Chapter 52
Chapter 52
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter:
Chapter Title: Fishing at the Secret Base
-----------------------------------------------------------------
On the outskirts of the Hidden Leaf Village, the wide Naka River wound along the village's edge, meandering through dense forests before finally merging into the distant sea.
Within this forest, several babbling brooks dotted the landscape, adding a touch of liveliness to the greenery.
Menma, Naruto, and Hinata ran along until they came to a stop by a small river.
"This is my secret base!"
Naruto excitedly introduced it to Menma and Hinata.
Menma glanced around. This clearing, about the size of a basketball court, was surrounded by lush forest, overgrown with weeds. In the center sat a long-extinct campfire.
Some hollow logs hung from the nearby tree trunks, and small finger-sized pebbles were scattered across the ground.
It looked like Naruto practiced here often.
Naruto rummaged around in a hollow tree stump and pulled out three makeshift fishing rods.
These were simple things he'd made himself—branches tied with fishing line and nails bent into hooks.
"Big bro Menma, Hinata, pick one!"
Naruto enthusiastically handed the three rods over.
"Then I'll take this one."
Menma casually grabbed the nearest one.
Hinata did the same, selecting one at random.
The three didn't rush to start fishing. Instead, they began hunting for earthworms beneath the dead tree.
"Byakugan!"
Hinata softly called out. Veins bulged around her eyes as her vision pierced the soil, pinpointing the earthworms' locations with precision.
Menma and Naruto followed her directions, flipping over a piece of dead wood. Sure enough, they found several small holes, and they started digging with sticks.
"Whoa! So many earthworms!"
Naruto cried out in delight.
Before, when he'd searched alone, it had taken him ages to find just a few. It was only after much trial and error that he'd learned earthworms favored the soft soil under dead wood.
Menma gave Hinata a thumbs-up too.
The three headed to the riverbank. Each picked a spot to sit down, threaded earthworms onto the nail hooks, and cast their lines.
Under the shade of the trees, the clear river water flowed gently. The three kids fished while chatting idly.
Menma deliberately shared fairy tales from his childhood in a previous life, captivating Naruto and Hinata so thoroughly that they nearly missed the tugs on their lines from nibbling fish.
Naruto fumbled to reel in his rod and found just a palm-sized fish. A bit crestfallen, he placed it in the small pond they'd piled up on the riverbank. Then he baited his hook with an earthworm, cast again, and went back to listening to big bro Menma's story.
"In an era of endless war, one country had a law: anyone who redeemed a fellow citizen enslaved abroad would receive compensation from the state. One day, a man named Zigong bought back one such national but refused the reward. When his teacher, Confucius, heard about it, he criticized him instead."
Menma recounted the tale of Zigong's redemption to Naruto.
"Why?"
Naruto's little face scrunched up in confusion.
The man was freed, Zigong didn't take the money, and it saved the country some cash. Wasn't that a win-win?
Menma patiently explained.
"Because Zigong's act was personal morality. By skipping the compensation, he achieved a small righteousness—but it unintentionally raised the bar and cost for doing good. If Zigong turned down the state's reward, then anyone else who redeemed a countryman and claimed compensation later would get called out for 'not being selfless enough.' That's moral kidnapping."
Menma broke it down step by step for Naruto.
"You can't hold others to your own standards and demand they match you. That just elevates morality to a point only a few can reach, killing off ordinary folks' enthusiasm for good deeds."
"Do that, and doing good becomes a burden. Who among regular people would bother?"
"Morality is for keeping yourself in check, not for binding others."
Menma summed it up.
"If acts of kindness turn into a load to bear, fewer and fewer people will step up to do them."
Little Naruto nodded, half-getting it.
Menma didn't press further. He just hoped the boy would remember the story.
Next, Menma shared a few more fable-like tales with Naruto.
Time slipped by unnoticed. The three gradually reeled in several fish and got a fire going to grill them.