Shi Xiu gazed silently at Nara Luling's once lively and spirited face, now filled with disappointment and sorrow, and sighed softly.
Shi Xiu understood that it did seem a little unfair to her to act this way over nothing more than a strange dream.
Even Shi Xiu didn't know whether what he was doing was right. He looked at Nara Luling and waved his arm gently, trying to keep his voice calm.
"Go home for now. If anything comes up, I'll send someone to find you." With that, Shi Xiu slowly turned away, no longer looking at Nara Luling. He felt he needed some time alone to think things through.
Nara Luling wanted to refuse, but as she looked at Shi Xiu's back, she eventually sighed, pushed open the courtyard gate, and disappeared into the night.
The night fell like a vast, mysterious black curtain, silently shrouding the land.
On this quiet night, Shi Xiu lay on his bed, staring fixedly at the ceiling as if he meant to bore a hole through it.
In that suffocating silence, the system's crisp, icy notification suddenly rang out, like lightning splitting the night and shattering the stillness.
"New mission issued: collect the Nine Tailed Beasts. Current progress (1/9). Complete this mission to receive the reward: time travel." The system's emotionless voice echoed through the room.
Shi Xiu's body twitched slightly at the sudden mission, a flicker of shock passing through his eyes.
Even without the system telling him to, he would have collected the Tailed Beasts. What confused him was the completed progress—(1/9). What was that about?
Had the system counted the Nine-Tails inside Naruto and Minato Namikaze toward his total? If so, he wouldn't have to kill any Jinchuriki to seize their Tailed Beasts.
But Shi Xiu still hadn't figured out how to deal with his complicated relationship with Nara Luling, and now the system had issued another mission.
Shi Xiu let out a helpless sigh, his gaze still fixed on the ceiling. "System, can you tell me whether I'll ever have the chance to return to Blue Star?"
He waited for the system's response, but all he got was endless silence. He was already used to its cold attitude.
In truth, as a bona fide die-hard Naruto fan, Shi Xiu had watched both the manga and the anime countless times.
He wouldn't claim to know every detail by heart, but he had a fairly clear grasp of the overall plot and its major developments.
With the strength he possessed in this world, Shi Xiu believed he could make a comfortable life for himself here.
But whenever he thought of his parents, friends, and brothers back on Blue Star, the longing rose unbidden in his heart.
Deep down, what Shi Xiu wanted more than anything was to return to his old world. Whenever he thought about it, a self-mocking smile tugged at his lips.
Maybe I really am the most cowardly transmigrator of all, Shi Xiu thought.
The truth was, if he wanted to, he could simply force himself on women and keep beautiful women at his side day and night. If he ever managed to return, why should he care if this world was turned upside down?
The more he thought about it, the more agitated he became. Shi Xiu raked his hands through his hair, as if trying to sweep all the tangled thoughts out of his mind.
In the end, Shi Xiu simply stopped thinking about it. He rolled over, pulled the covers over his head, and prepared to sink into sleep, escaping from the reality that was tormenting him.
Meanwhile, Nara Luling sat quietly in her bedroom at home.
Nara Luling's petite body curled up on the bed, a soft pillow clutched tightly to her chest. She looked as endearing as a frightened little deer.
The bright spark had faded from Nara Luling's beautiful eyes. She stared blankly at a corner of the room, as though the whole world had nothing to do with her.
Just then, two little figures appeared in Nara Luling's mind, arguing furiously.
One of them waved its arms and shouted excitedly.
"We absolutely can't give up just like that! We haven't even confessed yet, and Shi Xiu-sama has never clearly said he doesn't like you! Don't forget, Kushina-sama once said that Shi Xiu-sama is all bark and no bite. If we keep at it, I'm sure we'll eventually win over his tough heart!"
The other little figure gave a disdainful sneer and retorted.
"Don't be naive! Shi Xiu-sama hasn't turned you down outright only because he's trying to spare your feelings. Why put yourself through this and humiliate yourself? I say you should give up on those unrealistic ideas as soon as possible. Someone as lofty as Shi Xiu-sama could never fall for a lowly Anbu member like us. It's pure fantasy!"
Slowly, the two little figures in Nara Luling's mind seemed to turn into ferocious beasts, snarling and bickering at each other. Their voices grew louder and more heated by the moment.
Nara Luling felt as if the endless racket would make her head explode. In a fit of frustration, she flung the soft pillow from her arms, as if she could throw all her troubles away with it.
Then Nara Luling clamped her hands over her ears and shook her head violently, shouting, "Shut up! Shut up! Both of you, shut up! You're driving me crazy!"
After letting out her pent-up emotions, Nara Luling slumped onto the bed like a deflated balloon, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Just then, a flash of inspiration streaked through Nara Luling's mind. She sat bolt upright, eyes wide, as if she had just thought of something extremely important.
"Could it be... that Shi Xiu-sama already has someone he likes?" The thought had barely appeared before it began to grow like a weed, instantly filling Nara Luling's mind.
Then Nara Luling thought of Reina from the Border Guard.
"Shi Xiu-sama went on a mission at the border today. Maybe the two of them have already..." Nara Luling couldn't bring herself to think any further.
She hurriedly tried to stop those terrible thoughts, but the harder she tried to control them, the more vividly the images flashed through her mind.
She imagined Shi Xiu tenderly holding Reina's hand as they gazed into each other's eyes, full of affection. Then they embraced and kissed passionately...
Those intimate scenes replayed in Nara Luling's mind like a film, making her heart ache as if it were being cut by a knife.
"No! Absolutely not! I can't just sit around and do nothing! Tomorrow, I'm going to ask him directly! Right, I heard Shi Xiu-sama took Kakashi along on this mission. I have to find Kakashi tomorrow, too, and get some information out of him!"
Nara Luling silently made up her mind, her fists clenching without her noticing.