Chapter 268: I Will Return

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Reiji's throat felt dry.

The evening breeze coming through the window now carried the sound of small birds flying home, lingering in his ears as if mocking Reiji's shock.

Reiji knew that Karina did not speak lightly.

The girl's intuition was always spot on.

For a long time, Reiji had known that Karina was not an easy child to deceive.

Yet still, hearing those words directly from Karina's lips felt like a small spear slowly piercing Reiji's chest.

Reiji remembered—the Ōtsutsuki Clan, the threat from beyond the sky, the secret of chakra, and the long path that Reiji had to walk alone.

One day, Reiji would gaze at the night sky, piercing through the stars, hunting them to the edge of the universe.

And Karina... the little girl whose fragile hands now clutched the edge of the fabric, was just a small part of Reiji's heart that he wanted to bind tightly to the earth.

Keito slowly closed his eyes.

Kasumi whispered softly, though it was unclear to whom.

The room felt as if it were holding its breath.

"I ask you, Reiji..." Karina's voice broke again, slightly trembling but still clear.

"If you have many wives... have many children... will you still leave? Will you still abandon us?"

The question fell like raindrops on a tin roof on a quiet night.

Karina's voice indeed sounded small, but its echo resonated in Reiji's ears.

Reiji then lowered his head.

His breath sounded heavy, his chest rising and falling.

In Reiji's mind, dozens of possibilities flashed—living peacefully in this village, or bearing the sin of allowing the Ōtsutsuki threat to continue consuming other planets.

There was no easy way out.

Silently, Reiji glanced at Karina's cheek beside him.

The girl was so fragile, but behind Karina's eyes, there was steel ready to bind Reiji's heart so that it would never truly leave.

"... Yes." Reiji's voice was soft.

One word, as sharp as a knife.

But behind it lay an unavoidable wound.

Karina fell silent.

Karina's shoulders trembled slightly.

Her eyes looked down, holding back the dew that now also broke, dripping onto the folds of fabric in Karina's lap.

"Why?" Karina whispered in a soft voice.

Just a single word, but it felt like a slap to Reiji, harder than any attack.

Reiji then looked at Karina's face.

Karina's face appeared tired, her usually cold eyes now seemed to hold a dim ember.

Reiji took a long breath, closing his eyes for a moment as if trying to string together words.

"I can't say now, Karina." Reiji's voice was soft, nearly breaking at the end.

"One day... I promise I will tell you everything."

Reiji extended his hand slowly, stopping just a few centimeters from Karina's fingers.

Not touching.

Not daring.

Because once he touched, Reiji felt he wouldn't be able to leave.

"But I swear... you hear me, Karina..." Reiji took a breath, his voice now firm, with a burning determination at the end.

"I will return. I cannot leave this place forever, can I?"

"This village... this home... will always be my home. And yours. And our children's home."

A single tear from Karina fell onto the back of his hand.

Where Karina still looked down, her lips trembled, holding back a sob that was about to explode.

Keito sighed, this time no longer holding it back.

Kasumi looked at Reiji, her eyes soft but also filled with fear—the fear of losing a boy they had come to consider their own blood.

Outside, the twilight sky slowly swallowed the sun.

The orange light dimmed, replaced by soft purple.

The wind carried the scent of wildflowers, creeping in through the window's gaps, as if whispering promises that may or may not be kept.

Between the wooden window frames, the first firefly of summer appeared, its light flickering slowly, dancing behind Karina's head, which was now bowed in silence.

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