Ever since Kyoko’s untimely death, our hero had been very depressed. He still couldn’t bear the fact that his friend was gone. He still felt her kiss on his cheek. Her hands around him tight, and the smell of her hair. He’d known her for a brief moment, but it was a moment worth treasuring. He vowed to her that he would be following her vision. Her vision of peace for the world. As our hero helped around the Refugee Centers designed for the victims of the “Bandit Flood,” as it is now called, precipitated by the bandit leader Kiyoshi, he couldn’t help but notice that things were getting better and better. Smiles were once again on the people’s faces. They will have new homes. They will have new adventures. They will have new life.

But Kyoko would get none of those things. She won’t get a new home; the ground was her new home. She won’t get new adventures; she was stuck underground. She won’t get a new life; she was dead. In fact, she was dead in the worse sense: she was dead in the memories of the people she once helped: they had already started forgetting about her and have moved on with their lives. Just thinking about this made Yuumaru’s tear ducts give way. He tried to hide his tear-studded face from the refugees, but his conspicuous motion of covering his eyes with his whole arm did the contrary. Soon, he was even sobbing.

As he sat down in a corner chair of the Hidden Jungle’s refugee center (the two villages’ refugee centers were side by side, a rare glimpse at the ability of hidden villages to cooperate with each other), our hero was suddenly approached by an old man. “Steel yourself, boy. Don’t you see? The refugees look up to you. I look up to you, young lad. Please, you’re making us cry too if you keep crying yourself. You are our hero after all.” At this, our hero quickly wiped away his tears. But after a few seconds of the old man’s words sinking in, he suddenly cried again and told the old man: “I’m no hero! Your hero is dead! She was killed… and she was innocent….” It was clear that our hero needed comfort. He was now shaking and sobbing heavily. He started crying out, “Yu-chan… I-- I couldn’t save a friend of mine… please don’t look down on me…” The people around him crowded him and hugged and consoled him, but it didn’t help. Our hero’s tears kept gushing.

It was only after about a week of our hero helping around the place when the frequency of his bouts started to decrease noticably. Our hero finally and occasionally shared a laugh with the refugees. He has started talking to them again. But unlike them, he will always keep Kyoko-chan in his heart. Her memory will be like a treasure, hidden in a secret safe. Not retrieved, but always there. Not thought about daily, but always remembered. She will forever hold a special place in his heart.

Suddenly, as our hero was carrying a tray of medical supplies to a tent just beside the main tent of the Hidden Jungle Refugee Center, a distressed young one came running towards our hero. "Senju-senpai! Senju-senpai!" Yuumaru let the boy catch his breath. "Please help! Come with me!" The boy led our hero to a clearing about 200 feet away from the main concentration of tents of the refugee centers. Two kids were fighting. And one our hero knew: Takeo-kun.

"So, I see these little refugees have a ninja amongst them, huh? I heard they've started calling you Kawarimi no Takeo... Let's see if you really are that good!" The boy had the headband of the Hidden Jungle. It was a genin fresh from the Academy. "I'll show you a jutsu passed down in the Sarutobi Family! Mini Rasengan!" The boy managed to conjure up a small, spiralling sphere in his right palm. The bully then dashed at Takeo-kun. Right before the Mini Rasengan hit Takeo, though, our hero managed to grab the bully's wrist, and stop the Rasengan. The bully and his cohort of cheering followers then ran away after they recognized Yuumaru, the Blue Beast of the Jungle.

"Yuumaru-sensei, I had that taken care of... I had a Substitution Jutsu ready..." Takeo pouted. Yuumaru looked at Takeo and explained: "Takeo-kun, I know you were only trying to stand up for your friends. But you should always try diplomacy first, instead of resorting to ninjutsu." Our hero then put his hand on Takeo's head. "You really are a hero in the making." Our hero then smiled. "But Takeo-kun, remember always, a hero pursues peace, not conflict. Remember that. It was Kyoko's maxim." Our hero the. Stood up and motioned for the boy to follow him. "Now, want to get some ramen?"

After about another month, the refugees were all moved to their respective destinations. Takeo-kun was now enrolled in the Jungle Academy, and is at the top of his class. Everything seemed to be okay now, as, although the Borderlands Village was now gone, Kyoko's vision still lives on. And it also lives on in the heart of our hero, as he begins to prepare for his destiny.

As fate would have it though, our hero came across the bullies as they were doing a mission near the Hidden Moon. They were scared at first at Yuumaru, but our hero made it clear that he wasn't going to hurt them. "I just want to talk." Our hero assured them. After the bullies, three of them (genin squad), finally agreed to meet at a ramen shop (Yuumaru's treat of course), our hero lectured them. The three idolized Yuumaru; he was a legend in Kusamura Village. And so, they felt ashamed of their dishonorable actions and deeds. After they apologized to the hero, the hero replied, "Just make sure you don't do it again; a true ninja's worth is measured in his deeds, and if you do it again, your worth becomes lessened and lessened, until in the end, you'll be worthless. Remember this, young shinobi." And with that, the genin continued on their mission, armed with wise words from our hero, none other than the Blue Beast of the Jungle, Senju Yuumaru!