Chapter 250 — There Is No Curse More Terrifying Than Love
"Naruto is really strong," Sakura said, unable to hide the awe in her voice.
"He is indeed strong. But his opponent is far stronger," Toneri replied seriously as his gaze remained locked on Pain.
"Then… does that mean Naruto can't win?" Sakura asked, worry tightening her tone.
"In terms of raw power, Naruto is still far behind. However… I would still choose Naruto," Hatake Yusuke said, contradicting the expected answer.
"This…" Toneri looked confused, unable to understand why his teacher would say that.
"Sensei, I don't understand. That man possesses the Rinnegan, and even his base strength is overwhelming. Why does Sensei believe Naruto will win?" Toneri asked, finally voicing the question in his mind.
"There are things that can't be judged by what you see on the surface, Toneri. Naruto's potential isn't inferior to yours. And after spending so much time with him, have you really never felt something unusual inside him?" Hatake Yusuke asked with a faint smile.
"Something unusual…?"
Other than the Otsutsuki-like chakra he once sensed, Toneri felt nothing out of the ordinary. But from his teacher's tone, it was clear that was not what he meant.
"Could it be…" Toneri's eyes widened in surprise.
"So you've noticed it too. Calling it 'power' might not be accurate. Naruto has… a very special kind of pull," Hatake Yusuke said with a gentle smile.
Toneri nodded slowly. He had known Naruto for so long. In Konoha, no matter what happened—good or bad—the flow of events always circled around Naruto. He possessed a unique force that drew everyone together.
"Sensei rarely praises anyone," Toneri murmured.
"Rarely, yes. But not never," Hatake Yusuke said with a small smile as he looked at his slightly jealous disciple.
Back on the battlefield, Naruto's earlier advantage had only been because Pain was intentionally holding back. He needed to conserve strength, especially with Hatake Yusuke present. Recklessness would be fatal.
"Yusuke-sensei! Help Naruto, quick!" Sakura screamed, panic overflowing as Naruto was slammed into the ground and left pinned down, while Fukasaku was captured by Pain.
"Toneri," Yusuke called.
Toneri nodded once.
Universal Pull (Banshō Ten'in).
Toneri released a powerful gravitational force, and Fukasaku's body was instantly pulled toward him, safely escaping Pain's grasp.
"Thank you, little Toneri," Fukasaku said gratefully.
"Toneri, don't rush in. There is still someone who hasn't shown up," Hatake Yusuke said, stopping his disciple just as he was about to enter the battlefield.
Toneri stared at his teacher in confusion. At that moment, a silhouette appeared in front of Pain.
"Hinata?" Sakura gasped, eyes wide.
"Yes," Hatake Yusuke said with a small smile as Hinata stepped forward before everyone's stunned eyes.
Even though she knew her strength was nowhere near Pain's level, she still chose to stand and face him—for Naruto's sake.
"What a brave girl," Yusuke murmured.
"Sensei, but their power gap is far too great," Toneri said.
"Toneri, just watch carefully. Don't underestimate Hinata—nor Naruto," Yusuke replied.
The battle between Hinata and Pain began. Pain easily struck her, sending her flying. Yet every time she fell, Hinata rose again.
Sakura and Toneri watched, stunned.
Was this really the same Hinata who was always gentle and shy?
"Stop! Hinata, run! Run away!" Naruto shouted desperately, his eyes wide with fear as he watched her get hurt again and again.
"Do-don't come any closer, Hinata!" Naruto pleaded, unable to bear the sight of her suffering.
"Na-Naruto-kun… I won't run. I want to catch up to Naruto-kun. I promised… and I'll keep moving forward," Hinata said through trembling breaths as she crawled toward him.
Naruto's eyes widened even more at her words.
"That… is Naruto-kun's nindo. And it is also my own ninja way," Hinata said, gripping a black rod tightly.
Pain's eyes remained cold. He manipulated gravity and slammed Hinata harshly into the ground. Another Black Receiver materialized in his hand.
"Yusuke-sensei! Please save Hinata!" Sakura begged.
"There's no need. This is Naruto's matter. If he can't even protect the shinobi most important to him, how can he talk about achieving his dream?" Yusuke said coldly.
"But—" Sakura tried to argue, but Toneri shook his head, signaling her not to continue.
"Hinata!!!" Naruto roared.
Watching Hinata thrown aside and lying motionless on the ground, Naruto's heart pounded violently. A single emotion surged through him—rage.
A terrifying chakra eruption exploded outward, enveloping Naruto's body and transforming him into a monstrous form.
A chilling, distorted laughter echoed through the air.
"Hahahahahahahahaha!"
Hatake Yusuke lifted his eye patch slightly and burst into laughter. Everyone turned toward him, unable to understand why he was laughing right now.
"Naruto, you finally realized… who holds the most important place in your heart," Yusuke said, sounding like a proud father watching his son discover his future partner.
"The most important person…?" Sakura looked at Naruto in disbelief, then slowly understood. She had always known Hinata liked Naruto.
Naruto had once liked her, but Sakura's heart belonged to Sasuke.
And Sakura—someone extremely sensitive to emotions—realized that Naruto never truly loved her. He merely used those feelings to protect his pride in front of Sasuke.
Without Naruto realizing it, someone else had long been living in his heart—
A gentle, quiet girl.
A girl who looked at him differently from everyone else.
A girl who neither feared nor hated him for being the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails.
A girl who never belittled him, even when the village called him a loser.
A girl who always saw him.
Even Naruto—dense as he was—knew Hinata had always watched over him.
If not for Hinata's gaze back then, Naruto might have given up.
He might have fallen into darkness.
Hinata was the light in Naruto's heart—
A light he had never realized was there.
And in Hinata's eyes, Naruto was not just light, but the sun itself.
"Honestly… Naruto is too slow," Yusuke said, still complaining slightly about how dense Naruto could be.
If Tsunade were here, she would definitely retort:
"Hmph, Naruto is innocent. But you? You're flat-out stupid."
Of course, someone firmly believed he had high emotional intelligence.
Meanwhile, everyone else thought he wasn't just straightforward—
He sometimes acted like someone with negative emotional intelligence.
"So Naruto actually likes Hinata too…" Sakura smiled softly.
She wasn't relieved because Naruto would no longer chase her.
As a teammate and friend, she was genuinely happy for them.
But when she thought of Sasuke, her eyes dimmed.
Hatake Yusuke noticed, but he did not offer consolation. He knew how strong Sakura was when facing matters of the heart.
Even in the original story, she had always endured. People often disliked Sakura's character, but Hatake Yusuke understood her feelings clearly—
When someone truly falls in love…
Even if it's wrong,
Even if it leads to heartbreak,
Even if it tears you apart…
You keep chasing them anyway.
That is love—
A force that destroys reason and logic.
"And that is why… in this world, there is no curse more terrifying than love," Hatake Yusuke said quietly.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
📖 Full Novel Available! 📖
All chapters are now complete and available in full on Patreon!
If you want to read the story faster and without waiting, join here 👇
🔗 patreon.com/FaaanzKun
✅ Enjoy 115+ chapters ahead of WebNovel
Thank you for your amazing support 💖
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —