Chapter 299 Why Not Be Selfish 1

Tsunade's words opened up another perspective of Jiraiya's memories.

It's strange that some things seem normal or even too ordinary to ourselves, but we never think that in the eyes of others, they are enviable and jealous memories.

The more I recall, the harder it becomes to ignore the pain I’ve deliberately suppressed.

Jiraiya's carefree temperament gradually faded, and was replaced by the vicissitudes of life that came from being forced to be calm after experiencing the changes in the world.

He murmured: "Yeah, if only we could have discovered it earlier..."

Infected by the regret in his tone, Tsunade slowly lowered her eyelashes.

If only they could have discovered Haruko's goodness earlier, instead of realizing it belatedly after she disappeared...

Tsunade closed her eyes and hid all the negative emotions.

When she raised her head again, there was only the brightness of her eyebrows and a hint of smile on her red lips.

"Don't you want to be brave once? You only have one chance to live your life. If you miss it, you'll miss it for real."

Understanding the deeper meaning behind her words, all the sadness surrounding Jiraiya faded away and he tried to regain his usual cheerful smile, but to no avail.

In the end, he could only reveal a bitter and helpless smile.

"If I were a few decades younger, maybe I would have more courage."

Jiraiya looked out the window, his eyes moving as the warm sunlight intruded.

Such brilliant and beautiful light will warm the heart of anyone who is illuminated by it.

Also, I have to let go.

"There is a gap of time between her and me."

When they were still young, although Tsunade said that Haruko would not like him, a white-haired hedgehog, deep down Tsunade hoped that Jiraiya and Haruko would be together.

Both of them are warm-hearted and loyal people, like two suns chasing and accompanying each other, orbiting around each other.

Tsunade walked up to him and basked in the blessing of heaven with him.

"Yeah, if only we were younger."

Even though she had the secret to eternal youth, facing the merciless passage of time, Tsunade's tone was inevitably tinged with melancholy.

Jiraiya exhaled, "No one will ever age. We should be happy. Haruko is so young, which means we can meet her many times again."

"That's right," Tsunade finally put on a genuine smile, "You are not allowed to sneak up on her again!"

"I didn't! This is the first time I met her, don't slander me!"

"Eh? From the way you two greeted each other, I thought you had met before."

"I was just pretending, okay? I'm a grown-up, am I suitable to cry in public?"

Jiraiya's jokes did not ease Tsunade's gradually furrowed brows. She had not expected that this was the first time they met.

Tsunade rubbed her chin as the suspicion that had been suppressed in her heart rose again.

He murmured, "Sure enough, it's not my illusion."

Jiraiya was puzzled and asked, "What illusion?"

"Don't you think Haruko is a little strange? After regaining her memory, Haruko should have come to us first to see how we are doing, but she didn't. Instead, she stayed with Naruto and the others."

After hearing what she said, Jiraiya also found something suspicious, "You mean..."

Tsunade's eyebrows were knitted in anxiety, and she looked out the window at the summer green grass that was faintly emitting heat waves.

Suddenly, a chill spread in my heart.

"I hope I'm overthinking it."

……

The summer afternoon is full of heat, and the air is filled with dull heat.

In the morning, Haruko walked step by step in the alley.

The heat from the tiles exposed to the sun penetrated deeply into my skin, but it could not dispel the coldness that seeped into my bones.

Gradually, she stopped.

The empty black pupils swept across the gray bricks on the ground, across the lush and intertwined leaves in the distance, and across the scorching sun hanging in the sky.

She lowered her head until her pupils were stung by the strong light and she was forced to close them.

The haziness of the world and the trance of consciousness overlap under the halo that suddenly appears before your eyes.

Her health seemed to be getting weaker day by day.

Sometimes after overusing chakra, she would feel a sense of emptiness inside her body, followed by weakness in her hands and feet.

Fortunately, it wasn't too serious, otherwise she wouldn't be able to pretend to be normal in front of other people.

According to Orochimaru and his colleagues' research, she can only use drugs to slow down the rate of weakening for now. This is a blessing in disguise. At least she doesn't have to worry about her life in the next two years.

But what about the future?

If the day comes when her vitality is exhausted, will she really become an artificial human or use her corpse to reincarnate?

"Let's talk..."

Haruko Asa looked at her feet and said to herself, "It seems that from the beginning, my goal was to live peacefully."

"In that case, why not be selfish?"

A familiar male voice sounded from behind her.

In the morning, Haruko suddenly came back to her senses and turned her head to look, her movement revealing some panic.

In the originally deserted alley, Kakashi Hatake, wearing a military green vest, was standing there at some point, his narrow eyes quietly looking at her.

"Kakashi-sama... Kakashi, why are you here?"

For some reason, Haruko didn't dare to look him in the eye.

Her eyes flickered for a few times before she met his gaze, and she kept thanking herself for not saying too much.

Hatake Kakashi pretended not to notice her abnormality and explained, "It's time to change shifts."

The answer was an understatement.

"No, I mean..." Haruko Asako clenched her hands nervously, "Did you come to see me on purpose?"

Catching sight of her subtle movements, Hatake Kakashi said something irrelevant.

"The cooling-off period, I think it's time to end."

"what?"

Zao Qingzi was stunned and didn't understand what he said.

Hatake Kakashi did not explain in detail. He took a step forward and walked in front of Haruko Asagi. When he looked down at her, he could clearly see her uncomfortable expression.

He repeatedly asked, "If you want to live a stable life, why not be selfish?"

The man's voice was low but not oppressive, but Haruko was still panicked in the morning as if she had been caught.

"I...I'm not..."

She hesitated for a long time, not knowing what to say to escape the vaguely scrutinizing gaze.

But the deep eyes that she regarded as a scourge of beasts were clearly full of tenderness when looking at her.

Hatake Kakashi sighed and raised his large hand to touch her head.

It seemed as if he wanted to give her some comfort as she felt uneasy.

But what he said next in a soft voice made Haruko Zaoma's whole body stiffen.

"You actually don't remember, right?" Hatake Kakashi watched her reaction without blinking, "Or your memory is incomplete, and you still think you are Haruko Asagao from Team 7."

Even though the sound of her heart pounding was as loud as her ears could detect, Haruko Zao did not dare to show any sign of guilt.

She kept a smile on her face and looked up into the deep eyes that frightened her.

Pretending not to understand, he asked in confusion: "Kakashi, what are you talking about..."

***

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