novelhk Chapter 257 Tauren
Chapter 257 Tauren
The abandoned research facility in the Land of Rice Country was filled with the stench of stale disinfectant. A minotaur leaned against a cracked culture tank, his gnarled hands clutching a rusted piece of iron. His horns were stained with dried blood, and beneath his exposed skin, pale purple curse lines snaked like vines. Every breath was a heavy gasp—this was the "Mad Bull Curse" left by Orochimaru. It allowed him to unleash rock-shattering power, but it also caused him to lose his mind under the full moon, transforming into a monster obsessed with destruction.
"Are you suppressing the curse seal again?" Honglian's voice rang out from the entrance to the research institute. Her skirt brushed against the gravel on the ground, tiny ice crystals condensing on her fingertips. Sunlight filtered through the broken roof, casting a crystal-blue glow on the ground behind her. In her hands, she held a clay jar filled with spring water filtered through Crystal Release. This was the water she prepared for the minotaur daily, temporarily relieving the burning pain of the curse seal.
The minotaur didn't look back, but just squeezed the iron sheet tighter, his knuckles turning white from the force: "Don't come near me, it's a full moon tonight." His voice was hoarse, with a hint of imperceptible fear - the last time the moon was full, he lost control and shattered the "memory crystals" made by Honglian using crystal escape. Those crystals contained the images of her only family.
Honglian didn't stop. Instead, she walked over to him and handed him the pot. "I know." Her fingertips gently touched the curse mark on the minotaur's arm. Crystal-blue chakra seeped through her fingertips, and the lavender curse mark instantly dimmed. "Master Yinzhu said that your curse mark is not a curse, but an untamed power. And my crystal escape technique can help you lock it."
The minotaur raised his head, his cloudy eyes reflecting Guren's image. This woman, also used as a test subject by Orochimaru, always wore a cold demeanor, but when he lost control, she would use Crystal Release to build a cage for him, protecting both him and others. When he refused to eat, she would use Crystal Release to freeze wild fruits into ice crystals and feed them to him bit by bit. When he stared blankly at the incubator, she would quietly accompany him, saying nothing, yet making him feel less lonely.
"It's useless." The minotaur pushed the pot aside, and the spring water splashed onto the ground, creating tiny splashes. "Orochimaru's curse will only turn people into monsters. Look at me—" He raised his arm, and the curse pattern suddenly lit up. His muscles instantly swelled, and his horns became even thicker. "I'm a monster that can lose control at any time. I'm only a danger to you."
At that moment, the walls of the research facility suddenly blew apart, and amidst the rubble, six dark figures rushed in. They wore the uniforms of Orochimaru's former subordinates, wielding specially crafted ninja tools. Their chakra carried a familiar, chilling tinge—they were Orochimaru's "cleanup team," specifically designed to hunt down test subjects like them who had escaped the facility.
"We've found you, No. 73 (Minotaur), No. 91 (Red Lotus)." The leading ninja sneered, and the chains shot out from the ninja tools in his hands, wrapping around the Minotaur. "Lord Orochimaru wants to take back your bloodline limit. If you follow us obediently, you can suffer less."
Honglian's Crystal Escape instantly erupted, and a crystal-blue barrier unfolded before her, blocking the chain's attack. Her fingertips quickly formed seals, and countless crystal spikes sprouted from the ground, shooting towards the shadow. "Minotaur, don't be dazed! Use your power!"
The minotaur's curse seal suddenly surged, lavender chakra gushing from his body. He didn't attack, but instead turned and shielded Honglian behind him, his horns pointed at the shadows, his muscles bulging to their full potential. "You leave! I'll hold them off!" He knew these men were targeting them. If he distracted them, Honglian would have the opportunity to escape—her Crystal Escape, while powerful, required time to gather, while his curse seal's power could be unleashed instantly.
"I won't leave!" Honglian's crystal escape barrier thickened again, and the crystal thorns became sharper. "We escaped together, let's leave together!" For the first time, her crystal escape chakra was filled with angry fluctuations. The words of those dark shadows pierced her heart like needles - she no longer wanted to be treated as a "number", no longer wanted to be manipulated by others, and she didn't want to abandon the Minotaur, her only companion.
The minotaur's body stiffened, the burning pain of the curse seeming to ease slightly. He stared at Honglian's back, watching her trembling, yet still standing firmly before him. Tears suddenly welled up in his cloudy eyes. This was the first time someone was willing to stay for him, someone willing to treat him as a companion, not a "monster."
"Alright! Let's go!" The Minotaur's roar echoed throughout the research facility, the power of the curse seal unleashing full force. Purple chakra condensed behind him into the form of a massive bull-headed phantom. His horns, with a sharp, air-shattering roar, slammed into the leading ninja. The chains snapped the instant they made contact, sending the ninja flying, slamming into the wall and unconscious.
