"Poof!"
The icy-cold river water under the cliff instantly swallowed Mei Terumi, and the intense chill poured into her brain from her limbs and bones, suddenly clearing her somewhat chaotic consciousness due to blood loss and fear.
She choked a few mouthfuls of water, struggled to surface on her hands and knees, and breathed in the moist air.
"Uncle Gonbei!"
Mei Terumi's first reaction was to look back at the towering cliff.
Under the moonlight, the Kakkō and the sound of water on the top of the cliff could be faintly heard, but she could no longer see the figure of the man and could only imagine the scene of him facing thousands of troops alone.
No! I have to go back!
This thought was like a wildly growing weed, instantly occupying her mind.
How could he possibly deal with so many Special Assassination and Tactical Squad elites by himself!
She used her hands and feet to swim desperately towards the shore. Her soaked clothes were like the hands of a water ghost, dragging her tightly. Every stroke of the water consumed a huge amount of energy.
However, when she finally climbed up the slippery shore and tried to climb up the steep rock wall again, a deep feeling of powerlessness came from inside her body.
Chakra... Has bottomed out.
Physical strength... has long been exhausted.
She tried to gather Chakra in the palm of her hand, wanting to use Lava Release again, but all she felt in her meridians was a pinprick-like sting and emptiness. Her hands scratched the slippery rock wall a few times, leaving a few weak finger marks, and her body slipped softly and collapsed on the cold muddy ground.
"Damn it... move it... move it!"
She beat her unruly legs with her fists, her eyes filled with despair and anger.
The last scene before she fell off the cliff clearly emerged in her mind like the deepest imprint.
That man, that uncle Gonbei who always had a dead face and could choke people to death with his words, turned around slowly after throwing her to the way of life.
His back is not particularly burly, and even looks a little thin in front of those tall Anbu Ninja.
But that back figure was like a majestic mountain, indestructible, blocking all the stormy waves behind him, and isolating all dangers and murderous intentions behind him.
The huge waves were torn apart by his knife, and the Kunai in the sky stopped in front of him.
He just stood there, alone, an insurmountable line of defense.
And myself...
What was he doing again, the "idiot" he was protecting behind him?
Mei Terumi's body began to tremble uncontrollably.
She recalled how self-righteous she felt when she sneaked out, "without anyone noticing".
I remembered the complacency I felt when I infiltrated, that "textbook level infiltration".
I remembered the stern look on my face when I was surrounded, "Why do you think you want to arrest me?"
"I... I'm such a clown!"
An indescribable sense of shame and regret, like a volcano erupting, suddenly washed away all her strength.
"Wow--"
She couldn't hold it back any longer, so she lay down on the cold mud and cried loudly.
The crying this time is not because of the sadness of the death of Grandpa Genji, not because of the fear of facing death, but a kind of hatred and contempt for oneself that comes from the depths of the soul!
What kind of genius do you think you are?
Who am I to be a Kirigakure "hope" with two kinds of Kekkei Genkai?
In the face of real danger, I was like a raging child. Not only did I make a mess, but I also dragged the only uncle who was willing to help me into an endless abyss!
"I'm just a big XX... I'm just an invincible fool!"
Mei Terumi was crying and hitting her forehead on the ground, as if this was the only way to alleviate the regret in her heart that was about to tear her apart.
Gonbei That bastard uncle, although he has a venomous mouth and his training methods are comparable to those of the devil, every skill he taught saved her life before.
Those muscle memories that were struck by wooden sticks, those dodge instincts developed by rolling in the mud...
Without him, I would have turned into a cold corpse under the first round of siege by those Anbu!
After Grandpa Genji passed away, this man was the only one left in the world, and he still cared about himself in his extremely awkward way.
But what about yourself?
What she repaid him for was to come back thousands of miles to kill someone, forcing him to run to save him, and even put someone in a desperate situation!
If... if something happens to Uncle Gonbei...
As soon as this idea came to her mind, Mei Terumi's heart felt like it was being tightly grasped by a big invisible hand, which was so painful that she could hardly breathe.
She suddenly discovered that without knowing it, the man who always called her "idiot", forced her to train, and made her faint from exhaustion had quietly become her only support in this cold world after Grandpa Genji.
No!
He can't die! Absolutely not!
But what can I do now?
She remembered his last growl.
Mei Terumi raised her head suddenly, and she remembered the other party's last growl.
"Jump down from here! Return to Food Is Heaven immediately! If you dare to run around again without my order, I will break your legs!"
Tears mixed with muddy water streaked down her dirty cheeks, but her green eyes were ignited with unprecedented light.
The uncle will definitely not die. He still has to train himself and fulfill Grandpa Genji's instructions. The uncle is so strong, he will definitely be able to escape.
Go back!
Yes! Go back!
This is the only thing I can do now, is to go back and wait for him!
Staying here, in his current state, is of no use except being a burden and a corpse that distracts him! Listening to his orders, returning to Food Is Heaven safely, and not letting his sacrifice be in vain or distracting him, is the greatest help to him!
"I swear..."
The girl knelt in the mud, facing the direction of the cliff, and swore in a trembling but extremely firm voice:
"Uncle Gonbei... you must come back alive!"
"From today on, I, Mei Terumi... will never be willful again!"
"I will complete all your training tenfold or a hundredfold! I will become stronger than anyone else! So strong that I no longer need anyone to protect me! Strong enough... to stand by your side!"
"I owe you my life, and I will repay it! I will use my future and everything I have to pay it back!"
The girl's vows echoed by the silent river, without an audience, but she wept every word.
This new, extremely powerful belief seemed to be transformed into the last Chakra, injected into her body that was on the verge of reaching its limit.
She struggled to get up from the ground, identified the direction, and ran towards Capital of Water, limping step by step and stumbling.
In the dark night, a petite figure was running on the muddy road, falling, getting up, falling again, and getting up again.
In her mind, only the mountain-like back and the fierce words "I'll break your legs" were left.
"Uncle... you... must come back..."