Chapter 7 The Logistics Minister's Dilemma
Blue-green chakra flowed through his fingertips. Yan Sheng stared at the gradually forming bone structure and tried to inject more chakra into it. As a result, the outline of the bones became clearer and clearer—knuckles, wrist bones, and even the fine fascia patterns gradually appeared, just like a real bone hand.
Yan Sheng gently manipulated the skeletal hand to grasp the spoon on the low table.
"Click".
The spoon handle broke off instantly.
His eyes flickered slightly, and he immediately began testing other aspects: speed, agility, duration...
The experiment is complete. The results satisfied Yan Sheng.
But Yan Sheng didn't know that this was actually a hidden secret in the Uchiha bloodline: the essence of Susanoo was the ultimate compression and solidification of chakra.
Of course, this doesn't mean just anyone can use it, because it's a unique talent of the Uchiha clan, or more accurately, a gift bestowed by the Sharingan. It's a bloodline ability inherited from the ancestors of this lineage.
The wind outside the window grew stronger.
Yan Sheng dispersed his Chakra Bone Hand and instead tried to apply this "compression" technique to his entire body.
Strands of chakra seeped from his body like a spiderweb, gradually forming a very thin, skeletal armor on his skin. Although it covered an area smaller than the palm of his hand, it was more than enough for an emergency.
If it could cover the whole body...
Suddenly, images of his past life as Kokushibo in battle flashed through Yan Sheng's mind—that demonic body formed from obsession and power bore a striking resemblance to his current chakra skeleton.
But that's not enough.
The current skeletal structure is too fragile and far from being a true defense. But the direction is clear: breathing techniques provide precise control, and chakra, as an energy source, gives it the potential for shape change.
Yan Sheng was engrossed in his research on chakra skeletons when suddenly his ears twitched—very light footsteps echoed down the corridor, accompanied by an almost inaudible creaking sound from the wooden floor.
Without the slightest hesitation, Yan Sheng immediately dispersed all his chakra. His blue-green bones vanished like smoke, leaving not even a ripple of energy. He then adjusted his breathing, his eyelids drooped naturally, and his chest rose and fell slowly and weakly, appearing as if he were fast asleep.
Three breaths later, the paper sliding door was gently pulled open.
It is Uchiha Kaori.
......
Late at night, when no one was around (Kaori had been forcibly taken away by Tajima to rest, as her health had deteriorated due to the cold winter; Kaori was unwilling, but Tajima coldly said, "If you also fall ill, how will you be able to take care of the child?" Kaori remained silent for a long time before leaving with Tajima. Before leaving, she confirmed that there were medical ninjas looking after the young child in the next room), Yan Sheng began a new round of experiments.
He grasped one of the maple leaf specimens that Ban had given him earlier with his bony hand, and then applied pressure—
"boom!"
The leaves were instantly crushed into powder.
The attack pattern is feasible.
Next came the defense test. He manipulated his skeletal hand to pick up a porcelain bottle containing pills from the table and smashed it forcefully against his head, which was covered in chakra.
"when!"
With precise angle and force, the porcelain bottle landed silently on the soft bed, and he himself was unharmed.
Yan Sheng originally wanted to find something sharper, preferably a weapon, but unfortunately there wasn't one in the room, so he opted for a porcelain bottle instead.
Overall he was fairly satisfied, but the consumption was too great.
Yan Sheng turned his head to look at the crescent moon outside the window.
At his current level, he's far from having enough skeletal armor to cover his entire body. If he wants to go further, he needs much more chakra (energy).
But this is contingent on... him growing up.
***
As the winter snow melted, the ice on the Naka River gradually cracked, making a crisp sound. On the training grounds of the Uchiha clan, messy footprints were trampled into the muddy water formed by the melting snow.
This winter has been tough for both the Uchiha and Senju clans.
Initially, the two clans adhered to the principle of "mission first," and even when they met on a narrow path, they would at most pass by each other with mutual wariness. However, as the conflicts escalated (inexplicably) time and time again, later on, as long as one side accepted a commission from an employer, the other side would inevitably be hired by the opposing forces—it was as if those nobles and daimyo had suddenly become enlightened and were tirelessly exploiting the irreconcilable hatred between the ninja clans.
