bubblegum princess

chapter seventy one

⭒˚‧ ︵‿⭒ཐིཋྀ ཐིཋྀ⭒‿︵ ‧˚⭒
welcome to the final show;
BROKEN ANGEL !
⭒˚‧ ︵‿⭒ཐིཋྀ ཐིཋྀ⭒‿︵ ‧˚⭒

𝞋𝞎

The heavy silence that had draped over the stadium felt suffocating, the weight of an unknown danger pressing against the air.

The two figures stood amidst the chaos, their very presence sending chills through even the most seasoned shinobi. The taller one stepped down from his subordinate's shoulder with eerie grace, his lifeless white eyes locking onto Naruto. The veins around them pulsed—clearly the Byakugan—yet something about him felt wrong.

This man was no Hyūga.

Naruto's body tensed. In an instant, his arm shot out, pulling Boruto behind him protectively. His usually warm blue eyes sharpened, scanning the stranger with an unreadable expression.

Seiren's grip on Inojin's hand tightened unconsciously, her fingers trembling against his wrist. She could feel Shikadai shift beside her, his arm moving instinctively over her shoulder, a silent gesture of reassurance. Yet nothing could quell the unease creeping into her bones.

Then—

A high-pitched ringing noise.

Seiren flinched violently, a sharp pain lancing through her head. The world around her became muffled, sounds drowned beneath the piercing tone in her ears. She saw Naruto's lips move, saw the stranger's mouth twist in response—but she couldn't hear a single word.

Her heart pounded against her ribs.

Something was about to happen.

And then—

A shockwave exploded from the arena.

The force hit them like a hurricane, a violent gust of wind that sent people screaming. The ground quaked beneath their feet, the towering walls of the stadium cracking under the immense pressure.

The world around them trembled, as if the earth itself was recoiling in fear.

The gust of wind that erupted from the arena wasn't just air—it carried weight, an overwhelming pressure that bore down on them like a crushing tide.

Seiren felt her breath hitch, her body locking up for a split second as her heart pounded furiously against her ribs.

She barely had time to react before Shikadai's arm tightened around her, pulling her close.

Her face pressed against the fabric of his clothes, the scent of fresh pine and something distinctly him grounding her in the chaos.

Her fingers clutched his sleeve, knuckles white, her entire body trembling as her mind screamed at her to move.

But the ringing in her ears—damn it, the ringing—

It was deafening. It drowned out the sounds of the crumbling stadium, the screams, the gasps, the hurried shouts of orders. It drowned out the world itself.

Her pulse roared in her ears, every inch of her body screaming that something was wrong, something beyond just the destruction unfolding before her.

Then—

"Hurry! Help the citizens evacuate, now!"

The words left her lips before she even registered she was speaking.

She wrenched herself free from Shikadai's grip, inhaling sharply as the weight of the moment settled onto her shoulders. Her legs felt like lead, her chest tight, but she forced herself forward.