bookbashuk Page 126
Page 126
“It’s gone.”
Even as an adult, Sasuke kept his head down, his voice as soft as a feather.
Yet it weighed as heavily as a thousand pounds, each word imbued with icy despair and a profound loneliness.
"When I was...very young..."
He paused, as if using all his strength to utter the last half of the sentence: "...is already gone."
These words almost exhausted all his courage and drained all his strength.
His tall, straight body swayed almost imperceptibly.
Fugaku listened quietly, without any surprise on his face.
Only a heavy, as if foreseen sorrow settled in his deep eyes.
He silently looked at his son, who was taller than him but carried the heavy burden of his family's past.
The missing arm, the unfathomable eyes, the loneliness etched into the very marrow...
Everything has an answer.
"……Really."
Fugaku's voice was low and hoarse, carrying a weariness that transcended time and space, and a deep heartache.
He didn't ask "How did you die?", nor "Are you in pain?", and offered no pointless words of comfort.
All language seems inadequate at this moment.
He slowly took a step forward and raised his broad, weathered hand, marked by time and strength.
No hesitation, no hesitation.
That hand, belonging only to the father, carried the deep, unspoken power and warmth of the Uchiha clan.
It landed steadily and powerfully on the taut left shoulder of adult Sasuke, a shoulder that seemed to bear the weight of the entire world.
"Thanks a lot."
Only four words.
Yet it seems to contain a thousand words, transcending the barriers of time and space.
It pierced the boundary between life and death, landing heavily on Sasuke's heart, which had been cold for decades.
The warmth emanating from that hand felt like a scalding brand.
It pierced through the cold fabric and hard muscles in an instant, severely burning Sasuke's soul.
He suddenly raised his head, his dark eyes clearly exposed to Fugaku's gaze for the first time.
It was no longer a bottomless ancient well, but a lake surface like a giant rock that had been thrown in.
It was surging with shock, disbelief, resentment that had been forcibly suppressed for decades, and a vulnerability that was on the verge of collapse!
His body trembled violently, like a young animal shivering in the cold wind.
Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she just bit her lower lip hard and tasted the metallic sweetness of rust.
He forced himself to stand firm, forcing himself to meet his father's deep, tolerant gaze, filled with endless sorrow and understanding.
The moonlight silently filled the Japanese-style room, elongating the shadows of the father and son as they gazed at each other in silence, casting them onto the pristine white walls.
One stood tall and straight as a mountain, its hand resting firmly on the shoulder of another equally tall but slightly trembling man.
A glint flashed in his eyes, but deep within them surged a monstrous wave.
The air was filled with silent grief and an indescribable solace that came decades too late.
Final update, goal achieved! Begging for your support, brothers! Please recommend! (。?ω?。)ノ?
Chapter 143 Departure! Heading to the Land of Snow
In the early morning at Konoha Port, the thin mist had not yet completely dissipated, and the air was filled with the salty smell of the sea breeze and the deep roar of ship engines.
The massive passenger and cargo ship "Snow Night" is moored beside the pier, its thick cables tightly secured to the mooring posts.
The crew members and various photography equipment and prop boxes are being carried onto the ship in a tense but orderly manner via the gangway.
Director Kafka Hibino held a script with curled edges, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
While directing the scene, he repeatedly checked the list, his chubby face filled with anxiety.
"Naruto-kun! Sasuke-kun! Sakura-san! Over here!"
Seeing the three members of Team 7 arrive on time, Asama Santayu, as Fujikaze Yukie's manager, quickly greeted them, "Where's Mr. Kakashi?"
"Kakashi-sensei said he would be there shortly."
Sakura answered, her gaze sweeping across the crowd boarding the ship, before settling on the two figures beside Naruto—
Shirou Emiya, dressed in a long robe with a stand-up collar and a cool demeanor.
And that blond-haired, blue-eyed boy who looks just like Naruto, "Emiya Boruto".
She frowned slightly, but didn't say anything more.
Naruto, looking full of energy, grinned at Santayu: "Don't worry, Manager! With us here, we'll make sure Miss Kazeyuki is safely delivered to the Land of Snow for filming!"
"Then I'll leave it to you all!"
The third husband nodded gratefully.
On the other side, director Kafka was checking the roster, muttering to himself: "Actors, props, cinematography... Hmm, Ms. Fujikaze Yukie... still in the dressing room... Okay, everyone's here! Ready to set sail!"
With a long, drawn-out whistle, the "Yukinomaru" slowly departed from Konoha Port, cleaving through the azure sea and heading towards the distant north.
