Chapter 71: 71.Dance of Prayer
The List of "ANBU" Member:
-Alireza Akram
-Miguel razo
-Victor Gonzalez
-OutlawPinky
-Korron Hightower
-YoungPhxntom
-Dan Trigolden
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In the time that followed, Kaito laid many seals at the Ryūmyaku node, completely concealing the underground space.
After leaving the ruins of Rōran, he crouched down, placing one hand on the ground and closing his eyes.
"Let's go, I've found the nearest city in the Land of Wind through the Ryūmyaku. Let's go have a big meal and rest well!" Kaito opened his eyes, stood up, and called out to Gurē.
"Gurē-gurē-gurē..." Gurē transformed back to his original form, growing larger while emitting loud cries.
Kaito chuckled, lightly tapped with his foot to take off, and smoothly landed on Gurē's back.
"Fly that way!" He pointed in the direction.
Gurē flapped his wings powerfully, kicking up swirling dust, and soon soared high into the sky, flying in the direction Kaito pointed.
...
Three hours later, with Gurē flying at full speed, they reached the vicinity of their destination city.
When Gurē descended to the ground in an unpopulated area and transformed back into his humanoid form, Kaito led him toward the oasis where the city was located.
This place was called a city, but it was actually quite small, roughly the size of a small town in the Land of Fire.
Kaito and Gurē passed by a caravan leading camels and entered the city's only inn.
However, looking at the simplicity of everything, their expectations dwindled to nothing.
Fine food and luxury rooms were non-existent.
After a simple meal and a quick bath—having water for a bath being the only good point—they went to bed, exhausted.
Kaito felt weary and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
...
He found himself in a dimly lit ancient house, not knowing why he was there, nor did he think about why, simply wandering through endless rooms.
He slid open a paper door, stepped over tatami mats, and opened another door, finding the same hallway and closed doors.
Ding-ling-ling...
Ding-ling-ling...
A crisp bell sound reached him, and Kaito sleepily followed the sound.
Turning several corners, he successfully left the room, reaching the covered walkway outside.
Ding-ling-ling...
He looked in the direction of the sound, seeing flickering lights behind a large tree in the courtyard.
Head bowed, he stepped down from the walkway, naturally slipping on a pair of wooden sandals on the stone path, and slowly walked towards the tree.
Ding-ling-ling...
The bell sound grew clearer.
Kaito reached the tree and looked towards the pond.
Hidden by bushes, he saw the back of a young woman sitting on a stone by the pond, her long hair cascading down her back.
She slowly raised her hand; her wide sleeves slipped down, revealing her fair arm adorned with red nail polish, gently shaking a hand bell.
Ding-ling-ling...
Ding-ling-ling...
Colorful butterflies danced around her in time with the bell, their wings scattering sparkles, the only brightness in the dim courtyard.
Kaito stepped forward, drawn towards the young woman.
His wooden sandals clicked on the stone path, but the woman in front did not turn around.
Finally, he rounded the courtyard's rockery and bushes, stopping three steps behind her, standing silently.
Ding-ling-ling...
The woman continued without turning, just shaking the bell, playing with the glittering butterflies.
"Miss, may I ask where this is?"
Kaito spoke softly.
As his voice fell, the woman stopped ringing the bell, and the entire courtyard suddenly fell silent.
No wind, no water sounds, no bird calls, no insect sounds.
The woman slowly turned her head a bit, and as Kaito was about to see her features, she suddenly twisted around.
Although she still sat with her back to him, he was now facing her directly.
Their eyes met, and they looked at each other silently for a long time.
Kaito stared at the face before him, a blur of flesh and blood, and sighed helplessly, "Your neck flexibility is just like Gurē's, Miss Yūrei."
"Ah," Yūrei didn't move her head; her body turned around, "When did you realize? I wasn't done playing."
Kaito spread his hands, slightly annoyed, "Hey, Miss Yūrei, I've played along for so long, isn't that enough? Besides, what did I do to deserve you coming to teach me a lesson in my dream?"
"Ahem," Yūrei turned her face away, silent.
"Ahem what? If you don't speak, how would I know?" Kaito crouched down in front of her, smiling.
Yūrei lifted her sleeve to cover her face, her voice light and airy: "You wrote a letter to Sasuke but not to me."
She lowered her sleeve, her previously muddled face now clear and stern, her eyes watery as she stared at Kaito.
Kaito, feeling awkward under her gaze, stuttered, "Wha... what are you looking at?"
With a burst of laughter, Yūrei couldn't help but cover her mouth, her eyes curving into joyful crescents.
"What's so funny?" Kaito asked, puzzled by her reaction.
"You're just so cute, Kaito," Yūrei stood up, bent down, and pinched Kaito's cheek with her small hand.
Kaito was even more confused now.
Yūrei turned away, her face gleaming with triumph.
'Humph, Kaito can't resist my charm at all. Just getting a bit close makes him stutter,' she thought, reveling in her observation based on her experiences in human dreams. 'This must be what liking someone feels like!'
She then turned back to face Kaito and spoke in a casual tone, "Kaito, would you like to see me dance?"
"Eh?" Kaito blinked rapidly and nodded vigorously, his voice dry as he said, "Yes, sure."
He then clapped his hands enthusiastically.
'What's gotten into her today?'
Kaito decided to play along smoothly to get through this dream without a hitch.
He settled himself on a nearby rock, looking forward to the performance with eager anticipation.
Yūrei turned her back to him again, lifted the hand bell, and started to ring it.
Ding-ling-ling...
Ding-ling-ling...
The crisp sound of the bell resonated once more, accompanied by fluttering butterflies. Yūrei stepped into a graceful dance.
Her wide sleeves unfurled, her lavish skirt twirled, and though her face was expressionless, the fleeting glances she cast through her fluttering hair heated Kaito's heart.
As Yūrei danced, more and more butterflies gathered, and the sprinkles of stardust they shed illuminated the dark water, resembling a pond of the Milky Way.
Ding-ling-ling...
Ding-ling-ling...
A faint scent drifted in the air, with pink petals falling all around.
Kaito looked up to see a tree full of flourishing night cherry blossoms.
'I may never forget this dream,' Kaito thought silently.
Ding-ling-ling...
Ding-ling-ling...
His heart danced with the cherry blossoms.
After what felt like an eternity, the dance of wishes came to an end.
Yūrei's movements froze, her skirt and hair slowly falling from the air.
Kaito applauded with a smile.
Yūrei let the bell hang down, still speaking in a mild tone, "Did you like it?"
Kaito stood up and walked over to her, then suddenly took her hand.
He looked up at the falling cherry blossoms and confidently said, "It was beautiful."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone