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

Chapter 127 The Confession at Meiji Shrine (3000 words)

A chilling power of vision, colder than ever before, suddenly appeared in Cheng Sui's mind.

At the same time, Cheng Sui clearly felt that his consciousness had formed a mysterious connection with an independent space.

He had a feeling that he could enter that strange space at any time with just a thought.

Just as Genji was still questioning his life because of the news that his younger brother was still alive, and Cheng Sui was carefully experiencing the new changes brought about by the Mangekyou Sharingan, Erii had finished playing with the lazy orange cat and came bouncing back.

She glanced to her left at the silent Yuan Zhisheng, and to her right at Cheng Sui, who had his eyes closed and seemed to be deep in thought.

The girl reached out her soft little hand and gently tugged at the hem of their clothes.

This action simultaneously pulled the two men, who were lost in their own thoughts, back to reality.

Erii held up the small notebook in her hand, her scarlet eyes sparkling with curiosity and anticipation.

"Someone is getting married inside, and Erii wants to go see it. Naruto and her brother are going with her."

Looking into the girl's clear eyes, Cheng Sui and Yuan Zhisheng nodded almost simultaneously.

Having received an affirmative answer, Erii smiled happily. Holding one of their hands, she led them deeper into Meiji Shrine.

When are you going back to Kassel College?

As Erii pulled him forward, Genji turned his head and whispered a question to Cheng Sui.

"The academy has approved my action date for five days from now," Cheng Sui replied. "I've basically finished everything I needed to do in Japan, so I'll just have a few more days of fun before heading back to the academy."

Yuan Zhisheng hummed in agreement and didn't ask any further questions.

Having just learned that Genjiro might still be alive, his thoughts are still in a state of chaos.

His younger brother, whom he thought had long since died by his own hand, and the relative to whom he had carried a burden of guilt for so many years, was actually still alive.

The impact of this fact on him was far more intense than anything else.

His only thought now was to help Erii quickly finish exploring this shrine, which was full of novelty for her, and then immediately use all the power of the Snake Clan to investigate everything about Genji.

"Be careful of Tachibana Masamune." Cheng Sui's voice clearly reached Genji's ears. "He's not as trustworthy as you think."

This time, Genjiro did not refute it.

He simply nodded silently.

The image of him that was as reliable as a mountain and as kind as a father had unknowingly developed a crack.

The three of them quickly arrived at the main hall of Meiji Shrine.

Erii stood at the doorway, watching with curiosity as the newlyweds, guided by the priest, walked step by step toward the main hall of the shrine.

The bride wore a pure white kimono and a white cotton hat called "Kakushiki".

This entire dress is known as the Shiromuku in traditional Japanese culture.

It symbolizes purity and innocence, and also signifies that the bride will be like a blank sheet of paper, stained with the colors of her husband's family, and embarking on a brand new life.

Against the backdrop of the "Shiromuku" (white kimono), the bride's face appeared dignified and beautiful, and every step she took was devout and elegant.

Erii blinked, unable to resist stealing a glance at Cheng Sui beside her.

The girl clearly remembered that not long ago, in that small coffee shop, Cheng Sui called her brother "brother-in-law".

So, will I—one day—also wear this beautiful white kimono for Naruto?

Erii couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation for the future.

"Beautiful lady, would you like to take a commemorative photo?"

Just as Erii was staring blankly at the bride, a photographer carrying a professional camera approached her with a smile and struck up a conversation.

These photographers, who are stationed at popular tourist attractions, have long since developed a keen eye for spotting talent.

They make a living by taking photos for tourists and can immediately identify which tourists are potential high-quality customers.

Erii, with her pure temperament and extraordinary attire, clearly a wealthy young lady visiting such a place for the first time, was definitely a target they wouldn't miss.

Erii's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing the suggestion to take a photo.

She nodded vigorously, quickly wrote a line in her notebook, and then held it up high for Cheng Sui and Yuan Zhisheng to see.

"Naruto taking a picture with his brother!"

At the end of the southern approach outside Meiji Shrine, a row of huge sake barrels is displayed on both sides of the road.

On the left is a wine barrel from the Burgundy region of France, symbolizing Emperor Meiji's absorption and learning from Western culture.

On the right are sake barrels offered in various parts of Japan, representing respect for the gods.

Here, Eastern and Western cultures blend together, and the neatly arranged walls of wine barrels create a unique and spectacular landscape.

Erii was standing in front of this magnificent wall of sake barrels.

Cheng Sui and Yuan Zhisheng stood on her left and right sides respectively, creating a perfect composition.

The girl stood between the two, squatted down slightly, smiled brightly at the camera, and happily raised two peace signs.

