Chapter 8 Kaori's Indulgence

Kaori knelt beside the low table, her fingertips gently tracing a crack on the rim of the teacup.

The crack was very fine, almost invisible, yet it felt unusually smooth to the touch, as if it had been cut by something extremely sharp.

She looked up and her gaze fell on the baby in the cradle. The infant was sleeping peacefully with his eyes closed, breathing evenly, and looked no different from any other child.

But this is the third teacup...

Kaori calmly turned the teacup around, concealing the crack in her palm.

***

Kaori initially just found it a little strange.

First, the spoon keeps disappearing inexplicably—it's always placed on the tray after each dose of medicine, but it vanishes in the blink of an eye. Hisashi says he didn't take it, and the maid says she didn't touch it either.

Secondly, small cracks occasionally appear on the teacups and medicine cups, as if they have been pierced by some sharp object, yet they strangely maintain their complete shape, and you really can't see them unless you look closely.

Finally, metal shavings would sometimes be found on the young child's bedding, shimmering with a faint silver light in the sunlight, like the residue of some crushed object.

As a mother, it's hard for Kaori not to care. And Kaori is the kind of person who is meticulous and sensitive—a classic traditional trait of the Uchiha clan.

This observation led her to discover something extraordinary.

All of this... seems to have been done by the youngest child.

Kaori kept quiet.

She quietly changed the tea set, choosing a batch of thicker ironwood bowls, and even had the maid replace the medicine cups with ceramic ones. She even deliberately placed a few old kunai by Yan Sheng's pillow: weapons that had been discarded from the training ground and whose edges had become dull.

Since she doesn't need it anymore, she's just making use of it.

The next morning, she discovered fine dents on the edge of the kunai, as if it had been pierced by a sharp object.

Kaori remained silent for a moment, then hid the kunai at the bottom of her makeup box.

"Madam, we're running out of candlesticks again this month," the maid reported. "And the bronze stands in Lord Tajima's study are all... warped." (This happened while Kaori was carrying Kokushige to the study, and the adults were busy with their own things. Kokushige secretly did it when no one was in the room.)

Indeed, Yan Sheng became bolder after discovering his mother's indulgence and tacit approval in this life.

Jia Zhi remained unfazed: "It's probably because the weather is too humid, and the metal is corroding. Let's go to the warehouse and get new ones."

"But what about the inkstone that the clan chief often uses—"

“Just say I accidentally broke it,” Kaori interrupted. “I’ll pay for it with my own savings.”

The maid hesitated, then bowed and withdrew.

Tajima knew nothing about this.

He was busy with clan affairs and rarely paid attention to household matters. Occasionally, he would notice that the furnishings in the study had changed, but he would simply assume that his wife had tidied up.

"You seem to be changing your tea set quite often lately?" he asked casually during breakfast one day.

Jiazhi was feeding Yansheng medicine when she heard this and her wrist paused almost imperceptibly: "I've been using the old one for too long, and I want to change it up."

Tajima hummed in agreement and didn't ask any further questions. His gaze swept over the young child, who was obediently swallowing the medicine, looking frail and quiet.

It's good that I survived.

He reached out to pat Yan Sheng's head, but instead patted his wife's shoulder instead: "You've worked hard."

That day, Kaori carried Yansheng to the study again. The couple clearly had something to talk about. After exchanging a few words, they left the room and put Yansheng back inside.

With no one around, Yan Sheng continued practicing his "Chakra Hand". This time, he chose Tajima's bronze paperweight as his test subject.

Blue-green chakra threads, like a spiderweb, wrapped around the metal, slowly applying pressure. Spiderweb-like patterns gradually appeared on the surface of the paperweight, but it did not immediately shatter.

Very good, that's progress.

Yan Sheng withdrew his chakra with satisfaction.

Suddenly, a shadow fell in.

Yan Sheng closed his eyes in a second, pretending to be asleep.

Kaori stood on the veranda, her gaze falling through the window onto the young child inside the house, though she didn't know if she saw him or not.

***

It was just another ordinary day.

"Da".

The paper sliding door was gently closed. He was left alone in the room.

