Chapter 73:
Her voice grew quieter with each word. "Just like... the Flying Thunder God technique..."
The air suddenly froze.
Sasuko whipped her head around, eyes wide as saucers. "Absolutely not!" She hurriedly grabbed Yu's sleeve. "That kind of request is way too weird!"
Naruko pouted, looking pitiful. "Why not? Yu didn't say I couldn't leave a mark..."
"Because I said so!" Sasuko spread her arms protectively in front of Yu. "Who knows if you'll suddenly teleport into Yu's room in the middle of the night!"
Yu watched the two girls about to break into another argument and couldn't help but chuckle softly. "About that request..." He deliberately drew out his words until both of them turned to look at him nervously. "I accept."
Under Sasuko's shocked gaze, Yu rolled up his sleeve to reveal his pale wrist. "However..." He looked at Naruko. "During certain special times, I might temporarily disable the mark, okay?"
Naruko immediately cheered and rushed forward, her fingertips glowing with chakra's blue light.
Sasuko stamped her feet in frustration. "You're spoiling her too much!" A twisted glint flashed through her eyes and disappeared just as quickly.
Under the cherry blossom tree, golden formula markings slowly sank into Yu's right wrist, transforming into a small sun-shaped seal.
Naruko beamed with a radiant smile. "Now I can find you anytime..." She paused, glancing at Sasuko before quickly adding, "And play with Sasuko too!"
Sasuko stood to the side, lips pressed together. "Is that so..." She suddenly extended her own slender wrist. "You erase the one on Yu, and I'll let you put one on me."
Naruko just smiled without speaking, her expression innocent and naive, neither agreeing nor refusing.
Seeing Naruko play dumb, Sasuko reached out and pinched her soft cheeks. "Yes or no? Give me an answer!"
Naruko's words became muffled as her face was pulled. "Mmph... If Sasuko wants one too, I can put one on you as well!"
"That's not what I meant!" Sasuko's face flushed red with anger. "You dummy, stop playing dumb!" She increased the pressure, molding Naruko's face into various shapes.
Seeing the two girls about to start fighting again, Yu quickly stepped forward to separate them. He leaned down and whispered in Sasuko's ear, "Tonight I'll let you mark one too, wherever you want." Then he straightened up and coughed twice, his expression serious. "Sasuko, you need to honor the bet."
He gently ruffled Sasuko's hair. "Losing this time doesn't matter. You'll just win next time." As he spoke, he winked at Sasuko discreetly, hinting at the special compensation she'd receive tonight.
Only then did Sasuko calm down somewhat, though she still deliberately turned her face away. "...Next time I'll definitely win!"
Naruko happily swayed her twin tails. "Sure, sure! Let's compete again next time!"
...
Night had fallen, and the study was brightly lit.
Yu was focused on reading through jutsu scrolls while Sasuko earnestly copied down the theory behind the Flying Thunder God technique, her fingers occasionally practicing the hand seals.
Ever since losing to Naruko during the day, Sasuko had been nursing a grudge.
She couldn't believe she'd lost to that dummy. Now she was diligently cramming theory, determined to surpass her rival as soon as possible.
"That's not right there." Yu suddenly reached out and lightly tapped her scroll. "The chakra flow needs to be gentler." He demonstrated the hand seal. "You're too impatient, which actually wastes more energy."
Sasuko bit her lip. "But Naruko clearly..." She suddenly fell silent, unwilling to admit she cared about that dead-last's success.
Yu gently closed her scroll. "Everyone has different talents. Naruko might be better at spatial awareness, but Sasuko's chakra control precision is superior."
"Play to your strengths."
Moonlight spilled through the window, casting their shadows on the paper door.
Sasuko gazed at Yu's focused profile as he demonstrated, then suddenly asked quietly, "Then... what are my strengths?"
"Persistence." Yu smiled and tapped her forehead. "Once you set a goal, you absolutely won't give up on it."
Sasuko murmured softly, staring at Yu's profile in a daze.
"Persistence, huh..."
Only she knew the true source of that persistence.
Yu seemed to sense something and turned his head. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing!" Sasuko hurriedly looked down, though her ears quietly turned red. She quickly changed the subject. "By the way, Yu said earlier... that I could mark one too, right?"
Yu chuckled softly. "Mm, do you want to do it now?"
Sasuko nodded vigorously, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes. When Yu asked where she wanted to mark, she suddenly gathered her courage and pointed at his chest. "Here."
Yu studied Sasuko for a moment, then said softly, "Alright."
He set down the scroll and began unbuttoning his shirt.
The subtle sound of fabric rustling was especially clear in the quiet study.
Sasuko watched as his outer garment slowly slipped away, revealing defined collarbones and chest, and suddenly found it difficult to breathe.
Why is my heart beating so fast...
When the last piece of clothing fell to his waist, moonlight and lamplight intertwined on Yu's pale skin. Sasuko looked at that chest line rising and falling gently with his breathing, and suddenly felt warmth surge to her nose, thankfully no actual nosebleed came.
"Begin." Yu's voice was lower than usual.
He took Sasuko's trembling hand and guided her fingertips to touch the skin over his heart. Chakra's faint glow lit up between them.
Sasuko bit her lip hard, trying to concentrate on drawing the formula.
The heartbeat beneath her fingertips transmitted through his skin, gradually synchronizing with her own racing pulse.
When the last rune was completed, she jerked her hand back as if burned, her entire face practically buried in her collar.
Yu looked down at the Flying Thunder God mark over his heart and suddenly chuckled. "Now I'm truly bound to Sasuko."
Sasuko: ?
!!!
When Sasuko heard those words, her brain began to short-circuit, steam rising from her head.
She quickly ducked her head, stammering, "I... I'm going to take a bath!"
She stiffly stood up, nearly tripping over her own slippers, and stumbled toward the bathroom in retreat.
Yu watched Sasuko's panicked retreat, his expression complex.
Even though he'd never used magnetic field sensing on Sasuko, at this moment he could clearly perceive that her feelings toward him seemed to go beyond familial dependence, mixed with certain more complicated emotions.
In the bathroom, Sasuko let cold water pour over her petite body, but the flames in her heart only burned hotter.
She clutched her burning chest, the person's name and image repeating endlessly in her mind.
All the accumulated emotions exploded in this moment...
Yu...
Yu...
YU!!!
The cry in her heart grew more turbulent with each repetition.
I want to be with him forever...
I want to become his only attachment...
I want everyone who covets him to disappear...
Her Sharingan manifested unconsciously, scarlet eyes churning with twisted obsession.
She slowly slid down to sit on the cold tiles, burying her face in her knees.
Why do other people have to exist...
Why does he smile at that dummy..
Her nails numbly scraped at the floor, leaving fine white scratches.
If only I could hide Yu away...
Somewhere only I could see...
***
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