Cheng Sui stood next to Erii and struck the same pose as the girl, his smile relaxed and carefree.

Only Yuan Zhisheng's facial scars had not completely faded, and his expression was somewhat stiff.

He tried hard to force a smile to match the warm atmosphere, but his chaotic thoughts had already drifted off to some distant place.

"Click."

The photographer skillfully pressed the shutter, freezing this fleeting moment into an eternal one.

Erii carefully took the still-warm photo from the photographer's hands.

She lowered her head, staring intently at the three people in the photo.

Then she carefully and gently tucked the photo into her little notebook, which she always carried with her.

Cheng Sui then realized that Erii's notebook had been filled with many photos without her noticing.

Some of them are photos of him and Erii taken in various places.

Some of them are scenic postcards that Erii bought herself.

It's clear that the girl cherishes this rare opportunity to go out.

So she tried her best to record every moment of this journey in her own way.

The three walked out of Meiji Shrine side by side.

Erii put her hands behind her back and took small, slow steps.

Because she knew in her heart that this was the last stop she and Cheng Sui had agreed upon.

How the girl wished that the path leading to the outside world could extend endlessly.

That way, I could continue walking this path with Cheng Sui, and I wouldn't have to go back to that cold room.

But every road eventually comes to an end.

A black Mercedes-Benz was already quietly waiting for them at the intersection.

Yuan Zhisheng stood by the roadside, took out a Gentle Seven Stars cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and silently took a few puffs.

The bluish-white smoke blurred the expression on his face.

"If you have something to say, say it to Erii now."

After saying that, he walked towards the black Mercedes, leaving the last moments for Cheng Sui and Erii.

Erii raised her head and quietly looked at Cheng Sui.

In the girl's clear, crimson eyes, glistening with tears, a faint light flickered.

"I----"

Cheng Sui was about to say something.

The next second, he felt a soft body rush into his arms.

The girl hugged him tightly and buried her face in his chest.

A muffled sound came from his arms.

"I like Naruto."

This was the second time Cheng Sui had heard Erii speak.

A book once wrote that love in youth always grows wildly amidst repeated testing and reckless, all-or-nothing actions.

A boy's love is often expressed timidly, while a girl's love is often expressed more boldly and recklessly.

Such scenes are always playing out on campus.

On a quiet afternoon, during an empty gym class, a boy, blushing, would secretly slip a love letter, which he had drafted countless times, into a girl's desk drawer.

But the girl dared to shout out a boy's name loudly in the summer breeze beside the bustling playground.

A young man's heart always wavers between courage and timidity. He might rashly take the first step in order to form a faint bond with the girl he admires.

But every step that follows could turn into a cowardly wandering.

He would write the girl's name a hundred times on a draft paper, but he didn't dare to shout it out loud in class.

He would deliberately avoid me when we bumped into each other in the hallway during breaks, but his heart would pound like a drum.

He would deliberately linger a few minutes on his way to the cafeteria, just so he could catch a glimpse of her back from afar, flickering in the afternoon sunlight.

But when it came to actually saying those simple words to her face, his throat felt like it was filled with lead, and he couldn't utter a sound.

When she actually stands in front of you, you shrink back timidly, not daring to step forward and express your feelings.

Later, this unrequited love that ended without fruition became a regret in life, something you would deeply regret on a quiet night many years later.

But life shouldn't be full of regrets.

So this time, Cheng Sui responded to the girl's affection.

He bent down and whispered in Erii's ear, "I like Erii too."

[Mission Complete: Successfully led Ayame to escape the pursuit of enemy ninjas and reach the destination, Konoha.]

[Mission Completion Reward: Flying Thunder God Technique (Advanced Version: Allows for spatial teleportation with both objects and people)]

The system notification sound appeared in his eyes, but Cheng Sui ignored it without paying attention.

He could feel Erii holding his arms, and Erii tightened her grip even more after hearing his response.

Cheng Sui also reached out and gently embraced the girl in his arms.

"We should go."

Yuan Zhisheng's voice came from not far away, breaking the brief moment of tenderness between the young couple.

Erii lifted her head from Cheng Sui's embrace, her face full of reluctance.

She walked toward the black sedan, turning back every few steps, until finally Yuan Zhisheng himself closed the door for her, cutting off her lingering gaze.

Watching the black Mercedes gradually accelerate, merge into the traffic, and finally disappear around the street corner.

Cheng Sui's expression didn't change much.

Because just now, during that hug, without anyone knowing, he had silently left a Flying Thunder God technique mark on Erii's back.

For him now, seeing Erii again is just a matter of a thought.

Turning his gaze away, Cheng Sui stretched out a big yawn, his joints making a series of soft cracking sounds.

"Alright, it's time to go find our missing senior Fingel."

>