Naruto: I, Shikotsumyaku, Byakugan Princess

Chapter 188 Family
Naruto's New Year's gift wasn't expensive; it was just a plain black hairband.

Of course, Hui Li didn't rudely open it to check it. The Byakugan's ability to see through things was invincible in battle, but it certainly lacked some fun in daily life.

"I'm sorry, Naruto, I cannot accept your gift."

When he said this, Hui Li sat upright with a very serious expression.

Although it was difficult to be serious under the influence of her fluffy pajamas, Naruto and Might Guy could sense the solemnity in her words.

"Why, why?"

Naruto's blue eyes narrowed with anxiety as his carefully chosen gift was rejected by the person he liked. He gripped the gift box tightly with both hands, scratching small dents all over its surface.

"Even if you gave me a kunai, I would accept it, but friends of the opposite sex should not give each other such intimate gifts."

Gray Glass made her refusal very clear.

She is not a child.

She was very clear about Naruto's feelings for her.

In fact, most people with normal intelligence can vaguely sense when men and women show each other goodwill; it's just that some people are more sensitive and some are a little less perceptive.

But if you say you were completely unaware, you're treating others like fools.

As for why many people pretend not to know, one reason is that it would be embarrassing to bring things up, and the other is that they want to enjoy the preferential treatment from others without any burden.

In the end, all you have to do is say you don't know, and you won't have to take any responsibility for it, and you won't have to return the gifts you received.

But she didn't want to do that.

Accepting a gift readily, only to claim ignorance when the person confesses their feelings later—that's just too much of a "green tea" act.

It's better to make some things clear beforehand.

Holding the gift he had carefully chosen, Naruto's lips moved, but he couldn't say what he wanted to say for a long time.

Before his little secret could even surface, it seemed to have been exposed, and his unrequited love came to an end.

"I-I know."

The wind and snow outside seemed to have intensified. Even though the windows were covered with frost-like ice, the reflections of the heavy snow falling outside could still be seen.

He lowered his head.

The snowflakes on his hair had all melted, and his wet, blond hair clung to his scalp, making him look quite disheveled.

His voice was no longer as uplifting as before, but instead filled with bitterness and a low murmur. His sky-blue eyes were also desolate and dim, losing their luster.

Hui Li did not offer any comfort.

It's better to end a short pain than a long one. A relationship that's destined to have no future is better cut off from the beginning to avoid any unpleasantness in the end, and even losing a friend.

"This is youth!"

The oppressive atmosphere inside was suddenly broken.

With his hands clenched into fists, his front teeth biting his lower lip tightly, and tears streaming down his face, like wide noodles, were already flowing from his eyes.

Although he had never been in a relationship or had a crush on anyone, he could still empathize deeply with Naruto's experiences and feel a strong sense of compassion.

"It's okay, Naruto, let's keep trying... Waaah... Youth never gives up easily, waaah..." Guy even had snot running down his face, and it was unclear what he was secretly feeling emotional about.

"Thank you, Uncle Kai."

Despite Guy's encouragement, Naruto kept his head down and his eyes remained dejected.

When you're heartbroken, the encouragement and comfort from others don't really help much, unless... unless...

His body suddenly stopped.

Uncle Kai is Hui Li's adoptive father, so does this mean... I have gained the approval of Hui Li's family?

He suddenly raised his head.

Looking at Akai, who was still immersed in emotion, with her blue eyes, hope rekindled in her heart, and she clenched her fist like Akai, saying:
"Thank you for the encouragement! Don't worry, Uncle Kai, I won't give up easily!"

"Waaah... This is youth..." Guy hugged Naruto's head and started crying uncontrollably, tears streaming down his face like water from a pump, no longer caring about how Naruto addressed him.

What on earth is Ah Kai doing?

Hui Li squinted, utterly speechless at this idiot's baffling behavior.

She finally found a suitable opportunity to extinguish the little spark in Naruto's heart, but how did it get reignited?
Her brain, which had been drowsy from the ascension of her soul, began to throb with pain. Hui Li lay back down on the bed and continued to wait for the evolution of her immortal body.

I've said what I needed to say.

Naruto is stubborn and strong, so he should be fine. If he does turn evil because of heartbreak, then it's Guy's fault.

Gara-la-la!
Although that's what she thought, Hui Li was still a little angry, so much so that she didn't control her strength when she lay down, and the platform immediately creaked and developed spiderweb-like cracks.

After a month, her new bed finally collapsed.

Since obtaining the Sage Body, not only has his chakra increased exponentially, but his Shikotsumyaku (Corpse Bone Pulse) has also been stimulated by the life force attached to the Sage Body, making his bones dense and hard like tungsten steel, and his muscle tissue increasingly thick and compact.

