Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

Shokui's assertion wasn't entirely baseless. Ye Zi's goal was, in Shokui's mind, pure delusion.

Ye Zi glanced indifferently at Shokui, then turned his head to look at the desolate land of yellow dirt, saying nothing.

The possibility of returning was zero, he had never even considered that. Since he had made it to this world, there had to be a way back.

Even if he couldn't return, even if his hopes might never be realized, if he didn't continue to hold onto those hopes, everything would come to a standstill.

As long as one doesn't give up, there is always a chance. But the moment you give up, all expectations and hopes truly become delusions.

Upon learning of Ye Zi's resolve, Shokui no longer bothered to conceal his thoughts. Being unable to return to the ninja world would mean the loss of all possibilities. Yet, he wouldn't feel anxious or despair because of it.

"In the end, you'll come crawling back to me," Shokui said with a hideous, terrifying expression, quite different from his usual demeanor, almost as if he had reverted to the creature Ye Zi first encountered.

"Just make sure you don't die before then. I wouldn't want to have to die alongside you."

One of the rules of their soul contract: live together, die together.

Ye Zi turned his head, his eyes narrowing like sharp needles as he stared at Shokui, and coldly said, "In that case, tell me how to break the contract."

Shokui snorted and said, "So you think you've found a way back and now want to discard me after enjoying all the benefits I've brought you?"

He let out a disdainful laugh and said casually, "It's too bad. If this were before, I might have had a way. But now? Forget it. As for why, I'm not in the mood to waste my breath explaining."

Ye Zi nodded slowly, his tone cold. "I wasn't expecting you to give me a way to break the contract. Just wait here and die."

Shokui's eyes turned icy. Though he remained silent, internally, he felt like a volcano on the verge of eruption. If not for the constraints of their soul contract, he might have considered taking Ye Zi down with him in that moment.

However, even without the contract, such a thought would only last briefly.

Better to live miserably than to die. For a being as grand as him to perish alongside a mere human would be laughable.

"Hopefully, I won't have to return here."

With that, Ye Zi formed a seal, and with a puff of white smoke, he disappeared.

Shokui silently stared at the smoke, watching it dissipate. Suddenly, he raised a massive arm and smashed it down onto the ground where Ye Zi had been standing. With a thunderous crash, dust flew everywhere, leaving a large crater in the ground.

Looking at the pit, which was half the size of his own body, anger filled Shokui's single eye. This shouldn't be his strength.

"Power… power…!"

He clenched his fist in frustration, his voice dripping with resentment.

After returning to the real world, Ye Zi climbed up the rock wall. With things resolved, exhaustion washed over him. Even though he wasn't a machine, he still needed rest.

Quickly returning to the base, Ye Zi headed straight for his room, collapsing onto the bed.

He was truly exhausted but had grown accustomed to pushing himself beyond his limits.

Ever since becoming a ninja, Ye Zi had been training day and night relentlessly. Thanks to his body's unique traits, he only needed a few hours of sleep a day. Sometimes, he could go days without sleeping, with minimal mental fatigue.

After spending three days completing the Phantom Dragon Nine Seal, there had been no break. He had gone straight to the base, and to allow Kotoe and Shin to rest, he had taken the night watch, which meant he still hadn't slept.

Once back at the base, he let Kotoe and Shin rest while he took care of his summoning beast business. Now that everything was settled, he was completely drained.

It was a simultaneous exhaustion of both body and spirit. He didn't feel any muscle soreness, but he had no strength left. The deep fatigue that had been pressing down on him before now overwhelmed him, crashing over his eyelids like a tidal wave.

It felt as though the moment he closed his eyes, he would fall into a deep sleep.

As his eyelids slowly shut, there was a strange feeling of tension finally releasing. It was slightly comforting, like setting down a heavy burden after carrying it for miles, sneaking a moment of rest before picking it up again.

It seemed that the hard wooden bed beneath him had, in a haze, turned into a soft mattress, much like the familiar feeling from day after day.

The room's bright light could not reach the corner where Ye Zi lay.

A deep darkness swallowed the light, enveloping his consciousness.

In the midst of this darkness, Ye Zi slowly opened his eyes. His body, like a feather, swayed from side to side, slowly descending.

His mind was fuzzy, with no sense of awareness. His expression was blank, and though he tried to adjust his body, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't. He could only fall, lying on his back, staring into the darkness above.

The vague thought of adjusting his position gradually faded with his hazy consciousness.

So tired...

Who knew how long he had been falling?

Sss...

A light came from behind, enveloping him in its embrace.

The blinding light overwhelmed his vision, and when it finally faded, a black room appeared before him.

"Hmm?"

Ye Zi's hazy mind slowly cleared.

He opened his eyes to find himself in a small, dimly lit room. A table covered in black cloth stood before him, with various paper effigies on top, and a censer holding three burning incense sticks.

On either side of the table stood a solitary wreath. On the wall above the table hung a rectangular picture frame, but the photo inside was obscured by a strange black void.

It looked as if someone had erased the image with an eraser, creating an eerie sense of unease.

Ye Zi couldn't help but frown, staring at the erased section, a strong urge to uncover the truth welling up inside him.

Why do I have this feeling?

A voice like a narrator echoed in his mind, but his body still strained to focus on the picture.

Whoosh...

A sound like an arrow slicing through the air.

The darkness surrounding the picture frame suddenly peeled away, revealing its true form.

Ye Zi stared at the photo in the frame, and in that instant, his body shattered into countless pieces of blood.

Gasp…

With no warning, Ye Zi bolted upright, his sudden movement startling Kotoe, who had been sitting at his bedside.

Ye Zi's eyes were wide, his chest heaving violently, and sweat drenched his entire body. It was as if he had been terrified by something horrific.

"Ye Zi, what… happened to you?" Kotoe's voice carried a hint of confusion. Ye Zi looked as if he had just woken from a terrible nightmare. It was the first time she had seen him in such a state of fear.

What puzzled her even more was the name Ye Zi had called out in his sleep.

Ignoring Kotoe's concerned questions, Ye Zi bent forward slightly, covering his face with one hand, eyes closed tightly. But as soon as he shut his eyes, he snapped them open again—whenever he closed them, the images he didn't want to see reappeared.

Sweat dripped from his damp, black hair, flowing down his trembling hand.

Realizing that it was just a nightmare, Ye Zi's breathing gradually slowed.

Was the nightmare triggered by his conversation with Shokui?

"How long did I sleep?" Ye Zi asked weakly, his head hanging.

"Three days..."

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Currently on Chapter 312 - Provoking The Leaf Shinobi