eurekapd Chapter 606 Long time no see
Chapter 606 Long time no see
Zhang Hai didn't turn around, but spoke slowly in the direction the voice came from, his tone carrying a hint of ease and nostalgia: "Scorpion... it's been a long time."
As soon as the words left his mouth, a red figure slowly emerged from the shadows. It was a young man dressed in the Akatsuki's black robe with red clouds, but he wasn't wearing his signature attire. He was somewhat thin, with fiery red hair, and his eyes held an indifference to life and an obsession with art. His gaze was sharp as he stared at Zhang Hai's back, seemingly judging something. It was Sasori of the Red Sand, the genius puppeteer who had once taught Zhang Hai puppetry and considered him his artistic successor.
Scorpion's eyes widened visibly when he saw Zhang Hai's familiar face. A flicker of disbelief crossed his eyes, and his previously indifferent expression crumbled, replaced by a youthful surprise and excitement. "Brother Black Earth?!" Scorpion's voice trembled, almost blurting out. He strode forward, scrutinizing Zhang Hai as if confirming this wasn't a hallucination. "Grandma said... said you were attacked and killed on your first day on the battlefield, and your body was never found... I... I always thought it was true... I never imagined you were still alive!" Scorpion's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement; even his usually cold eyes lit up.
Hearing Scorpion's heartfelt calls and excited words, Zhang Hai felt a surge of indescribable guilt. He jumped down from the wooden ox and looked at Scorpion, who still clearly retained a youthful innocence, and his heart tightened. The news of his parents' deaths had, after all, not been kept from this child. He stepped forward and gently embraced Scorpion, his movements cautious, as if afraid of shattering this long-awaited reunion.
“Scorpion, war is cruel…” Zhang Hai hesitated, ultimately unable to bring himself to tell him the truth about his parents’ deaths. He knew that saying it now would only cause the child immense pain again. He gently patted Scorpion’s back, his voice low and tender, tinged with self-deprecation: “No one can guarantee returning home alive from the battlefield. I… I was lucky to escape with my life.” He chose to obscure the truth, just to give Scorpion a little more peace of mind at this moment.
Scorpion felt Zhang Hai's warmth and rested his head on his shoulder, his tone tinged with innocence and dependence: "Since war is so terrible, then don't go. Just stay home with me, Brother Black Soil. Our parents are gone... Grandma is busy with village affairs all day long, and I'm alone every day. It's so boring..." His voice held a hint of longing, a longing for the company of loved ones, a longing for someone to share his loneliness.
Zhang Hai felt a pang of sorrow, but he knew he couldn't stay. He patted Sasori's shoulder, his tone firm yet carrying a hint of promise for the future: "I'm afraid that won't work. Sasori, a ninja's destiny is to fight; it's a responsibility we can't escape. You're still young, you don't understand these things..." He paused, his tone softening and becoming alluring, "When you grow up and become a true ninja, I'll come for you, and we'll fight side by side, okay?"
Scorpion was initially unhappy about Zhang Hai's refusal, even pouting slightly in a wronged manner. But when he heard the second half of Zhang Hai's sentence, his emerald green eyes instantly lit up, and his pouting lips curled up slightly, revealing a long-lost smile. He held up one finger, looking at Zhang Hai earnestly with a hint of childlike stubbornness and solemnity: "Then pinky swear, it's a deal!"
“Okay, pinky promise.” Zhang Hai extended his finger without hesitation and hooked it tightly with Scorpion’s little finger. Their fingers successfully hooked, sealing their future paths of mutual entanglement. At this moment, they were not just fellow disciples, but had made a promise that transcended blood ties.
After the agreement was made, Zhang Hai pointed to the wooden ox puppet behind him and said to Sasori, "These are the children I rescued from the battlefield. They are from Sunagakure and were caught up in the war, but they are innocent." His tone was firm and unwavering. "Now, I'm going to put them in a safe place, make sure they are found, and then... I will leave."
“These are the children I rescued from the battlefield. They are from Sunagakure and were caught up in the war, but they are innocent.” Zhang Hai pointed to the wooden ox puppet behind him and said to Sasori, his tone carrying an undeniable firmness. “Now, I’m going to put them in a safe place, make sure they are found, and then… I will leave.”
Scorpion's gaze darted back and forth between the wooden ox puppet and Zhang Hai. He seemed to understand something, but the focus at this moment was on his reunion with Zhang Hai. He took out a delicate little bird-shaped puppet from his robes, its entire body polished from the shell of Hiruko, lifelike. "Brother Kurotsuchi, since you're leaving again, here, take this." He handed the little bird puppet to Zhang Hai, his tone tinged with reluctance and anticipation. "When you become a ninja in the future, you must come find me! This puppet has my mark on it; you can use it to contact me then." His eyes were clear and earnest, as if entrusting some important belief to someone.
Zhang Hai solemnly accepted the puppet. The small puppet was cold to the touch, yet heavy, carrying the pure friendship and promise of a young boy. He carefully put the puppet away, then looked firmly at Scorpion, his tone filled with a promise: "Okay, Scorpion, I promise you, I will definitely come to find you." He believed that one day in the future, they would meet again, perhaps as friends, perhaps as enemies, but the promise he made at this moment was sincere.
Zhang Hai turned and left, manipulating the wooden ox puppet to transport the unconscious children to an abandoned courtyard in the civilian district of Sunagakure. There, they could be discovered without arousing excessive suspicion. After confirming the children's safety, he once again used his concealment technique, silently leaving Sunagakure and disappearing into the darkness.
However, shortly after Zhang Hai left Sunagakure, news of Sasori's parents—two of the village's top puppeteers—being easily killed on the battlefield swept through the village like a hurricane, causing an unprecedented upheaval. The deaths of these two elite puppeteers were not merely a loss of combat power, but also a heavy blow to Sunagakure's morale. This meant that Konoha now possessed someone capable of directly confronting and even suppressing Sunagakure's top forces.