"Hey, hey, hey, cheer up! It's your big day today."
"Am I not happy?" He looked at his friend in confusion.
"Of course not. Look at you, your brows are furrowed. With that gloomy look, you'll upset the bride~"
He glanced at the mirror. The man in the mirror was tall and handsome, standing in a magnificent hotel ballroom, surrounded by smiling relatives and friends. A nine-tiered giant black swan cake, a red rose garden bigger than a car... Many people were taking selfies with their phones, editing them and posting them on their social media.
The man was familiar with this scene... yet there was a strange sense of unfamiliarity.
"Cheer up, you're marrying the woman you love most." He faced the mirror, pinching the corners of his mouth and forcing a smile.
The man in the mirror revealed his canines, a grotesque and distorted grin, like a snarling beast.
He shuddered, not daring to look at the mirror again.
Dun~ Dun Dun~ Dun Dun~
The wedding march blared, and flowers flew through the air.
He instinctively turned around. At the end of the red carpet, the bride in a white wedding dress walked gracefully towards him.
So beautiful... The man stared at her, mesmerized, until she reached his side.
"What's wrong with you?" The bride chuckled.
"As if you're seeing me for the first time."
"...I just think you're very beautiful today."
"Oh? More beautiful than yesterday? Which is more beautiful?"
"Uh..."
"Hahaha, I'm just teasing you... silly." The bride seemed very happy.
"Look, our little prince is smiling."
"Little prince? We have a son?" The man was momentarily stunned before noticing the baby in the bride's arms.
The baby's face was chubby and pink, with delicate skin, round and adorable, smiling at him.
"My child..." The man's heart filled with an indescribable tenderness. He reached out, wanting to caress the baby boy's cheek.
The next moment, the man froze.
He saw a fluorescent green, hideous pattern etched on the baby's delicate forehead.
It was a symbol of a slave's humiliation, signifying that this child, like himself, would become a caged bird.
This cursed fate would be passed down through generations, unchanging until the end of the world.
He felt a chill throughout his body, as if he had fallen into hell.
The resplendent ballroom suddenly twisted, transforming into jagged cliffs. His best friend, the guests, the bride, the baby in her arms... Everyone turned into monsters, cackling with shrill voices.
"Once a caged bird, always a caged bird, a caged bird for eternity... You have nowhere to escape. Your soul and body have no freedom, not even for a moment. This is a sorrowful fate that even death cannot change..."
The man's eyes widened in fury. With courage he didn't know he possessed, he raised his fist and charged towards the monsters, resolute and crazed.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"I'll kill you all! Until no one dares to cage me anymore!"
"Even if I have to kill until I'm the only one left in this world, I'll..."
Hyuga Yuto suddenly felt a sharp pain.
The pain came from his mouth, specifically, the soft flesh under his tongue.
The illusion shattered, and rationality returned to Hyuga Yuto.
He quickly realized what had pierced his tongue and mouth... Before the impact of the explosion hit, he had taken out a shortened needle and placed it under his tongue.
Thank goodness for good habits... Hyuga Yuto thought wryly.
Suddenly, he felt something wet on his face.
He opened his eyes and saw a slug the size of his head perched on him. Its eyes, located at the tips of its antennae, stared at him with a watery gaze, both frightening and somewhat cute.
"Oh, Yuto-kun, you're awake." Katsuyu's voice was as gentle as ever.
"Mm..." The Branch House boy groaned, his voice slurred.
"Katsuyu-sama... How long have I been unconscious?"
"A day and a half."
"Damn Jinpachi Munashi..." Hyuga Yuto snorted.
"He wanted to drag me down with him even in death."
"Yuto-kun, anger will slow down your body's healing process... Eh? Your voice sounds a bit strange."
That's because my tongue hurts, Hyuga Yuto thought to himself, glossing over it with a vague excuse.
Thinking back to everything that happened that day, the Branch House boy felt a wave of fear.
The power of twenty thousand explosive tags was immense, practically on par with a Tailed Beast Bomb. In the moments before the impact, Hyuga Yuto only had time to do three things:
Place the needle in his mouth to prevent himself from saying anything compromising while unconscious.
Summon Katsuyu and hide her on his body for healing after he lost consciousness.
Desperately use "Lion's Fang Bite Sever" to shield himself from the blast and prevent instant death.
It turned out that Hyuga Yuto's choices were incredibly correct. He survived. Although he was in a terrible state, his arms and legs were intact. He wasn't disabled, a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.
As Tsunade's disciple, he naturally carried life-saving items left by his teacher. Tsunade had infused her chakra into Katsuyu. As long as she was summoned, she could automatically release Mystical Palm Technique. This was a clever application of Katsuyu's division and chakra transfer abilities. Tsunade's mastery in both supplementary and medical ninjutsu was truly profound.
"I still can't underestimate anyone. Jinpachi Munashi... Even after being reincarnated in the Fourth War, he didn't have much screen time, yet he possessed such terrifying decisiveness and secret techniques." Hyuga Yuto frowned, starting to analyze the gains and losses of this battle.
"My use of Heavenly Foot of Pain is still not proficient. This kind of ninjutsu is best used on land. I should have struck first and attacked him in that shop."
"I channeled too much chakra into Revolving Heaven, causing the enemies to be flung too far away. If I could have captured those Kirigakure Chunin alive and thrown them at Jinpachi Munashi, I might have been able to delay the explosion of the scroll, giving me a chance to use the Body Flicker Technique to take his head."
"Not knowing any mid-to-long-range ninjutsu puts me at a disadvantage when fighting experts. Although Lion's Fang Bite Sever has a fast burst speed, my arm's endurance is still a major problem..."
In this battle, Hyuga Yuto was close to death. In fact, it had been a long time since he had talked in his sleep. Being woken up by the needle just now also showed that his physical condition had deteriorated to the point where he had lost even his instinctive vigilance.
He pondered for a long time, took a deep breath, and tried to stand up, wanting to move around a bit. But as he got up, he realized that his body was very stiff.
Hyuga Yuto looked down and saw that he was wrapped in bandages from head to toe.
Katsuyu couldn't possibly have used her tentacles to bandage me...
He couldn't describe how he felt, frozen in place.
Just then, a voice came from the cave entrance.
"My dear student has finally woken up... Oh? What's wrong with you? As if you're seeing me for the first time."
The blonde woman tossed Hyuga Yuto an unknown fruit and chuckled.
"Let's go back, my Jonin student."