I'm in the Dragon Clan, bound to the Naruto Counterattack System

Chapter 126 Divine Might Experience Card (3000 words)

Outside Meiji Shrine, the stone-paved path is covered by the dense shade of towering ancient trees.

This is the bustling city of Shibuya, but Meiji Shrine isolates it from the urban noise, leaving only the rustling of the wind through the treetops.

Meiji Shrine, now over a century old, is an important symbol of Shintoism, attracting countless believers and tourists to come and make their wishes.

Erii stood on the stone path, her crimson eyes curiously surveying everything around her.

Today she was wearing a simple white dress, and sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on her.

Yuan Zhisheng and Cheng Sui followed a few steps behind the girl.

Because of the sudden schedule, the Sheqi Hachike family didn't have time to clear the area, so they naturally blended into the bustling crowd of tourists.

Erii, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped.

Her attention was drawn to a large, fat, orange cat curled up by the roadside.

The girl gently crouched down, extended her slender fingers, and carefully stroked the orange cat's round chin.

The cat seemed to be enjoying itself, tilting its head back comfortably and purring contentedly.

A gentle smile bloomed on Erii's face, and the sunlight filtered through the trees, casting a soft golden glow on the girl and the cat.

Cheng Sui and Yuan Zhisheng stopped in their tracks simultaneously, neither of them uttering a sound to disturb the tranquility.

"Eri has never shown such an expression before." Genji's voice was low and filled with emotion.

He instinctively reached for his cigarettes, but as his fingertips touched the pack, he remembered that this was a no-smoking area. He paused, then silently withdrew his hand. "I can see that she has changed a lot since she's been with you."

Cheng Sui put his hands behind his head, his posture relaxed, and gave a noncommittal reply.

"But have you ever thought about what Erii will think when she sees the wonders of the outside world and then returns to that cold room at Genji Heavy Industries?" Genji continued.

"So that's why you kept her locked in a room for nineteen years?" Cheng Sui immediately retorted.

Cheng's words silenced all of Yuan Zhisheng's unspoken words.

Yuan Zhisheng remained silent.

Yes, no matter how he tries to justify it or what reasons he uses to cover it up, the fact that Erii was imprisoned for nineteen years is undeniable.

Yuan Zhisheng's Adam's apple bobbed, and after a long pause, he finally spoke: "This was for the family, Father—"

"Still thinking about your old man?" Cheng Sui interrupted him.

"You're like a child who never grew up, needing your parents' permission to do everything. Where we're from, people like that are usually called 'mama's boys'."

Yuan Zhisheng did not refute.

He knew he wouldn't gain any advantage over this man in a debate, and he didn't want to make things difficult for himself.

Cheng Sui glanced at him and continued, "Aren't you the strongest in the Japanese branch? Don't always let that old man use so-called family ties to blackmail you. You seem to live a very tiring life every day."

"You don't understand how important my father is to me," Yuan Zhisheng said in a deep voice. "He brought me out of those deep mountains and gave me the life I have today."

"Is this the life you want?"

Cheng Sui asked the question seemingly casually.

Yuan Zhisheng fell silent again.

His gaze swept across the process and landed on Erii, who was playing with an orange cat not far away.

Yes, is this the life I want now?

What were you thinking when you first arrived in Tokyo?

So much time has passed that those initial dreams and aspirations have become blurred and indistinct.

"I've discovered that you're a very cowardly person." Cheng Sui suddenly blurted out this sentence out of the blue, looking at Erii's back.

Yuan Zhisheng was stunned.

He never expected Cheng Sui to evaluate him in this way.

He imagined that people would call him pretentious or indecisive, but he never expected it to be a lack of courage.

He is Amaterasu no Mikoto of the Snake-Headed Eight Families, the head of the Executive Bureau who has slain countless evil spirits.

This is the first time someone has said he lacks courage.

Cheng Sui noticed his confusion and explained, "The courage I'm talking about isn't the determination to defeat others, but the courage to always be your truest self, no matter what others expect of you."

"There's a young nobleman at Kassel College named Caesar, who's completely different from you. He's always wanted to break free from his family's constraints. Although I don't agree with many of his values, and his resistance may not be effective, I think you can learn from his approach to things."

Cheng walked to the vending machine by the roadside and bought a can of chilled soda.

With a "click," he pulled the tab, tilted his head back, and took a swig; the icy liquid slid down his throat.

"Being too idealistic will make one feel empty and meaningless, while being too realistic will make one feel mediocre and indistinguishable from the crowd."

"So what are your ideals and your reality?"

Yuan Zhisheng remained silent for a long time.

Only after Erii finished petting the cat, stood up, and looked at them with a smile did he speak in silence.

