The scarred Ning Xue staggered back home.
"I'm back."
He tried his best to keep his voice steady.
After hearing this, Xue also walked out of the back room.
Although she looked haggard, she still managed to show a gentle smile when facing her child.
However, when her eyes fell on the obvious bruises and damaged clothes on Ning Xue's body, her smile instantly solidified and turned into unconcealable distress.
"Ning Xue! What are you..." She stepped forward quickly and stretched out her hand to touch, but she was afraid of hurting the child.
Her tone was trembling, and her hands were frozen in the air.
"It's okay, mother. I was just careless during training." Ning Xue tilted his head, his voice was a little unclear, trying to get over it.
But how could this make Xue believe that when Konoha invaded, none of his children had suffered such serious injuries, but that he could suffer such serious injuries in just an ordinary training session?
She thought for a moment and could only think of one answer.
Maybe... it's the group of people from Main Branch.
Seeing his son's forbearing look, Hyuga Yuki's heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly.
A deeper sense of guilt and guilt came to my mind.
If he hadn't been an outsider from Land of Snow, maybe... he wouldn't have to endure all this.
"Go and clean up first, and mother will prepare dinner for you."
She suppressed the choking in her voice, pretended to have a calm expression, and walked quickly to the kitchen.
Ning Xue breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.
But when passing by the kitchen, I accidentally caught a glimpse of blood on the corner of my mother's clothes when she bent down.
His steps suddenly stopped.
Did your clothes happen to be stained with your own blood just now? No, the clothes were not touched just now, and the color does not look fresh.
An ominous premonition quietly crept into his heart.
At dinner, he noticed that his mother's appetite had become less and less recently.
His face was also paler than usual, and he also noticed that every time his mother took a mouthful of food, she would vomit for a moment.
Just as he was about to ask, his mother suddenly let out an uncontrollable, violent cough. She quickly covered her mouth with a handkerchief and turned her back to him.
"Mother!" Ning Xue stood up immediately.
"No... it's okay, I just choked." Hyuga Yuki's voice contained a trace of imperceptible panic, and she walked quickly to her room.
"I'm a little tired. Let's rest first. Ning Xue, just leave the bowls and chopsticks there."
No, it can't be okay.
Because when his mother turned around just now, he clearly saw that on the handkerchief...
A bright blood red oozed out.
His ominous premonition became stronger and stronger, and his mood seemed to have sunk to the bottom.
He rushed forward and stopped his mother.
"Mother!"
This was the first time he spoke so loudly to his mother.
"Please tell me... what's wrong with you?"
Ning Xue's tone trembled unconsciously.
He is afraid!
He was afraid that something might happen to his mother. He had already lost a friend and didn't want to lose his last relative.
Seeing her son's tough attitude and his pleading eyes, Xue knew that she could no longer hide it, so she just put down her handkerchief and smiled miserably, tears falling silently.
"I'm sorry, Ning Xue... Mother... may have a very troublesome disease... it seems to be holding you back again."
The next day, Ning Xue almost forced his mother to take her to Konoha Hospital.
After a series of examinations, the doctor slowly pulled out a report sheet, like a final verdict.
"I'm sorry ma'am, we can't cure advanced lung cancer..."
Late stage lung cancer... late stage lung cancer...
These words hit Ning Xue's heart like a heavy hammer.
Ning Xue could no longer hear what else the doctor said later. He only felt a buzzing in his ears, and the world seemed to have lost color and sound in an instant.
He held on to the wall, barely letting himself fall.
"No, no, no. Doctor, you must have made a mistake, right?"
He forced a flattering smile and looked at the doctor with a pleading look, hoping to get a satisfactory answer.
"I'm sorry... kid."
After getting the still negative answer, Ning Xue took a few steps back and fell back on the chair.
And Hyuga Yuki looked at the child's pale face, but he still refused to accept the reality with his eyes, and his heart was twisted.
But nothing can be done.
