Must Get a Clear Answer

Shi Xiu gazed quietly at Nara Luling's face, which was usually spirited and lively but was now filled with loss and sorrow, and sighed softly.

Shi Xiu also understood that it did seem a bit unfair to her, all because of a bizarre dream.

Even Shi Xiu himself did not know if what he was doing was right. He looked at Nara Luling and gave a slight wave of his arm, trying his best to make his voice sound calm.

"You should head home first. I will have someone find you if there is anything." Having said that, Shi Xiu turned around slowly, no longer looking at Nara Luling. He felt that he needed some peace and quiet to think things through.

Nara Luling wanted to refuse, but looking at Shi Xiu's back, she finally sighed, pushed open the courtyard gate, and disappeared into the night.

The night was like a vast, mysterious black curtain, silently shrouding the earth.

In this quiet night, Shi Xiu lay silently on his bed, his eyes fixed on the ceiling as if he were trying to stare a hole through it.

Right in the middle of this suffocating silence, a crisp, cold notification sound from the system suddenly rang out, like a bolt of lightning cutting through the dark night, instantly shattering the tranquility.

New mission released: Collect the nine Tailed Beasts. Current progress (1/9). Upon completion of this mission, you will receive the reward: Time-Space Travel.

The system's emotionless voice echoed in the room.

Hearing this sudden mission, Shi Xiu's body trembled slightly, and a flash of astonishment crossed his eyes.

As for collecting the Tailed Beasts, he would have done it even without the system telling him to, but what puzzled him was the completed (1/9) progress.

Could it be that the system had counted the Nine-Tails inside Naruto and Minato Namikaze toward his progress? If so, he wouldn't need to kill the Jinchuriki to seize the Tailed Beasts.

However, just as Shi Xiu had not yet figured out how to handle the complicated relationship between himself and Nara Luling, the system released a new mission.

Shi Xiu let out a helpless, long sigh, his gaze still fixed on the ceiling, and muttered to himself, "System, can you tell me if I will ever have a chance to return to Blue Star in the future?"

Shi Xiu waited for a response from the system, but received only endless silence; yet, he had long since grown accustomed to the system's indifferent attitude.

In fact, logically speaking, as a die-hard fan of Naruto, Shi Xiu had watched both the manga and the TV anime versions many times over.

While he wouldn't boast that he knew every detail by heart, he at least had a fairly clear understanding of the overall plot direction and the development of major events.

Relying on the formidable strength he possessed in this world, Shi Xiu firmly believed that he was fully capable of living here with ease and freedom.

However, whenever he thought of his parents and those friends and brothers back on Blue Star, the sense of attachment would involuntarily well up in his heart.

Being here at this moment, Shi Xiu actually longed deep down to return to his original world. Whenever he thought of this, he couldn't help but reveal a self-deprecating smile.

Perhaps I really am the most cowardly transmigrator of all, Shi Xiu pondered to himself.

In fact, if Shi Xiu were willing, he could simply force his way, having beauties by his side day and night. Once he successfully returned, why would he care if this place turned upside down?

The more he thought, the more agitated he became. Shi Xiu couldn't help but scratch his hair vigorously, as if trying to drive these chaotic and complex thoughts out of his mind.

In the end, Shi Xiu simply stopped dwelling on these questions, rolled over, pulled the quilt over his head, and prepared to fall into a deep sleep, temporarily escaping this tangled reality.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Nara Luling was staying quietly in her bedroom at home.

Nara Luling's petite body was curled up on the bed, clutching a soft pillow tightly to her chest, looking as pitiful as a frightened little deer.

Nara Luling's beautiful, large eyes had lost their usual sparkle, and she was now staring blankly at a corner of the room, as if the whole world had nothing to do with her.

Just then, two bickering little figures suddenly appeared in Nara Luling's mind.

One of the figures waved its arms and shouted emotionally.

"We absolutely cannot give up so easily! We haven't even tried confessing yet, and Lord Shi Xiu has never explicitly stated that he doesn't like you! Don't forget that Lady Kushina once said that Lord Shi Xiu is actually a typical 'sharp tongue, soft heart' person. As long as we are persistent, I believe that one day we will be able to move his hardened heart!"

However, the other figure sneered with disdain and retorted.

"Don't be naive! The only reason Lord Shi Xiu hasn't explicitly rejected you is to save face for the sake of your relationship. Why must you insist on asking for trouble and humiliating yourself? In my opinion, you should dispel those unrealistic thoughts as soon as possible. How could a high-and-mighty figure like Lord Shi Xiu ever take a fancy to a mere Anbu member like us? It's nothing but a pipe dream!"

Slowly, the two little figures in Nara Luling's mind seemed to turn into two ferocious beasts, baring their fangs and roaring at each other, their voices growing louder and more intense.

Nara Luling felt as if her head were about to burst from the endless noise. She irritably threw away the soft pillow she was holding, as if to cast off all her troubles along with it.

Then, Nara Luling covered her ears tightly with both hands, shook her head vigorously, and shouted loudly, "Shut up! Shut up! Everyone just shut up! This is so annoying!"

After venting her emotions, Nara Luling slumped on the bed like a deflated balloon, staring blankly at the ceiling with dull eyes.

However, just then, a flash of inspiration struck Nara Luling's mind like lightning. She sat bolt upright, her eyes wide open, as if she had thought of something extremely important.

"Could it be... that Lord Shi Xiu has someone he likes?" As soon as this thought emerged, it grew wildly like weeds, instantly occupying Nara Luling's entire brain.

Immediately after, Nara Luling thought of Reina from the Border Guard.

"Lord Shi Xiu went to the border to carry out a mission today, maybe the two of them have already..." Nara Luling didn't dare let herself continue thinking.

Thus, Nara Luling desperately tried to stop these terrifying thoughts, but the harder she tried to control them, the more vivid the images became in her mind.

She saw Shi Xiu gently holding Reina's hand, the two of them looking at each other affectionately, their eyes filled with love; then, they embraced and kissed each other passionately...

These intimate scenes played repeatedly in Nara Luling's mind like movie clips, making her heart ache as if it were being cut by a knife.

"No! Absolutely not! I cannot just sit here and wait for death! I must go and ask clearly tomorrow! By the way, I heard that Lord Shi Xiu took Kakashi along to carry out the mission this time, so I must find Kakashi tomorrow and get some information from him!"

Nara Luling secretly made up her mind, her fists clenching tightly of their own accord.