abnabooks Chapter 256 Mom, don't cry, Dad is just sleeping.
Chapter 256 Mom, don't cry, Dad is just sleeping.
Tangren Village.
The main road at the village entrance was already packed with people early on.
All the villagers in the air-raid shelter have been evacuated.
They changed into clean clothes, some holding flowers, others carrying bowls of water, and stood quietly on both sides of the road, waiting.
No one spoke. Even the little children were held in the arms of adults, neither crying nor making a fuss, but just staring wide-eyed at the end of the road.
The wind blew in from the village entrance, carrying the smell of gunpowder and earth, swirling a few fallen leaves in the air on the empty road.
"I'm back."
I don't know who said it first.
The crowd began to stir, and everyone instinctively stood on tiptoe to look into the distance.
At the end of the road, a figure appeared.
First there were a few black spots, then more and more appeared.
One cart after another appeared, and the ninjas pushing them had their heads down and their steps were heavy, as if they were measuring some kind of unspeakable distance.
As the first cart passed through the crowd, an old woman suddenly rushed out.
"Kenta! Where's my Kenta?!"
Her voice was sharp and hoarse, sounding particularly jarring in the silence.
She staggered to the cart, lifted the white cloth, and saw a young face.
"Kenta—"
She threw herself on her son and burst into tears. Her cries seemed to open a floodgate, and sobs rose and fell from the crowd.
A young wife knelt on the ground, holding her infant son who was only a few months old in her arms, watching her husband's body pass by. She covered the child's eyes with her hands and wept silently.
One cart after another passed by.
With each passing vehicle, people cried, called out, and collapsed to the ground, being helped up by those around them.
The air was thick with sadness, so thick it was almost imperceptible.
Behind the crowd, Mieko held Hidan and stood under an old tree.
She was wearing a plain-colored kimono, her hair neatly tied back, and there were no tear stains on her face. She just stood quietly, watching one cart after another pass by.
Hidan, nestled in her arms, peeked out with his little head, curiously looking at the carts covered with white cloths.
He's two years old and doesn't quite understand these things yet. He just finds it strange that the uncles and elders are all lying in the car, and why they're not moving. Why is everyone crying?
A cart passed by her.
Beneath the white cloth, a familiar hand was revealed.
The hand was large with distinct knuckles, and there was an old scar on the ring finger, a remnant from Hideyoshi's training when he was young.
Mihoko had held that hand countless times; the rough palm made her hands ache, but she never wanted to let go.
Suddenly, Hidan pointed at the cart and called out in a clear voice, "Dad!"
He recognized him.
Although it was still covered with a white sheet, he recognized it as his father's weapon.
These words finally made Mieko unable to hold back her tears, which streamed down her face.
She hugged Hidan tightly, trying her best to suppress the grief in her heart. Now that her husband was gone, she couldn't show weakness in front of the children.
Hidan reached out and clumsily wiped his mother's eyes. He was only two years old and didn't understand what death was.
But she also sensed her mother's sadness and realized something was wrong.
"Mommy, don't cry, Mommy, don't cry. Daddy is just asleep. He'll wake up soon."
He used the same words that other parents used to deceive their children to deceive his own mother.
Until a gust of wind blew by, lifting the white cloth and revealing the corpse inside, its body and head separated.
Hidan suddenly froze.
All his previous words of comfort were lies, and now he finally realizes what?
He turned to his mother and asked, "Mom, what is death...?"
Mieko couldn't answer, so Uzumaki Shirai stepped forward and told her, "Death means their souls have gone to the Pure Land."
"The Pure Land, that must be very far away."
Hidan looked up and asked cautiously, "Will they come back? Father... will he come back?"
As he asked the question, he had a vague premonition that something was wrong; his eyes gradually reddened, and his voice became choked with emotion.
Then, Shiki walked up to Mieko, reached out and ruffled Hidan's hair, and said softly, "Your father was very brave, a great hero. He killed the Third Raikage and drove away the ninjas who wanted to invade your country."
Hidan didn't cry, because this wasn't the answer he wanted.
He broke free from his mother's embrace, jumped to the ground, and slowly moved to the front of the cart.
He wasn't even as tall as a car wheel, so he had to stand on tiptoe to peek out half of his small face.
Then, he reached out and gently grasped one of his father's cold fingers.
"Father," he whispered, "you promised you'd come back..."
At first, his eyes were clear. But soon, tears filled his eyes.
A somber atmosphere filled the air, and the cries gradually blended together.
Amidst the pervasive sorrow, Mieko picked up Feidan again and held him tightly in her arms.
Suddenly, Hidan fainted.
"Hidan!" Mieko rushed over and picked up the child. Fortunately, she was a medical ninja and found nothing wrong after examining him, which relieved her.
"I'm probably overwhelmed with grief. Anyway, thank you all!"
"I shouldn't have brought him here, but he insisted on coming and wanted to see his father as soon as possible. I never expected... that it would make him aware of death so early."
"It's not your fault, it's the fault of this cruel ninja world."
Unbeknownst to anyone, half of Hidan's blood was churning violently, and something long dormant was quietly awakening.
The following day, the deceased was buried and the funeral was held as scheduled.
Uzumaki Shirai felt that Yugakure was no longer safe and planned to take the rest of the people to the Land of Waterfalls.
Mieko shook her head. She said, "My husband has never abandoned this country, and neither will I. Although I am not very strong, I have also practiced sealing techniques over the years. I will carry on his will and persevere here."
Then, she gently placed Hidan into Shirafuji's arms.
"I'm entrusting my son to you," she whispered. "Please let him grow up safely with you."
She took one last look at her sleeping son, then turned away cruelly. But she hadn't gone far when she heard Hidan wake up behind her, reaching out his little hand and crying, "Mommy..."
She couldn't bear it any longer, so she ran back and hugged Hidan tightly once more. Mieko held back her tears and gently kissed him on the cheek.
"Be good and don't be naughty. Mommy will come to pick you up in a while."
Then, she handed the child back to Whirlpool Purple Fly.
By this time, the main force of the Daodao Clan had already left.
Whirlpool Purple Fly, holding Hidan, rode on the Dragonfly and flew away into the distance.
Hidan, nestled in his arms, stretched out his little hand towards his mother below, tears streaming down his face like broken beads, repeatedly calling out, "Mama... Mama..."