Chapter 32: Yan Sheng Goes Crazy with Furious (Part 2)

That "crack" sound of breaking was like the switch on some terrifying thing.

Yan Sheng's suppressed, deathly calm, like a fragile glass shell, shattered in the next moment. In its place came a near-tangible, violent killing intent, like a volcanic eruption or a tsunami.

Yan Sheng suddenly stood up, his once dark and calm eyes now covered by a raging crimson, and in the center of that boiling crimson, a magnificent and complex pattern quietly emerged.

It is the Mangekyou Sharingan—a power that can only be awakened by endless hatred and pain.

At the same time, a savage and powerful torrent of energy, far exceeding the limits of his body, erupted from the deepest part of his body. His parched meridians were forcibly widened, his weak bones groaned under the strain, and muscle fibers beneath his pale skin bulged and stretched at a visible speed.

In an instant, his frail body seemed to be forcibly infused with the pinnacle power of his soul's memories. That was the power he had gained after abandoning humanity in his previous life and falling into the realm of evil, through countless killings and devouring.

—Although, it still only lasted three seconds.

These three seconds are more than enough to crush Tobirama Senju, but against Yoriichi Tsugikuni... they are far from sufficient.

Fortunately, this Tsugikuni Yoriichi is not the real Tsugikuni Yoriichi.

However, Yan Sheng, whose reason was being consumed by hatred and resentment, had no time to think about these things. All he could see was the figure in the dark red haori, the nightmare that he could never surpass in his past and present lives, the one he could only look up to from behind.

"Yoriichi!"

With a roar carrying a century's worth of pent-up resentment, the short sword in Yan Sheng's hand emitted a piercing hum. He didn't use chakra, but instinctively and frantically drove the battle memories that originated from the depths of his soul—

【Breath of the Moon - Sixteen Forms - Moonbow - Lonely Moon】

This is the ultimate sword technique, a fusion of blood demon magic, that he could only fully unleash in his final form in his previous life. It is also the culmination of his life's swordsmanship. To forcibly activate it with a human body would be tantamount to suicide.

But as I said before, Yan Sheng is completely out of his mind right now. The reason he can use it is because of his kaleidoscope ability: it allows him to briefly recover to his peak level from his previous life.

Regardless of anything else, when facing Yoriichi, Yan Sheng's only subconscious thought was to risk everything and unleash his strongest and final blow!

The desolate and beautiful crescent moon slashes, like red lotuses blooming in hell, erupted endlessly from his blade, layer upon layer. Carrying a cold resentment that seemed to tear apart the soul, countless huge, curved crescent blades ripped through the air, emitting ghostly shrieks, cutting, pulverizing, and annihilating everything around him—snow, trees, rocks.

They carved out a death zone from this snowy landscape.

Reality.

"?!" Madara Uchiha's expression changed drastically.

A chilling, violent, and terrifying killing intent, unlike anything he had ever felt before, suddenly erupted from one side of the camp like a tangible tsunami.

The intensity and purity of that killing intent were so great that even his Mangekyou Sharingan felt a stinging pain. His battle-hardened body instinctively went into a state of high alert, and his hair stood on end.

"Enemy attack?! No—!" Madara turned his head, his Sharingan instantly locking onto the center of the burst of killing intent, and then shouted sharply, "Everyone! High alert! Protect the princess!"

The moment the command left his lips, he moved like a bolt of lightning tearing through the air, charging headlong into the center of the bursting killing intent with astonishing force. At the same time, his heart sank uncontrollably.

That direction... Yan Sheng seems to be over there.

As the distance rapidly closed, the cold killing intent on Madara's face was gradually replaced by surprise and doubt, and finally turned into a look that was almost impossible to see on his face—disbelief.

At first glance, Yan Sheng simply sat quietly with his head down, leaning against the tree trunk.

But with each step he took closer, the terrifying killing intent, so tangible and chilling it could almost sever the soul, surged even higher, frantically stimulating every cell in his body.

This violent, cold, and destructive malice seems to originate from Yan Sheng.

