Chapter 222 The Next Time
After hurriedly helping Obito Uchiha recover from his injuries, Rin Nohara rushed to Haruko's side and counted all the wounds on her body, big and small. In particular, the horrific tear in her heart made Rin Nohara's heart clench.
She hastily wiped away her tears, calmed herself down, and began to heal Haruko's wounds.
Each time a wound heals, she silently reminds herself: This is a cut from a piece of gravel, this is a wound from being crushed by rocks while saving her, this is a wound from protecting her from injury...
One by one, they were all expressions of her self-blame and guilt.
If she had been more careful, if she had been more alert, if she had been stronger...
If Haruko hadn't gotten hurt, if she hadn't ended up like this after coming to save her...
Despite trying her best to suppress her tears, Nohara Rin couldn't help but sob when she saw Haruko's face, which was even paler and weaker than usual.
Even though Obito Uchiha had recovered and was forcing himself to stay by Haruko's side, Kakashi Hatake did not let go of Haruko's arms, stubbornly wanting to keep her with him.
Whether it's the body or fate.
You're the only Haruko I know, you can't just disappear...
It was a promise: I'll protect you, and you'll protect me...
But why is the truth...?
I failed to protect you, and you almost didn't have the chance to protect me either...
Don't leave me, Haruko...
...
Unending memories break the seal, and the past and reincarnation unfold before our eyes.
She came into this world, met the girl she formed bonds with, traveled back in time for the first time to protect Konoha, met the legendary Sannin, fought on the battlefield, and finally... died on the battlefield.
Fate is at work; all traces of existence are erased by history, and countless happy memories are sealed away.
The Uchiha coup forced her to return to the past, never imagining that this was already her second reincarnation.
She's been here for so long, and she hasn't done anything yet.
She doesn't have much time left.
...
"Haruko, are you awake?!"
Nohara Rin called out nervously and excitedly, carefully helping her up.
Haruko rubbed her temples, ignoring her sluggish brain, and asked anxiously, "Where's Obito? How is he?"
"Obito has fully recovered, but you, on the contrary, fainted. You scared me to death!" Nohara Rin complained, her voice filled with worry.
Haruko waved her hand dismissively and replied, "I'm fine."
She was about to stand up when she felt an undeniable pull from Nohara Rin. Nohara Rin pressed her back down and said in a harsher tone, "You need to rest!"
"But I have to go..."
"No buts!" Nohara Rin stared intently at her. "I've been watching you the whole time, so I know better than you do!"
Haruko was slightly taken aback. It was the first time she had seen Nohara Rin with such a strong attitude, which made her feel a little lost. She chose to sit obediently and stop struggling.
Nohara Rin's tone softened, tinged with a hint of pleading, "I'll always be watching over you, so... don't get hurt, Haruko."
Seeing the fear and unease in her eyes, Haruko raised her hand and pulled her into a full embrace, but because of her rather thin body, it looked as if she had delivered herself into Nohara Rin's arms.
Haruko gently patted her back, "Then I'll feel at ease under Rin's gaze."
It was as if a long-hidden secret had finally been acknowledged, and she could openly and brazenly follow her with her gaze. Nohara Rin's eyes welled up with tears again, and she embraced her unspeakable secret tightly.
"Did I disturb you?" Minato Namikaze walked over and handed them some rations. "Have some energy to replenish."
"Thank you, Minato-sensei." Nohara Rin took it first and then gently fed it into Haruko's mouth.
Haruko initially wanted to pull away from the embrace, but stopped at Nohara Rin's action. Just as she was eating her soldier pills, Nohara Rin hugged her again and sobbed in her arms.
Haruko smiled awkwardly at Minato Namikaze's gentle smile and patted her on the back.
"You've all worked hard this time," Minato Namikaze said in a soft voice, trying to comfort them.
Haruko couldn't help but glance at him a few more times. He had grown quite a bit taller, but his personality was exactly the same as when he was a child. It felt like he was just a little kid not long ago, and now he had grown up so much.
Noticing her scrutinizing gaze, Minato Namikaze asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing..." Haruko silently looked away.
What is this feeling of joy that comes from seeing your child grow up to be older than you?
Kakashi Hatake and Obito Uchiha had not yet returned from scouting the situation, so Haruko closed her eyes to rest and sort out her thoughts at Rin Nohara's insistence.
The purpose of returning this time is to reverse the bad relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha. Previously, I did not have a direct understanding of this, and I thought that it was just the Nine-Tails battle that made the Uchiha suspicious of each other, and therefore they harbored resentment towards Konoha.
However, based on the Uchiha's many years of life there, the estrangement from Konoha had already become a subtly established reality, and the Nine-Tails was merely a catalyst.
How to ease tensions between the two sides and further enhance their friendship is a difficult problem.
The known available resources and connections are:
The powerful clan leader of the Uchiha clan, Fugaku Uchiha, was his older brother from the third timeline. The Uchiha clan members also had a good impression of him and were able to provide him with support.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage who held sway over Konoha, was his older brother from his second playthrough. The legendary Sannin, the mechanical boy, and White Fang, all representative fighting forces of Konoha, were his friends.
Wait... why do I feel like I'm invincible?
Haruko frowned, shamefully banishing the thoughts from her mind.
Meanwhile, Nohara Rin, who was watching over her closely, tried to smooth her furrowed brows, but when she got close to Haruko's skin, Haruko suddenly opened her eyes.
"Um, I am..." Nohara Rin was startled and hurriedly tried to explain her actions.
Haruko gave her a strange look. "What's wrong with Rin?"
"No...it's nothing."
Rin Nohara's face flushed, and she unconsciously clenched her fists.
Ignoring her behavior, Haruko continued to sort out her plan.
In any case, she had to go back to find Fugaku Uchiha first. As far as she knew, no one in the Uchiha clan currently possessed the Mangekyou Sharingan, and there was no way to break the seal on the Nine-Tails.
Either the Uchiha clan was hiding something, or a member of the Uchiha clan possessed the Mangekyou Sharingan in the final stage, or... a defector Uchiha clan member possessed the Mangekyou Sharingan.
Haruko was scratching her head at this, since she had spent the first half of her life recuperating at home!
She sighed. As expected, these troublesome matters still had to be handled by the Uchiha clan head.
Kakashi Hatake and Obito Uchiha, returning from their reconnaissance, were moving through the dense forest in the distance. Before they even reached their campsite, they focused their attention on Haruko.
When he saw Haruko sitting up and talking to Rin Nohara, Obito Uchiha's face lit up with excited joy.
"Haruko!"
******
The list of recipients of gratitude as of April 8, 2024:
grateful--
Character summoning gifted by Bobo Ban Sauce
Yuan Sheng's activation gift: 2 love letters and 3 update reminder charms
K, the one who sent the update reminder charm
The bubble tea that Qing Moguang sent
A love letter delivered by a bird from the abyss, riding a Siberian bear.
Flowers sent by Elsil
Xiao Li Ya Ya, Tang Xiaoyu from the North, Li Luoxin, Huang, Yue..., Hongyi Xiangyi Saigao, the smoky and chaotic Gu Xiong, Gu Gongzi who loves scallion pancakes, Yuanjian Niao, Chuxia.Xingkong, the cat who loves to eat^o^, Liang Hong who loves sesame potato strips, Lin Laoji, Xuan Chun, Jin Xiula from Nanning, Sprite-flavored pig, .Healer. (Sent for love and energy)
Thank you so much for the gifts! The author is so touched! (Lin is being incredibly affectionate online! ★··)`′)
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