"Lord Kangaku, what do we do now?"The two guards exchanged uneasy glances as Natsume Yō disappeared into the house. Their eyes landed on Uchiha Kangaku, whose face was darker than thunderclouds.
"Don't make any sudden moves," Kangaku growled. "First, see if anyone in the clan can undo it. If not, we'll find a sealing expert in the village. Money isn't an issue."
He cast one last venomous glare at the boy's door."Natsume Yō… pray I crack this curse. Because if I do, next time, you and that little girl will beg for death."
With a flick of his hand, the guards hauled Yūsuke's trembling body away.
"Finally… they're gone." Yō let out a long breath, wiping the cold sweat off his back. "Good thing he bought the bluff. Otherwise… I don't even want to think about it."
Sure, he could've detonated the Soul Control Curse in an instant. But if Kangaku's Sharingan locked him down first, it would've been checkmate. One misstep and he'd be nothing but prey, all his trump cards useless.
He shivered, remembering how close it had been. In his past life, he'd never have had the guts for something this insane. But here? In this world? If he didn't go crazy, he wouldn't survive.
"You okay?" Yō crouched beside Wada Chiba, already pulling up the system shop in his head for something to heal wounds without leaving scars.
"Uuuh… I told you, didn't I? Why did you have to mess with the Uchiha…" Chiba's tears spilled down her cheeks like a frightened rabbit, voice cracking. "You got lucky today, but what about next time? How do you plan to fight the entire clan?"
"Alright, alright! It's my fault, okay? My bad. Please stop crying, yeah?" Yō winced, gently dabbing a layer of Jade-Skin Ointment on her cut.
"I'm being serious! Can you stop brushing this off for once?" Her watery eyes hardened. "You always cause trouble. Can't you just… not?"
Yō sighed. "Even if I never touched them, they'd still come for me. You know what people like Jun'ei are like—the more you let them push you, the bolder they get. If you don't scare them, they'll never stop. You've seen it yourself! So tell me—how am I wrong here?"
"I don't care! You're still wrong! And you don't even know why you're wrong!" Chiba snapped, voice breaking again. She shoved him away and bolted for the door. "Forget it. Think it over yourself. I'm done."
"Wait—Chiba!" But she was already gone, vanishing down the street.
"…Tch." Yō scratched his head, watching her leave. "What the hell did I even do wrong this time?"
If he'd ever dated before, he would've known—chasing after her right away was the only answer. But he didn't. So he just stood there.
"Girls are seriously the most troublesome creatures. I risk my neck for her, and somehow I'm still the bad guy." Shaking his head, Yō pushed the matter aside and went back to training.
—
Uchiha Compound
"I'll leave this in your hands. If anyone can undo the curse mark, it's you."
Kangaku had summoned one of the clan's sealing specialists—the most renowned in the Uchiha for jutsu removal and fūinjutsu. If anyone could break the Soul Control Curse, it was him.
"Relax. Consider it done." The man smirked arrogantly. "There's no seal in the entire clan I can't unravel. Even those so-called experts from enemy nations can't match me. And this—" he sneered, looking down at Yūsuke's trembling body, "—is just some brat's handiwork. How strong could it possibly be?"