Wait! What's that?!

Madara's pupils suddenly contracted to pinpoints, and his crimson Mangekyou Sharingan locked onto what was in front of him—all around his younger brother, who had his head bowed and eyes closed, countless crescent-shaped arcs of dark blue light burst forth without warning.

These arcs of light spun and expanded wildly the moment they appeared, transforming into deadly, devastating blades that sliced, tore apart, and annihilated everything around Yan Sheng in the blink of an eye. Even the air itself was distorted, emitting a piercing, teeth-grinding buzzing sound.

Yan Sheng's figure became blurred amidst the wildly dancing, eerie blue blade light. However, the overwhelming, bone-chilling, terrifying killing intent remained so powerful that it could not be ignored.

How could this be? A storm raged through Ban's mind.

How could Yan Sheng possibly possess such terrifying power and killing intent?

How could such a pure, chilling evil thought, as if it had crawled out from the depths of hell, possibly come from his younger brother who had been sickly and carefully cared for since childhood?

And what exactly is that pale blue crescent moon that surrounds the younger brother, ruthlessly slicing through everything around him? The only thing that's certain is that it's definitely not a change in chakra nature or form! That condensed, all-encompassing sharpness...

...Sword energy?!

A nearly forgotten fragment of memory suddenly crashed into Ban's mind.

On one of his missions, Madara encountered an old samurai who had dedicated his life to the pursuit of the ultimate swordsmanship.

The old man had demonstrated to Ban what "sword energy" was, and expressed great regret that he could only make the sword energy leave his body a few inches away, and that it was blurry and unstable, even after a lifetime of effort.

The old man sighed, saying that his grandmaster and master had not reached the legendary level, only the founding patriarch had truly realized the legend of "sword energy crisscrossing, cutting down nothing."

However, due to the passage of time, even he himself sometimes doubted whether it was a true rumor or a legend embellished by later generations.

But the scene before him—the incredibly solid, unrestrained, and wildly powerful azure crescent around Yan Sheng, which could easily tear apart anything it touched—seemed to be the very embodiment of the old samurai's dream... a raging torrent of sword energy!

But how is that possible?

Shock, confusion, and an indescribable tremor gripped Madara Uchiha's mind.

Before Ban could recover from the shock and doubt, he had already reached the edge of the storm. The sharp wind pressure brought by the crescent-shaped blue blade almost cut his skin, causing him to stop instinctively, unsure whether he should rashly enter this indiscriminately attacking area.

Just as he hesitated.

Yan Sheng, who had been keeping his head down and his eyes closed, suddenly raised his face and opened his eyes.

Madara Uchiha choked on his breath.

What came into view was no longer that familiar, dark blue eye... On the white of that eye was a blood-red color, and in the center of that blood-red color, slowly rotating and exuding an ominous and powerful aura, was a complex and beautiful pattern that he could never mistake: the Mangekyou Sharingan.

Sword energy, kaleidoscope...

Countless questions and an unprecedented shock impacted Madara Uchiha's understanding.

When did Yan Sheng activate his kaleidoscope? What did he experience? Why has he never revealed it? Is this sword energy related to the kaleidoscope?

He had too many questions, but at the moment, he didn't have time to think about them carefully.

Yan Sheng's condition was clearly abnormal.

The terrifying power surrounding him was filled with destructive intensity and aura, far exceeding the limits his body could withstand. That power might be tearing him apart from within. If this continued, Yan Sheng would suffer a backlash.

"Yan Sheng! Stop!" Madara roared, channeling his chakra. Blue skull ribs appeared and enveloped him as he tried to force his way into the death zone created by the crescent moon slash and pull his brother out of it.

However, its power far exceeded expectations; even Madara was blocked by the countless crescent-shaped slashes containing strange power.

Illusion.

Yan Shengna, with all his strength, resentment, and unwillingness, slashed down at "Yoichi" in front of him.

Reality.

