Haruki and his group, after a long journey, arrived at Amegakure.
Amegakure was still as it was when they left. Broken walls, crumbling ruins, and empty. Despite this, the Ame ninjas’ eyes turned red. No matter how dilapidated Amegakure was, it was a sacred place in their hearts. After all, this was the homeland they had sacrificed their lives for.
Haruki dismounted his broom. He had no special feelings for Amegakure. Besides, Amegakure was extremely broken. But his expression was more agitated than anyone else’s.
This was the brilliance of his acting!
Even with a heart that was extremely still and completely unperturbed, his eyes revealed a deep longing for Amegakure.
Haruki’s agitated appearance fell into Hanzo’s and the others’ eyes.
Hanzo’s eyes softened. No matter how strong Haruki was on the battlefield, it couldn’t hide the fact that he was still a youth.
"Sensei! We’ve finally returned home." Tears shimmered in Haruki’s eyes.
He looked up, gazing at the dilapidated Amegakure before him.
Home. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel fire.net
Hanzo’s heart stirred. His gaze shifted from Haruki to Amegakure.
His eyes softened, and he couldn’t help but say, "Yes, we’re home."
A chilling aura surged outward from Haruki. Hanzo’s eyes narrowed, his muscles tensed, and his vigilant gaze swept around him.
Noticing the purple vortex swirling around Haruki, he realized something, and his gaze turned to Haruki.
Haruki gave him a smile and said, "Sensei, I want to bring them home."
His words made Hanzo pause. The Ame ninjas, who had been extremely vigilant, also stiffened simultaneously.
A deathly silence fell.
Under everyone’s gaze, a giant claw extended from the vortex. Then, the entire massive body followed.
A terrifying aura enveloped the entire village. A chill rose from the Ame ninjas’ feet, gradually spreading throughout their bodies. They stared intently, fixated on the massive monster. They recognized the monster before them. They had witnessed the birth of this monster with their own eyes.
Even knowing that the monster was born from the bodies of their deceased comrades, it still couldn’t stop their fear of the monster. The aura on the monster was too ominous, they had never seen such a bizarre existence.
However, unlike their fear, Haruki looked at the behemoth beside him with no fear, only closeness. He reached out and gently stroked the monster’s body, which was enveloped in black mist.
"Haruki, protect Haruki..."
The monster let out roars from its mouth.
With Haruki’s soothing, the monster gradually quieted down.
Tears shimmered in Haruki’s eyes, and a smile appeared on his face. "Ame, we’re home. Do you remember? This is our home."
Hanzo’s heart contracted, and the vigilance in his eyes gradually dissipated.
Yes, he had witnessed with his own eyes how this curse was born, hadn’t he?
This curse was the ninjas of Amegakure who had died on the battlefield.
"Peace has come, there will be no more wars, we are home." Tears overflowed from Haruki’s eyes.
A hand rested on Haruki’s shoulder. Haruki turned his head slightly, meeting Hanzo’s pained gaze.
[System detected Hanzo’s affection value +5000]
[Your Love Curse growth value has risen to 18.8%]
Haruki gave Hanzo a tearful smile and said, "Sensei, I’ve brought everyone back to Amegakure."
Hanzo’s eyes stung, he took a deep breath and nodded. "Mm."
[System detected Yekichi’s affection value +1000]
[System detected Minami’s affection value +1000]
[Currently collected affection points totals 32000. Your Love Curse growth value has risen to 22%]
The Ame ninjas looked at the figure beside Haruki.
How could they feel afraid?
That was their comrade. That was the comrade Haruki had never forgotten. Haruki had never forgotten to bring them home.
"With Haruki... home..."
The curse’s voice echoed in everyone’s ears.
Haruki looked at the curse stubbornly repeating a few words, and silently sighed in his heart.
Although he did have the idea of using it to gain emotional value, he had also brought it home.
The purple vortex swallowed Ame’s figure once again. The chilling aura that had enveloped everyone gradually disappeared.
The Ame ninjas subtly let out a sigh of relief. Although they knew how the curse was formed, the pressure brought by the curse was too strong. This was a physiological reaction they couldn’t control.
As Hanzo led the way deeper into Amegakure, Haruki gradually noticed signs of human presence. It seemed Amegakure was not entirely empty after all.
Crows flapped their wings, flying high above Amegakure. No one would actively drive away an ordinary auspicious bird. The crow’s black pupils rotated, taking in all the figures hiding behind broken walls and rubble.
An old woman hiding behind the broken wall covered her granddaughter’s mouth. They were refugees who had gone to Amegakure to search for food while the Ame ninjas were out fighting. They knew the risk of doing so was high, but they had no other choice. Either they went to Amegakure to steal food, or they starved to death.
Unexpectedly, before they could take the food out, the Ame ninjas returned. If they were discovered by the Ame ninjas, she and her granddaughter would surely not survive.
She was already extremely old and was just skin and bones. If she died, she died, but her granddaughter was only five years old. Her granddaughter couldn’t die yet.
Besides them, there were other refugees hiding in other secluded corners.
Listening to the Ame ninjas’ approaching footsteps, the refugees’ hearts were about to leap out of their chests.
Beads of sweat appeared on Aoi’s (the granddaughter) palms. The round bread in her hand slipped, falling from her palm and rolling down the rubble-strewn slope towards the center of the path.
Aoi’s pupils dilated.
She subconsciously chased after the bread.
When the old woman was momentarily unaware, her granddaughter had already broken free from her hand.
The old woman hadn’t eaten for a long time, how could she hold down her granddaughter?
The old woman’s pupils constricted, as if she had fallen into freezing water. She knew they were about to be discovered.
Aoi stubbornly chased after the bread. A hand landed on her bread. Aoi’s steps halted. Her gaze shifted to the owner of that hand.
Haruki picked up the dusty bread in his hand, carefully brushed off the dust, and handed the bread to the little girl.
Aoi froze, she stared blankly at the older brother with the brilliant smile before her.
The Ame ninjas frowned, their vigilant gaze falling on Aoi.
Under their knife-sharp gaze, Aoi shrank her neck, not daring to reach out, and timidly looked at Haruki.