klisemfg Chapter 650 Hong is right
Chapter 650 Hong is right
Kurenai Yuhi's face remained serious and somber. He neither refuted Kurenai's words nor looked at Zhang Hai. He simply stood there quietly, a complex light flickering in his eyes.
As soon as Kurenai felt Zhang Hai's gaze, he slowly raised his head to meet Zhang Hai's eyes. In his eyes, there was no blame, only a deep weariness and helplessness.
“Kurenai is right.” Kurenai’s voice was a little hoarse, with a hint of bitterness. “At the elders’ meeting, your sentence was originally going to be harsher. It was I… who fought hard and managed to get you a three-year prison sentence.”
He paused, his gaze growing even deeper: "I know you harbor resentment and hatred. But the death of 'Shadow Madara' has caused a huge uproar in the village. If there weren't sufficient reasons, the elders wouldn't have let go of someone... an Uchiha bloodline with the Mangekyou Sharingan so easily."
"The Mangekyou Sharingan..." Zhang Hai's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected that Yuhi Shinku would also know this secret. His gaze towards Yuhi Shinku held a complex emotion.
Ignoring Zhang Hai's shock, Yuhi Shinku continued, "Three years is to give you a buffer. It's also to allow the village... to temporarily quell its anger and fear towards you."
He looked at Zhang Hai with a glimmer of hope in his eyes: "I hope that in these three years you can reflect on yourself. Think about the beliefs of Mr. Hatake Sakumo, think about why he was willing to bear all the infamy for his comrades. What he wanted was for you to fall into darkness in this way."
At this moment, Zhang Hai felt as if a huge boulder was pressing down on his heart. He thought he had frozen all his emotions, but Yuhi Shinku's words were like sharp blades, piercing through his hard shell little by little.
Three years... It turns out that these three years in prison were not simply punishment, but a glimmer of hope that Kurenai Yuhi had secured for him. It was to give him a chance to be reborn, a chance to rethink his path.
A long-forgotten emotion called "being moved" quietly grew in his heart. Looking at Kurenai's tired yet determined face, a complex mix of emotions welled up within him. He wanted to say something, but found his throat felt blocked, unable to utter a single word.
Time flies, and the half-hour visit passed in the blink of an eye.
"It's time," the guard's voice rang out from outside the door.
Yuhi Shinku patted Yuhi Kurenai on the shoulder, signaling her to let go. Yuhi Kurenai reluctantly released Zhang Hai, her swollen eyes filled with worry for him.
"Zhang Hai... take care." Xi Ri Hong said softly, her voice choked with emotion.
Yuhi Shinku simply nodded to Zhang Hai without saying anything more. The two turned and, led by the guards, slowly walked out of the visiting room.
Watching their departing figures, Zhang Hai felt a wave of melancholy wash over him. He picked up the food and drinks on the table, but had no appetite. He sat alone in the cold cell, lost in thought.
Kurenai Yuhi's tears, Shinku Yuhi's painstaking efforts... all of this filled him with an unprecedented sense of confusion. He had thought he had completely severed ties with this world, but now it seemed that was not the case.
His feelings for Kurenai... what exactly were those feelings? Was it the bond of comrades? The hazy, budding romance of childhood friends? Or... something deeper? He had buried these emotions deep within his heart for the sake of power and revenge. But now, they were sprouting like seedlings, quietly growing in his heart.
He picked up the flask and took a large gulp. The spicy liquid slid down his throat, burning his esophagus, but it couldn't quell the complex emotions deep within him.
Just as he took his second sip of wine, the door to the visiting room was pushed open again.
Zhang Hai was startled. He looked towards the door, thinking it was a guard returning to urge him. However, the moment he saw who it was, the wine jug in his hand jerked violently, and the pungent wine went straight down his throat.
"Cough cough cough..." Zhang Hai coughed violently, choking so badly that tears almost streamed down his face.
The newcomer was a woman with a gentle and beautiful appearance, dressed in the Uchiha clan's traditional attire. She had long, glossy black hair and kind, gentle eyes; she was none other than Uchiha Mikoto, the mother of Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke.
Seeing Zhang Hai coughing violently, Mikoto's eyes flashed with worry. She quickly stepped forward, reached out her slender hand, and gently patted Zhang Hai's back, trying to help him catch his breath. Her movements were gentle and natural, carrying an innate maternal glow.
"Zhang Haijun, are you alright?" Mikoto's voice was gentle and soft, like a spring breeze in March caressing Zhang Haijun's heart.
Zhang Hai coughed for a while before he recovered. He looked at the gentle woman before him, his heart filled with doubt. Uchiha Mikoto…why had she come to visit him?
"Aunt Meiqin...why did you come?" Zhang Hai's voice was a little hoarse, with a hint of confusion.
A faint smile graced Mikoto's face, a smile that held an indescribable sadness and understanding. She gently withdrew her hand, her eyes radiating a maternal glow that made her appear even more gentle and captivating.
“I know… Mr. Hatake Sakumo has had an accident.” Mikoto said softly, her voice as light as a feather, gently brushing against Zhang Hai’s heart, making him tremble.
“I know…something happened to Sakumo Hatake-sensei.” Mikoto Uchiha’s voice was soft and calm, but it made Zhang Hai’s heart tremble. He looked up at her, his eyes filled with doubt and confusion.
"How did you know?" Zhang Hai asked hoarsely. The death of Hatake Sakumo was kept strictly secret from the outside world, and ordinary villagers had no way of knowing about it.
Mikoto simply sighed softly, a hint of pity in her eyes.
“Itachi… told me.” Mikoto’s voice carried a hint of barely perceptible worry. “Although he didn’t say it, he actually cared about you a lot. He knew your feelings for Sakumo Hatake-sensei, and he knew how much of a blow it would be to you if he passed away.”
Zhang Hai's heart skipped a beat again. Itachi... that Uchiha genius who was so calm that he was almost ruthless, actually cared about him? This surprised him somewhat, but more than that, he felt a complex emotion that he couldn't quite explain.
“That’s why I came to visit you.” Mikoto’s gaze fell on Zhang Hai’s messy silver hair, her eyes filled with heartache. “I know you’ve been misunderstood and wronged by the village. I want… I want to reveal your Uchiha identity so that the clan can step in and bail you out.”