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Temari's heart stirred as if she understood something. She then whispered to Kankuro and Gaara, "Let's go. It's time for us to complete the mission."
"Thank you, sister, brother," Gaara whispered softly as Temari and Kankuro turned to leave, his voice barely audible.
However, Temari, being attentive, caught his words. She immediately turned her head in surprise and looked at Gaara, asking, "Gaara! Did you just call me sister?"
"Stupid... Stupid, I... I didn't!" Gaara was startled by Temari's sudden question and quickly stammered in denial, but the blush on his face completely gave away his true feelings.
"Haha, great, Gaara, you finally called me sister!" Temari, as excited as a child, began to ruffle Gaara's iconic red hair.
Gaara was embarrassed and annoyed by Temari's actions, but all he could do was protest, "Stop it, stupid sister!"
Surprisingly, the sand that usually protected Gaara automatically whenever it sensed danger didn't move at all this time. It was as if it had suddenly lost its consciousness.
Kankuro stood aside, looking at Gaara with hopeful eyes. "Then... Gaara, can you call me brother?"
However, Gaara answered without hesitation, "No!"
"Come on, just once, Gaara!" Kankuro continued to beg.
"No means no!" Gaara firmly refused.
"Just once! Please, Gaara," Kankuro persisted.
Looking at the warm and amusing scene in front of her, Temari couldn't help but smile genuinely. She silently thanked Sasuke in her heart. *If it weren't for him, maybe we wouldn't be seeing such a harmonious moment now.*
Meanwhile, Sasuke encountered Neji, who approached him with a serious expression. "Sasuke, are you serious about the Kage-level threat you mentioned earlier?"
Sasuke nodded without hesitation and said solemnly, "Why would I joke about my life?"
Hearing this, Neji was silent for a moment before he said, "In that case, I plan to end this exam as soon as possible and report this matter to Lord Hokage."
Sasuke nodded slightly, showing his understanding and support. However, at that moment, Sasuke suddenly asked, "Are you willing?"
Neji was obviously puzzled and asked back, "What?"
"Are you willing to accept your fate?" Sasuke asked again, his eyes revealing a firm determination.
Neji slightly raised his head and looked at Sasuke, a trace of helplessness and despair in his eyes. "Whether I'm willing or not doesn't matter. Fate cannot be changed," he said, subconsciously touching his forehead protector, as if there was something important beneath it.
Sasuke knew that the forehead protector Neji touched was covering the Caged Bird mark on his forehead, a symbol of being bound. This mark was not only a physical symbol on Neji's body but also an indelible shadow in the depths of his soul.
Sasuke stared at Neji and whispered, "If I told you I have a way to remove the Caged Bird curse, would that change your fate?"
Hearing Sasuke's words, Neji was stunned for a moment, his eyes widening in disbelief. His voice trembled slightly as he asked excitedly and cautiously, "Really... really? You said you can remove the Caged Bird?!"
At that moment, Neji's excitement could no longer be suppressed. For many years, he had longed to be free from the shackles of the Caged Bird curse. He had poured countless effort into trying to unlock it but had never succeeded. Now, Sasuke claimed he could do it—how could Neji not be excited? However, alongside his excitement, Neji also hesitated to believe it easily. After all, this was too important to him, and he couldn't afford to let his hopes be crushed.
So, he stared at Sasuke intently, hoping for more evidence or explanations.
"Yes," Sasuke began. "To be honest, the so-called Caged Bird is just a curse that damages the branch family's brain through a spell. To solve this problem, you could eliminate all the main family members who know the spell."
Hearing this, Neji's eyes dimmed again. He had thought of that idea before, but it was impossible to achieve on his own.
"Admittedly, that's the most direct way," Sasuke continued, "but I can directly remove the Caged Bird seal."
"That's impossible. You have no idea how complex the Caged Bird seal is. How could you easily break it?" Neji retorted firmly.
"In this world, as long as I understand the principles, even a god's ninjutsu can be broken," Sasuke asserted confidently. He wasn't just boasting. With his astonishing comprehension abilities, Sasuke believed that given enough time, there was no ninjutsu he couldn't master.
"It's impossible. You absolutely cannot break the Caged Bird!" Neji's eyes widened as he shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't accept this idea, as the Caged Bird had always been considered an unbreakable curse.
Sasuke looked at Neji calmly and said firmly, "It doesn't matter. As long as you let me study your curse, I will naturally find a way to break it. The choice is yours."
Neji fell into silence, contemplating Sasuke's words. After a moment, he gritted his teeth and made up his mind. "I promise you, as long as you can break the Caged Bird, my life will be yours!"
Neji was willing to risk it because freedom was more important to him than anything else.
However, Sasuke smiled and shook his head, saying, "Why would I need your life? I just hope you can say a few good words to Hinata in the future."
Hearing Sasuke's request, Neji was stunned. He couldn't believe his ears. *Sasuke is actually interested in Hinata!* Hinata, the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan, held a noble status. How could she easily marry into the Uchiha clan? Unless Sasuke was willing to marry into the Hyuga family, but given Sasuke's many girlfriends, that seemed almost impossible!
Neji was secretly amazed and also felt a bit helpless. However, to remove the curse, he agreed to Sasuke's request. "Alright, I promise you!"
Sasuke nodded with satisfaction, then said, "Okay, in that case, you should quickly complete the task and leave. After all, Lee is still injured and needs timely treatment. We can't delay any longer."
Hearing this, Neji's forehead creased with countless black lines, and he said speechlessly, "Please, can you get the situation right? Who caused Lee's injury in the first place?"
Sasuke waved his hand nonchalantly and replied casually, "Oh, don't be so serious. These are just small matters. Don't worry too much!"
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