Chapter 28

Thank you for the comments and insights, they motivate me to continue writing this book. But from now on, the update will be slow because my current condition doesn't allow me to write for a long time. So I'm sorry if that inconvenient to all of you but please be patient. I'm really thank you guys for the support and I promise would not drop this fanfic, not that I planned to. Anyway that's all. Thank you again. Enjoy the chapter.

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It was already late evening and the people were getting fewer and fewer on the street. But one particular kid could be seen walking straight while his head often looked to the left and right. The kid was Yoshi who's trying to find a stationary store. Looked like luck was not on his side this time because he still didn't find it even after hours of searching. Just when he thought of giving up and went home, a figure caught his eyes and that made him hopeful again.

SHIKAMARU'S POV

"Oi! Shikamaru!"

I heard someone called out my name, so I turned around to see Yoshi. He was small running towards me with somehow a hopeful expression on his face.

"I suddenly have a bad feeling." I muttered to myself.

Once he was in front of me, I asked him the reason he called out to me. It took him a little bit of time to answer because he was trying to get some air into his lungs. After a moments of gasping for air, he answered my question.

"Shikamaru, I'm glad I found you here. I am looking for the stationary store. Could you uhm, help me with it?"

"Well, you should go straight and turn at the second junction then turn left and go straight again, there–"

"I'm sorry, Shikamaru! But I'm no good with roads here yet. So please. Slow down."

Yoshi half-yelled at me and thus made me stop speaking. He seemed lost and had a confused expression plastered on his face.

"Can you please explain it to me again, but this time slowly?" Yoshi asked me with a hopeful gaze.

"Ok, you go straight from here– tch! You know what, I will bring you to the store so just follow me."

I said and started walking with Yoshi following close behind. I thought it was a good idea to just show him the store directly than tell him the way again, but if I knew the burden behind my decision sooner, I would absolutely not agreed with my mind.

(Few minutes later)

We're in front of the said store, the stationary store that Yoshi desperately looking for. I wanted to say that right now I was supposed to walk back home alone while watching the sky turned its colors after I helped him, but no. Reality sunk into me, Yoshi doesn't know the way back to his house from here. That meant, I have to stick around for a while longer outside the store, waiting for him to finish his shopping and then brought him back to the road where we originally start our way here. I don't know where his house at, but pretty sure it was far from here since this store located at the civilian street, a little out of way of the shinobi street where most ninjas and clan families lived and also some orphans who went to the academy too.

So, right now, I was outside of the store called 'Hansen Stationary Store'. Pretty common name, I would say. Anyway, while I was waiting, my mind wandered to some random questions that was probably no answered to them inside my head.

'Where did Yoshi came from?'

'What caused him to have so many bandages on his body?'

'And what actually happened THAT day?'

"If I ask dad, he's just gonna say something like riddles and clues to let me pieces them on my own, and that is such a drag. sigh~" I mumble under my breath.

YOSHI'S POV

I looked outside the shop and my eyes landed on Shikamaru who was leaning on the wall near the entrance before I made my way to the racks full of stationary stuffs. I went to pencil's and pen's rack first, it was small and there's not many choice of like but I still grabbed some pencil and left out pen and ink since I'm no good with ink, but I know I would have to use them one day.

After that, I went to notebooks section. But my eyes was not on the books, instead my hand went to the stack of A4 papers behind all those notebooks. There's 20 pieces per packet so I grabbed two. They're also cheap despite papers being one of the most rare material to get a hand on these days. After all was done, I made my way to the counter, grabbed a box of erasers half way, and paid my things.

"Young one, what do you want to do with so much papers?"

The shopkeeper was an old man which I assumed was on his 40s or 50s asked me while begged the stuffs. I did not expected for the old man to engage on the conversation with me so I was not prepared any answer to that question. Though I don't have anything crucial to hide, at least for now. So this is my answer.

"Err, I like drawing."

...which was a lie. It's true my purpose was to use it to draw something on it, but it was something important and not for fun and I hate drawing, though I'm good at it.

"Is that so." replied the old man.

The conversation was short and uncomfortable for me, so I handed the amount of money that was needed and grabbed my things with goal in mind to get out of here as fast as possible and hurried home.

I thanked the old man before walked out of the store. Shikamaru saw me and I nodded to him indicated that I was done with my shopping. He slightly nodded back to me as a replied that he got the message then started to walked away. I followed him by walking by his side in silent.

Minutes later, we were back on the road we're came from and about to part ways. I didn't want to waste anymore of Shikamaru's time, so I bid him goodbye and walked towards the direction of my house. I glanced back for a second to see Shikamaru doing the same as I. We part ways there and went back to our respective house but god knows better what happened to me after that.

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HOKAGE'S TOWER

On the roof of the Hokage's tower stood proudly the Hokage himself, watching the sunset, slowly disappearing from the sky.Ascended the stairs of the tower was the close friend of the Hokage, or used to be, Danzo. With his cane tapping the floor, he walked slowly towards Hiruzen but stopped a few feet away from him.

It was silence for a minute before Hiruzen spoken up as a start of the conversation.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" asked Hiruzen.

"What's beautiful? The sunset or the village?" Danzo countered back.

"Both, if you want."

"Then, they're beautiful. A sunset that we always see everyday and a village that I swore my loyalty to protect."

"Talk about protecting the village, what are you doing? I've got news saying that some men were creating havoc at a store. And not to mention I've got the news late even though I have eyes and ears on every crook of the village. Thanks to one of the villagers, I've known about it. They said they were scared, I was thinking it was some kind of rouge ninja gotten into fight. But I sent people to check, from testimony it was not, but I've heard a kid was involved and the kid was fighting with the men. The men is yours, isn't it?" Hiruzen finishes his speech with a question.

"What made you think that they're my men? What reason do I have to attack an innocent kid?"

"I don't know. But my Jonins checked them all out. It was confirmed that they're your men. Now, tell me Danzo. What are you planning? Is it for the betterment of the people or for the worse of them?"

"Hiruzen! This was a vile accusation you made of me! I have told you countless time, but I tell you this again. I will do anything to protect this village! So everything I did is for the betterment of it, whether or not the people will get the same benefit is another story. And I served the VILLAGE, not the PEOPLE." Danzo said sternly and with a last glance at Hiruzen, he turned around and walked away with a huff.

Hiruzen was left alone had a frown on his face. Though he didn't show it much, but in his heart, he was sad and exasperated at his friend. It was very hard for him to decide what to do with him. At the end of the day, he would decide on to do nothing to him for he wanted the pretend game of friends to go a little bit longer before it gone for good.

The sun already gone by the time Danzo left, with a last and long inhale of nicotine, he turned around and walked down the tower back to his office.

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YOSHI'S HOUSE

"Agh, I'm so tired! Shall I start setting up today. Nah, let's do it tomorrow." with that said, Yoshi put the stuffs he bought on his bedroom at the end of his bed.

He went towards his desk and sat on the chair while having a notebook and a pencil in hand.

"Now, let's revise on the events that happened today."

With that said, Yoshi started open up his book and with the help of the lamp desk, he wrote the things that happened by memories.

Not knowing by him, there was a silhouette of a person crouching by his window. With a swift movement, the person disappeared into thin air.