Naruto: Chronicles of a Fire Ninja - Chapter 241 - 238: Torture Started

Amidst the eerie silence of an unfamiliar hall, a cacophony of confused voices rose, mingling in a chorus of bewilderment. “Where are we?” “What happened?” “I thought I died!” Each utterance hung in the air, a testament to the collective disbelief gripping the room.As the haze of confusion lifted, disjointed memories surfaced, fragments of lives cut short by tragedy. “I remember... I was stabbed...” ventured one voice, echoed by another's affirmation of a similar fate. “I... I died in a plane crash,” muttered a third, only to be met with a stunned agreement from a fellow survivor.Amidst the chaos of bewildered voices, one man stood apart, his expression a mask of contemplation amidst the turmoil. As his companions recounted their brushes with death, his mind churned with questions, each more confounding than the last.“I got shot... I remember it vividly,” he murmured to himself, his voice barely audible above the din. “So how am I still here?” The enigma of their shared resurrection gnawed at him, compelling him to seek answers in the depths of his memories.With each revelation of a paired demise—a male and female, bound by the same tragic fate—a flicker of recognition ignited within him. “This... this seems familiar,” he mused, the pieces of a puzzle slowly coalescing in his mind. But the picture remained incomplete, obscured by the fog of uncertainty that shrouded their surroundings.As the words “pairs, pairs, pairs” echoed in his mind like a cryptic mantra, a sudden realization struck him with the force of a revelation. “It can't be... don't tell me...” he whispered, his voice trembling with disbelief. With a sense of urgency, he began to scan his surroundings, searching for any sign or clue that could confirm his suspicions.Then, as if guided by an unseen force, his gaze shifted upwards, and there, bathed in an ethereal light, stood an angelic figure with golden apparel, its gaze fixed upon him with a warm smile. The sight took his breath away, filling him with a mixture of awe and trepidation.The man's heart raced as faced a real angel, his mind struggling to comprehend the surreal encounter unfolding before him. The angel's words, spoken with an air of amusement, only deepened the enigma shrouding their meeting.“I never expected anyone to notice me,” the angel remarked, a hint of playfulness in its voice. “I was concealing my presence to let everyone fully calm down, but to think someone noticed me. Just who are you?”Ethan's disbelief and confusion intensified at the angel's question. “Eh... Ethan Rivers,” he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.As Aurelia, the angel, finally revealed himself to the bewildered assembly, a hush fell over the room, each soul drawn in by his radiant presence and commanding aura. Ethan's gaze lingered on Aurelia.“Greetings, lost souls,” Aurelia declared, his voice resonating with a majestic power that seemed to fill the very air around them. “I am Aurelia, and I shall be your guide to your new life.”As Aurelia extended his arms in a gesture of welcome, Ethan felt a surge of rage and hesitation, “This it bad, really bad.”

The Shao and Cheng families have been sworn enemies for generations, though few outsiders know the exact details of their feud.

What is known to all is the Shao family’s three cardinal rules:

The Shao family must not cooperate with the Chengs, must not intermarry with the Chengs, and must never appear with the Chengs at any public event.

One day, an adorable little girl looking like a doll, wearing a puffy pink dress, pink hair clip, and pink backpack, walked into the lobby on the first floor of the Shao Group building.

The receptionist thought she was some child who had wandered away from home. But the little girl solemnly said, “I want to see your Shao Group CEO, Shao Chengze.”

Seeing the girl’s pink outfit, the receptionist knew she must be from a wealthy and noble family to dare to address their CEO by his full name. She couldn’t be the daughter of some high-ranking Shao Group executive?

Smiling warmly, she asked, “Little one, could you tell me your parents’ names?”

The girl tilted her head. “My mommy is Cheng Jinlan.”

Cheng…Jinlan?!

Second Miss Cheng Jinlan of the Cheng family?! She never thought she’d see the day a Cheng would set foot in the Shao Group building. What a miracle!

“As for my dad, I’ve come today to get some of Shao Chengze’s hair for a DNA test. Once I have his hair, I’ll know if he’s my dad or not.”

The girl’s crisp words rippled outwards from the front desk through the bustling first floor lobby. Everyone who heard froze in shock, jaws dropping.

Everyone except Shao Chengze, who had just stepped out of the elevator surrounded by a group.

He looked at the girl in pink through narrowed, fox-like eyes.

Cheng Liqi recognized Shao Chengze and covered her mouth in an “ah-oh”.

She decided that even if Shao Chengze wasn’t her dad, she’d have to help Cheng Jinlan get this man. She liked his eyes.

They were just like hers.

So pretty.

In the midst of swirling possibilities, a question lingered in the air like an unspoken promise: “If you were given the chance to reset the beginning, what path would you tread?”Option One: To revel in the simple joys of life, finding solace in the embrace of solitude, for the paper-thin figure is the epitome of true love.Option Two: To journey into the realm of cultivation, seeking the secrets of immortality, striving to become a legendary sword immortal.Option Three: To immerse oneself in the world of martial arts, carving out a path as an unparalleled grandmaster, destined to reign supreme over all sects.Option Four: To traverse the realms of fantasy, experiencing rebirth as a formidable entity, ascending once more to the pinnacle as a divine sovereign.Option Five: To venture into the dark realms, mastering the arts of sorcery as the esteemed leader of the demonic sect.Option Six: To ascend the throne and rule over all, commanding an empire in the realm of fantasy, for in the divine dynasty, the desire to reign as emperor burns brightest.Amidst this array of choices, Chu Yuan declared with unwavering determination, “I crave the throne. I shall be emperor.”Yet, the system interjected, its digital voice tinged with skepticism, “Is it not preferable to live a simple life as a recluse?”“Is it not preferable to be emperor?” Chu Yuan retorted, his resolve unyielding.Silence greeted his response, an acknowledgment of his unwavering determination.“Congratulations, host, on selecting Option Six: to reign over all, in the divine dynasty of the supreme emperor.”[Divine Destiny Selection System is launching...]

Penny has three brothers: one is a billionaire CEO, the second is the youngest military lieutenant, and the last is a successful actor.These three successful men had only one common ground: bullying Penny, their sore-eye of a little sister. The sister they never wished to have, and the one who claimed to be their real sister, while the sister they treasured all this time was a fake.After living a life of maltreatment in her aunt's home, some people of high standing came to Penny with news of her real parentage. She thought she was finally saved from her aunt’s clutches, unaware that what awaited her was worse.At 13, Penny only wished for one thing: for her brothers to love her and treat her like family, just as much as they loved their fake sister. She worked and studied ten times harder than anybody else just to be accepted by them. In her desperation, she foolishly fell into a trap set by a malicious person, not knowing her actions would result in the downfall of her brothers and her ending up in jail with a death sentence.On her execution day, Penny had only one thought in mind:If she ever got to go back in time, her brothers could pamper their fake sister for all she cared! She wanted nothing to do with them! And much to her surprise, Penny found herself back on the day it all began: the day she was born.As promised, this time, she wouldn’t foolishly try to earn her brothers' love and affection. Never mind family! She’d just make a lot of money, live in luxury, and make a family of her own!But wait, why is it now that she didn’t want anything to do with her brothers, they kept poking their noses into her business? Weren’t they supposed to pamper their fake sister? Why won’t they leave her alone?!And how on earth was she married in this lifetime? To make matters worse, this husband she never had in her first life was suddenly volunteering to be the father of her children?!