Naruto: Starting With Three Tomoe Sharingan, Girlfriend Kushina Chapter 49: A Precious Gift for a Treasured Person, The 'Col

Under the dim streetlights, the occasional passerby on this small street could see a pair of young, blushing lovers standing awkwardly together.

The two facing each other seed sowhat restrained, with the girl keeping her head lowered the entire ti, too shy to look up. Her small hands fiddled nervously with the hem of her skirt, as if it were the most interesting thing in the world...

Ryun held the bell bracelet in one hand while slowly reaching out with the other, gently taking hold of Kushina's pale, delicate hand.

Her cold, pale hand trembled slightly. The mont he took hold of it, she instinctively tried to pull away, but as she turned her head to the side, her arm quickly stopped resisting.

"This bracelet once carried the precious bond between a mother and daughter. Now that it has changed owners, that beautiful past has beco just a mory..."

"At this mont, it is rely an ordinary piece of jewelry. But I wish to imbue it with new aning, to make it a 'precious thing' once more..."

"Today, I want to give it to soone I treasure..."

Ryun expressed his feelings sincerely and boldly.

He gently pulled Kushina's hand a little closer.

"Kushina, would you... be willing to accept this 'precious thing'?"

Though Ryun did not directly confess his feelings, his words carried even deeper aning than a straightforward declaration.

He did not imdiately force the bracelet onto Kushina's wrist. Instead, he first expressed his feelings and then sincerely asked for her consent.

The best emotions should be mutual, not born of 'self-satisfaction.'

This bell bracelet was now a token of love, carrying a different kind of affection. It was no longer just an accessory.

Giving it away required the other person's agreent. The process could not be careless, nor could the gift be forced upon them.

Faced with this heartfelt confession from the boy before her, Kushina's face unconsciously lit up with joy. Her body trembled slightly from the surge of emotions.

'He wants to give this precious thing to ! The one he treasures is !'

'Is Ryun confessing to ... Should I say yes?'

Kushina's mind raced, her heart pounding wildly. But after a mont, as if rembering sothing, she gradually cald down and fell into a long silence.

'Should I accept him?'

'But isn't it too soon... The teachers and elders always say we shouldn't date so young...'

'If I agree now, will I seem too eager? What if he doesn't cherish ?'

'No, I can't say yes. It's too fast!'

'I... I'm not ready yet... I can't do this!'

Kushina's arm began to struggle instinctively.

Ryun froze, his steady breathing suddenly becoming uneven and hurried.

This was not the outco he had expected!

He didn't want to let go, but as Kushina felt his grip tighten slightly, her resistance grew stronger.

Sensing her struggle, Ryun's heart twisted painfully. His expression darkened with disappointnt and sorrow.

'I was too impatient!'

'There's still plenty of ti, plenty of chances to be together. There was no need to rush things...'

Realizing this, he loosened his grip.

He was afraid of scaring her, afraid of hurting her, and most of all, afraid of making her dislike him.

But the mont he let go, Kushina suddenly felt an emptiness in her heart...

A sharp pain shot through her chest, making her bite her lip unconsciously.

The ache spread rapidly throughout her entire body.

She looked up at Ryun, only to see him hanging his head, the light in his once-bright eyes now dimd.

'If I'm not the one you treasure, then why... why did you let go so easily?'

Kushina stared at Ryun with reddened eyes, her feet unconsciously taking several steps back.

Noticing Kushina's reaction, Ryun imdiately looked back at her.

Their eyes held the sa emotions—disappointnt and disbelief.

Kushina felt he shouldn't have let go. How could he call her his 'treasured person' one mont and then betray those words the next?

anwhile, Ryun felt she shouldn't have struggled or stepped back... He had only let go out of respect for her feelings, not wanting to scare or pressure her.

It was precisely because he treasured her that he chose to release her hand.

This was the first 'collision' between emotion and reason, and neither seed to understand the other's reaction.

Kushina opened her mouth, wanting to confront him, but the words stuck in her throat.

Her throat tightened, and tears stread uncontrollably down her face.

Seeing her cry, Ryun felt his heart tremble. He instinctively reached out.

But before he could touch Kushina, she retreated further, then turned and ran away!

"Ku—"

Ryun wanted to call after her, but seeing her fleeing figure, he knew there was no chance of stopping her...

He did not chase her. Both of them needed ti alone to calm down.

His outstretched arm fell limply to his side. Ryun stared blankly at the golden bracelet in his hand, standing frozen for a long ti.

After what felt like an eternity, he carefully placed the bracelet back into its box and returned ho with a heavy heart.

When Asuka saw Ryun return, she went to greet him. But before she could speak, she noticed the strange look on his face.

"Son, what's wrong? Why do you look so down?"

Asuka's face was full of curiosity.

Hadn't her son gone out to dinner with his classmates? Why did he seem so upset?

Almost as if he'd been 'dumped'...

"It's nothing."

Ryun shook his head lightly, unwilling to explain. Truthfully, he was too embarrassed to talk about it.

Ignoring Asuka's persistent questions, he went straight to his room and locked the door.

"This child..."

Asuka frowned but decided not to disturb him further.

'Guess I'll have to ask him properly tomorrow...'

Ryun sat at his desk and picked up two sealing technique scrolls lying on it.

These were gifts from Kushina. She had suggested he study the basics carefully, admitting that her own explanations might have gaps. The scrolls were for him to review in depth.

Ryun created a shadow clone, and together they began carefully reading through the scrolls from start to finish.

Imrsed in his training, the frustration and disappointnt in his heart gradually faded by seventy or eighty percent.

In a shadowy corner near the Senju clan grounds, a red-haired girl crouched on the ground, her face buried in her arms as she sobbed silently.

A long ti later, the girl, her eyes swollen from crying, stood up straight.

"I'll never talk to that liar again!"

Kushina declared this 'oath' with resentnt. She wiped the tears and snot from her face and slowly walked into the Senju clan grounds.