Chapter 15, Three-Tomoe
Uchiha Tajima stood at the window of the clan head's mansion, his gaze passing through the courtyard and landing on his young son sitting quietly on the veranda in the distance.
The child's birth filled him with immense joy. Those jet-black eyes seemed to see through everything, and even in infancy, the child displayed extraordinary potential. He had once thought that this child might become the hope of the Uchiha clan.
However, five years have passed, and that amazement has long since faded.
Tajima sighed softly.
He was born with extraordinary talent, so why is he so mediocre now? Is it because of his frail body?
His gaze swept over Yan Sheng's pale face and thin back.
“Never mind…” Tajima shook his head. “It’s good that I survived.”
Rather than expecting their youngest son to lead the family to create miracles, it was already a miracle that this frail and sickly child hadn't died.
Furthermore, the Uchiha clan already has Madara—his eldest son, a genius who awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan at the age of fifteen.
However, when Tajima occasionally heard the Senju clan boasting about their Wood Release users, he couldn't help but think: If Kokushibo were a healthy child... if he could fight alongside Madara... the Uchiha might actually be able to surpass the Senju.
Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in life.
Tajima withdrew his gaze and turned to walk towards the council chamber.
Five years ago, they uncovered the conspiracy of the Feathered Robe Clan, but the hatred between the two clans did not disappear as a result.
The Senju and Uchiha clans have long been recognized as opposing symbols. When it comes to competition and conflict, people will choose the Senju and Uchiha clans if they have the money.
After all, these two are the strongest and mortal enemies, so there's no need to worry about them holding back; they can maximize their potential as weapons.
In the shadows, an invisible hand continues to quietly pluck the blood-red strings.
Although he lost Hagoromo as a shield, Black Zetsu was quite satisfied with the current situation—the Senju and Uchiha were like two sharp blades placed on a fire, and even without external forces, they would clash with each other due to the expectations of the world.
“That’s good…” Black Zetsu let out a hoarse, sinister laugh. “The chains of hatred are already so strong that they don’t need any external force.”
Back to the present.
In front of the training field.
Yan Sheng sat quietly under the eaves.
The children on the training field couldn't help but glance at him frequently, whispering among themselves:
"That sickly fellow has come to see me again..."
"He must be really envious of us being able to train, right?"
Their voices were indeed very soft, but Yan Sheng was no ordinary person; he had been concealing his abilities all these years. Besides, even if they truly couldn't hear them, with Yan Sheng's centuries-old mind, how could he not guess what they were saying?
Yan Sheng remained completely unmoved by this.
First, he is physically weak, that's a fact he can't change. He forces himself to be more disciplined in private, knowing full well the risks. Fighting with others, especially children, without knowing his own strength, could easily escalate the situation. He naturally wouldn't do that.
Secondly, he's not a real child; these children's squabbles are beneath his notice. His fighting spirit is enough to crush the entire field in a second.
Ultimately, even if he wanted to do it, his family wouldn't allow it.
In conclusion, Yan Sheng did not harbor any envy, as the children in the training field might have thought.
He came here not out of admiration, but simply because these children were practicing the basics. Of course, he didn't care about their taijutsu; Yan Sheng was looking at their chakra.
That's what he cares about. As for what others think?
—It has nothing to do with him.
***
In the dead of night, the Uchiha clan's territory was as silent as still water.
Yan Sheng sat cross-legged in his room, his fingertips gathering azure chakra. He combined his breathing techniques from his previous life with the chakra circulation of this world, gradually exploring a unique cultivation path.
His breath was long and deep, and his chakra flowed through his meridians like a stream. With each breath, the energy flowed more smoothly, his body temperature rose slightly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Suddenly, he felt a burning sensation rise from his lower abdomen and rush to his eyes.
Yan Sheng subconsciously raised his hand to touch his eye socket, but felt nothing unusual. Unbeknownst to him, deep within his dark pupils, a crimson hue quietly emerged, a single tomoe slowly taking shape, silently rotating beneath his eye. As his chakra output increased, the tomoe split into two tomoe, then three tomoe...
But within a few breaths, his pupil power rapidly declined, and his eyes returned to their original completely black color.
"My eyes are burning... Is it because my body is too weak to withstand the intensity of the chakra flow?"
Yan Sheng muttered to himself in confusion, not connecting it to the Sharingan. As far as he knew, the awakening of the Sharingan inherited from his family bloodline in this life required strong emotional stimulation. And he clearly did not have that.
Fearing that he would damage his frail body and suffer the consequences, Yan Sheng stopped cultivating. The burning sensation quickly subsided.
really......
Yan Sheng raised his hand and gently pressed his temples, looking somewhat tired.
"It seems my current physique can't withstand such high-intensity chakra circulation..."
At the same moment, on a thick, large tree on the outskirts of the clan's territory.
Black Zetsu stood atop it, casually observing the Uchiha clan's movements. Its attention was primarily focused on Madara, rarely pausing to notice anyone else.
