Ning Xue After leaving the cave, the fog in front became thicker and thicker, so thick that it was almost impossible to see my fingers.
His pace slowed down and his vigilance was raised to the highest level.
"What's the next test?" he whispered to himself.
As soon as he finished speaking, a fishy wind suddenly hit him from the side.
A snake's mouth full of sharp teeth suddenly poked out of the fog and bit his neck.
"Qiang--!"
The fangs bit into the Ice Armor condensed out of thin air, making a crisp collision sound and sparks flying everywhere.
Ning Xue reacted extremely quickly. His right hand instantly reached out, grabbed the snake shadow's neck, and lifted it up suddenly.
However, the feeling in my hand suddenly disappeared.
The figure turned into a cloud of smoke the moment it was pinched, and regrouped not far away, condensing into a human shape.
It was a woman wearing a witch costume and exquisite makeup, with gentle eyebrows and a smile at the corner of her mouth.
She raised her hand and gently stroked the pinched neck, with a hint of ridicule in her tone.
"It's really amazing. Not only did it pass the test of Tagorihime and Divine Princess, but it was also able to grab my neck in an instant."
She sighed softly, as if complaining.
"However, it is really ungentlemanly to treat a lady like this."
Ning Xue ignored her complaints, just took back his hand, looked at her calmly, and spoke simply.
"So, madam, what is your test?"
The woman in witch uniform covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyebrows arched.
"It's really straight to the point~"
She cleared her throat and said seriously.
"My name is Tagitsuhime, and I'm here to test your 'heart'."
She paused for a moment, and the style of the painting suddenly changed. The delicate face suddenly split open, the skin faded away, revealing the scaly snake face underneath, and the voice became cold and hoarse.
"Of course, if you fail, you will be eaten by me."
Ning Xue looked at that snake face, feeling completely calm in his heart.
He has become immune to this method, and the initial curiosity has long since faded, leaving only a sense of "it's the same again".
He was silent for a moment and then suggested.
"I think you can use another way to intimidate."
"Although the face becomes very ferocious, people who have reached this stage may not be frightened."
Tagitsuhime was stunned when he heard this, his snake face froze for a moment, and then the face slowly returned to its original shape, returning to its dignified and gentle appearance.
She lowered her head, as if she was seriously considering his suggestion, and then raised her head again after a moment, wearing a gentle smile.
"I will take your advice."
Her figure began to float backwards, and at the last moment she disappeared into the mist, her voice came slowly.
"However, I wish you good luck in the next test."
As he finished speaking, the surrounding fog suddenly became thicker.
It was so white that even the ground beneath my feet was blurry.
Ning Xue turned on Byakugan, but found that there was also only paleness in the field of vision.
Cold air surged in his palms, ready to condense Ice Blade at any time, and he scanned the surroundings sharply.
He originally thought that this test would be something dark, something like inner demons, just like the scenes that often appear in those spiritual novels.
However, the sound of footsteps came from deep in the thick fog.
"Tap, step, step..."
Every step was steady and clear, as if stepping on his heartbeat.
The cold air in the palm of Ning Xue is getting colder and colder. Ice Blade condenses and forms on the edge of the palm, ready to be swung out at any time.
But when the figure slowly walked out of the white mist, Ning Xue's movements suddenly froze.
The lens of the mask reflected a face that was extremely familiar and close to him - the one who had been dead for many years.
"Father?!"
The person coming is none other than Hyuga Ning.
But his appearance at the moment was completely different from the serious and gentle father Ning Xue remembered.
That face was filled with anger and disappointment.
"Didn't you promise me to take good care of your mother?"
Just this sentence, Ning Xue was completely stunned.
All the words I wanted to say were stuck in my throat, and I couldn't spit out a single word.
He clenched his fists, lowered his head silently, and allowed his father to scold him.
"You are such a waste."
The father's voice became sterner.
"I shouldn't have cared about you in the first place - no, we shouldn't have given birth to you in the first place. It was you who killed your mother."
Ning Xue did not refute.
The knuckles of the clenched fists turned white, and the nails almost dug into the palms.
However, another footsteps sounded.
He turned his head sideways, and the moment he saw the figure, his pupils shrank again.
"Sugiyama Tetsu?"
At this moment, Sugiyama Tetsu is not as passionate as before.
There was a large purple-black bruise on his chest. He looked at him with hatred and his voice was hoarse and cold.
"Why didn't you kill them? You coward! As a ninja of Konoha, you don't even dare to kill the enemies who invaded Konoha! If it weren't for you, how could I have died? It's all your fault!"
Ning Xue's breathing gradually became rapid.
Before he could recover, the third footsteps sounded.
Nakamura Daisuke.
The teammate who is still in the village and has completely given up on becoming a ninja.
He looked at Ning Xue, his eyes full of anger and disappointment.
"Why? Why didn't you save Sugiyama Tetsu? Why didn't you tell me that you were alive? You selfish guy!"
Ning Xue's thoughts began to become confused.
The guilt and self-blame that he once thought had been sealed surged out at this moment like a flood that burst a dam.
Then, the last footsteps sounded.
He raised his head and his eyes instantly turned red.
"Mother?"
The person who came was none other than Ning Xue's mother, Fujiwara Snow.
She was speechless, her white hair looked very strange in the thick fog, and her dark eyes looked at him calmly.
But just like this, even without words, Ning Xue felt suffocated.
Just when he was overwhelmed by everyone's resentful words and hateful eyes, a gentle voice sounded from behind him.
"Fujiwara..."
A familiar voice sounded, and Ning Xue turned around suddenly, only to see a yellow-haired girl wearing a miko uniform standing quietly not far away, looking at him tenderly.
"Shion?"
When Shion saw Ning Xue looking at her, she didn't say anything, she just raised her arms and looked at him in a hugging posture, as if she was expecting his hug.
And this hug, like the only sunshine in this endless self-blame and regret, gave Ning Xue the only thought at this moment.
Run away, run away, as long as you stay away from all this, you won't be criticized.
No, that's not right...
Ning Xue was struggling crazily in his heart, his expression changed back and forth under the mask, his fists clenched and unclenched, and his breathing was rapid and disordered.
Finally, he stood still and his breathing calmed down again.
He turned around, looked at Shion, and ran over.
Just when Shion thought Ning Xue was about to fall into her arms--
"Pfft!"
Ice Blade The sound of penetration.
Shion's eyes widened in disbelief. He looked down at the Ice Blade that penetrated his chest, then raised his head and looked at the cold mask of Ning Xue.
After a moment, a smile slowly formed on her lips.
The next second, Shion's figure suddenly turned into a big white snake, fell to the ground, and then quickly melted into a puddle of transparent liquid, seeped into the ground and disappeared.
The parents and former friends behind him suddenly turned into clouds of mist and dissipated with the wind.
The surrounding scene suddenly changed, the thick fog faded, revealing a wide hall.
In the corridor in front of the main hall, Tagitsuhime was standing there quietly.
Seeing Ning Xue coming out, she smiled slightly and her voice was gentle and calm.
"Congratulations on passing the trial."