Almost Choked to Death

In the blink of an eye, Narak snatched the Kunai from Yakumo, then kicked Ido away and pinned it to the wall. After that, Narak clapped his hands!

"All right, the nuisance is out of the way. Now, let's sit down and have a proper heart-to-heart!"

"Oh, right, Yakumo, hurry up and put Miss Kurenai down. What you're doing is completely disrespectful to your teacher!"

Naraku said sternly to Yakumo.

Yakumo's expression shifted back and forth. After struggling with herself for a while, she finally raised her hand and set Yūhi Kurenai down.

After all, she could see the current situation clearly. With Naraku here, there was no way she could kill Yūhi Kurenai on her own!

After Kurenai landed, she turned around and rubbed her slightly aching 36D breasts, cursing inwardly: Damn brat. Of all the places to tie me up, she had to bind me here—and so tightly, too. What if they got squeezed flat?

After straightening her slightly disheveled clothes, Kurenai turned around and looked at Yakumo.

"Yakumo, you said that the Third Hokage and I killed your parents and wanted to kill you too. What exactly do you know?"

Yakumo looked at Kurenai stubbornly. "Stop pretending. I heard your conversation with the Third Hokage on the roof of the Hokage's residence that day perfectly clearly. The two of you were secretly discussing killing me!"

"Yakumo, you've misunderstood. We..."

Hearing what Yakumo said, Kurenai immediately realized that she had misunderstood.

However, she didn't want to tell her the truth. If Yakumo learned the truth, it might traumatize her already fragile mind.

"Yakumo, could it be that you've forgotten some things yourself?"

"For example, what happened on the day your parents died. Do you still remember?"

Seeing Kurenai's hesitant expression, Naraku could no longer hold back. He spoke calmly.

"Naraku, please..."

Seeing that Naraku seemed to know the truth and intended to reveal it, Kurenai hurriedly spoke up to stop him.

"That's enough, Miss Kurenai!"

"Yakumo has to face certain things!"

"Running away won't solve anything. Only by facing reality and recovering the memories buried deep within her heart will Yakumo have any chance of destroying Idō. Otherwise, if she keeps avoiding it, Yakumo will eventually be devoured by the evil thoughts in her own heart!"

Naraku cut Kurenai off directly. At that moment, his expression was unusually stern!

"Naraku, what are you... What are you talking about? I..."

Yakumo stood to the side, looking utterly helpless, with no idea what she should do.

"Yakumo, listen to me. Think carefully about the day your parents died in the fire. I know this may be cruel for you, but there are some things you have to face!"

Naraku walked up to Yakumo, reached out with his left hand, and stroked her head, soothing her.

"That day... That day, I... I don't remember..."

Yakumo began recalling that day, but she seemed to be enduring tremendous pain. Her entire body began trembling uncontrollably as she burst into tears.

"Sigh!"

Naraku let out a soft sigh, sheathed his Zanpakutō, opened his arms, and pulled Yakumo into his embrace!

"It's all right, it's all right. Don't be afraid. I'm here with you. No matter what happens, I'll face it with you!"

Naraku gently patted Yakumo's back as he comforted her.

At that moment, the look in Kurenai's eyes as she watched Naraku became even stranger.

This guy's actually flirting with my student right in front of me? Is he deliberately flaunting their relationship in my face?

If the timing hadn't been so inappropriate, Kurenai definitely would have teased the two of them.

"Naraku, I..."

Yakumo, her face streaked with tears, looked up at Naraku as he comforted her.

"Trust me, and trust yourself too. You have to face your own heart bravely!"

Naraku nodded at Yakumo.

Yakumo pursed her lips. Naraku's words seemed to have given her tremendous courage!

"That day... That day, yes. Because of my condition, my parents were urging me to give up on becoming a ninja again. And then..."

"Ah, my head hurts..."

Yakumo suddenly clutched her head and cried out in pain!

"Hang in there, Yakumo. You're almost there. Don't give up!"

At that moment, all Naraku and Kurenai could do was cheer Yakumo on from the side. Everything else depended on her.

"Then... I remember now. Then... I was the one who killed my parents!"

"I caused the fire. I was the one who killed them!"

Just as Yakumo recovered her memories, one of the paintings in the studio began to change!

The entire painting had originally been gray, as though it had always been that way. But now, its surface slowly began to fade, washing away like flowing water and revealing the truth hidden beneath!

On the canvas, the entire Kurama clan was engulfed in raging flames, while Yakumo stood calmly before the burning buildings, completely unmoved!

After recovering her memories, Yakumo finally broke down and burst into tears!

At that moment, it was as though all the strength had been drained from her body. Unable to stand any longer, she collapsed limply into Naraku's arms!

"Go ahead and cry. You'll feel better once you let it all out!"

Naraku continued comforting her.

"However, Yakumo, you've gotten one thing wrong!"

"It wasn't you who killed your parents. It was that monster!"

Naraku pointed at Idō, who was pinned to the wall!

"Naraku, what exactly is that thing? Why is it inside my mind?"

Looking at the terrifying, hideous Idō, Yakumo fearfully shrank deeper into Naraku's arms.

"Its name is Idō. It's a monster born from the resentment that has festered in your heart for years. Of course, I prefer to call it an inner demon!"

"That thing was what killed your parents that day. It emerged from your body and murdered them!"

"Afterward, it remained hidden in your mind, devouring the resentment in your heart and growing stronger, until one day it completely consumed you!"

Naraku slowly explained Idō's origins.

"Exactly. That's also why I sealed your power!"

"I wasn't trying to seal your talent, much less crush your hopes of becoming a ninja. I did it to seal this monster. If I had let it continue growing, it would have devoured you long ago!"

"What I said to the Third Hokage that day wasn't about killing you either. The Third Hokage meant that we should do everything possible to kill Idō and ensure your safety!"

Kurenai came over to Yakumo, reached out, and stroked her small face. Seeing Yakumo crying so pitifully, Kurenai felt a pang of sympathy.

"Teacher Kurenai... I'm sorry. I've misunderstood you all this time!"

Yakumo sobbed as she threw herself into Kurenai's arms, apologizing to the teacher who had always helped her, despite being treated coldly because of Yakumo's constant misunderstandings.

Naraku remained silent at the side, allowing Yakumo to cry.

Some things had been bottled up in her heart for too long. A good cry was all she needed to release them.

After a long while, Naraku looked at Yakumo, whose emotions had gradually settled, and said, "All right, the misunderstanding has been cleared up. But there's still one final thing—and it's the most important thing—we haven't done yet!"