💎 WEEKLY POWER GOALS 💎
🔥 30→2ch | 60→5ch | 100→8ch | 200→15ch | 400→25ch
⏰ Resets Monday!
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
After that dinner, the relationship between the three of them grew closer by the day.
Shisui's favorability was steadily rising as well.
Heshu used the Reverse Cursed Technique daily, and his grasp of it became the fastest-mastered ability among all the skills he'd obtained, second only to those that started at max level.
Everything was progressing in an orderly fashion.
Time flowed like drifting clouds. A month passed.
Early morning. Warm sunlight filtered through the leaves of a large, lazy tree, scattering across the ground. The dappled light added a faint halo to Tsunade's hair.
Her beautiful face was soft as her warm hand landed on Heshu's head.
"Don't miss me too much, kid!"
Today, Tsunade had received orders to transfer to the frontlines.
The situation on the battlefield was gradually growing more severe. As one of the Legendary Sannin, Tsunade had no choice but to provide support at the front. Even Jiraiya, who had been traveling abroad, was urgently summoned to the battlefield by the Third Hokage.
Relying solely on the new generation for the main front was impossible. Of the Sannin, only Orochimaru remained, steadfastly commanding on the battlefield.
Though Tsunade was deeply resistant to facing the battlefield head-on, as a Konoha shinobi and the granddaughter of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, this was a responsibility she was destined to bear.
"Tsunade-nee, be careful!"
Heshu stood his ground, watching Tsunade's retreating back and calling out a loud reminder.
He was still eyeing the lottery draw he'd get when Tsunade's favorability reached one hundred percent.
Tsunade waved a hand behind her back without turning around.
After seeing Tsunade off, Heshu went to the hospital to pick up Takenouchi, who was now mostly healed.
Takenouchi's injuries had fully recovered, but the battlefield had left him with lasting aftereffects. Beyond the physical, the most significant was likely the psychological trauma.
When Heshu arrived at the hospital entrance, Takenouchi was holding two large, overflowing plastic bags filled with all kinds of gift boxes.
"Uncle, what's all this?" Heshu stepped forward to ask.
Takenouchi beamed with pride. "These are all gifts for you, Heshu, from everyone at the hospital!"
Upon hearing that Takenouchi and Heshu were leaving, the hospital's medical staff and the shinobi Heshu had treated all came to give them presents. Their enthusiasm and the sincere gratitude in their eyes genuinely made Takenouchi proud of his daughter.
"Wow!"
Heshu absolutely loved the feeling of unwrapping gifts. It was just like opening delivery packages in his past life.
They returned home, and Heshu couldn't wait to tear into the mountain of gift boxes.
An hour later.
Heshu slumped lifelessly on the soft carpet. Even the silver hair framing his cheeks seemed tinged with desolation.
Takenouchi brought the beautifully prepared dishes from the kitchen to the table and saw Heshu looking utterly dejected.
"What's wrong?" Takenouchi wiped his hands and crouched down to ask. His gaze swept over the opened gifts.
A pink short skirt. A brown teddy bear. An adorable alarm clock with rabbit ears. An exquisite butterfly hairclip. A gorgeous princess dress…
All things a little girl would love.
It seems everyone put a lot of thought into it! Takenouchi was deeply moved.
Heshu felt the complete opposite. He hadn't expected this at all. Among the mountain of gifts, not a single one stirred his heart.
He should have known.
Heshu stared tragically at his good brother below.
"I've let you down," he whispered softly.
"What?" Takenouchi didn't catch his words.
"Nothing! Uncle, let's eat!" Heshu channeled his sorrow into his appetite.
"Okay."
In the afternoon, after Takenouchi's persistent coaxing, Heshu swapped his simple, dark crossbody bag for a cute little purse adorned with two dangling, fluffy rabbit ears.
A bright light shimmered in Takenouchi's eyes. "Our Heshu is just so adorable!"
Heshu was speechless.
Thanks.
When Heshu arrived at school, his classmates were taking their afternoon nap. He tried to tread lightly, but he was sitting next to a human firecracker.
"Ahhhh! Heshu, you're back at school! This is great! Heshu, I missed you so much!"
Sarutobi Aoki was just about to shift his sleeping position when his half-opened eyelid caught a flash of purple. He'd rather be wrong than miss the chance. He strained his eyes, determined to be the first to spot Heshu's return.
His eyes flew open, taking in the person before him.
It was a massive surprise. It really was Heshu!
