Konoha, at dawn, was first awakened by the commotion—ninja, naturally. But not long after, others followed.
An ordinary civilian house.
The woman, who had already risen and begun her morning routine, was now comforting her child, startled awake by a distant, massive explosion... She appeared to be just an ordinary person, yet she remained completely calm amid this sudden crisis. In fact, the moment the explosion sounded, she immediately turned off all the lights inside the house.
"Mommy..."
Little Hotaru was scared but still quiet—she didn't cry out loud at all.
"Don't be afraid. Mommy's here."
She held her daughter and swiftly moved into a room on the left. The darkness didn't hinder her vision at all. She crouched down and quickly found the hidden latch on the floor. With one arm, she gently pulled it open, and with a series of creaking noises, the hidden door slid aside.
She descended about twenty meters down a narrow staircase and finally arrived in a cramped basement... This space was definitely not for storage; no average family would dig a basement this deep.
It wasn't about convenience—it was about how much effort it took to build something like this... At this depth, digging just a bit further could easily reach an Anbu underground base.
After safely hiding the child away, the woman lit a candle inside the basement. Then she gently stroked her daughter's hair and said softly, "Hotaru, don't be frightened. Hide here quietly… Mommy needs to leave briefly. Daddy is still outside working, so I need to go bring him back."
Hotaru sat on a small bed inside the basement, whispering very softly, "Mommy, Hotaru isn't scared… But… just a short while?"
Clearly, she'd already begun following the order to stay silent, though her fear was evident. Still, she was a well-behaved child.
Mom smiled and replied, "Yes, only for a moment. Mommy always keeps her word… Although something unfortunate has happened outside, today's weather feels lucky to Mommy. In such gentle falling rain, nothing will happen to me."
After offering a few comforting words, she turned and slipped through the underground passage. Upon returning to ground level, she carefully closed the hidden door again, making sure the basement's ventilation system worked properly, then hurriedly went into another room.
Inside, she grabbed a long rope and quickly tied up the loose sleeves of her house clothes so they wouldn't get in the way. Passing through the kitchen, she picked up two kitchen knives from the counter. After skillfully flipping them around in a few quick wrist moves, she hid the blades behind her back.
Entering yet another room, she reached beneath a cabinet and pulled out a wooden box about 1.5 meters long and fifty centimeters wide.
Without bothering to sort through the contents of the box, she carried it and began walking toward the front door of the house...
Making someone pick up their weapon again after they've laid it down—that alone was the guilt of those people.
But when the mistress opened the door, she found someone standing outside with his hand still on the door handle... Clearly, if she had opened it a second later, he would've been the one stepping inside.
"Were you going out?"
The man outside was actually Shimao Narukami, the master of the house himself, who'd left early that morning for work. When he saw his "fully armed" wife, he paused in surprise too.
"Shimao, you're back."
Letting out a quiet sigh of relief, the mistress quickly pulled him inside before firmly closing and locking the door behind them.
Shimao Narukami — that was her husband's name.
"Where's Hotaru?"
"I hid her downstairs."
Now that Narukami had returned, there was no need for her to go out anymore.
"How bad is it out there? Is this just a small-scale incident?"
"It's not small at all. In fact, I almost didn't make it back… On my way here, I ran into the people causing all the chaos."
"Then you—"
"I'm fine," he interrupted gently. "You know what?" At this point, Shimao seemed slightly excited. "I met the Lord you always talk about — it was him who blocked those enemies and saved me... Now I think I understand why you admire that Lord so much, Yatsumi."
His story clearly astonished the mistress, but soon she smiled. Regardless, the most important thing was that he had returned home safely.
"That was something from my youth," she said. "And honestly, it wasn't really 'admiration' — it was more like respect and awe. For ordinary people, heroes exist only in stories and imagination, as distant and intangible as ghosts and gods. But for me, a hero was someone real, standing right before me — close enough to see, close enough to touch."
"I felt protected, and I believed I always would be. That's why I gave up being a warrior. Because of that alone, I can now live my life as 'Yatsumi Narukami.'"
Yes, "Chichio and Yatsumi's era" had happened so very long ago. Her time as a ninja was merely one brief episode in her long life — significant, yet fleeting.
"Why don't you check on Hotaru? She must be terrified by now."
"Alright."
Outside, the noises grew louder. But whatever commotion was happening out there seemed completely unrelated to this family's peaceful little world — just another foolish chaos.
...
If Haseo learned that someone had placed upon him the title of 'hero', along with expectations to protect their tranquil lives, he would certainly curse without hesitation.
Like hell! Even if I am a hero, don't treat me like some damn tool. Well, actually, maybe every world treats its heroes as tools no matter what.
Rewinding time a bit:
Haseo had left his home and was heading directly toward the Kagenami base when someone intercepted him midway.
It was Nawaki.
Frankly speaking, this kind of encounter was something Haseo had never anticipated — things seemed upside down somehow. In such chaotic circumstances, even if they were enemies, logically it should have been Haseo seeking out Nawaki, not the reverse.
Uh… Huh… Well… Basically incomprehensible.
Nawaki seemed to be treating this encounter as some kind of "climactic showdown," but Haseo—who was supposedly his opponent—clearly wasn't feeling that dramatic about it at all. And the third person present completely ruined the solemn atmosphere.
A man held the horse's reins. A cart full of flowers trailed behind it.
While an intense confrontation was brewing on one side, the other side was just going about their daily life like nothing was happening—like seriously, everyday vibes. This contrast and shock value… frankly speaking, it's hard to describe.
In Haseo's eyes, the man carrying the flowers had shown some sense by staying out of things during such a tense moment… or maybe he just wasn't sure whether stepping forward or retreating would immediately draw attacks from the ninjas, so he chose silence instead.
Reluctantly, Haseo didn't even address Nawaki at first. Instead, he extended his hand toward the man in a gesture of invitation:
Things might blow up around here any minute, but until then, you're free to go.
This was a battle between ninjas, and even Nawaki wouldn't have any reason to drag an ordinary passerby into the fight.
"Uhh… Lord Haseo, my horse, my cart, and the flowers..."
At this point, the man seemed uncertain whether his belongings could remain intact after being spared.
Such a reaction… Haseo could only shake his head inwardly while subtly raising his thumb. *Am I supposed to rob you now?*
"Take everything and go—you've really got guts, worrying about this at a time like this."
Who knew if the guy was just clueless or crazy brave—no one could say; under normal circumstances, most people would've fled long ago, running faster than the horse itself.
As for being recognized, Haseo had no problem with it. After all, many civilians in Konoha already knew who he was.
After getting the go-ahead from Haseo, the man gave a polite bow and began leading the horse away… Apparently, the horse had just given birth and was still recovering, so she couldn't be pushed too hard—or it might hurt her health.
At this point, Haseo truly felt defeated.
He'd probably never know the small connection they had in this lifetime.
Of course, there was no need for him to know either.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>