"Sand Waterfall Funeral"
"Ahh!"
Blood sprayed like rain, yet not a single drop touched Gaara. He seemed to have foreseen everything and had picked up the umbrella belonging to the Rain ninja beforehand.
As the umbrella opened, it perfectly blocked the bloody downpour.
It was as if he had carved his defiance in stone — no one could ever change Gaara, not by word nor by blade.
He would forever remain unchanged.
"There's no need to feel pain anymore."
"Because of my strength, they no longer need to suffer any pain."
"The rolling sands soaked in the blood and tears of the dead..."
"...Will grant Asura (a deity of war) even greater power."
Even watching the monitor, Iruka felt an indescribable terror.
What had this boy endured?
Even though the Chunin Exams allowed fights to the death, and among ninjas, killing was normal.
Had it not been Gaara fighting back, those Rain ninjas might have treated him even more cruelly.
In that sense, Gaara simply acted at the right time, in the right place, and at the right moment.
But because of his words and that cold, abyss-like gaze, Iruka couldn't calm himself.
Returning to his senses, Iruka looked at Shiki. "Shiki, Yuuma, Seiji — if you face Gaara as an opponent, surrender immediately."
Chapter 137: Clan Symbol
"C'mon, don't worry. I really know how to think things through. Teacher, do you think I'd do something reckless without thinking?"
"You will do something reckless," Iruka nodded firmly. He thought to himself, you don't just do reckless things — you never seem to stop doing them.
"Teacher, you're always so straightforward." Shiki shook his head. The group had already reached outside the room, where Iruka stopped and handed them three different keys.
It seemed he had no intention of entering.
Shiki waved his hand slightly, almost as if surrendering. "Fine, if I do get into real trouble, I'll actually listen for once. You're not planning on coming inside for a chat, are you? Looks like you've got a mission. So don't worry about us — we're pretty strong too."
Sighing heavily, Iruka finally spoke. Deep down, he knew full well that Shiki wouldn't give up easily. Though outwardly he appeared to be the most reasonable person around.
When Shiki truly dug in his heels, no one could stop him.
"Teacher, life's got all kinds of possibilities. Although we don't necessarily need to try everything out, there are always some paths we personally want to explore. Otherwise, what would that leave us with? Regret?"
As he spoke, Shiki unsheathed his Seiquan Sword — still bearing the deep scar from where Sasuke had bent and shattered it.
"Just like my sword. It's broken, yet I haven't given up on it. Its journey will continue. And if I ever really got into trouble, you guys would surely stand by me, right? So why should I worry about the consequences?"
Shiki spoke calmly. Only the sharp gleam flashing across the broken blade with each movement betrayed a sharper edge within.
What Shiki meant was that in the original story, Tenten or Lee would get into danger.
Master Guy would usually rush forward to stop him.
But when these words reached Iruka's ears, they made him think more deeply.
Never give up, no matter what happens?
"All right, sensei, if you've got other things to do, feel free to leave. Don't worry about us," Shiki said, walking through the door with Seiji and Yuuma trailing behind him.
Although they had been assigned to three separate rooms, if they each simply returned directly to their own room from the beginning, they probably wouldn't feel like teammates at all.
"Okay, Shiki," Iruka nodded. Then he watched as Shiki closed the wooden door.
Creak.
Suddenly, instinctively, he stretched out his hand to block the closing wooden door.
"Shiki, even though you really do look like you deserve a good beating, well… after the Chunin Exams, I think I'll have quite a long vacation. How about I accompany you to meet Tsunade-sama then? You might not know who Tsunade-sama is, but she's the best medical ninja in the Ninja World. With her help, you'll definitely be healed."
A bright smile appeared on Iruka's face, as if he had painted a beautiful future for Shiki.
But Shiki felt somewhat awkward. Hayate-sensei and Kakashi-sensei had both already talked to him about this. And now even Iruka-sensei was saying the same thing.
Yet, seeing the smile on Iruka's face, he couldn't bear to interrupt.
"All right then, sensei. We've got a deal. But if anything comes up by then, please don't take it the wrong way, sensei."
"Take it the wrong way about what?" Iruka asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Just some minor issues. Anyway, sensei, you should get to your other work now." With that, Shiki pushed Iruka out the door and shut it.
Standing in front of the door, Iruka scratched his head, unable to figure out what Shiki meant, no matter how hard he tried. Could it be that Shiki was just so excited about the possibility of healing his body that he reacted this way?
The moment the door shut, Yuuma's voice rang out from behind.
"Brother, I've gotta say, your popularity never stops amazing me. I'd even suspect that if you were left alone in the forest, even fierce tigers would worry whether you're okay or not."
"Really?" Shiki seemed surprised, but he didn't focus his gaze on the room.
Instead, he stared out the window through the glass, his eyes slightly moist.
Damn it.
He was supposed to be a man.
How could he get emotional over something like this?
Thinking this, Shiki forcibly held back the tears gathering at the corners of his eyes.
In truth, what truly matters to a person isn't necessarily what others have done for them, but rather, when they have been hurt or faced danger, there are always people who care about them and offer their support.
Externally, the tower looked somewhat old and run-down. But inside, its facilities remained clean and tidy.
In one of the offices, Hiruzen Sarutobi was smoking, seemingly troubled by Orochimaru's recent reappearance.
He'd already seen Anko Mitarashi off—what a hotheaded woman she was. Even after becoming a Tokubetsu Jonin (Special Jonin), she still acted like a kid sometimes.
Actually planning to confront Orochimaru alone—what if Orochimaru simply decided to run away?
Even I wouldn't be able to hold him back, would I? And after all these years, who knows just how much stronger he's become. After all, he was the student I was most proud of back then. Search for BookHelper's official website: www.kanshuzhushou.com — Enjoy lifetime access to millions of popular books completely free of ads!
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