Yan Sheng opened his eyes and sensed that Jia Zhi had completely left before channeling his chakra. Susanoo - Simple - Single Part Bone Hand slowly picked up a celadon tea set from the table. This was a valuable item that Tajima had exchanged with a merchant a few days ago. It was a complete set, with a lustrous glaze that shone softly in the sunlight.

Tajima gave one to his wife.

It's unclear what Kaori was thinking. Knowing that the youngest child was a "destructive force," she didn't put the things away properly but brought them to the child's room. Not only did she take them, but she also didn't keep an eye on them, as if she was deliberately trying to cause destruction for the child.

This one will do.

Yan Sheng manipulated several strands of chakra "threads" to seep into the porcelain body, feeling the thickness and texture of the vessel wall. He then unexpectedly discovered that the porcelain was extremely hard, making it perfect for testing the piercing power of bone structure.

"Click—"

With a very soft, crisp sound, fine, spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the glaze. Yan Sheng immediately withdrew his force, keeping the cracks only on the surface, making them virtually undetectable without close inspection.

However, Yan Sheng was still very dissatisfied with this.

While there has been progress, and indeed there has been progress, it's only progress; it hasn't reached the point where we can fully control it.

The baby's face, which inherited the beauty of both parents in this life, was expressionless, yet it did not feel cold to the eye, but rather adorable.

***

"Madam, the cloak that the clan chief often wears..." The maid hesitated, holding up a garment that looked like it had been eaten by insects.

Kaori calmly accepted it: "I wasn't paying attention when I received it, and it got burned by the candle flame."

The reasoning is very far-fetched.

She knew perfectly well where those holes came from—they were created by Yan Sheng using chakra.

How did she know? She saw it from the window that day.

Kaori was shocked at the time. Although she had a vague guess in her heart, this scene actually happened in reality and she witnessed it with her own eyes. The two were not the same.

...Her young son, at only five months old, can use chakra. This is not just genius, it's prodigy. Calling him a monster wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Unfortunately, he was too weak.

Kaori shook her head, trying to shake off the pessimistic emotions that were flooding her mind again.

We need to find some more durable materials...

That night, she deliberately "forgot" an old locket in her young son's room. This kind of armor lining made of strung iron plates should be sturdy enough.

***

The cloak was indeed sturdy enough, but it was nothing special to Yan Sheng. If he didn't control his strength and used his maximum force, the cloak would still break.

After all, the ability that Yan Sheng tested was not an ordinary ability; it was Susanoo, which only the Mangekyou Sharingan could open, albeit a simplified, partial version.

But as one of the strongest white-haired characters said: Just because I've become weaker doesn't mean you've become stronger.

It means that even if I'm weaker, I'm still stronger than you.

Like ants and humans, even a weak, dying ant can easily kill a human. Of course, a large number of ants can even kill an elephant; this is an example of "quality."

"Bang!"

Hisashi, who was next door, suddenly woke up with a start: "What was that sound?"

Realizing he had made a mistake by raising the volume, Yan Sheng immediately withdrew his chakra.

Soon, Hisashi opened the door and came in to check the situation. He carefully searched the room and, seeing that everything was normal, turned around and went back inside with suspicion.

Strange, am I dreaming?

On the other side.

Yan Sheng opened his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.

The next day.

While tidying the crib, Kaori touched a deformed piece of iron under the mattress, her fingertips trembling slightly. She silently tucked it into her sleeve, then turned to her maid and said, "Go and fetch that box of broken utensils from the storeroom."

That box of tattered armor was scrap recovered from the battlefield. It should have been melted down and reforged, but it hasn't been reforged yet, so she can take a part of it.

***

Uchiha Masaki is having a real headache lately. Who on earth is collecting the junk? And what about the clan leader's wife? Have they been replacing her household items too frequently lately? Even though it's within their quota and not exceeding it, it's clearly not normal!

On the contrary, Kaori's vanity case grew increasingly full. Inside was a mother's carefully indulgent pampering.

A note from the author:

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①Chain armor - the mesh-like garment worn by ninjas, also known as chainmail.

The author found this online; its authenticity is unknown. Please point out any errors, and I will correct them.