Heshu was back in class! He would never have to suffer the pangs of longing again!
"Sarutobi Aoki, keep it down!"
Uchiha Juri, awakened by the noise, was the first to speak up. He lifted his head from the desk with a deep frown. His gaze swept over Heshu, paused, and then his lips quirked up slightly. "Heshu's back."
"Heshu! You're finally back!"
"Heshu, what happened?"
"Why were you gone for so long?"
Heshu's popularity was as strong as ever. The awakened little radishes gradually surrounded him, their soft, dumpling-like faces filled with the joy of reunion.
"Um…" Heshu hadn't expected such enthusiasm. He habitually summoned two faint blushes to his cheeks and spoke shyly. "There was a little trouble at home."
"What kind of trouble?"
Seeing everyone determined to get to the bottom of it, Shisui stepped in. "Heshu's uncle was injured on the battlefield. Heshu was at the hospital taking care of him, which is why he wasn't at school."
"Ah!"
"Is it serious?"
"Heshu must have been so sad!"
The little radishes encircling Heshu were instantly heartbroken, tears welling in their eyes.
Sniffle… Heshu is so kind and filial. Taking care of his uncle all these days must have been really hard.
Unspoken and unanimous, everyone resolved in their hearts to take good care of the weary Heshu.
Thus, the cleaning duty that belonged to Heshu was voluntarily taken over by his classmates. Touched, Heshu ate an extra bento, enthusiastically provided by a beautiful and kind little girl.
The next day, Sato Kagi proposed a new training method.
"Starting now, I will assign you to groups of three. You will practice within your groups, then engage in exercises against other groups. Groups can form alliances or fight each other. The last group standing wins!"
Sato Kagi's idea was essentially a massive free-for-all, starting with small teams.
"Teacher, that's not fair! What if three really strong people form a group?" Sarutobi Aoki was the first to jump up. He pointed at himself proudly. "I'm already strong. If I teamed up with Heshu, wouldn't the rest of the class have zero chance of winning!"
After speaking, he even winked at Heshu.
Heshu silently averted his gaze, mourning for his cringing eyes.
Sato Kagi smiled slightly. "Even if the strongest people form one team, there are still ways to defeat them." This training method would not only lay the foundation for the children's future team formations but also exercise their strategic thinking. While strength was important, tactical thinking couldn't be ignored.
"Group One: Sarutobi Aoki, Hyūga Rin, Iwai Yūzu."
"Group Two: Nara Sōsai, Hyūga Motogin, Uehara Tame."
"Group Three: Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Juri, Tsukimi Heshu."
Sato Kagi was about to continue when Sarutobi Aoki immediately interrupted him.
He hopped up and down angrily, pointing first at Heshu, then at Uchiha Juri, and shouting, "Teacher! How can you put Heshu in the same group as the guy who bullied her!"
More importantly, why wasn't he grouped with Heshu?
The fact that Juri and Heshu had made up and become good friends was known to almost no one except Shisui. Sato Kagi's grouping was also intended to ease the tension between Juri and Heshu.
Uchiha Juri shot Sarutobi Aoki a cold glance, his silence laced with mockery and disdain. Sparks immediately flew from Aoki's eyes.
"Alright. The teacher's arrangements have their reasons." Sato Kagi used one hand to suppress the agitated Aoki, who looked ready to bite Juri, and continued reading the list.
"Okay, grouping is complete." Sato Kagi closed the list, looking at the little radishes with their varied expressions. He raised his right hand and brought it down sharply. "Begin!"
Heshu's group of three gathered first. They stood back-to-back, each facing a different direction, forming a stable triangle.
Both Shisui and Heshu possessed minds far beyond their peers. And while Uchiha Juri was a tsundere, that didn't mean he lacked intelligence.
Shisui frowned, lowering his voice. "We're very likely to become the target of a joint attack."
All three of them ranked among the top fighters in the class. It was almost certain everyone else would gang up on them.
Heshu nodded. He personally thought that even if they all teamed up, they still might not be his match. But in Shisui's mind, his image was that of a kind, polite girl. He couldn't be that arrogant.
The next second, Uchiha Juri voiced Heshu's inner thoughts. He crossed his arms, a cold laugh escaping his lips. "So what if they team up? They're still no match for us."
Shisui knew Juri's personality and didn't comment.
But there was always someone who defied logical prediction.
Sarutobi Aoki completely ignored his own teammates and charged straight at Uchiha Juri.
"…"
"…"
Shisui and Heshu fell silent simultaneously.