"Let's go...Ning Xue... let's... go home."
"Go home..." Ning Xue lowered his head and repeated in a low voice.
There was only wordless silence on the way home, and the hand holding my mother's hand unconsciously exerted a little force.
When he got home, he rummaged through all the ninja tools left behind by his father, including weight-bearing iron and lead, Explosive Tag, and some slightly valuable but useless ornaments, and sold them all in exchange for cold banknotes.
In this way, he tried to seize the slim chance.
Because the doctor said before they left that although there was no cure, there might be medicines that could delay the disease.
The sudden pressure of reality is like the sudden pulling out of a top being whipped by an invisible whip, unable to stop.
It's early morning, it's still dark.
He no longer got up early for morning exercises as usual, but went to the mission hall non-stop.
As long as there is reward, no matter what kind of D-Rank Mission it is, he will take it without hesitation.
It doesn't matter whether you are looking for cats to play with dogs, collecting medicine or cleaning sewers.
Afternoon.
Under force, he once again became the punching bag of those Hyuga Main House children.
At the same time, those guys will be merciless and use all their strength to attack Ning Xue.
At the same time, he said mockingly.
"Branch Family's trash, why are you even less energetic today?"
"Come on? Why don't you take action!"
He pointed to his neck, his tone contemptuous.
In response to this, Ning Xue could only grit his teeth and bear all their attacks without saying a word.
As evening approaches, he will go to Ichiraku Ramen to work as usual.
Uncle Teuchi seemed to understand something when he saw Ning Xue's obviously haggard face and working harder than before.
He didn't ask Ning Xue what happened, and just silently gave Ning Xue a little more money.
Time passed like this little by little.
And Hyuga Yuki looked at his child, who was visibly thin, and the self-blame and guilt in his heart became stronger and stronger.
The fact that she had become a burden to her children was more painful than her physical pain.
A few days later.
Just as Ning Xue finished buying the medicine and were about to go back, they were suddenly stopped by the doctor who was treating them.
"Child... we have recently learned some radical treatment methods from other countries... there is a certain chance that the disease can be controlled... but the medical expenses..."
The doctor looked at Ning Xue with complicated eyes and told him that he had recently learned about ways to delay the disease.
After hearing this, Ning Xue also stopped in his tracks.
He suddenly turned around and rushed to the doctor's desk, asking eagerly.
"How much do you need? Please tell me!"
And when Ning Xue heard that this was not much for a wealthy family, he felt despair at the astronomical price.
His eyes were a little dim, but he didn't give up.
Finally, relying on his desire for his mother to survive, he finally gritted his teeth and made a decision.
Evening.
After Ichiraku Ramen closed, Ning Xue lowered his head, made up his mind and knelt down in front of Teuchi with a "plop", his voice choked but firm.
"Uncle Teuchi... please lend me money to save my mother! I will definitely pay it back and spend my whole life to pay it back!"
Uncle Teuchi was also shocked by this move. He hurriedly prepared to help Ning Xue up, but when he saw Ning Xue's pleading eyes, he felt heartbroken.
Then, after he sighed deeply, he nodded.
"I can lend it to you and I won't need it for the rest of my life."
Teuchi tried to use this relaxed tone to resolve the heavy atmosphere. Of course, he didn't ask how much he wanted to borrow.
When Ning Xue heard that Uncle Teuchi agreed, the light of hope rekindled in his eyes.
Then he kowtowed solemnly to Uncle Teuchi, got the money, and solemnly promised to Uncle Teuchi again.
"I will never forget your kindness. I will pay you back the money as soon as possible."
After a while.
With this hard-won hope, Ning Xue almost ran home.
He couldn't wait to tell his mother that there was still hope, perhaps a turning point.
However, when he opened the door to his home, a strange silence hit him.
Without mother's gentle greetings, there seems to be a hint of... fishy smell in the air?
The uneasiness in his heart instantly reached its peak.
"Mother?"