NOVEL NEXT Chapter 30: Promise Me!
Hui and Lightning were still running for their lives, sprinting toward Heichuan Lake with all their remaining strength.
"Hah! Hah! Hah!"
Lightning was gasping for breath. The intense effort of fleeing at full speed had drained his stamina, leaving his body aching and weak.
“Damn it! Light, how far behind are the enemy?” he asked, his pace slowing as exhaustion set in.
Hui felt a pang of frustration. His unique physique allowed him to absorb light and energy even at night, which made him nearly tireless.
But Lightning was different—he was a normal ninja, and the strain of the chase was pushing his body to its limits.
And the enemy was still closing in. They’d catch up soon.
“They’re about five hundred meters away,” Hui replied, not breaking his stride as he mentally scrambled for a way to escape their dire situation.
“Only five hundred? Damn it, I’m already running on fumes!” Lightning’s face twisted with frustration.
As he glanced at Hui, who was cutting a path ahead of him, determination flashed in his eyes.
"Light, you go ahead! I’ll stay behind and hold them off!" Lightning shouted, his voice resolute as he thought of Wind and Bear.
Hui didn’t even hesitate. "We’re a team. I’m not leaving any of my comrades behind to face death alone."
If he had been willing to abandon Lightning, he wouldn’t have circled back to reunite with him in the first place.
“Light, I’m at my limit. I can’t run anymore!” Lightning’s voice was strained, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Sweat mixed with the rain on his forehead, streaming down in rivulets.
“You’re faster and stronger than me. You’ve got a real chance to escape. Don’t worry about me, just go! Get out of here!” Lightning yelled, his steps faltering as he slowed to a stop.
He leaned heavily against a tree, his face pale as his chest heaved with the effort of trying to catch his breath.
Hui stopped too, rushing over to Lightning’s side. Without a word, he bent down, hoisted Lightning onto his back, and continued running.
Hui was only six—almost seven—years old, while Lightning was in his twenties. The sight of the young boy carrying a fully grown man on his back would’ve been almost comical in any other situation.
“Light?! Put me down! If you keep this up, we’ll both die!” Lightning shouted in frustration, unable to believe that he was now a burden.
“The enemy’s speed has dropped. Their sensor ninja must have gone after Bear, leaving this group without one. In this weather, it’s much harder for them to track us without that advantage,” Hui explained, his voice calm and steady even as he carried Lightning forward.
“Your stamina may be running out, but so is theirs. We’re being chased by one Jonin and eight Chunin. They’re getting tired too.
"I’ve altered our escape route. We’re heading toward Konoha, not the lake.
“Those scouts—on the night of Konoha’s New Year, they’ve likely been sent to strike from the rear of the battlefield, setting up a surprise attack on our forces.
“The farther we run in this direction, the less of a threat we’ll be to them. The longer we run, the higher our chances of encountering other Konoha ninja.
“The rain and fog might slow us down, but it’ll also wash away our tracks faster.
“If we find the right terrain, I can lose them completely.
“Lightning, trust me—I’m getting you back to Konoha.
“As long as there’s a sliver of hope, we can’t give up!”
Hui’s words were rapid and precise as if he had been analyzing the situation from the moment they first encountered the enemy.
Though not entirely certain, he believed his reasoning was close to the truth.
Lightning was stunned. He hadn’t expected this young boy to have thought through everything so thoroughly and come up with such a well-thought-out escape plan.
But… as impressive as Hui’s stamina and planning were, Lightning could hear the laboured breathing of the boy carrying him. Even Hui’s exceptional body was reaching its limits.
He had become a burden.
And then… Lightning finally understood why Wind and Bear had made such quick, resolute decisions to stay behind and face certain death.
They had done it to protect the future of the village.
With a sudden motion, Lightning stretched out his legs, forcefully pushing off of Hui’s back.
Caught off guard, Hui stumbled and fell, crashing to the ground, with Lightning landing beside him.
"Lightning?!" Hui exclaimed, confused as he scrambled to his feet. His mask had fallen off in the fall, revealing his young, delicate features.
"Light... or should I call you Mochizuki Hui? I had a feeling it was you," Lightning said with a knowing look as he stood up, brushing off the dirt.
“But I’ll stick with Light. It’s what I’m used to.”
"Your plan is solid. It really does give us a good chance of survival.
"But once you put me on your back, that chance drops to zero."
Lightning's voice was steady, though tinged with exhaustion. “I know you don’t want to leave me behind. But listen to me!”
His voice grew louder, more urgent. “Light, either you go ahead… or we both die.
"Don’t say that we’ll face it together. Wind’s sacrifice, Bear drawing away more enemies… he might already be gone. You can’t let both their sacrifice be for nothing!”
“Promise me. Leave me behind, okay? You have to live, Light. You must live.”
Lightning’s voice cracked, and for the first time, it held a note of pleading.
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