NOVEL NEXT Chapter 57: Chapter 55: I Cried
The man continued, "We also went through what you're experiencing now. Severe injuries on the battlefield, no hope... But someone helped us, just like we did for you."
"I heard their words, but I couldn't shake the thought that they were too naive. In a ninja world full of deceit, people like them could easily be manipulated or taken advantage of. I nodded slightly, but inside, I maintained my wariness."
"For the next few days, I stayed with them. Although I kept my distance, we talked occasionally. They continued healing my wounds, slowly. There was something soothing about the way they spoke, especially the woman—her smile always felt genuine, as if she truly cared. But I didn't let myself trust too much."
"I still doubted their intentions."
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"One night, when the moon was high in the sky, I tried to access my chakra. It had been days since I felt the flow of energy that usually coursed through my body, and I wanted to make sure everything was alright."
"I sat cross-legged, took a deep breath, and focused my mind on sensing the flow of chakra. However, when I tried to gather my energy, the opposite happened—there was nothing. No vibrations, no warm flow from the core of my chakra circulation."
"I opened my eyes, panic slowly creeping into my thoughts. I tried again, this time with more focus, exerting all of my concentration. But the result was the same. Nothing."
"Impossible...," I muttered, my breath catching in my throat.
"As that reality started to sink in, fear began to grip me. Losing chakra, for a ninja, is like losing one's identity. If I couldn't access my chakra anymore, I might not be able to fight again—and that was as good as death."
"No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't feel my chakra. My efforts were in vain. The pain in my stomach—where the core of my chakra circulation should have been—kept haunting my mind. Slowly, a bitter truth began to seep in: I might never be a ninja again."
"This can't be happening...," I whispered into the stillness of the night.
"Kirigakure... The place where ninjas like me lived with pride. If I could no longer use chakra, there would be nothing left for me but shame and ridicule. I would be nothing more than a burden—a disgrace."
"In my despair, I cried. The tears I had held back for so long finally broke free. All the pain, sadness, and fear that had built up inside exploded, filling the space around me. No matter how hard I tried to hold it in, the tears kept falling, as if the entire world was collapsing with me."
"My crying woke up your parents, Aoki. Your mother was the first to come. She didn't say anything, just looked at me with eyes full of compassion. Without hesitation, she embraced me. Your mother's hug was so warm, so gentle, that I couldn't hold back my tears any longer."
"I cried in your mother's arms, perhaps for a very long time. I don't know how long I stayed in that embrace, but in that moment, the pain I felt lessened slightly. A sense of calm began to fill the emptiness in my heart."
"Eventually, I fell asleep, still sobbing in your mother's arms."
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"The next morning, I woke up with swollen eyes and a body that felt lighter. Your mother quickly approached me with a worried expression. She asked me many things, but I could only respond with a small smile, though tired."
"I'm alright," I replied softly, trying to reassure her. Though the sense of loss was still there, strangely, my heart felt a little warmer. For the first time in a long while, I felt like someone genuinely cared.
"A few days passed, and finally, your parents offered something surprising: did I want to go with them to Konoha? The question left me stunned."
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