Chapter 804: Uchiha Shun Died

Konoha, Year 34, Autumn.

Uchiha Shun's Barbecue Restaurant has been closed for several days.

The first to notice something was the Tea House Owner of the neighboring grocery shop.

Every morning when she opened her shop, she could see the barbecue restaurant's rolling shutters pulled tight, and this had been the case for five consecutive days.

That had never happened before; the restaurant's owner was a diligent man who, in all the years he ran the place, never closed without reason.

Qianshou Feijian Residence.

Lian Ye lay on a chair, half‑closed his eyes, basking in the sun.

The autumn sun was gentle, warm and cozy on the skin, making one drowsy.

After lying for a while, just as he was drifting toward sleep, a voice came from the doorway—Uchiha Jing's.

"Lian Ye? Are you there?"

"Why did you come?"

Lian Ye opened his eyes and asked, still lying on the chair without moving.

"Just passing by, thought I'd drop in and see you."

Uchiha Jing walked over and sat on the stone bench in the courtyard.

"Is the Uchiha Clan Leader this idle?"

"No matter how busy, he can spare this moment."

Uchiha Jing smiled, but the smile wasn't as natural as usual; something seemed hidden in his eyes.

Lian Ye gave him a glance and said nothing further.

One lay down, the other sat, both in quiet tranquility.

A breeze drifted through the courtyard, carrying a hint of osmanthus fragrance, its source unknown.

After a moment of silence, Uchiha Jing suddenly spoke.

"Lian Ye, have you been to Shun's Barbecue Restaurant lately?"

Lian Ye's half‑closed eyes opened.

"No," he said, "What is it?"

Uchiha Jing did not answer immediately.

He lowered his head, looking at his own hands, as if weighing his words.

"He's been closed for several days."

"Oh," Lian Ye replied flatly, "perhaps something came up."

"It's not just something," Uchiha Jing lifted his head, looking at Lian Ye, "He's ill. I heard it's quite serious…"

He is one of the few who know about Lian Ye's past connection with Shun.

After becoming Uchiha Clan Leader, he learned some details about Lian Ye's time in the orphanage.

Lian Ye said nothing.

He and Uchiha Shun actually had little interaction; most of those matters were experiences of the Original Body…

Mirror said nothing further.

He sat on the stone bench, watching the courtyard's flora, thinking of something inside.

Uchiha Jing and Uchiha Shun weren't close, but he knew the man.

Within the Uchiha clan, Shun was an unremarkable presence—his strength not top‑tier, his talent not outstanding, his personality unassuming.

Yet his feelings toward Lian Ye were noticed by many in the clan.

The years spent wandering the vegetable market were unknown to others, but Mirror knew.

He also knew that each time Shun waited for Lian Ye at the market, he could only exchange a few words—a greeting, a "How have you been?"—and then they each went their separate ways.

But the next time, he would still go.

For over a decade, it was the same every day.

Later, Lian Ye began taking people to Shun's Barbecue Restaurant for meals, and Mirror had gone a few times as well.

He noticed Shun's gaze toward Lian Ye—a careful, hesitant look, unwilling to get close yet reluctant to leave.

Clearly he had a belly of words to say, yet what came out were always just a few polite phrases.

"Arrived?"

"Sit down."

"What shall we eat today?"

That's all.

He didn't dare utter another sentence.

"You said he's ill—what illness?"

After a moment of silence, Lian Ye asked.

"The lingering hidden wounds from the battlefield have never healed."

Uchiha Jing explained.

When young, the impact was minor; over time it grew increasingly fatal.

Most ninja find it hard to live to a natural old age.

"I understand."

Uchiha Shun Residence.

The boy who once stood half a head taller than Lian Ye now curls on the bed like a dry log.

His hair had turned quite white; though he was not yet forty, he looked a decade older.

His face was pallid, his lips cracked and peeled, and his eye sockets sank deeply.

Hearing footsteps, he slowly opened his eyes.

The moment he saw the newcomer, Uchiha Shun froze, then instinctively tried to sit up.

"…Why did you come?"

Lian Ye gave no answer.

He dragged a chair to the bedside, placed fruit on the nightstand, and his gaze fell on Shisui's face, silently appraising him.

The room remained quiet for a long while.

"Did the wound relapse?" Lian Ye finally spoke.

Uchiha Shun forced a smile, "Just an old ailment, nothing serious."

Such a condition was clearly a sign that his life was near its end, yet he claimed it was nothing major.

Lian Ye naturally would not believe such a clumsy excuse.

"Take good care of yourself; I'll visit you often."

Medical Ninjutsu is not omnipotent; even with Gangshou's treatment it can only barely sustain vital signs.

It cannot fully cure him.

"Alright."

In the days that followed, Lian Ye frequently visited Uchiha Shun, bringing Gangshou to aid his treatment.

His condition stabilized, yet the risk of death remained ever present.

Uchiha Shun took it lightly; life and death are inevitable.

He occasionally recalled the days at the Orphanage.

Two parentless children cramped onto a narrow bed, sharing hard‑won food.

Back then they were happy, unaware of concepts like allegiance, clan, or growing apart.

If only time could have stopped there.

But time is the cruelest thing in the world…

It took everyone away, turning all that should stay and all that shouldn't into memories; in the end only a dying Barbecue Restaurant owner and another sun‑loving idle fish hero remained.

They were all in the village, breathing the same air, looking at the same sky, yet could never come together again.

Uchiha Shun ultimately died.

He died on the day after another of Gangshou's countless treatments.

Uchiha Shun's funeral was held on an overcast day.

The burial site was chosen on a hillside east of the Uchiha Clan Territory, not a prime spot and rather remote.

The clan's arranger said he was alone, with no relatives, so he need not occupy a good position.

Few came.

A few old neighbors, regulars of the Barbecue Restaurant, and two former teammates from back then.

Lian Ye stood at the back of the crowd.

He wore no black clothes, nor a flower, just stood there, a few steps away from everyone.

After the funeral, the crowd gradually dispersed.

Only Lian Ye remained on the hillside.

He walked to the fresh tomb and stood for a long time.

The wind swept down the slope, rustling his coat's hem.

He cast one last glance at the tomb, then turned and descended.

When he left the Uchiha Clan Territory, the gate guards saw him, their expressions changed, but they said nothing.

Lian Ye passed through them, his steps unceasing, walking straight back to his own home.

Lying in a chair, he felt the winter was a bit colder than usual.

Had it not been for myriad reasons, he and Shisui would most likely have become good friends.

…

…

ps: Actually, I originally set Shisui as the protagonist's friend, but later felt that being adopted by Feijian yet interacting with the Uchiha made the protagonist seem a bit like a White-eyed Wolf, so I changed it.