Chapter 31 Eyes Don't Lie
Night fell, but a blood moon rose into the sky. As he stepped into the unusually deserted streets, Uchiha Sasuke was still in a daze.
The air was thick with the suffocating stench of blood. His gasps and screams of terror echoed in every corner, but no one responded. Instead, they attracted only twisted and elongated humanoid monsters.
Snap! Snap!
Blood gushed out from all directions, flowing across the ground. Footsteps that hurriedly stepped on the ground were stained crimson, hurried and chaotic.
Even though his clothes were soaked with sweat and salty tears dripped into his eyes from his hair, he dared not stop, gritting his teeth in an attempt to escape this place that was supposed to be home.
"I killed them only to test my strength. As for you..."
Thunder and lightning roared through the sky, accompanied by a cold and extremely oppressive voice.
"You are too weak. You hate me, you despise me, and you cultivate to kill me..."
A hand emerged from the blood and grabbed his ankle tightly. As he was tripped and fell to the ground, crying out in pain, countless humanoid monsters pounced on him one after another.
"Only when you become powerful will you be qualified to be a tool for measuring my strength..."
Whispers, like curses, enveloped him, suffocating him. Black mud mixed with blood spread across his body, causing all the blood in his body to congeal.
As he closed his eyes for the last time, a blood-red kaleidoscope, merging with the full moon, swept over him.
Uchiha Sasuke woke up from a nightmare, panting heavily, clutching the white sheets tightly in his hands. The moment the movement aggravated his wounds, his senses returned.
He slightly raised his head, looked around the unfamiliar yet clean room, and then, combined with the bandage on his arm, confirmed that he was in a hospital.
It's not a dream...
Mom! Father!
"Hiss—" Uchiha Sasuke ignored the excruciating pain all over his body caused by forcibly getting up, threw off the covers, hurriedly put on his shoes, and rushed to the door.
He had barely peeked out when he heard the nurses whispering in the corridor.
"I heard that only that child was saved... I think he had an older brother?"
"His brother seems to be missing..."
"I never imagined that something like this would happen to a prestigious clan like the Uchiha..."
Uchiha Sasuke lowered his head, concealing all emotions in his eyes, but his clenched fists betrayed his inner turmoil.
Back in Uchiha territory, Sasuke walked slowly down the street, as if trying to memorize every detail of the place.
Every time he returned home, the lady at the pancake shop would greet him warmly, the owner of the grocery store would praise him as the hope of the Uchiha clan, and the owner of the vegetable shop where the tomatoes were delicious would often tease him...
All the living members of the tribe perished overnight.
The murderer he should hate, the one he should remember with a vengeance, the one he should spend his whole life seeking revenge against, turned out to be his own brother…
A heavy rain began to fall from the sky at some unknown time, and Uchiha Sasuke forced himself to walk step by step toward home.
...
Haruko trembled as she used her hands to support herself as she stood up. She roughly wiped her face, which was covered in rain and tears, with the back of her hand, and limped across the gate between life and death.
Damp, stifling, and chilly, the smell of blood mixed with the earthy scent after being washed by the rain felt like a giant hand gripping her throat. The closer she got to Uchiha Sasuke's house, the harder it was for Haruko Hayama to breathe.
She already knew the answer in her heart, but she was unwilling to accept it, until she arrived at Uchiha Sasuke's house and saw the familiar figure standing in the rain.
Haruko stopped in her tracks and murmured, "Sasuke..."
His previously numb body stiffened as he turned his head mechanically upon hearing the familiar voice calling his name. Rain streamed down Uchiha Sasuke's face, his voice heavy with emotion.
Silence and howling winds enveloped the world as they gazed at each other from afar in the torrential rain.
Time seemed to thicken, suffocating them with the unbearable reality. Raindrops pattered down, and they couldn't tell whether the water on each other's faces was rain or tears.
After a long while, Sasuke Uchiha's hoarse voice pierced through the vastness, "What are you doing here?"
Realizing he had asked a stupid question, Sasuke Uchiha turned his head away before she could answer, tracing the scene of the gate with his eyes.
Everything seemed unchanged, except that the lanterns swayed sadly in the wind and rain, their light gone, and the person who would light them in the dead of night and in the rain was gone.
The lantern that welcomed him home day and night will never light again.
Haruko walked to his side, took his cold hand, and said in a sorrowful but firm voice, "Sasuke, I'll stay with you."
"Accompany...?" Stung by the word, Uchiha Sasuke murmured almost inaudibly, "Who do you think you are..."
All the negative emotions she had been holding onto erupted at this moment. Haruko's hand was suddenly flung away, and before she could react, Sasuke Uchiha yelled at her.
"It's not like you've lost your family, it's not like your brother has defected, it's not like your entire clan has perished! What right do you have to look at me with pity, what right do you have to casually say you'll stay with me? I don't need your pity!"
"Sasuke, I just..."
"Stop being so noisy! Stop hovering around me. Has no one ever told you that you're annoying?!"
The piercing roar echoed in the rain, a pitiful fate of having lost everything and being left only to raise thorns against those who cared for them.
Seeing the hurt and caution in her eyes, Uchiha Sasuke wiped the rain off his face with his sleeve, blocking her gaze.
"Sasuke..." Haruko Hayama stopped speaking when she realized her voice was trembling.
She slowly raised her hands, placed them on either side of her ears, and covered them tightly to prevent any sound from escaping.
Sasuke Uchiha, who had been observing her actions, frowned and asked, "Are you looking down on me?"
Haruko Hayama, who had covered her ears, couldn't hear what he was saying, but judging from his expression, it probably wasn't anything pleasant. Haruko Hayama only spoke after he shut his mouth.
"Sasuke always says things that are infuriating, even though he doesn't really mean it..."
"Even now, her eyes are full of 'don't leave,' yet she's still saying things like 'drive me away.' I know, I know everything!"
"I won't leave! I want to stay with you!"
As if in response to his roar, Haruko Hayama shouted those words until her voice was almost hoarse.
Uchiha Sasuke stood there stunned, opening his mouth but unable to utter any more harsh words. He lowered his eyes, his whole being displaying a dejected air after venting his anger.
Voices can lie, but eyes can't, especially those eyes that were always glancing at her out of the corner of their eye, like Sasuke Uchiha.
The sound of light footsteps rang out, and Haruko stepped forward and hugged him again. Sasuke Uchiha could feel her shoulders trembling uncontrollably. Was it because the rain from the sky was too cold, or... was she also venting her helplessness?
Growing up is as painful as having your bones pulled out; a light drizzle falls on them as they support each other as they grow up.
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