The ship had a lot of space, but with so many crew members and equipment, it felt a bit crowded and noisy.
The seventh class and the two "travelers" were seated near the bow of the ship, where they had a good view.
Naruto excitedly leaned on the gunwale, watching seagulls chase the waves at the stern and feeling the sea breeze on his face.
Young Sasuke crossed his arms, closed his eyes to rest, as if everything around him was irrelevant.
Sakura took out her medical notebook and quietly began to read it.
The adult Sasuke leaned against a pile of tool boxes, his black figure almost blending into the shadows.
After all, as someone who's been through it all, he knows what he'll be facing next, but he doesn't intend to tell anyone else.
One reason was to prevent Urashiki from noticing the change in the course of history and thus pinpointing Naruto's location.
On the other hand, with him around, those people, including the ruler of the Snow Country, posed no threat whatsoever.
If the other party dares to go too far, he wouldn't mind sending them a taste of Amaterasu to test their limits.
Boruto sat next to Naruto, chatting with him casually, but his eyes kept glancing at the silent "master".
After all, since Fugaku called him over for a chat yesterday, the adult Sasuke's expression seemed to have softened a lot.
He used to have a poker face all the time, and his expression would only soften when he was facing Sarada or Aunt Sakura.
As a result, since yesterday, he has had a faint smile on his face, making Boruto think that Sasuke has been possessed.
As noon approached, the sunlight became quite glaring. Suddenly, a commotion arose in the cabin area.
"Where is this?! Let me off! Who gave you permission to bring me onto this ship?! San Taifu! Come out here and explain yourself!!!"
A sharp, angry female voice pierced through the noise on the deck, filled with the panic of being fooled and hysteria.
Fujikaze Yukie suddenly pushed open the cabin door and rushed out.
She was still wearing her silk pajamas, and her long black hair was disheveled.
His face showed a mixture of bewilderment from just waking up and immense anger.
She looked at the boundless blue sea around her and at the busy crew on the ship.
He instantly realized his predicament, and his face turned deathly pale with anger.
"Feng... Miss Feng Xuehui! You're awake?"
The manager, Santayu, scrambled over, her face plastered with a fawning smile: "Please let me explain. The filming schedule has changed at the last minute. The weather in the Snow Country is perfect, so in order to meet the deadline, therefore..."
"So you used illusion magic to knock me unconscious and tie me to the boat?!"
Feng Xuehui trembled with rage, pointing at San Taifu's nose, her voice so shrill it almost pierced eardrums: "This is kidnapping! I'm calling the police! I want to get off the ship! Now! Immediately!"
"Miss Fengxue! Please calm down! We've already signed a contract, which states that you are obligated to cooperate with the production crew's schedule..." San Taifu was sweating profusely with anxiety.
"I don't care about any contract! I want to get off the ship right now!"
Feng Xuehui was completely unreasonable, like a spoiled child, stomping her feet angrily and even trying to rush towards the side of the ship.
"Tsk, here we go again."
Sakura watched the farcical scene unfold and couldn't help but facepalm, muttering under her breath, "That temper... it's even more irritable than a summoning beast."
Naruto shook his head speechlessly: "How come this kind of person hasn't been beaten to death yet..."
He simply couldn't understand this extremely self-centered personality.
If he dared to do that, his father inside him would probably double his training volume.
Although young Sasuke had his eyes closed, the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, clearly indicating that he had also heard the commotion from the other side.
Agent Santao finally gave in, his face contorted in despair as he waved helplessly at the staff beside him: "Forget it, let her go. The ship has already set sail, and she can't jump into the sea and swim back anyway."
He turned towards Team 7 and overheard Naruto's mutterings, letting out a helpless sigh.
A wry smile, almost indulgent, appeared on his face: "There's nothing I can do, Naruto-kun. Kazekage-san... although she has a bit of a temper and a bit of a willful personality, but..."
Upon hearing this, director Kafka's eyes instantly lit up: "Absolutely! Her acting! It's a true miracle! A treasure bestowed by heaven!"
"The moment the camera is pointed at her, she transforms into the soul of the story! That radiance, that infectious energy, is enough to make you forgive all her little flaws!"
"For the sake of perfect cinematic art, we'll tolerate this little temper tantrum!"
Seeing the director's obsessed expression of "sacrificing everything for art," the three members of Class 7 twitched at the same time.
His face was etched with the words "incomprehensible".
The adult Sasuke, in the shadows, glanced indifferently at the actress who was jumping up and down in anger on the deck.