front of the huge memorial stone to mourn their deceased relatives and friends.

In this brutal war, countless heroes sacrificed their lives for victory, and their names are inscribed in dense detail on that cold stone monument.

Behind every name is a vibrant life.

Aoba stood in the crowd, his gaze sweeping over the densely packed names, finally settling on a particular line.

Professor Ueno's name was prominently listed.

He remained silent for a long time, and finally just pushed up his glasses without saying anything.

That's how war is.

You can be angry, you can be sad, you can grit your teeth and vow revenge.

But the dead will never return.

After the memorial service ended, the crowd gradually dispersed.

As Aoba was about to leave, he caught a glimpse of a group of Uchiha clansmen not far away.

Leading the group was Uchiha Fugaku, whose black mourning clothes made his already serious face appear even more stern.

Beside him followed a short figure.

Uchiha Itachi.

At this time, Itachi was only four or five years old, but he already had a composure that was very different from his age.

Those dark eyes gazed silently at the names on the memorial stone, revealing neither sorrow nor joy.

"The war has finally ended, but far too many people have been killed in action—"

One of the Uchiha clan members sighed, then lowered his voice, "I heard that the Third Hokage is going to resign, and someone in the clan has suggested that the clan leader be nominated to run for the Fourth Hokage."

Fugaku Uchiha frowned slightly, his tone calm.

"Let's not talk about this anymore."

His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority.

The tribesman seemed to want to say something more, but seeing Fugaku's expression, he wisely shut his mouth.

However, another topic was raised by another Uchiha clan member.

"Clan leader, what are your plans regarding Kakashi's matter?"

The clansman's tone was clearly one of dissatisfaction: "After all, he's not a member of our Uchiha clan."

Fugaku paused for a moment, then slowly spoke.

"Obito acted very bravely on the battlefield; that was his dying wish, which he entrusted to Kakashi himself."

His gaze fell on Obito's name on the memorial stone, his voice low and steady.

"Respect his will."

"But Chieftain—"

The clansman was clearly unconvinced. "The Sharingan is the bloodline power of our Uchiha clan. Wouldn't it be better for the Uchiha to reclaim it?"

"The war has just ended, don't cause trouble."

Fugaku Uchiha's tone suddenly became a few degrees stern.

"We have finally achieved peace, and although this peace may be short-lived, we must strive to maintain it."

He paused, his voice becoming heavier.

"This is the Uchiha's responsibility."

The tribespeople looked at each other, and ultimately said nothing more.

All of this was heard by the young Itachi standing next to Fugaku, without missing a single word.

Just then, Itachi's gaze was drawn to a figure on the other side of the cemetery.

The man was dressed in black mourning clothes, and his pale face stood out starkly against the gloomy sky.

Her long hair fell over her shoulders, and her golden, vertical pupils stared emotionlessly at a tombstone in front of her.

Orochimaru.

He stood before the tombstone of a deceased friend, his lips moving slightly as if he were murmuring to himself.

"It is pointless to mourn the dead."

Orochimaru's voice was soft, and there was not a trace of sadness in his eyes.

"If death has any meaning, it only exists when it can be used."

At this moment, Itachi walked towards Orochimaru.

Orochimaru also noticed this brat.

Itachi raised his head, his dark eyes staring directly at Orochimaru. "What is the meaning of life?"

"Life has no inherent meaning."

Orochimaru's voice was hoarse and cold, "If such a thing exists, it will only exist in times of eternal life."

Itachi paused slightly, then turned to look at the memorial stone, as if trying to discern some clue from the cold stone.

When Itachi turned around again, wanting to ask more questions, he only saw Orochimaru's departing figure.

Itachi stood there, lost in deep thought about life.

"Is it really meaningless?"

Itachi murmured softly, his voice so low that only he could hear it.

"Is life truly meaningless?"

Just as he was feeling lost, he caught something out of the corner of his eye.

In a corner of the cemetery, a figure stood quietly, seemingly watching him.

Itachi instinctively turned his head to try and see the person clearly, but when his gaze swept over, the figure vanished instantly into the shadow of the tombstone, as if it were an illusion.

Itachi paused for a moment, then started walking and chased after him.

But there was nothing there.

After the memorial service, Itachi did not go home, but instead wandered aimlessly alone.

Before he knew it, he had arrived at the edge of a towering cliff.

Below the cliff lies a bottomless canyon, where a rushing river roars and crashes against the rocks with a deafening roar.

Itachi stood silently on the edge of the cliff, the wind blowing his short black hair.

He looked down into the deep abyss below, Orochimaru's words echoing in his mind once more.

Life has no meaning.

If it has no meaning, then what's the difference between living and dying?

Four-year-old Itachi, having experienced the cruelty of the battlefield and witnessed the deaths of countless people, had his precocious mind pushed to the brink of an extreme.

He closed his eyes and leaned forward slightly.

The next second, he lost his balance and plummeted straight down the cliff.

The howling wind ripped wildly in his ears, and a strong sense of weightlessness instantly enveloped Itachi's entire body.

He closed his eyes, quietly awaiting the moment when death would come.

"Gah—"

A sharp and clear caw suddenly pierced through the howling wind and reached his ears clearly.

In that instant, it was as if a bolt of lightning had cleaved through the fog in his mind.

Itachi's eyes snapped open.

At that moment, the instinct for survival completely overwhelmed all confusion and bewilderment.

With astonishing speed, his hand reached into his ninja tool pouch, pulled out a kunai, and stabbed it fiercely into the rock wall beside him. The kunai drew a long trail of sparks on the rock wall, and his falling speed suddenly slowed down.

However, the inertia was too great, and the kunai could not withstand the speed of the fall.

Itachi gritted his teeth, and in an instant, he drew a second kunai with his other hand and stabbed it into the rock wall once more!

This time, the speed of the fall finally slowed down, and it finally stumbled and fell onto the rubble at the bottom of the cliff.

Although in a sorry state.

But he survived!

The weasel lay on the rubble, panting heavily, his chest heaving violently.

A crow flew to the weasel's side and tilted its head to look at him.

"So—nobody wants to die, right?"

The weasel looked at the crow, its eyes already reddening.

"Gua Yi"

The crow cawed, as if in response to him.

Immediately afterwards, more crows flew over.

One, two, ten, twenty —

A flock of dark crows circled and danced around the weasel, their black wings drawing graceful arcs in the dim light.

Itachi instinctively raised his arm, wanting the crow to land on it.

However, as if given some kind of command, the crows scattered in unison and flew off in a certain direction.

Only the very first one flapped its wings and flew in another direction to the bottom of the cliff.

It landed on a person's outstretched arm.

The weasel's pupils suddenly contracted.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, a figure wearing sunglasses slowly approached.

A faint smile played at the corners of his mouth.

Itachi was stunned.

He remembered.

He noticed this person at the funeral in the cemetery.

At that time, the person seemed to be watching him from a distance, but when he tried to walk over, the person disappeared.

And now, he has reappeared.

"It's you."

Itachi stared at Yamashiro Aoba with his dark eyes, his gaze full of confusion.

He didn't know why the other person was following him.

"Uchiha Itachi".

Aoba took off his sunglasses, and his pupils instantly turned scarlet.

Do you want to know the meaning of life?

>