"An ideal?" He chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Does selling sunscreen on a nudist beach in France count?"

Yuan Zhisheng had assumed that Cheng Sui would laugh at him or dismiss it.

Unexpectedly, Cheng Sui raised the can of cola in his hand and gave him a salute from afar.

Genji could see encouragement in the boy's eyes, without any malice.

"I wish you success, my friend," Cheng Sui said.

These words touched a certain part of Genjiro's heart.

"And you, Cheng Sui, what do you want to do?" he couldn't help but ask.

Cheng Sui's gaze passed over him, looking at the drifting maple leaves outside Meiji Shrine, and then at Erii, who was curiously examining the stone lantern not far away.

The girl's figure appeared slender in the sunlight, yet full of vitality.

A moment later, Cheng Sui turned his head, a relaxed yet firm smile on his face.

"I will not betray my dreams. That's all."

Yuan Zhisheng looked at him.

From the moment this boy first arrived in Japan, he seemed to always be like this, not caring about anything, not needing to take on any responsibilities, as free as a gust of wind.

"Oh, right." Cheng Sui seemed to suddenly remember something and calmly said, "Your younger brother, is his name Yuan Zhinv? I ran into him before."

The air froze in that instant.

The sounds of tourists chatting and laughing, and the rustling of leaves in the wind, all seemed to be drawn away at this moment.

Yuan Zhisheng suddenly turned his head and stared intently at Cheng Sui.

His eyes were filled with complex emotions that Cheng Sui couldn't understand—shock, doubt, and fear intertwined.

He rushed to Cheng Sui, his voice trembling, and asked, "When? Where did you see him? What did he look like?"

Cheng Sui's impression of Yuan Zhisheng was always that of a cold and dignified person.

He had never seen Genjiro so out of control; the overwhelming sense of oppression made him instinctively take a step back.

"Calm down. He said he's your brother, the night my hotel was bombed. As for his appearance—he looks a lot like a girl."

With trembling hands, Yuan Zhisheng pulled his wallet from the inside pocket of his trench coat. His fingertips were shaking, and he couldn't quite grasp the wallet's inner pocket several times.

Yuan Zhisheng pulled out an old, yellowed photograph from inside.

The background of the photo is a dilapidated little mountain village.

Two boys in simple school uniforms stood close together.

The taller boy on the left, with a bamboo knife slung over his shoulder, was casually putting his arm around the shoulder of the boy on the right.

The boy on the right seemed a little timid and shy. He lowered his head, not daring to look directly at the camera, and only secretly glanced at his brother next to him out of the corner of his eye.

"Is that so? Does he look like this?" Yuan Zhisheng asked, holding up the photo and somewhat incoherently.

"Calm down. These photos are from so many years ago. I can't even tell which one is you," Cheng Sui said, looking at the agitated Yuan Zhisheng.

Genjiro also realized that he had lost his composure.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, but the tremor in his voice was still undeniable.

"How do you know that person's name is Yuan Zhinü? Did he tell you himself?"

"Yes." Cheng Sui nodded. "He's a member of the Fierce Ghost Clan. Later, he said his name was Yuan Zhinu, and he also told me he was your younger brother."

"The Demon Clan? How could the young girl be with the Demon Clan—?" Genji muttered to himself, his face blank. "Wasn't the young girl already—?"

At the age of eighteen, after killing his out-of-control younger brother with his own hands, he locked the "corpse" of the young girl into the dry well.

He had always believed that the little girl was definitely dead.

But why————

Why would someone tell him now that the girl is still alive?

Genjiro's mind was thrown into unprecedented chaos.

He had been tormented by guilt for killing his younger brother for so many years, but now he learned that his brother might still be alive.

Then what about his regret and confusion all this time?

Why did Dad lie to me?

Of course, it's also possible that Cheng Sui is lying.

But if Cheng Sui was lying, how did he know the name "Yuan Zhi Nu"? Apart from him, his father, and a few other high-ranking family members, no one else knew this name.

Countless questions exploded in Genji's mind.

He suddenly felt that the past twenty-odd years of his life had been like living in a huge, meticulously woven lie.

Cheng Sui looked at the man in front of him who was beginning to doubt his life. Just as he was about to ask about his brother, a system notification quietly popped up in his eyes.

Based on your intelligence gathering and deduction, you have learned that the mysterious masked man is Obito Uchiha, and you have informed Kakashi Hatake, who has always believed that Obito Uchiha is dead.

[Progress has been made in the long-term mission, unlocking the first stage reward.]

[Reward for completing the mission: Mangekyou Sharingan - Kamui (can be used once per week)]