Chapter 1 Reincarnation
Consciousness plunged into darkness.
The sound of the blade cracking gradually faded into the distance.
How laughable... Three hundred years of relentless training... willing to abandon humanity and fall into the realm of demons... even if it were just a ray of light from your silhouette... yet... in the end, I still couldn't reach your level...
Yoriichi... what kind of world is reflected in your eyes... and how is it different from the world seen by us mere mortals...?
If I could do it all over again... I—
......
The darkness did not last long.
Kokushibo thought he would fall into hell—if hell truly existed. However, the expected flames of karmic fire and punishment did not come.
Instead, a heart-wrenching scream from a woman filled the air.
"Madam! Push harder! The baby will be out soon!"
Amidst the chaotic sounds, the stench of blood, and the biting cold—before Kokushibo could comprehend what was happening, he was squeezed by an irresistible force and dragged into the frigid air.
Then, he cried.
Uncontrollable, soft whimpers, like a cat's meow. He felt ashamed, he felt angry, but this frail newborn body was completely beyond his control.
He barely opened his eyes, and in his blurry vision came a simple Japanese-style room, several women looking hurried, and—a stern-faced, black-haired man.
The man didn't look at her, but instead held the woman's hand tightly on the bed, his voice low and tense: "How are you?"
Kokushibo finally realized what the situation was like.
Clearly, he has been reincarnated.
The woman, who was probably the midwife, was holding him. She originally wanted to congratulate the head of the family, but before she could speak, her expression suddenly changed.
"Chief! This child... his breathing is getting weaker!"
Yes, he could feel it too. The body was far too weak, the heartbeat was slow, and the body temperature was frighteningly low.
The midwife frantically patted his back, trying to make him cry louder, but his breathing continued to weaken.
...Will I just die like this?
Kokushibo found it somewhat amusing. A mysterious reincarnation, a mysterious death—perhaps the gods realized they had mistaken the person they were meant to reincarnate, and were now preparing to take back his life.
Just as his consciousness was about to fade, his biological father in this life finally turned his head and looked at him.
"Summon the medical ninja." A short, cold command.
Soon, a blurry figure appeared in front of him. The newborn baby's vision was still blurry, and he could only see that the person's palm was glowing with a bright blue light and was pressed against his chest.
Then, a strange energy surged into his body, forcefully stimulating his heart. His breathing gradually stabilized, and his body temperature began to rise.
The man stared at him silently for a while, and only after confirming that he was alive did he speak softly: "Name...we'll decide after Kaori wakes up."
***
The unfamiliar power surging into his body made Kokushibo open his eyes slightly; this power was forcibly maintaining the life force of his frail body.
What's this......?
It was completely different from the breathing techniques he knew in his lifetime. It wasn't the energy of heaven and earth drawn through the lungs, nor the power gained by burning and squeezing the body's functions, but a more primal power that surged directly from within. It brutally forced open his heart, which was about to stop beating, and the burning heat made him convulse involuntarily.
"This child... is so resilient," the midwife said, wiping the baby's bluish hands with a warm cloth. "He was almost lifeless just now..."
Looking at his newborn son who had nearly died shortly after birth, Uchiha Tajima couldn't help but recall the birth of his eldest son, Uchiha Madara. That child had cried loudly the moment he was born, his chakra so abundant that the candlelight in the delivery room flickered. But this young son…
"Clan leader," the medical ninja reported respectfully, withdrawing his chakra, "the child's life is temporarily safe, but..."
"Go on."
"He might not even be able to survive... He's not suited to be a ninja."
The air seemed to freeze for a moment. Uchiha Tajima's jawline tightened. In this era of war, an Uchiha who couldn't become a ninja was practically a burden.
***
The stench of blood still lingered in the room. Uchiha Kaori fainted before she could even glance at her child.
The baby, who had been "rescued" once, started having problems again within two minutes.
The medical ninja continued to provide treatment.
With each back and forth like this, the midwife's once steady hand began to tremble, and she shook her head at the medical ninja for the eighth time, her face pale.
"It's not working again..."
The medical ninja's forehead veins bulged as he couldn't help but exclaim, "This child's internal organs are as fragile as a spider web!"
***
In the brief moments between bouts of consciousness, Kokushibo seemed to hear the mocking laughter of fate.
Is this the eighth time...?
Each near-death experience felt like being torn in two. The burning pain in his lungs, the black spots exploding in his vision when his heart stopped, and the endless flashbacks—Yoriichi's silhouette as he wielded his sword, Yoriichi's joyful smile as he accepted the bamboo flute, the tears Yoriichi shed as he spoke of his profound sorrow...
"Chief, perhaps we should prepare..." The midwife silently made a gesture of wrapping the baby.
Uchiha Tajima stood where the moonlight and candlelight met, his shadow twisting on the wall into a fanged demon. Suddenly, he drew his sword, the tip pressed against the baby's heart.
"The Uchiha don't need shrouds." The tip of the knife pierced the pale skin, and a bead of blood seeped out. "If you're going to die, die cleanly."
The moment the blood dripped, the baby suddenly opened its eyes. Those dark eyes, which had not yet revealed the Sharingan, caused the battle-hardened Uchiha Tajima to instinctively take a half-step back.
Stimulated by the murderous intent, Kokushibo reacted instinctively, habitually mobilizing familiar power, but that power failed to be mobilized. Instead, another unfamiliar energy expanded within his body.
"Chakra rampage?!" the medical ninja cried out, retreating in shock. "How could this be! A newborn couldn't possibly..."
The baby's cries rang out once more. No longer a weak whimper, but a piercing scream infused with chakra. Dust fell from the rafters, and the memorial tablet in the shrine clattered to the ground.
Uchiha Tajima suddenly burst into laughter. He sheathed his sword and ran his fingers across the bloodstains on the baby's chest.
"This is my son!"
A note from the author:
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I couldn't find the name of Uchiha Tajima's wife. If anyone knows, please leave a comment and I'll correct it. _(:з」∠)_
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