The countless pale blue crescent moons surrounding Yan Sheng suddenly paused, as if they had lost their core target. Then, like a raging horde of beasts, sensing the nearest Uchiha Madara, they let out a piercing shriek, changed direction, and surged towards Madara.

Madara Uchiha's expression turned solemn. He had personally experienced the power of this thing and knew how terrifying it was. Faced with this overwhelming attack, he knew he could no longer hold back.

"Susanoo!"

With a low roar, Madara unleashed a torrent of chakra. A colossal blue giant instantly materialized, its flesh and veins rapidly covering it, and a chakra cloak solidified: a half-body Susanoo giant descended fiercely, firmly protecting Madara at its center.

"Rumble, rumble—"

Countless azure moon blades slammed into Susanoo, unleashing a deafening roar. The energy shockwaves spread outwards, blowing away the surrounding snow and broken trees.

Blue chakra fragments and ghostly blue sword energy shards flew everywhere, creating a scene resembling a battle between gods and demons.

Ordinary soldiers had never seen such a devastating sight. They were all dumbfounded, their legs went weak, and some even collapsed to the ground, muttering to themselves as if they had witnessed divine punishment.

Inside the magnificent carriage, Princess Himeko also saw the towering blue giant and the countless moon blades that confronted it.

Her heart pounded wildly with fear, almost leaping out of her chest. But then, that fear transformed into an indescribable, burning envy and longing.

Is this the absolute power her father spoke of, enough to change the course of a battlefield? If only she could possess this power...

"Your Highness! Danger! Please step back!" The personal maid, her face pale, shielded the princess with her body, her voice trembling and shrill with extreme fear, while urging the coachman to quickly drive the carriage away from this terrifying area.

Illusion.

Yan Sheng collapsed back into a slumped position, his body trembling violently from the excessive strain. Each breath was filled with the smell of blood and the pain of being torn apart.

He stared intently at the billowing dust ahead, his heart pounding wildly with anticipation and fear.

Did we succeed? Even if we hurt him in the slightest?

...The dust slowly settled.

Yan Sheng's pupils suddenly contracted, and he gasped for breath.

At the edge of the horizon, Yoriichi Tsugikuni still stood there quietly. His posture remained unchanged, and even the dark red haori he wore was without a single wrinkle or tear.

It was as if that final blow, which was powerful enough to tear everything apart, was nothing more than a gentle breeze that swept across the mountaintop, leaving no trace on him.

He still wore that compassionate yet indifferent expression, like a god above the clouds, calmly looking down at the futile struggles of ants in the mortal world.

An indescribable, extreme bitterness surged into Yan Sheng's heart, shattering all his pretense and pretense in an instant.

This young and frail body was simply unable to control the physiological reactions brought about by such a violent emotional shock.

Tears welled up unexpectedly and slid down his pale cheeks. Yan Sheng initially tried to bite his lower lip hard to hold them back, but he couldn't.

Anyway, that's how it is.

Yan Sheng simply gave up, letting the tears flow freely. It was a kind of collapse where even anger and resentment had been completely crushed, leaving only boundless powerlessness and grievance.

Just as his vision was blurred by tears, he suddenly saw the unharmed "Yoichi" in front of him sway like a reflection in water, and then disappear silently.

Yan Sheng froze, tears still clinging to his eyelashes.

Before he could react, another "Yuan Yi" slowly condensed and took shape in front of him.

This "Yoichi" seems somewhat different. The godlike aloofness that once kept people at arm's length and treated all things as worthless has faded considerably, replaced by a hint of... "humanity"?

Moreover, this newly appeared "Yoichi" had extremely subtle cracks appearing on his face, which had remained unchanged for thousands of years and seemed like a stone carving.

Was there a hint of panic or helplessness about him? Although it wasn't obvious, Yan Sheng was too familiar with that face, so he caught the slight abnormality.

Then, he saw this "Yoichi" walking towards him.

Yan Sheng was too lazy to move and didn't want to move anymore; his body wouldn't allow it.

Yoriichi walked up to him, knelt down on one knee, and made his eyes level with those of the man sitting on the ground.