As a result, the number of mission failures increased.
Uchiha Tajima stood under the corridor, looking at the latest mission scroll with a furrowed brow.
"Failed again?" Kaori asked softly.
Tajima didn't answer, but his clenched knuckles said it all.
"Those Senju people..." he said coldly, "sooner or later they'll pay the price."
But despite all that, when the harshest days of winter arrived, even the most radical Uchiha clan members had to admit: if the fighting continued like this, no one would survive the winter.
So, on a dark and windy night, patrol teams from the Uchiha and Senju clans passed each other on the border and stopped in their tracks.
There was no physical contact, no provocation, and they even deliberately avoided eye contact.
—Task priority.
For the remainder of winter, both tribes maintained a tacit peace. Then, spring arrived.
The snow melted, the bare branches sprouted new buds, and even the air was filled with the scent of the earth coming back to life.
Yan Sheng had a fever again and again, and the fever subsided again and again. Although he still coughed from time to time, at least he survived the winter.
Kaori stood under the veranda, looking at the newly blooming cherry blossoms in the courtyard, and her heart, which had been tense all winter, finally relaxed a little.
She looked down at the infant in her arms. Yan Sheng was quietly closing his eyes, his eyelashes casting small shadows in the sunlight. His face was still pale, but his breathing had become much more steady.
Whether or not I can go to the battlefield, or whether or not I can contribute to the family, is no longer important.
She only hoped that the child could grow up safely.
As for the gossip among the clansmen?
Tajima never showed favoritism towards Kokukatsu because of his illness; supplies were reduced where necessary, and so on. Madara and Izuna, on the other hand, never slacked off, and at a young age, they had already distinguished themselves on the battlefield.
What right do they have to be dissatisfied?
At most, people would just gossip about it in private, saying she was pitiful and that the child probably wouldn't live long.
***
Logistics Minister Uchiha Masaki stared at the ledger, his brows furrowed in worry.
"Aren't we going through the spoons a bit too quickly this month...?" He pushed up his glasses and traced his fingers across the register. "Hmm? Why are almost all the names listed as the clan chief's wife and Hisaji's?"
He closed the ledger and decided to ask Hisaji first.
Hisashi was counting the medicinal herbs when he saw the logistics minister arrive. He quickly bowed and said, "Lord Masaki."
Yashu cut to the chase: "Where did you put away the spoons we recently received after we finished using them?"
Hisashi was taken aback: "Madam didn't take it? Every time I delivered it to Young Master Yan Sheng, he didn't take it..."
Yasuki: "Are you sure?"
The two looked at each other in bewilderment.
......
Jiazhi was feeding Yansheng his medicine when she suddenly heard a knock at the door. She put down the bowl and got up to open it.
Yaki and Hisashi stood under the eaves, looking embarrassed.
"Madam," Yashu said, forcing a smile, "have you recently... uh, collected any spoons?"
Kaori: "...?"
inside the house.
Yan Sheng listened to the conversation outside.
We've been discovered?
He glanced down at himself.
Hidden under the bedding were fifty-three twisted and deformed spoons, all consumables he used when practicing chakra shaping.
As for where his crib could fit so many cribs, he could just compress it to the size of his little fingernail. It could fit not only fifty-three, but even fifty-three more.
To be honest, when he first tried, he couldn't control his strength and accidentally twisted the spoon into a pretzel. Later, he improved, but when testing the piercing force of the skeletal structure, he poked several holes in the spoon...
If they don't go back in this situation, it will raise suspicions.
On the outdoor corridor.
“It’s possible the maids forgot it when they were tidying up,” Kaori said gently. “I’ll tell them to keep an eye out.”
That night.
Yan Sheng manipulated his chakra hand and threw the spoon's corpse into the pond in the corner of the yard.
Next time I'll have to try something different.
A note from the author:
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Spoon Tragedy
Yan, the Spoon-Killing Maniac, Sheng
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