Hyuga Rei felt that something was wrong. Her gaze swept over the enemies present.
"! One's missing!"
She suddenly realized that her vision on the right had gone blurry. A thin mist of Chakra was blocking her sight.
And that was where Chishima Tsurume was.
"Miss Tsurume, be careful! He's over there with you!"
The warning came first. A gust of wind followed close behind.
In the thick fog, Shikamaru crept closer without a sound, the short blade in his hand gleaming with the murderous glint in his eyes.
"!" Chishima Tsurume belatedly turned around. She wanted to dodge, but her body refused to move.
"Look out!"
In that instant, time seemed to stop.
Before the blade could reach her, memories of Chishima Tsurume's life came rushing back. The moments of her past, every little thing from her fifteen years of life, replayed before her eyes.
The shadow of death fell over her. The girl didn't seem all that afraid; she simply hadn't been ready for it to come so suddenly.
This isn't so bad. I've fulfilled Mother's last request. With no one left to rely on, perhaps it's better if I sleep forever.
That was what Chishima Tsurume thought.
But someone wouldn't let that happen.
At the last possible moment, the tall boy moved in silence. His powerful physique and secret technique let him erupt with a burst of speed, if only for an instant.
He used his arm—not especially broad, as it happened—to block the slash.
"! What?"
Chishima Tsurume's beautiful eyes widened as she stared at the boy shielding her.
Morino Kei grinned, seemingly without a care in the world, at odds with the spray of blood arcing up behind him.
That moment was etched in Chishima Tsurume's eyes and heart. It would likely stay with her