Then, the hand that was as steady as a rock, capable of wielding the strongest sword in the world, slightly curled its fingers, tightening and loosening repeatedly, as if it were undergoing some kind of difficult inner struggle.

Finally, as if it had made up its mind, the hand slowly and clumsily raised itself, gently brushing Yan Sheng's cheek with its fingertips, wiping away the tear stains on Yan Sheng's face.

The movements were clumsy and stiff, but gentle enough.

Then, a sentence that shook Yan Sheng's very soul trembled softly from the second Yuan Yi's mouth:

"I'm sorry, brother."

"Feel sorry?"

Yan Sheng practically spat out those two words through clenched teeth, his voice trembling with extreme anger.

"You apologize to me?! Yoriichi! Are you mocking me?! Are you mocking me for never being able to touch you no matter how many times I start over, no matter what price I pay?!"

The resignation he had been giving up on was instantly ignited by what he saw as an extremely hypocritical apology, burning into a raging inferno! Yan Shenggang was about to say something when he poured out all the resentment and bitterness that had been building up for a century.

A sharp, piercing pain suddenly shot through his right eye, as if a red-hot needle had been inserted. He groaned in pain and instinctively raised his hand to press against his right eye.

The stinging pain came suddenly and went quickly. As the pain subsided, Yan Sheng lowered his hand, his eyes still burning with the flames of humiliation and anger. He sneered, preparing to continue his unfinished, intense outburst, when all the sounds and all the anger abruptly ceased.

Yan Sheng froze, as if frozen in place. His eyes, which had just been filled with rage, were now wide open, filled with incomprehensible horror and bewilderment.

He stared intently at Yoriichi, who was so close to him, as if he were seeing something completely beyond his comprehension, something that could never possibly exist.

—He did see something incredible.

Initially, above Yoriichi's head, he saw an extremely long string of golden numbers. And, in that instant, he instinctively understood the meaning of those numbers:

[Merit].

It is a tangible reward and proof bestowed by heaven and earth after saving countless lives, cleansing countless sins, and making a huge positive contribution to the world.

This... does fit the image of the Son of God in his mind.

But, the very next second that this thought flashed through his mind.

The dazzling string of golden numbers suddenly began to plummet without warning. The speed was like an avalanche; the golden light rapidly dimmed and dissipated, the numbers decreased drastically, and in the blink of an eye, the vast ocean of golden merit vanished.

The moment the number reaches zero, the color changes from gold to black.

And it didn't stop; instead, it raced headlong into the abyss of negative numbers at an even more frenzied and terrifying speed.

Moreover, the black numbers continued to accumulate, their length far exceeding that of the previous gold numbers.

Finally, the black numbers seemed to have fallen below a certain limit and stabilized.

-99999999999999

Yan Sheng also instantly understood the meaning of the black number: contrary to merit, this was [karmic retribution].

It is the sin that one bears after slaughtering living beings, disrupting order, and bringing endless disasters.

How is that possible?

Yan Sheng felt a wave of dizzying absurdity and disbelief.

Yoriichi Tsugikuni? The one who dedicated his life to practicing the way of "protection"? How could he possibly bear such a huge and terrifying burden of sin?

......wrong.

Yan Sheng's mind raced. He was very clever and quickly grasped the most crucial issue—this karmic entanglement had only just begun.

It was after that "sorry" that his merits were instantly deducted and then reversed. This means... this terrifying karmic debt wasn't caused by his past actions, but rather... by a certain "choice" or "action" he just made?

A terrifying thought, so terrifying it froze Yan Sheng's blood, surfaced in his mind.

"Yoriichi!"

Yan Sheng suddenly let out a hoarse growl, his voice filled with unacceptable shock and anger, and a kind of panic that he himself was unaware of.

He suddenly reached out and grabbed Yoriichi's collar tightly, pulling him forward with all his might.

Yoriichi was completely caught off guard by Yan Sheng's sudden attack. He was pulled and stumbled, almost falling on top of Yan Sheng. In a panic, he raised his arm to brace himself against the tree trunk behind Yan Sheng, barely managing to regain his balance and forming a position where he had Yan Sheng half-encircled between the tree trunk and himself.