Honglian's Crystal Escape reached its peak at this point. Crystal-blue chakra rose from the ground, forming a massive Crystal Prison, trapping the remaining shadow within. The walls of the Crystal Prison were covered in spikes, each sharp enough to pierce ninja tools. The shadow's attack landed on the Crystal Prison, leaving only a shallow mark that was quickly repaired by the Crystal Escape.
"Minotaur! Attack the northeast corner of the Crystal Prison! That's their chakra weakness!" Honglian's voice was urgent. Although her crystal escape trapped the black shadow, it was also rapidly consuming chakra, and tiny cracks had begun to appear on the walls of the Crystal Prison.
The minotaur's figure raced past the Crystal Prison, its horns gathering even more powerful chakra. His eyes were fixed on the northeast corner Guren had mentioned. There, a dark figure was attempting to destroy the Crystal Prison with ninja tools, its chakra fluctuations even more chaotic than elsewhere. Without hesitation, he slammed his horn into the Crystal Prison—not to destroy it, but to inject his own cursed chakra into it.
The lavender chakra and the crystal blue chakra instantly merged, and the walls of the Crystal Prison suddenly became stronger, and the spikes glowed with a lavender light. The trapped shadows screamed, and their chakra was forcibly extracted the moment it came into contact with the fused chakra, and merged into the Crystal Prison. This was the first time the minotaur actively controlled the power of the curse, not to destroy, but to protect.
"This is..." Honglian's eyes were full of surprise. She could feel that the Minotaur's curse seal chakra no longer had the previous violent rage, but instead had a gentle fluctuation. "You did it! You controlled the curse seal!"
The minotaur's attack continued, and the shadows within the Crystal Prison lost their strength one by one, collapsing to the ground. The power of his curse gradually weakened, his muscles returning to normal, leaving only the horns lingering with lavender chakra. He turned and looked at Honglian, a clumsy smile playing on his lips. "You... made me do this."
Honglian slowly retracted her Crystal Release, and crystal-blue chakra condensed into a crystal flower in her palm. She walked over to the minotaur and handed it to him. "This is the 'Bonding Crystal', created by fusing our chakras. If you encounter danger in the future, simply crush it, and my Crystal Release will synchronize with the power of your seal."
The minotaur took the crystal flower, his rough fingers carefully holding it, afraid to crush it. His and Honglian's figures were reflected on the surface of the crystal flower, lavender and crystal blue chakra intertwined together, like a strong bond.
Just then, footsteps could be heard in the distance. It was the contact sent by Yinzhu. Honglian looked at the minotaur, his eyes full of smiles. "Let's go, we should go back to Yinnin Village. There are Neji, Sasuke and the others, Karin's sensory network, Kimimaro's bone blade, and... companions who won't treat us as 'test subjects'."
The minotaur nodded, clutching the crystal flower tightly, and followed behind Honglian. His steps were no longer heavy, and the burning pain of the curse had disappeared. Instead, he felt a sense of peace he had never felt before. He was finally no longer a lonely "monster." He finally had someone worth protecting and a "home" of his own.
As they left the research facility, sunlight streamed down upon them, lengthening their shadows. The Minotaur gazed at Guren's back, her crystal-blue chakra gleaming in the sunlight. He suddenly felt that the curse Orochimaru had left behind might not be a curse, but rather the opportunity that had led him to meet Guren. His violent power needed her Crystal Release to protect it; and her Crystal Release, in turn, needed his strength to sustain it.
"Honglian." The minotaur suddenly spoke, his voice much softer than usual. "On full moon nights in the future, can you... stay by my side?"
Honglian turned around, smiled and nodded: "Of course. I will use Crystal Release to build a barrier for you and help you control the curse seal. We are companions, aren't we?"
A smile broke out on the Minotaur's face, the first genuine laugh he'd had since escaping the facility. He knew the road ahead might be bumpy, with enemies like the "Cleanup Force" and the risk of the seal losing control. But he was no longer afraid, for he had Guren, his companions from the Sound Village, and this crystal flower, a symbol of their bond.
The two walked side by side toward their contact, their footsteps echoing across the ground, no longer their own solitary echoes, but a warm rhythm that resonated with each other. The Minotaur's cursed seal and Guren's crystal escape technique would eventually intertwine in the turmoil of the ninja world, forming a unique light, illuminating the path to redemption for these "broken test subjects."
The sun shone brightly in the direction of Otogakure. Neji's Byakugan, Sasuke's Mangekyō, Kimimaro's bone blades, Karin's sensory network... and Ototake's gentle smile all awaited them. The minotaur clenched the crystal flower in his hand, his heart unwavering: he would become stronger, control the power of the curse seal, and protect the red lotus, this hard-earned "home."
Honglian looked at the Minotaur beside her and swore silently in her heart: She would use Crystal Escape to build the strongest barrier for the Minotaur, blocking all dangers for him, so that he would no longer have to worry about losing control and would no longer be treated as a "monster".