Chapter 71, Chapter Sixty-Nine
It was raining heavily when we left the empty area.
The dark sky seemed to press down heavily. The five people stood on a high place, and Xue, unusually, thought of Kakashi.
It seems that every time I met Kakashi in my youth, it was always during this period of continuous rain.
However, such a thought quickly passed through Xue's mind and she put it out of her mind.
She stopped thinking about anyone other than Sasuke and focused her gaze on the boy beside her.
Under a damp, cold, and gloomy sky, rain fell on the five people, even though they were wearing cloaks to keep them dry.
But the raindrops still soaked her hair and slid down her cheeks.
The young man with black hair had a handsome and refined face, but his expression was gloomy and cold.
Xue thought to herself, the fault wasn't with Sasuke or her, it was with the world.
It's the world that's wrong; the world itself has a problem.
-
Under the azure sky lies a lush and verdant forest.
"Let's split into five groups starting from here," Sasuke said.
Yuki nodded, then parted ways with the other four. Suigetsu, carrying the Executioner's Blade, kicked open the door of the Exchange Shop to gather information from Kakuzu's subordinates; Jugo, on the other hand, used the power of the Cursed Seal to communicate with animals and search for Itachi's whereabouts; Karin, who originally wanted some time alone with Sasuke, was sent to town by Sasuke to gather information.
Xue stood alone on a high point in the forest, concealing her chakra, and closely observed the few people sent by Konoha whom she had just discovered.
Naruto Uzumaki, the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan, and Tenzo of the Anbu.
And a Kakashi summoning ninja dog.
However, it seems that there are more than just these three people who have come.
Yuki keenly sensed Kabuto's chakra... and Orochimaru's—
As Xue listened to their conversation, she was surprised to learn that Kabuto had actually integrated Orochimaru's remains after Sasuke killed him into his own body.
It was unbelievable. Xue leaned against the tree, her gaze piercing through the gaps in the branches and leaves, landing on the blond, blue-eyed boy.
I briefly heard from Sasuke about Naruto's persistent pursuit of him and why he cared so much about Sasuke.
Instead of trying to understand why he left the village and the history of the Uchiha clan.
He doesn't seem like Minato-senpai at all; he's still just a kid.
Suddenly, a blinding white light swept in from afar, and Deidara's chakra particles instantly filled the air.
Xue frowned slightly. Did Deidara self-destruct? Who was he fighting? Sasuke?
Immediately afterwards, Sasuke's chakra aura disappeared from the air.
After noticing the three people under the tree leave, Xue set off towards the meeting point Sasuke had designated.
When she rushed over, she saw Sasuke covered in wounds, staggering out of the mouth of the giant snake, his hands weakly supporting him on the ground.
Xue stepped forward to help him up, and Sasuke leaned against her, breathing heavily.
The two people rushing towards them from afar were Karin and Jugo.
"What happened! Sasuke, your chakra suddenly disappeared. I thought something had happened." Karin's tone was somewhat anxious, but when she saw Sasuke's shirtless, scarred but still handsome appearance, she couldn't help but show a lovestruck expression, thinking that Sasuke was so charming even when he was injured.
It seems that Sasuke entered Manda's body to escape Deidara's self-destruction, using a space-time ninjutsu to flee to another dimension. This was a safety measure that Sasuke had agreed upon with Suigetsu from the beginning: after seeing the symbol disappear on Manda's summoning scroll, he could drip his blood on it and then summon Manda.
Yuki's gaze fell on the corpse of Manda beside her, but there were plenty of summoned beasts in Ryuchi Cave.
Manda, a summoning beast that looked down on Sasuke, was no big deal to die.
"However, how did you get into such a mess, Sasuke?" Suigetsu frowned deeply.
“It’s Deidara, right?” Xue said. Before setting off, Xue had explained the current composition of the Akatsuki organization to the members of the Snake Squad in detail.
"Well, although lightning is a good counter to this opponent, it's still a bit tricky," Sasuke replied.
"In that case, let's find a place to rest and recuperate," Shuiyue suggested.
-
The group found a place to stay at the Sunshine Station and checked into A Yue B&B.
Inside the room, Jugo bandaged Sasuke's wounds.
Xue sat next to Shuiyue, hesitating whether or not to reveal the pursuers sent by Konoha.
"Hmph, he kept saying he was going to kill Itachi, but now he's injured like this. How can he move?" Karin crossed her arms, her face full of disdain.
Shuiyue remained calm. He reached out and pulled Xue close, nuzzling his face against Xue's, who was lost in thought. He said, "Since that's the case, we can't move around for a while, so we might as well rest for a bit." He wished he could be alone with Xue; it had been so long since they had been intimate.