A subtle panic surfaced again on his usually expressionless face; he didn't understand why his brother was suddenly so agitated.

Yan Sheng gripped Yoriichi's collar tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. He tilted his head back, his eyes red-rimmed, trembling with rage.

He gritted his teeth, forcing out each word through gritted teeth, his voice trembling with the urge to break down:

"What exactly did you do?!"

Yan Sheng's fingers gripped the dark red collar so tightly they almost dug into the fabric. He looked up, his bloodshot eyes filled with a mixture of anger and panic, staring intently at the somewhat bewildered face above him.

"Say it!"

Pulled off balance and only able to steady himself by bracing himself against the tree trunk, Yoriichi's eyes widened slightly. His deep red eyes clearly reflected the boy's face, contorted with excitement.

He was stunned by his brother's unprecedented and intense emotions, and for a moment he was speechless.

However, Yan Sheng did not need his answer.

The moment that endless string of black numbers, symbolizing endless sins, came into view, and the moment he connected it with the "sorry" and the scene of his merits being wiped out... an absurd, terrifying, yet the only logical answer screamed into his mind.

Yes.

Besides this, what else could instantly negate such a vast amount of merit and incur such terrifying karmic burden?

It was him. It was because of him.

It was because Yoriichi Tsugikuni paid an unimaginable price for his good-for-nothing, jealous, and ultimately demon-destroying older brother, allowing him to be reborn as a human without punishment.

Therefore, all merits are lost, and one is burdened with karmic debts.

That's why... he had this illogical reincarnation.

Everything was explained, but this explanation was like a red-hot branding iron, fiercely imprinted on Yan Sheng's soul, bringing intense pain and shame.

"Heh...hehe..." Yan Sheng's hand, gripping Yoriichi's collar, began to tremble. A low, broken laugh escaped his throat, more unpleasant than crying. "So that's how it is...no wonder..."

His laughter grew louder and louder, carrying a crazy, self-mocking tone. Tears welled up uncontrollably again, mingling with his distorted smile, making him look pathetic and miserable.

"Who needs you to do this? Who allowed you to do this? Yoriichi Tsugikuni!" Yan Sheng suddenly stopped laughing, gritting his teeth as he said, "You pathetic sympathy! Your self-righteous salvation! Do you think this will make up for anything? Make me grateful to you?"

"Look at yourself!" He shook the other man's collar violently. "I'm the one who killed him! I'm the one who committed the heinous crime! What right do you have—when did I give you permission—"

The words that followed stuck in his throat, turning into a sob.

The immense shock and complex emotions completely shattered his defenses. Anger, shame, disbelief, and the subtle shock he felt upon learning that "Yoriichi had gone to such lengths for him"... all these emotions intertwined, almost tearing Yan Sheng's reason apart completely.

A sharp pain shot through my right eye again, more intense than before, as if something was burning inside my eye socket.

The scene before him began to sway and blur, and Yoriichi's panicked and helpless face gradually became transparent.

"Ugh..." Yan Sheng groaned in pain, released his grip on Yoriichi's collar, covered his throbbing right eye again, and collapsed backward, his consciousness sinking irresistibly into a dark abyss.

In the last second before he completely lost consciousness, he seemed to hear Yoriichi's panicked cries:

"Brother?"

***

Black Zetsu fled like a stray dog, only daring to stop when he had created a considerable distance between himself and the enemy. He raised his hand to wipe away non-existent cold sweat from his forehead, still shaken by the terrifying scene that had just unfolded.

He had originally planned to launch a fatal sneak attack while Yan Sheng was trapped in the illusion of the flute music and his mind was off guard, but who could have imagined... that kid would unleash such a devastating, indiscriminate attack. If he had been even a fraction slower in escaping, he probably would have perished there.

Then Madara Uchiha arrived.

He has no chance at all.

That's really scary.

