Naruto: The Scourge

Black, only an eerie, bone-chilling black…

The vast wilderness of the mountain in Ye Zi's mind had never expected this scenario. He floated in the air, his gaze met with unfathomable darkness where nothing could be seen—only his own body was visible.

He had encountered such a situation in darkness before, but he couldn't find any kind of entrance resembling doors or windows. No matter whose mind he had invaded, there had to be an entry similar to doors or windows, but Ye Zi found none, only endless darkness.

Yama Naruhara still couldn't determine Ye Zi's identity, but one thing he was sure of: Ye Zi would definitely not be an ordinary child.

"I have no choice but to use some extreme measures, though it's not my wish."

Yama Naruhara floated in Ye Zi's dark world, speaking to himself as he rapidly formed hand signs, his expression turning serious.

The human brain is inherently fragile, especially that of a child; one misstep could turn them into a fool.

"Don't blame me..."

His hands stopped, forming the final seal.

Boom...

Suddenly, flames burst forth from the darkness, rapidly turning into a towering inferno. A row of low houses could be seen struggling helplessly in the fire's glow.

Yama Naruhara silently watched the scene that had suddenly appeared in the darkness, a scene he most wanted to forget.

Rip...

A soft noise, yet it was as deafening as spring thunder.

Yama Naruhara's eyes changed instantly, turning toward the tear in the darkness as dazzling white light burst out impatiently.

"It's here..."

…

In the hospital room, Ye Zi sat motionless, holding Ye Rui's cold hand, staring silently at her closed eyes with an unblinking gaze.

A young nurse behind him sighed softly, a hint of pity in her eyes as she looked at Ye Rui. Yet in the hospital, such scenes were all too common.

"Mr. Ye, my condolences..."

Ye Zi tightened his grip slightly and then released it quickly, as if afraid of hurting Ye Rui.

"Money isn't the issue, so why did it come to this?" Ye Zi spoke with a calm tone, but beneath that calm exterior was an impending explosion.

The nurse was momentarily speechless. Although Ye Zi seemed calm, she couldn't help but feel a chill in her heart.

"Why..."

Ye Zi slowly closed his eyes.

"What did we do wrong?"

Crack!

A sharp sound.

Ye Zi's eyes snapped open, tears rolling down his face as he looked at the shattered image in front of him. Everything seemed like a reflection on glass, and now that glass had a crack that cut across Ye Rui's serene, closed eyes.

"No!"

Ye Zi screamed, and the world seemed to plunge into darkness, as if the lights had been turned off.

…

"Release!"

Yama Naruhara stumbled back in cold sweat, looking at Ye Zi with shock and astonishment.

"What happened?" A masked Anbu suddenly appeared and placed a hand on Yama Naruhara's shoulder, stopping his retreat.

Yama Naruhara wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with difficulty, "It's complicated."

The Anbu fell silent. His face was concealed, making it hard to read his thoughts. After a moment, he asked coldly, "Has it reached the point of needing to be dealt with?"

He didn't care about what had happened; he only cared about whether Ye Zi needed to be eliminated.

Yama Naruhara's brow twitched as he instinctively glanced at Ye Zi, who, with eyes shut tight, was still shedding tears. He opened his mouth but couldn't find the words.

It had reached that point...

That was what he had originally intended to say, but recalling what he had seen last, he could no longer speak.

"No." He hesitated for a moment and said slowly.

"Are you sure?" The Anbu's eyes narrowed, noticing Yama Naruhara's hesitation.

Once he changed his answer, Yama Naruhara no longer hesitated and affirmed, "Sure."

The Anbu nodded and said, "I'll report to Lord Hokage first. Someone will come to take him back soon. Be prepared for the follow-up report."

With that, he vanished.

After the Anbu left, Yama Naruhara's expression was complex as he looked at the tear-streaked face of Ye Zi and murmured, "Who are you really... hmm?"

He noticed a sign that Ye Zi was awakening and closed his mouth in surprise.