Her chakra reserves are now at least four to five times what they used to be, making up for her last weakness. Even without Samehada's help, she is undoubtedly a Kage-level powerhouse.

If she were to activate the Sixth Gate of the Eight Gates, the Tailed Beast Cloak, and the Lightning Release Chakra Mode simultaneously, even she wouldn't know how powerful her taijutsu would be.

She had secretly experimented with that state of full power once in the Forest of Death, and afterwards she lay in bed for a whole day.

The bones were strong enough, but the muscle tissue and internal blood vessels could not withstand the pressure at all.

Use all three abilities at the same time.

Under extreme pressure, her internal organs, arteries, veins, and fascia all ruptured. If it weren't for her strong self-repair ability, she would probably have collapsed to the ground in an instant.

Her physical strength, catalyzed by the Corpse Bone Vein, has far exceeded the human range, but she is still a mortal, not as resilient as steel-hard bones.

In order to adapt her body to that extreme state, she manipulated the Corpse Bone Vein to fully catalyze the growth of her body. As a result, although the muscle strength increased somewhat, it was still unable to bear that power. Instead, the density and mass began to increase uncontrollably.

Her weight is now impossible to calculate because she easily broke both of the scales in her house, and she can't find any other means to weigh herself.

Gara gara...

Once the cracks appeared on the platform, they quickly expanded, with the black lines extending into countless dense branches, and the entire platform visibly cracked and collapsed.

Encouraged by Guy, Naruto was filled with passion, like a raging fire. When they heard the strange sound, the two of them turned around at the same time.

boom!
The gray glass, which was lying flat, suddenly sank three inches out of thin air. A large T-shaped depression appeared in the center of the cracked platform, and the flat surfaces on both sides were squeezed and deformed, with soil and gravel falling off rapidly.

Both Guy and Naruto's expressions froze at the same time.

As people close to Hui Li, they naturally knew that her weight was unusual, but to crush and deform a solid block of earth under such pressure was undoubtedly far beyond their imagination.

Click!

Hui Li climbed out of the sunken pit. With just a little effort, her fair hands and feet crushed the broken platform, and hard soil and stones flowed out from between her fingers, like a lump of soft mud.

Gum!

Inside the room, two boys, one big and one small, swallowed hard at the same time.

"You need to work harder on your taijutsu training, Naruto!" Guy's expression was serious. If he wanted to pursue Kairi, he didn't need to become incredibly strong; he couldn't just be as fragile as tofu, breaking bones and tendons with the slightest touch.

This is no joke!

Naruto's expression was extremely serious. He wiped his wet hair with his arm; his head felt icy cold, whether from melting snowflakes or cold sweat, he couldn't tell.

Perhaps it was the cold of the snow that caused the raging fire in his heart to slowly cool down.

That's just how feelings are sometimes.

Rejection is usually useless; only when one realizes the vast gap between them can the hot-blooded mind quickly calm down, and then naturally bury the feelings deep in the heart. Hui Li, carefully climbing off the bed, was unaware of what the two were thinking.

She was using her chakra to transform into Earth Release, controlling the collapsed platform to repair and level it.

Her weight problem has worsened and is affecting her daily life.

With such a heavy body, if she moves even slightly faster, the impact can be measured in tons, a unit that is not commonly used.

This naturally makes them invincible in battle; once they start charging, almost no one can stop them.

However, such a body is indeed very inconvenient in daily life.

She would damage furniture that ordinary people use with the slightest force, and she dared not walk fast, otherwise she would step into a deep hole.

In this situation, she became increasingly reluctant to move around and could only learn from Kakashi to let herself become 'dejected' in order to avoid causing too much damage.

Perhaps only Onoki's Light and Heavy Rock Technique can completely solve her problem, but the opponent's Dust Release is too dangerous. Her steel body is probably not much harder than the ground beneath her in the face of the Primal World Detachment Technique.

Difficult to handle!

As Hui Li pondered a solution, she used Earth Release to repair the shattered platform. Just as she was about to go back to lie down, A Kai, who was standing next to her, quickly stepped forward to stop her.

"It's New Year's Day today. I heard there are fireworks outside tonight. Why don't we go out and get some exercise?"

"You go ahead!"

Hui Li shook her head. Although she was also curious about what kind of lively scene Konoha would have during the New Year, she was currently in a period of transformation and her power was really hard to control.

With so many people around, it's hard to guarantee that you won't bump into someone. What if that person also breaks like this platform? That would be incredibly impolite, especially during the Lunar New Year.

"The New Year is all about having lots of people and being lively, how can you just leave yourself at home?"

Ah Kai didn't really want to go outside to watch the fireworks.

As an orphan, I usually spend the Lunar New Year alone at home, holding a bowl of buckwheat noodles, watching the lively scenes outside the window. That feeling is really not pleasant.

