4 Yujin’s Past

Tsunade and Yujin walked towards where Dan's body should be, engaging in conversation along the way.

The topic of their discussion mainly revolved around how Yujin ended up in an entirely unknown place. While 'how' was difficult to speculate, 'where' was easy to determine with just a few questions.

Tsunade began to explain patiently, as if talking to a child about basic things they should know about their birthplace. She elaborated on the countries, Hidden Villages, ninjas, ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, and other related matters.

It felt as if she were talking to her late brother, Nawaki. She used to share many things she learned at the ninja academy with him when she returned home.

Sensing Tsunade's mood suddenly changing, Yujin fell silent and didn't speak further. A few minutes later, they finally reached the location, and Dan's body, along with other ninja corpses, was still nearby.

Upon arrival, Tsunade's first action was to gaze at Dan for a few minutes. She stood there, watching him, as if wanting to etch that scene into her mind. Yujin gave her the necessary space, counting the bodies in the vicinity. There were 15 bodies wearing the same attire as Tsunade and 22 in different clothes, likely enemies.

While Tsunade remained silent, contemplating something, Yujin decided to do something useful. Though he didn't know what they would do with the allies' bodies, he chose to bury the enemies. Gathering the bodies on one side, he began his task.

Using a piece of wood he found on the ground, he started digging 22 graves.

His movements were swift and practiced, as if he had done this hundreds of times before. One by one, he dug the graves with sufficient depth to prevent animals from digging up and feeding on the corpses.

In the midst of his work, Tsunade snapped out of her reverie and noticed Yujin's actions. Without understanding what he was doing, she inquired about his intentions.

"I'm digging graves for these people. I assume no one will come to take care of the bodies, as no one came after a whole night."

Tsunade observed the bodies of allies and enemies beside each other and sighed. With a series of hand seals, she used a scroll to seal all the allies' bodies. She handled Dan's body with more care, using a different scroll.

When she finished, she simply watched Yujin's actions in silence. Noticing his concentrated expression, she couldn't help but ask.

"Why do you care?"

Even after working so much, there was no sweat on Yujin's body, as if he hadn't exerted himself properly. Continuing his work, he replied calmly.

"I don't care; I'm just used to it."

Tsunade looked at the enemies' bodies, and a flash of anger appeared on her face, but she said nothing. The feeling quickly disappeared, but Yujin noticed and spoke.

"No matter how much you hate them, they're already dead. After death, everything that happened or didn't happen in life doesn't matter anymore."

Yujin's words ignited a flame of anger within Tsunade, who looked at a specific body and gritted her teeth.

"If it were possible, I'd kill them five hundred times over."

Looking at Yujin then, she frowned and growled.

"You don't understand how I feel. For what they did to me, they're lucky I don't tear them into a million pieces."

Pausing to observe Tsunade's resentful expression, he sighed, feeling as if he had seen this before. And he had indeed. Not only had he seen it, but he had also felt it. The two stared at each other for a few seconds, in complete silence. Unmoved, Yujin finally returned to work and began speaking slowly.

"When I was six years old, the village where I lived was attacked by invaders. Before that, it was common to see feudal lord's soldiers visiting our village and committing many unforgivable acts. It terrified me."

"When the feudal lord's soldiers couldn't hold off the invaders, it was every person for themselves. The villagers fled with all their might, and in the midst of chaos, my parents died trying to help me escape."

Tsunade remained silent as she listened to the tale. The anger and resentment slowly fading from her face. Hearing Yujin's story, though she still didn't understand why he was digging a grave for Dan's killers, she felt that at least he had a good reason. After all, they both lost important people.

"I managed to escape to a distant village following the refugees. It was in that village that I met my master, who taught me practically everything I know. He provided comfort, food, purpose, skills, knowledge... Because of him, I managed to forget about the war, about my parents' deaths, and only remember the good times I spent with them."

Yujin's eyes seemed to be looking at something beyond, as if he were recreating the vision of everything he was narrating, even as he worked to open another grave.

"My master didn't have a home; we simply traveled. When we didn't have money, we worked. From village to village, city to city, we traveled to all corners of China untouched by war, and my worldview seemed to change completely. I loved that world, and I could feel reciprocity."

Through Yujin's words, Tsunade could sense the 'but' approaching at lightning speed.

"But life isn't easy. Life is made up of phases. Good and bad phases alternate. When I was fifteen, we started spending more time in three different cities. We traveled from one city to another as bodyguards for merchants. During that time, I met a girl, her name was Xu Rong, and we became friends."

Tsunade could imagine a younger Yujin with a friend his age. Sensing the premonition that something bad was about to happen, she became apprehensive.

"While we were in a city, war reached the village where Xu Rong lived. When we returned, we only found piles of corpses."

Yujin's eyes shone with tenderness, pain, sadness, and regret.

"What I felt at that moment... It was as if I went back to that moment when I was six years old. I could hear the desperate cries of the people. In that moment, I realized, I would never speak to Xu Rong again."

Even though the pain he felt was enough to make even men cry, it was as if Yujin's tears had dried up a long time ago. He had cried enough.

"At that moment, I wanted to find those responsible and cut them to pieces. I was so furious, on the verge of going into a frenzy. For a Martial Arts Master without full control of Harmony, having intense emotional fluctuations is dangerous. If it weren't for my Master, I don't know what would have happened."

Yujin's hand began to tremble as he touched on the fury that he felt at that moment. But more than unbridled fury and anger, what he felt the most was pain and sadness.

"I managed to regain control. My master and I spent two days digging graves for the people who died. After that, I just didn't want to know about anything. I devoted myself to Martial Arts, trying to forget what happened, but deep down, that hatred still lingered."

"When I finally completed my training under my master, I couldn't hold back anymore. I wanted to go after the people who did that to Xu Rong. I delved deep, sought out survivors, talked to many people, and finally found out who, and where, the invaders were."

Finally finishing the last grave, Yujin looked directly into Tsunade's eyes and spoke.

"When I got there, they were all already dead, each one of them, even those who harmed Xu Rong. The bodies reeked, and there were mosquitoes and insects everywhere."

Tsunade could only sigh at hearing this; she was in the exact same situation, not knowing what to do with so much anger and hatred. Dan's killers were already among the pile of dead in front of her.

"When I saw that, I realized and learned many things. One of them is that war is insane. One day, its you and the people you love. The next day, its your killers. War is a period where human life is worth less than manure."

Tsunade was at a loss, not knowing what to think or say.

"All my hatred and anger disappeared instantly. That's when I did what I had never done during my years with my Master. I went to war-torn areas and observed what I avoided. Where I came from, there had been a war going on for many years, so the trail of destruction was immense."

"It got to the point where I became completely numb. I didn't feel anything anymore."

Yujin then began placing the bodies into the graves, covering them with earth.

"Perhaps that's why I find it important to dig graves for people, even enemies. War destroys everything, even deserved revenge. It's madness, without rules, where one day you're the prey, and the next you're the hunter. That's why I hate wars, and that's why I spent the last few years isolated away from conflicts."

Yujin finally finished burying them all, and Tsunade was trapped in her own thoughts during the process. In a way, Yujin's experience helped her process what had happened.

It's not the first time she lost important people, but that doesn't mean it's easier. In fact, it's even harder, as if the feeling accumulates. She feels so exhausted that she just wants to lie in bed and sleep.

After finishing his work, Yujin sat silently beside Tsunade, lost in the memories of his past.