Tetsu and Ajisai's backs remained visible in front of me, but my feelings were increasingly shaken. Aoki, just wait a little longer! I will take them far away from here, faster, farther, until I am sure Aoki will be safe.
I pleaded with myself, with the gods, or with anyone who could hear.
"Please keep Aoki safe, I beg you!" My cries were stifled, and I ran faster, even though my heart was pounding harder, as if it wanted to escape from my chest. I couldn't think of anything else but ensuring they stayed alive.
Explosions began to sound from afar. Each blast made my heart and body tremble violently, adding to the weight that felt increasingly heavy. My breath quickened, and my vision started to blur.
I tried to hold back, but the tears couldn't be contained. Ah, no! There must be no despair. Aoki will be fine, I believe that! I must keep faith. I must keep running, because that is the only thing I can do right now.
We continued to run, passing through the rustling trees in the dark forest, with only the moonlight left as our guide. Each step felt heavier, but I couldn't stop.
I knew that the longer we ran, the closer we would get to the village where we had stayed, and the harder it would be to return. But I couldn't stop. Not now.
We kept running; I knew we were still very far away. However, there was only one choice: to take Tetsu and Ajisai faster. My shoulder still ached, and my body was starting to tire.
But I knew that as long as I could carry them away, no matter how much pain I felt, it didn't matter. What mattered was ensuring they were safe and getting back to Aoki.
Then, without having time to think further, my body moved automatically, driven by an impulse that transcended logic—or perhaps, by a fear that was beginning to burn into blind determination.
There was something strong within me guiding every step, even as all my common sense tried to hold me back. I couldn't wait. I had to act now.
Even though I was just a thirteen-year-old girl, my young body seemed to know no limits. I lifted Tetsu, who was only eleven, and Ajisai, who was much younger, around five or six years old.
The tension in my body felt more pronounced as I bore their weight—but there was no time to stop and feel it. My injured left shoulder—still sharp with pain from an unhealed impact—strained under the pressure, but I couldn't slow my pace.
With one swift motion, I hoisted them onto my shoulder. Each breath felt heavy and ragged, merging with the sound of footsteps pounding on the hard ground and branches sliding beneath.
My legs kept moving without hesitation, even as if the earth wanted to drag me back. Each step felt further from reality, closer to uncertainty.
"Sister Mei! Will Boss be okay?" Tetsu's voice broke through the darkness, piercing the eerie silence of the night forest.
I could feel the fear in that voice, a vibration that seeped into my bones. Tetsu's big, innocent eyes shone in the dark, filled with an anxiety that couldn't be hidden.
I bit my lip, trying to suppress the panic that was starting to creep in. "Just stay calm!" I replied quickly, my voice sounding hoarse and higher than usual, trying to mask the anxiety that overwhelmed my chest. "Aoki is a strong person! I'm sure Aoki can handle it!"
However, my words felt empty, like the night wind passing without a trace. I knew they could sense the uncertainty hidden in my response. But Tetsu—though his heart was full of fear—might feel a little more at ease.
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[Announcement: A New Novel Has Been Added!
The Puppet Maker in the World of Naruto
A man who is a scientist, researcher, and expert mechanic in robotics dies in a massive explosion that occurs in his laboratory while developing an advanced robot project. However, instead of experiencing death as he thought, the man awakens in another world—a strange place with vast stretches of desert.
There, the man is surrounded by people who can jump high, calling themselves ninjas. The confusion he initially felt grows as he realizes that this world is not unfamiliar to him. This is the world of Naruto! However, there is one thing that surprises him.
"Isn't this Sunagakure? Why am I not in Konoha? This poorest village... Oh my God, this is serious!"
Now, in the midst of a new life filled with danger and uncertainty, the scientist must find a way to survive in Sunagakure, a harsh place full of limitations. With his robotic knowledge, can the man change his fate in this ninja world, or will he fall along with the village?]
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