"How is this possible..."

As he stared at Ye Zi slowly waking up, Yama Naruhara's mind was filled with questions.

When did the illusion become so weak? The subject was just a child without chakra, after all.

With such doubts, a voice filled with fear emerged.

"So it wasn't... real."

Ye Zi, now awake, looked around the environment. The dream-like memory still felt vivid, as if he could still feel the pain of his heart breaking. He didn't know why he had fallen into such a real dream, but he was sure of one thing: the person in front of him was the one who started it all.

"Should I thank you... or resent you?"

Ye Zi, with a fearful expression, tried to wipe away his tears but forgot that his hands were tightly bound.

Yama Naruhara fell silent, not knowing how to respond. He hadn't expected Ye Zi to wake up at that moment, nor did he expect him to remember everything so clearly.

"What will happen to me?" Ye Zi asked without continuing to dwell on it, speaking with a tone as if asking if he had eaten yet.

"I can see that you don't understand our actions and even harbor hostility," Yama Naruhara said seriously. Ye Zi's sudden awakening and the fact that he had no memory loss made him feel the need to say something.

Ye Zi remained expressionless and did not speak.

"I would like to explain to you, but it might be useless. Maybe one day you'll understand why we did what we did. For now, at least you can live in a relatively safe environment. So, I hope you can let go of your hostility. Someone will come to take you away soon. But before that..."

Ye Zi listened to Yama Naruhara's words, his tense nerves slowly relaxing. He could be sure that the danger was over. However, he suddenly noticed a hint of regret in Yama Naruhara's eyes.

"Before that, you need to remain unconscious. It's for your own good."

Ye Zi's face showed a moment of astonishment before Yama Naruhara quickly moved behind him. A familiar pain shot through the back of his neck.

"I..."

Before he could curse fully, his words were cut off.

Yama Naruhara withdrew his hand and looked at the unconscious Ye Zi with his head bowed, muttering, "I hope I didn't make a mistake..."

…

Hokage's Office.

Yama Naruhara stood respectfully in front of the desk.

Sarutobi looked at the detailed report on the table, contemplating for a moment, then slowly raised his head, his gaze piercing and heavy as a mountain.

The report was thorough and complete; had it not been for Naruhara reporting verbally first, there might not have been any issues.

"Naruhara, I can see you've hidden something," Sarutobi said.

Yama Naruhara's heart leapt in surprise but quickly settled, preparing himself for possible punishment.

Sarutobi looked at Naruhara and sighed, "You must have your reasons for doing this. I've always believed in you; you have exceptional abilities but lack a true ninja's heart. Even I don't know whether I should advise you to correct this. It's a shame to put you in that position."

"Hokage-sama..." Naruhara looked up, touched by the sentiment in Sarutobi's words.

Sarutobi shook his head slightly and said, "This child has excellent talent for illusion, but as you mentioned, he seems to harbor hostility towards Konoha, which is troublesome."

"If possible, I request custody of him," Naruhara said seriously.

Sarutobi's eyes wavered slightly, but he shook his head. "I'm afraid not. This child will be handed over to Orochimaru."

"Is that so..." Naruhara nodded.

"I won't pursue the matter of you withholding information, but don't let it happen again. You may go."

"Yes."

Naruhara responded and turned to leave the office. After exiting the Hokage building, he couldn't help but sigh.

Sarutobi looked at the office door, his eyes shifting with concern.

Naruhara had always been a ninja he believed in. Unfortunately, he lacked the ruthlessness and decisiveness needed for some situations, which made him weaker than an average Jonin, limiting him to the interrogation department instead of taking missions for the village.

Because of his understanding and belief in Naruhara, Sarutobi felt both relief and worry about the situation with Ye Zi.

Ultimately, would this gifted child be good or bad for Konoha when he grew up?

Sarutobi rubbed his temple. If Naruhara were to raise the child...

"Sigh."

But when he thought of Orochimaru, Sarutobi could only sigh again.

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