Naruto lowered his head, feeling dejected. If they couldn't go out and play together, he would have to go home for the New Year alone.

Just as the group was in a dilemma, footsteps sounded again outside the door.

The door opened.

A one-eyed man, dressed in a black uniform and weathered by time, walked in. His silver, broom-like hair swayed gently, and the snowflakes above him scattered and fluttered away.

"Kakashi, what brings you here?"

"I'm bored at home all by myself, so I thought I'd like to play cards with you and Hui Li."

Kakashi brushed the snowflakes off his body, then stretched out his hand and used a concealed weapon technique to conjure a deck of cards, looking incredibly cool, which made Naruto's eyes light up.

"Great! We were just worried about not finding a suitable project!" Guy clapped his hands, expressing his strong agreement with Kakashi's suggestion.

"Where's Hui Li?"

Kakashi's one eye looked at Hairi, clearly asking for her opinion, and everyone's attention was drawn to her.

"no problem."

Hui Li nodded directly. As long as it doesn't involve sports or similar activities, playing cards isn't dangerous.

“And the kid over here…” Kakashi looked at Naruto again, his gaze momentarily dazed by Naruto’s iconic blond hair and the swirling clan crest on his back.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm going to be the Hokage!"

Naruto raised his goggles to introduce himself, a bright smile spreading across his face.

"My name is Uchiha Obito! I'm going to be the Hokage!" A name that had long since died flashed through Kakashi's mind. Naruto's confident smile perfectly matched that man's voice and appearance.

"I'm Kakashi Hatake, wanna play some games?" A hint of nostalgia flashed in Kakashi's eyes as he waved the cards in his hand.

"of course can!"

Naruto's eyes lit up with surprise. Every year during the Lunar New Year, everyone would reunite with their families, and even his third grandfather couldn't be with him. This was the first time he had ever received an invitation.

"Now we have four people. Actually, this hand of cards is best played with five people, otherwise the rules would have to be changed..."

Kakashi stroked his chin, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

It's difficult to find suitable candidates at this time; it's really not easy to gather five people.

"I...I can still find someone..."

Upon hearing Kakashi's words, Naruto raised his hand, but his gaze fell on Hairi, who had returned to sit on the platform.

Hui Li sighed helplessly.

She knew perfectly well who the other party was looking for.

The only person Naruto would think of so much, and who would have time on this day of family reunion, is probably that boy!

Is this the bond between Asura and Indra?
"Go!"

"Hehe!" Naruto grinned, pushed open the door, and ran away despite the wind and snow.

The only person who can keep Sasuke in check at school is Hairi; Sasuke usually doesn't refuse her invitations.

A few moments.

The warm and harmonious interior lights were turned on.

Two adults and three children, five people in total, sat on the ground in a circle, with a shredded deck of cards and a glass of cold water in the center.

"So you had Naruto call me here just for this?" Sasuke sat obediently on the tatami next to Hairi, his face indifferent.

He was practicing Fire Release at home when he heard that Hui Li wanted to see him, but he never expected that she would invite him over to play cards!
With the blood feud between his family and his relatives still unresolved, how could he possibly waste time here? If he had known, he wouldn't have come!
Hui Li glanced at him, then looked at Naruto, who was enthusiastically learning the rules of card games:

"Since we're already here, relaxing will be very helpful for our cultivation."

Sasuke immediately fell silent.

He only respected the strong. Hui Li was much stronger than him, so his words were naturally more convincing. Moreover, he was alone in the clan's territory, which was indeed much colder and more lonely than this place.

clap clap clap!
Kakashi clapped his hands to get everyone's attention: "You all understand the rules, right? Whoever loses will have a piece of paper stuck to their face. No cheating!"

The four nodded in unison, and then their Byakugan and three Sharingan eyes lit up simultaneously.

"She's cheating!"

Kakashi and Sasuke pointed at Gray's glowing eyes and shouted at the same time!

"Hey, no!" Hui Li exclaimed anxiously, standing up to argue with them.

"Put on a ticket! Put on a ticket!"

Matt Kai, always eager for a good show, dipped a piece of paper into the middle of the water glass, chuckled, and then stuck the paper onto the key between her eyebrows.

Looking at her puffed-up, fair face and the note fluttering on her forehead, everyone present couldn't help but smile.

Normally, he's incredibly powerful, like a monster. They'd never see Hui Li looking defeated before; this was truly a rare sight! Even Sasuke, who wasn't interested in cards, got excited at the thought.

Hui Li gritted her teeth and closed her white eyes, her vision instantly plunging into complete darkness:
"Come again!"

Laughter echoed under the warm yellow light, while snow fell heavily outside and the north wind howled, but it could no longer make the lonely people feel a trace of cold.

At this moment.

This tastes like home.

(End of this chapter)