Karin, clearly annoyed, stepped forward and forcefully separated the two. Yuki, regaining her senses, smiled helplessly and then walked to Sasuke's side. Karin poked Suigetsu's forehead with her fingertip and shouted, "Weren't you, you weak kappa, resting the whole time?! Stay away from Yuki, don't let your disgusting chakra contaminate her!"
Shuiyue shifted her gaze away from Xue, feeling inexplicably annoyed.
She turned to Karin in front of her and retorted, "You're the one who didn't do anything at the Northern Outpost, so you have no right to talk to me like that."
"What do you mean? Do you want to fight?" Karin put her hands on her hips and looked down at Suigetsu, who was sitting on the ground.
Sasuke listened to the two bickering and put on the coat that Yuki handed him. He wrapped his arms around Yuki's waist, rested his forehead on her shoulder, frowned, and raised his voice slightly: "Stop arguing, Suigetsu, Karin." His voice was somewhat muffled as he asked, "Have you gathered any information about Itachi?"
"He's already covered in wounds, and he still has the nerve to put on airs," Karin muttered.
Xue shot her a sharp look, and Karin quickly shut up.
"We've gotten some information on those Akatsuki guys, but we don't have any concrete news about Itachi," Suigetsu replied slowly, leaning against the wall.
Karin spread her hands: "I haven't gotten anything from here."
Mizuki added, "However, those guys seem to be hunting down a specific person. Someone with special chakra."
"It's about capturing Jinchuriki, right? Back when I was with Akatsuki. I participated in such operations," Yuki said.
Sasuke lowered his eyes, and the image of Naruto Uzumaki appeared in his mind.
The cicadas outside the window kept chirping; it was the height of summer.
A small bird flew in through the window and landed on Jugo's shoulder.
"I confirmed the locations that Xue had mentioned earlier by talking to the animals."
"It is said that a powerful and terrifying chakra can always be felt around those strongholds."
"That's what the animals say."
"Hey, can animals, which are so lowly, sense chakra?" Suigetsu teased. "But maybe it's precisely because they're lowly that they can, just like Karin."
Karin suddenly stomped on Suigetsu's face, and Suigetsu's body exploded like water, with a few drops even splashing onto Yuki's face.
Xue remained silent for a moment, feeling annoyed for the first time by the endless arguments between the two.
As Jugo heard the animals being belittled, his pupils contracted, and the power of the cursed seal slowly spread from his shoulder.
He growled, "Murder, I want to kill..."
Suigetsu and Karin immediately stopped arguing, each grabbing one of the tall Jugo's arms, trying to stop Jugo's manic episode.
"Oh no, Jugo's murderous urge is about to kick in!" Karin shouted.
"Think of something quick, Sasuke!" Suigetsu was barely able to contain Jugo.
Xue felt a faint heat in her eyes. Before Sasuke could use his eye technique, she stood up and opened her Sharingan.
In the eyes of the black-haired girl were the same three-tomoe blood-red Sharingan as Sasuke's. This was the first time the other four had seen Yuki use her bloodline limit.
Although Xue knew from the beginning that the two were of the same race, she rarely took action.
After being briefly controlled by the Sharingan, the symbols on Jugo's cursed seal faded, and he returned to normal.
Jugo apologized softly, and Sasuke said, "Calm down, Jugo."
Xue opened her eyes again, her pupils now a deep black.
It seems Karin's chakra has taken effect within her, but using the Mangekyou Sharingan is still a long way off...
We also need some chakra from the Uzumaki clan.
Xue felt a strange sense of taking care of three children, she said, rubbing her forehead.
"You three, stop fooling around."
"Let Sasuke get some rest."
Jugo came over and gently laid Sasuke down so he could lie down and rest, and then tucked him in.
Mizuki lowered her voice slightly and glanced at Karin sideways: "It's all your fault for shouting like that."
“Aren’t you the same?” Karin retorted.
"Karin, what are you planning to do by constantly provoking me? I think I've said before that whether it's for my own purposes or because I agreed to let Yuki join the team, I don't intend to leave Sasuke." Suigetsu stood up and walked to Yuki, who was leaning against the window looking at the scenery.
Karin adjusted her glasses somewhat guiltily: "I... I didn't have any ulterior motives, I just simply don't like the look of you..."
“For me, I can’t live without Sasuke,” Jugo interrupted. “The only one who can replace Kimimaro is Sasuke. Sasuke said he would become my cage, just like before. The only one who can stop me from acting impulsively is Sasuke now. Not to mention Yuki’s existence, which gives me a second layer of insurance.”
Xue remained silent as the four of them watched Sasuke, who had fallen into a deep sleep, his chest rising and falling evenly.
No matter who leaves Sasuke, Uchiha Yuki will never leave Sasuke's side again.
Sasuke is her bond.
Xue lowered her eyes slightly, her gaze fixed on the handsome young man's face.
She will help Sasuke accomplish everything he wants to achieve.
Whether it's right or wrong.
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