If he had paid even a little attention to the frail youngest son of the Uchiha clan head, he would have noticed the three-tomoe star briefly appearing in the boy's eyes.
Unfortunately, he didn't.
As he watched Madara practice ninjutsu, he remarked, "As expected of the reincarnation of Indra, his chakra has improved again..." He stroked his chin, completely missing the fleeting crimson light in the room of the clan leader's youngest son behind him.
The next day, Yen Sheng appeared as usual under the corridor in front of the training ground.
The children on the training field still pointed and whispered about him: "I really don't understand why he comes every day..."
They have no idea that this sickly man they look down upon had, last night, displayed a pattern in his eyes that left them speechless.
***
In the Uchiha clan, or rather, everywhere is the same: strength is everything.
The children in the tribe are instilled with this idea from a young age—the strong are respected, while the weak are ignored.
But adults at least try to pretend, while children are straightforward and don't pretend, though they can't really fake it anyway.
On the training field, the five- or six-year-old Uchiha children were sweating profusely, competing against each other. They would occasionally glance at Yan Sheng under the eaves, none of them showing any good mood.
In fact, at first, a few soft-hearted children tried to get close to Yan Sheng.
"Want to...want to play together?" a bold girl asked, blushing.
Yan Sheng merely glanced at her indifferently, offering no reply whatsoever.
Not only girls, but boys too, Yan Sheng treated everyone the same, his main approach being to ignore everyone.
Gradually, no one wanted to make a fool of themselves anymore.
Therefore, one must possess either emotional intelligence or intellectual intelligence. If one lacks both, being isolated is entirely deserved.
However, Yan Sheng's situation was rather special; he did have it, but he simply chose not to.
Moreover, Yan Sheng was a cold and taciturn person in his previous life. After being reincarnated, this personality did not soften, which is consistent with the pride inherent in the Chiha bloodline.
In fact, Yan Sheng wasn't like that with everyone. He was more gentle with his mother, Jia Zhi, in this life. He was slightly better to his two older brothers, but that was only to the extent that he didn't speak coldly to them.
Madara and Izuna, because they had their own biases, didn't think much of it and instead thought their younger brother was well-behaved and sensible.
Kokushima felt only respect for his father, Tajima. There was not a trace of familial affection between them.
In truth, the two fathers of Yan Sheng were not much different. But if Yan Sheng had to choose one, he would choose Tajima. At least Tajima wouldn't put pressure on him.
However, this is most likely because Tajima doesn't value his frail young son, so he doesn't care.
The midday sun shone on the training field, and the children dispersed in twos and threes.
Yan Sheng got up to leave, but suddenly noticed a gaze on him. He turned to look.
Uchiha Kaori stood at the end of the corridor, her kimono sleeves embroidered with delicate fan-shaped family crests. Seeing her young son notice her, her eyes crinkled into a gentle smile.
"Mother." Yan Sheng stopped and bowed respectfully. "What brings you here?"
His posture was so upright that he didn't look like a five-year-old child. His back was as straight as a pine tree, his hands were folded in front of his abdomen, and the curve of his neck when he lowered his head was just right.
Such demeanor would be considered excessively formal even within the Uchiha clan.
In his previous life, Yan Sheng was born into the family of a city lord and was raised as an heir from a young age. He learned a great deal from elementary school, especially in terms of rules and regulations, since nobles valued this more.
Therefore, even though he was later overwhelmed by his younger brother's talent and even though his self-esteem was torn apart by his father, he still maintained the demeanor befitting a nobleman.
More than twenty years of upbringing were etched into his soul. Even when he later turned into a demon, this dignity never faded.
Fortunately, he was born into the Uchiha clan.
If one were to be reborn into the Senju clan, they would likely be treated as an outcast. Those "rough" ninjas would probably wonder if they had been given the wrong child.
Jiazhi stepped forward and picked up Yansheng without saying a word.
Yan Sheng stiffened. He wanted to struggle, but thinking of his mother's poor health, he stopped and said with a straight face, "Mother, I can walk by myself."
Yan Sheng disliked being hugged. This was not only due to his pride as a man, but also because he felt ashamed to be held in his mother's arms like an infant.
Kaori easily suppressed the infant's weak resistance, her arms steadily supporting the light, frail body.
The child in her arms was alarmingly thin, with prominent, bony ribs and wrists so slender they looked as if they would break at any moment. She was lighter than a training stake.
Kaori couldn't help but compare him to the other children—Yan Sheng was unbelievably light.
"You need to eat more," Kaori said with concern. "Otherwise, how will you grow?"
This statement hit Yan Sheng right where it hurt.
His tall, upright figure from his past life, standing at 1.9 meters, resurfaced in his memory. Looking at his current physique, could he really grow to the same height as in his past life?
Yan Sheng pursed his lips, looking extremely anxious.
A note from the author:
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Author's comment: How about 1.7 meters? That height is adorable!
Yan Sheng: Sharpening the knife
Author: Uh, 1.8 meters tall?
Yan Sheng: Raise your sword.
Author: 1.9 meters tall!
Yan Sheng: Put down the knife in your hand.
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