Uchiha Juri, however, merely snorted and stepped forward to meet the challenge.
Three minutes later, Sarutobi Aoki, sporting a black eye, was hauled back by his teammates.
Nara Sōsai facepalmed, his head already throbbing as he watched the still-yelling Aoki. "Ugh… allying with this guy is such a hassle. If only we could forfeit."
Hyūga Motogin, her deep blue hair loose, stared coldly at Sarutobi Aoki with her white eyes. "If you want to win, don't be a burden."
"Who are you calling a burden?" Sarutobi Aoki did a kip-up from the ground, glaring angrily at her.
At that moment, the ever-silent Hyūga Rin stepped forward, placing himself in front of Motogin, his gaze indifferent as he stared at Aoki.
Nara Sōsai watched the scene unfold. "The three strongest are still over there, and our alliance is already having internal conflicts," he muttered. "Ah, I really want to forfeit." He looked up at the sky, speechless.
Hyūga Motogin and Hyūga Rin were siblings. Usually cold and quiet, they quickly withdrew their gaze from Aoki and fixed it on Heshu's trio.
"Our primary objective now is to eliminate them first," Hyūga Motogin declared, her eyes flickering as she looked at Heshu in his purple dress.
"Let's split them up," Nara Sōsai suggested. He scratched his spiky pineapple-like hair and turned to the good-natured Iwai Yūzu and Uehara Tame. "Yūzu, Tame, go talk to the other groups. See if they're willing to join us."
Their two groups had allied first because of the Hyūga siblings, but others might not be so willing.
"Okay!" The two girls nodded and headed towards the other groups.
Nara Sōsai then turned to the Hyūga siblings. "You two, go restrain Heshu."
"The two of us against just her?" Hyūga Motogin's face was a mask of disbelief.
Nara Sōsai rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Heshu's strength is the most unfathomable of all…" He then looked at the siblings with a grin. "Of course, you can choose not to listen to me. I don't really care about the ranking anyway!"
Hyūga Motogin snorted coldly and looked away.
Heshu caught the fighting spirit in the eyes of both Hyūga Motogin and Hyūga Rin.
"Heshu, be careful. They're coming for you," Shisui warned with a frown, watching the approaching pair warily.
As Shisui's words fell, Hyūga Motogin's eyes sharpened. She shot towards Heshu. Her palm cut through the air, whistling past his ear.
Heshu's dodge was too fast, too casual. It sparked shock in Hyūga Motogin's eyes. To fight against the bitter fate of the branch family, she and her brother had practiced like mad, their strength far exceeding their peers. Her palm strike had seemed soft, but it carried substantial force. Yet Heshu had avoided it so effortlessly.
She pushed off her toes, leaping high and whipping her leg down in an axe kick.
Heshu sidestepped, gathered force in his hand, and struck at a tricky angle, aiming directly for Hyūga Motogin's abdomen. He was motionless one moment, a blur the next. His speed was impossible to track.
Hyūga Motogin, who prided herself on her taijutsu, couldn't evade this punch at all.
"Tch!" She took the blow head-on, her body flying backward. Her expression turned grave as she stared at Heshu.
Seeing his sister at a disadvantage, Hyūga Rin pressed his lips together and stepped forward to engage Heshu himself. His strikes were faster than his sister's, every punch and palm slicing through the air with momentum.
Heshu didn't dodge. He met Hyūga Rin's fist directly with his own.
His physical body had been tempered by the system; it was on a level Hyūga Rin simply could not match.
Hyūga Rin gritted his teeth, straining to hold his ground, but still staggered back uncontrollably. A numb pain spread from his fist, as if he had just punched solid steel.
But how could Tsukimi Heshu—a boy who usually looked so delicate and soft—possess such terrifying physical toughness?
Heshu extended a hand, palm aimed at Hyūga Rin. "Let's have you exit first."
A beam of white light shot from his palm, too fast for Rin to react. In the blink of an eye, a lattice of frost exploded from where it hit his ankle. Solid ice rapidly spread, encasing his entire lower body in a frozen prison.
"What!" Hyūga Rin's brow furrowed. Uncontrollable panic flashed in his eyes. He tried to struggle, to move his legs, but the ice-sealed limbs gave no response.
"Brother!" Hyūga Motogin couldn't maintain her cold facade. Her small face was etched with anxiety.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
Read up to (40+ ) advanced chapters on Patre\on
Visit us here: patreon.com/GoldenLong
Happy reading, everyone!