OBS Chapter 732 Heavy
Chapter 732 Heavy
His words were heavy and truthful, causing the scales in her heart to tip unconsciously. "You're right..." Mikoto responded softly, momentarily at a loss for what to do. She understood his choice, but couldn't truly put her mind at ease.
“But… even if you get out of prison, how will you reintegrate into the village?” Mikoto looked up at him with concern. “The crime of killing a fellow villager will make it difficult for you to establish yourself in the village. Those rumors…” Her voice was full of unease, foreseeing the difficulties Zhang Hai might face in the future.
Zhang Hai's tone grew even lower, as if stating a fact he had long accepted: "I'm a member of the Dark Division, my identity is kept secret, and I don't need to have much contact with outsiders. Being alone is a life I'm used to. Those so-called rumors are just gossip to me, nothing more than whispers, not worth mentioning." Although his words were calm, they revealed a deep-seated loneliness.
Hearing his words, Mikoto felt even more sorry for Zhang Hai. Her heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, the heartache almost suffocating her. This child, burdened with secrets and loneliness since childhood, was now in dire straits. Mikoto's gaze swept over the simple and messy cell, and she made up her mind. She stood up and said to Zhang Hai, "I'll help you wash up and clean the room."
Mikoto was very handy; despite the rudimentary conditions, she tidied up the cell impeccably. The dust was wiped away, and the damp bedding was made as neat and tidy as possible. She even brought some basic toiletries and helped Zhang Hai with a quick clean-up. After her efforts, the room looked brand new, and Zhang Hai himself seemed much more energetic, his previous gloomy mood significantly reduced.
"You've really grown into a handsome young man." Mikoto looked at the transformed Zhang Hai, a hint of satisfaction in her eyes. She blurted out the words instinctively, with the approval of an elder for a younger person, then added with a touch of joking, "After you leave, I'll definitely help you find someone..."
“No need!” Zhang Hai interrupted her almost reflexively, a hint of awkwardness flashing across his face. He quickly declined, saying, “I…I don’t intend to.” He glanced at Mikoto, his eyes slightly evasive, and added with a rare gentleness, “Not everyone is as beautiful and captivating as you.”
Meiqin chuckled at his sudden sweet talk. She patted Zhang Hai's shoulder lightly, her smile a mix of helplessness and affection: "You, you always know how to say nice things, just like when you were little." At that moment, Meiqin seemed to see a glimpse of the sweet-talking, clever Zhang Hai from her childhood through this composed young man, and a warm feeling welled up in her heart.
Mikoto's eyes crinkled with delight at Zhang Hai's compliments, and the last trace of heaviness in her heart dissipated. Looking at his face, which appeared even more handsome after being clean and tidy, she couldn't help but chide him playfully, "Your mouth hasn't changed at all. You loved to make people happy when you were little, and you've become even more glib as you've grown up." She gently poked Zhang Hai's forehead, her eyes filled with that long-lost intimacy and relaxation between siblings.
Zhang Hai's lips curled slightly, a hint of cunning flashing deep in his eyes. He knew Meiqin was perceptive and understood the effect of his earlier show of weakness and flattery. He smoothly picked up on Meiqin's words, his tone casually teasing: "Of course, it's my honor to make a beauty like Sister Meiqin laugh. Besides, this prison cell is so boring, telling you a few truths to cheer you up is a good deed." He deliberately emphasized the word "truths," his eyes gleaming with mischievousness.
Upon hearing this, Mikoto couldn't help but chuckle, her clear laughter echoing in the cramped cell, dispelling the gloom from before. She shook her head, looking at Zhang Hai with a mixture of helplessness and affection, muttering "You, you," but her face was filled with genuine joy. In that moment, they seemed to have returned to their carefree childhood, free from the constraints of their families and the cruelty of ninjas, filled only with the purest playfulness between siblings.
However, this heartwarming scene was witnessed by a cold gaze. In a dark corner at the far end of the prison area, a pair of three-tomoe Sharingan eyes spun silently, like two crimson vortexes, recording every detail of the cell. Uchiha Fugaku, the head of the Uchiha clan, had a face ashen with anger. He was on a routine patrol when he unexpectedly stumbled upon this scene. He saw the bright smile on Mikoto's face, a smile she had never shown him before; he saw her affectionately touching the man's forehead; he heard their ambiguous and intimate conversation and laughter. Every detail was like a cold knife, piercing his heart.
Fugaku's fists clenched tightly at his sides, his knuckles white, the bones making a faint cracking sound. He could clearly feel the restlessness of his chakra, a raging fire of anger and jealousy. Watching Mikoto's unabashed intimacy with that man, the rage in his heart threatened to burst from his chest. He couldn't understand why his noble and dignified wife was so familiar with, even...so intimate with, a criminal imprisoned in a hardened cell!
Without lingering for another second, he turned and left the area. His footsteps were heavy and hurried, each step carrying suppressed anger. Emerging from the torture chamber, he called to a guard, his voice low and authoritative, carrying an unquestionable command: "Who is the prisoner numbered 'D-07' in the torture chamber?"
The guard, intimidated by the sudden appearance of the Fugaku clan chief and his icy aura, immediately replied respectfully, "Reporting to the clan chief, it is... it is 'Zhang Hai.' He is said to be a disciple of Hatake Sakumo and is accused of murdering several ninja from his village..."
"Zhang Hai? Sakumo's disciple?" Fugaku's eyes narrowed sharply, a thought flashing through his mind. The name seemed familiar, yet the memory was vague. The murder of a fellow villager… Sakumo Hatake's disciple… these details deepened Fugaku's suspicions. He didn't ask further, heading straight for the Uchiha clan's territory. He needed answers, answers that could explain everything he had witnessed.
Upon returning to the clan's territory, Fugaku went straight to a secret chamber deep within the mansion. This chamber, accessible only to successive clan heads, contained the Uchiha clan's most secret scrolls and documents, including the family genealogy containing information on all clan members. The chamber was sealed with talismans; Fugaku released the seal, pushed open the heavy stone door, and found the air inside somewhat stuffy, filled with the scent of old paper.