Naruto: I Have Cursed Spirits!

Shiyu and the other two finally realized what kind of misunderstanding they had fallen into. Their worries all came from the perspective of adults.

But for Shiratori, a child, weren't those very issues his biggest concerns?

Because his power was too strong, too uncontrollable, he developed fear and rejection toward his own strength.

Afraid of becoming an outcast among people.

Wasn't that exactly how a child would think?

No one knew how the former Shiratori had survived on his own.

"How could we possibly be afraid of you?"

In the middle of the rain, Shiyu placed a hand on Shiratori's head and gently rubbed it.

He looked up at the rare blue sky after the rain in Ame and said with some emotion: "We're lucky to have met you! Without you, we'd have died long ago. You're not a harbinger of disaster, you're the lucky star of our village."

"The cursed spirit is your power. You haven't used it to hurt anyone, in fact, you saved us," Kuroi earnestly explained to Shiratori.

"Maybe that cursed spirit is actually your bloodline limit!"

Mizukusa joked, "That's a power we all dream of having!"

Her words meant to cheer up Shiratori made both Kuroi and Shiyu seriously consider the possibility that his power was indeed a bloodline limit.

"Really?"

Shiratori looked at them anxiously.

All three nodded immediately.

"Of course it's true!" the three spoke in unison.

Shiratori pressed his lips together. His eyes shone with fire as he promised, "Then I'll save even more people! I'll protect more people! I won't let anyone hurt you!"

The hearts of the three adults warmed at his words.

Suddenly, the sound of dense footsteps came from a distance. Mizukusa and the others instantly became alert.

Kuroi glanced at them and said, "I'll go take a look."

Mizukusa and Shiyu had to stay behind to protect Shiratori. They both understood what he meant.

"Be careful," Shiyu reminded him.

Kuroi nodded, and in a flash, disappeared from their sight in a few swift leaps.

Shiratori asked worriedly, "He won't be in danger, right?"

Shiyu comforted him, "Don't worry."

Though he said that to reassure Shiratori, the worry in his heart didn't lessen at all.

Seeing that Kuroi hadn't returned, both Shiyu and Mizukusa felt heavier with anxiety. The two shielded Shiratori by their sides, alertly watching the direction from which the footsteps came. Judging from the sound, there were many people.

Let's hope it wasn't ninjas from Suna.

"Shiyu! Mizukusa!"

"Hanzō-sama has arrived!"

Kuroi's excited voice exploded like thunder.

Shiyu and Mizukusa were shocked. They immediately stood up and looked toward Kuroi, who leaped out of the bushes. Behind Kuroi, Hanzō appeared, leading hundreds of ninjas, in front of Shiyu and Mizukusa.

At last, Shiyu and Mizukusa could breathe a sigh of relief.

"Hanzō-sama!" they shouted.

"Shiratori!"

A panicked voice rang out.

A dark figure flashed by.

Chiba appeared in front of Shiratori.

He grabbed Shiratori's shoulders with both hands. "Why are you here? Weren't you in the tower?"

Hanzō's gaze swept over the blood and corpses on the ground, then fell on Shiratori. He asked in a deep voice, "Who brought him to the battlefield?"

If anything happened to Shiratori on the battlefield, it would be the greatest loss to Ame.

He even began to suspect whether the person who brought the boy here was really an Ame ninja.

Do they not understand how important Shiratori is to the village?

There was silence.

Then Shiratori raised his hand. "I came on my own."

Chiba frowned. "Nonsense! Do you know what kind of place this is? This is a battlefield! Do you know how dangerous it is?"

Just as he finished speaking, his eyes swept across the thick layers of dried blood and scattered corpses nearby, and his gaze tightened.

A scene like this must have traumatized Shiratori quite a bit.

"I know," Shiratori nodded.

"You knew, and you still came?"

Chiba's tone was harsh.

Standing nearby, Shiyu couldn't bear to watch anymore and took a step forward to speak up, but Mizukusa quickly grabbed his arm.

Mizukusa shook her head at him.

"I wanted to save everyone," Shiratori said softly.

His words made Chiba's anger suddenly freeze.

Chiba took a deep breath.

"When the war is over, we'll bring the wounded ninjas back. At that time, you can help save everyone."

His tone was still stern, but much more tempered now.

Shiratori lowered his head. "But what about the ones we can't bring back?"

Chiba opened his mouth but didn't speak.

Shiratori's voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough for everyone to hear:

"I want everyone to go home. I don't want to leave anyone behind."

Chiba fell silent.

Wasn't that just a child's naivety?

Only a child could have such pure and innocent thoughts.

But if there was war, there would be casualties.

That was an unchangeable reality.

"What happened here?" Hanzō asked, looking at Kuroi.

Kuroi recounted everything in detail for Hanzō.

While Kuroi was speaking, Shiratori continued treating wounded ninjas, earning gratitude points.

[Multiple Gratitude sources detected]

[Total accumulated: 8,000 points]

[Energy transferred to Smallpox Deity]

[Development progress: 54.8%]

When Kuroi spoke about the cursed spirit bound to Shiratori, Hanzō furrowed his brows.

"Shiratori is very afraid of his cursed spirit. He can't control it. He always thinks he'll hurt those around him and be rejected..." Kuroi spoke while watching Shiratori treating the injured with a heart full of sympathy.

Hanzō looked at Shiratori and recalled his own past.

They were so alike!

When he was a child and had the poison sac of a salamander implanted in him, he too couldn't control the poison and was rejected by the villagers.

But later, through his own efforts, he earned the villagers' trust and the loyalty of fellow ninjas.

He believed that Shiratori, like him, would gradually learn to control his power and become a strong ninja worthy of being followed.

[Reminiscence detected: Hanzō +5000 points]

[Energy transferred to Choso]

[Development progress: 23%]

Shiratori's lips twitched subtly.

Was Hanzō... getting sentimental about his childhood again?

After healing all the seriously injured ninjas, the Smallpox Deity had reached 58.5%.

He had used an enormous amount of cursed energy today, but luckily, leveling up his spirit also increased his energy reserves.

Otherwise, his cursed energy would've been completely drained by now.

"Shiratori?"

Chiba furrowed his brows and caught Shiratori's falling body.

Shiratori blinked slowly and said, "I... I'm fine... I still have to keep healing..."

Chiba responded firmly, "Do you even know how many people you've healed today? No more! You need proper rest first!"

He carried Shiratori on his back.

"Nisan..."

Shiratori's head rested on his back, and in a voice only the two of them could hear, he softly called out.

Chiba froze. His eyes suddenly welled up with tears, and he quickly lowered his head and blinked rapidly to force them back.