Chapter 47: Illusion and Reality

"Hey, hey, hey, cheer up, today is your big day."

"Am I not happy?" he looked at his friend in confusion.

"Of course not, look at you, your eyebrows are all knitted together. The bride won't be happy to see you like this."

He glanced at the mirror. The man in the reflection was tall and handsome, standing in a luxurious hotel banquet hall, surrounded by laughing and chatting relatives and friends. There was a giant nine-layer black swan cake and a massive red rose flower bed, larger than a car. Many people were taking selfies and posting them on social media after editing.

The man was familiar with the scene... yet it also felt strangely unfamiliar.

"Be happy, you're marrying the woman you love the most." He looked into the mirror, pinched the corners of his mouth, and forced a smile.

The man in the mirror revealed his canine teeth in a twisted, almost beast-like grin.

He shivered and dared not look at the mirror again.

Dum~ dum dum~ dum dum~

The wedding march roared, and flowers fluttered.

Instinctively, he turned his head. At the end of the red carpet, the bride in a white wedding dress walked gracefully towards him.

'So beautiful...' The man stared at her, lost in thought until she stood beside him.

"What's wrong?" The bride chuckled, "You look like you're seeing me for the first time."

"...I just think you look very beautiful today."

"Oh? More beautiful than yesterday? Which one is prettier?"

"Uh..."

"Hahaha, just teasing you... silly." The bride laughed happily, "Look, our little prince is smiling too."

"Little prince? We have a son?" The man was momentarily dazed, then noticed the baby in the bride's arms.

The baby's face was soft and pink, with tender skin, round and cute, smiling at him.

"My child..." A soft feeling welled up in the man's heart. He reached out, wanting to touch the baby's cheek.

The next moment, the man froze.

He saw an ugly, glowing green mark on the baby's tender, white forehead.

It was the symbol of slavery, meaning this child would be, like him, a caged bird.

This cursed fate would pass down through generations, unchanged until the end of time.

He felt ice-cold all over, as if he had fallen into hell.

The golden, resplendent banquet hall suddenly twisted, turning into a sinister, jagged cliff. His friends, guests, the bride, and the baby in her arms... all turned into monsters, cackling with shrill voices:

"Once a caged bird, always a caged bird, for all eternity... you can't escape, your soul and body will never be free, not even death can change this sorrowful fate..."

The man's eyes widened in rage. Summoning unknown courage, he raised his fist and charged at the monsters, resolute and insane, "Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"Then I'll kill you all! Kill until no one dares to cage me!"

"Even if I have to kill until I'm the last person left in this world, I will..."

Yuto suddenly felt a sharp pain.

The pain came from his mouth, specifically the tender flesh under his tongue.

The illusion shattered, and rationality returned to Yuto.

He quickly realized what had pierced his tongue and mouth... Before enduring the blast's impact, he had placed a shortened needle under his tongue.

Good habits save lives... Yuto thought bitterly.

Suddenly, he felt his face was wet.

Opening his eyes, he saw a soft-bodied creature the size of his head lying on him, its eyes at the end of its antennae looking at him, both scary and somewhat cute.

"Ah, Yuto-kun, you're awake." Katsuyu's voice was still gentle.

"Mm..." The branch family youth groaned, his speech unclear, "Katsuyu-sama... how long was I unconscious?"

"A day and a half."

"That damned Jinpachi..." Yuto snorted coldly, "Even in death, he tried to drag me down with him."

"Yuto-kun, anger slows down the body's healing... And Your voice sounds strange."

'That's because my tongue hurts,' Yuto sighed inwardly, brushing it off.

Thinking back to everything that happened that day, the youth felt a lingering fear.

The power of twenty thousand explosive tags was immense, almost comparable to a Tailed Beast Bomb. In the moment before the impact, Yuto only had time to do three things:

Placed the needle in his mouth to prevent saying anything wrong while unconscious.

Summoned Katsuyu and hid her on his body for post-unconscious treatment.

Desperately used "Lion's Fang Bite" in front of himself to avoid being killed by the shockwave on the spot.

As it turned out, Yuto's choices were correct. He survived, though in bad shape, but with arms and legs intact, he was fortunate in his misfortune.

As Tsunade's disciple, he naturally carried life-saving items from his teacher—Tsunade had put her chakra into Katsuyu, who could automatically release the Mystical Palm Technique upon summoning. This was a marvelous use of Katsuyu's division and chakra transfer, showcasing Tsunade's profound mastery in auxiliary and medical ninjutsu.

'Never underestimate anyone. Jinpachi, who only appeared in the Fourth Great Ninja War as an Impure World Reincarnation, possessed such horrific decisiveness and secret techniques.' Yuto frowned, summarizing the gains and losses of the battle.

'My use of Heavenly Foot of Pain is still not proficient. The best place to use this technique is on solid ground. I should have acted first in that shop.'

'Too much chakra was given to Revolving Heaven, causing the enemy to be thrown too far away. If I had captured those Mist Chunin alive and thrown them at Jinpachi, I might have delayed the scroll's explosion, giving me a chance to use Body Flicker Technique to decapitate him.'

'Not knowing mid-to-long range ninjutsu puts me at a disadvantage in fights. Although Lion's Fang Bite's charge speed is fast, my arms' endurance is still a big issue...'

In this battle, Yuto was very close to death. In fact, he hadn't spoken in his sleep for a long time. Being awakened by the needle just now also showed that his physical condition was extremely poor, lacking even basic instinctual alertness.

He thought for a long time, took a breath, and wanted to stand up to move around, but he found his body very tight.

Looking down, Yuto saw himself wrapped in bandages.

Katsuyu couldn't have wrapped me up with her antennae...

He couldn't say what he felt, standing there dazed.

At that moment, a voice came from the cave entrance.

"My adorable student is finally awake... Oh? What's wrong? You look like you're seeing me for the first time."

A blonde woman tossed an unknown fruit to Yuto, chuckling lightly, "Let's go home, my Jonin student."

(End of Chapter)

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