Black Zetsu felt a chill run down his spine. This operation had backfired spectacularly, almost costing him his life.

He reluctantly pulled out the bamboo flute from the Land of Demons, his bean-like yellow eyes filled with disgust and anger.

What a piece of junk! What happened to the promise of making people sink into an immersive illusion from which they couldn't escape? This is the result? It may have had some effect, but it was more like pouring a bucket of cold water into boiling oil, causing a huge explosion.

Black Zetsu grew angrier the more he thought about it, and immediately wanted to crush the flute. But he hesitated.

This thing is useless against Yan Sheng, but it was very effective on ordinary people and other ninjas during previous tests... who knows, it might come in handy in the future.

Adhering to the principle of not wasting any usable resources, Black Zetsu ultimately disgustedly stuffed the flute back into his body and stored it away.

***

Uchiha clan territory.

A week has passed.

Sunlight streamed through the window lattice, casting dappled patterns on the floor.

Yan Sheng slowly opened his eyes, his consciousness struggling to rise from the deepest seabed, finally breaking through the surface, bringing with it a violent dizziness and weakness.

He found himself lying on a familiar bed, covered with a soft, thick blanket. The room was filled with a faint scent of medicine.

This ordeal far exceeded expectations. His strength was completely depleted, and many of his meridians were damaged. The clan's medical ninjas must have exerted all their strength to pull him back from the brink of death.

However, although his body gradually recovered, his heart remained stagnant.

When Yan Sheng woke up, he was eerily quiet.

He no longer secretly practiced breathing techniques or pondered countermeasures as before; instead, he stared blankly at the ceiling with his empty black eyes, or turned to look out the window, sometimes for an entire day. He was like a puppet whose soul had been ripped out.

Izuna would come to see him every day, pacing anxiously by his bedside and talking to him.

"Yan Sheng? How are you feeling? Is there anything else that's bothering you?" "Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?"

No matter what Izuna said or asked, Michikatsu remained unresponsive. His eyes were unfocused, as if he were immersed in a world untouchable by anyone, completely isolated from the outside world.

Izuna was so anxious that blisters almost formed on the corners of her mouth. She grabbed Hisaji, who had come to check again, and her voice was filled with barely suppressed anxiety: "What's going on? Wasn't his condition supposed to be stable? Why is he still like this? Did you even check him properly?"

Hisashi twitched his lips and performed another thorough examination on Yan Sheng, but the results were the same as a few days ago.

"Lord Izuna, Young Master Yan Sheng's health is indeed improving. Although he is still very weak, his internal and external injuries are healing, and his chakra is slowly recovering. Physiologically speaking, there really isn't anything seriously wrong with him..."

"Then what's wrong with him looking like this?" Izuna pointed at his lifeless younger brother on the bed. "You're telling me this is nothing serious?"

Hisashi shrank back, looking at Yan Sheng's empty eyes, and forced himself to offer a weak guess: "That...maybe it's not a physical problem, maybe it's because he suffered a...great shock, or...stimulation?"

"Bullshit!" Izuna roared, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "Yan Sheng is perfectly fine! How could it be a mental problem? He has never left the clan's territory since he was a child. What kind of shock could he have suffered? There must be some hidden injury that you haven't found out."

He refused to believe, and could not accept, that his younger brother might have a "mental" problem. In his eyes, Yan Sheng was merely physically weak and needed protection; how could he possibly have a psychological problem?

Hisashi was so scolded that he didn't dare to look up. He was inwardly groaning, but he didn't dare to argue back.

Izuna waved his hand impatiently to dismiss Hisaji, then knelt beside Miku's bed, looking into his younger brother's empty, lifeless eyes, his heart filled with helplessness and worry.

"Yan Sheng, get well soon! Your mother, me, and Brother Ban are all worried sick about you," he murmured to himself.

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Author's Note: My left and right kaleidoscopes have different abilities [pity].

This chapter was really enjoyable to write; I wonder if you guys enjoyed reading it too? [Hands clasped in prayer]

Brother: I don't want to live anymore.

Brother: Q_Q