Chapter 9 His Eyes
The morning light of early spring shone softly through the shovel paper windows, casting a gentle glow inside the house.
Yan Sheng leaned against the pillar, his fair fingers gripping the dark brown wood tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.
He looked down at his feet—his body was weaker than he had imagined; just standing up exhausted him.
"Yan Sheng! Look here!"
Izuna knelt a meter away, holding up a brightly colored, ugly cloth tiger. Hmm... he'd made it himself too. He deliberately shook the toy loudly, trying to get his younger brother's attention.
"Take your time, don't rush." Ban opened his arms and stood further away, his usually sharp features now incredibly gentle. "I'll catch you."
Yan Sheng pursed his lips and scoffed.
Hmph, childish. He doesn't need that kind of childish trick.
Taking a deep breath, Yan Sheng released the pillar.
Then—"Thump!"
His knee slammed heavily onto the wooden floor.
"Yan Sheng!" Izuna hurriedly got up and strode over, but stopped abruptly before touching her younger brother: her mother had said that at times like this, the child should be allowed to get up on his own.
Ban clenched his fists nervously and encouraged loudly, "It's okay, try again."
Yan, expressionless, Sheng: ...noisy.
He was trying to stand up, supporting himself on the ground, when he suddenly noticed a gaze on him. He casually tilted his head slightly in that direction, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kaori standing at the corner, staring at him.
***
As a toddler who couldn't even control his own body, Yan Sheng, no matter how careful he was, would inevitably leave some clues. Moreover, Yan Sheng's caution wasn't actually that careful (a euphemism).
Therefore, he needed an adult to protect him. Ideally, someone influential. Thus, his mother in this life, who was also the matriarch of the family, became his best choice.
After confirming Kaori's love for him, Kokushi began to test her. From "accidentally" knocking over a medicine bowl with his chakra to "mistakenly" deforming objects, Kaori silently cleaned up each time. There were no exclamations, no questions, and she would even deliberately leave behind some durable and sturdy items when she left.
Yan Sheng also considered whether his behavior was too outrageous and whether he would be ostracized as a "monster" or "freak".
But as it turns out, while it's uncertain whether others would do the same, his mother in this life would definitely not.
The five-month-old toddler lowered his eyes, and a wisp of chakra quietly gathered at his fingertips. When he tried to stand up again, a thin, bluish-green chakra spread like a spider web under his clothes, forming a very thin support at his knees.
Of course, he did it discreetly enough that no one discovered him.
However, this was also because none of the people present were particularly perceptive—if Madara and Izuna were five or six years older, they might have noticed.
"Ah!" Izuna exclaimed with delight.
It turned out that Yan Sheng had stood up unsteadily. Then, one step, two steps... a full seven steps, before he was about to fall again.
This is all his body can do. It's not just because he's weak, but also because he's too young: a five-month-old baby in an ordinary family might not even be able to crawl, let alone walk.
It's no wonder they're ninjas; they start learning chakra techniques/skills at three years old and are ready to fight on the battlefield by five or six. Meanwhile, some ordinary children can't even speak properly at three years old—the contrast is stark.
Just as Yan Sheng was about to fall, Ban caught him with a Body Flicker Technique. The boy's warm palms rested on his back, silently supporting his weak and powerless body.
"You did it!" Izuna cheered, shoving the cloth tiger into his younger brother's arms. "Yan Sheng is the best!"
Yan Sheng glanced down at the cloth tiger that had been shoved into his arms. The stitching was rough, one eye was bigger than the other, and its head was twice the size of its body—it was so ugly it was almost unbearable to look at. Then he thought of the same ugly fox that was still sitting on his bed…
It's nowhere near as good as Yoriichi's handicrafts.
***
Yan Sheng is currently "learning to walk".
This was not only a big deal for him, but also for his whole family. Even Tajima couldn't help but pay attention, frequently asking his wife and young son about their "walking progress."
Day 32 of learning to walk.
Yan Sheng's legs trembled uncontrollably, his knees felt like lead, and every inch of movement required immense effort. Although he was fully aware of how to walk, his body was like an unresponsive puppet, stiff and sluggish.
"Yan Sheng, take your time." Jia Zhi knelt not far away, raised her hands as if ready to catch someone at any moment, and looked at the young child opposite her with a gentle but firm gaze.
Yan Sheng was very annoyed. He wasn't a real child; he could walk, but this body was dragging him down, which made him furious.
He had been "learning" for a whole month, but he still couldn't take a steady twentieth step. He could only manage eighteen or nineteen steps before his body couldn't take it anymore.
This body is too weak—the muscles are weak, the bones are fragile, and even slight exertion (overexertion) can cause illness.
So, what they call a month of study is probably only half a month, or even less...
"Bang!"
His legs gave way and he fell heavily to the ground.
Kaori almost stood up and rushed over to pick up her baby, but when she stood up, she saw the baby's calm, still eyes and paused before sitting back down.
Yan Sheng stared silently at his legs—if looks could kill, his legs would have been killed a thousand times over.
In his previous life, his body was as strong as a pine tree, and he wielded his sword with the speed of the wind. After becoming a ghost, his physical abilities increased dramatically, not to mention his recovery ability... He had never experienced this feeling of powerlessness, where even standing was difficult. But now, just trying to walk left him breathless, with fine beads of cold sweat on his forehead.
I might get sick again later.
This situation would be uncomfortable for most people, and Yan Sheng was no exception.
But Yen Sheng has one advantage, or rather, one disadvantage: he is quite obsessive.
Ah, he wants to let this body know who the master is.
Yan Sheng, with a stern face, struggled to stand up again and began his second attempt.
Half an hour passed just like that. During that time, Yan Sheng didn't know how many times he had fallen.
Finally, after Yan Sheng fell again, Jia Zhi stood up, walked over to him, squatted down, picked him up, and then ran her fingers over his knees to make sure there were no bruises before softly saying, "Take a rest?"
Yan Sheng shook his head with a blank expression.
He! Absolutely! Will! Not! Admit! Defeat!
Taking a deep breath, Yan Sheng pushed Jia Zhi away. This time, he subtly mobilized his chakra, and a thin stream of light blue-green chakra seeped into his legs, barely supporting his body weight.
step.
Two steps...
On the nineteenth step, his chakra suddenly became disordered, his knees buckled, and Yan Sheng fell forward violently.
Just as Kaori was about to move, she suddenly stopped.
The other hand caught Yan Sheng steadily.
It's a freckle.
The boy's arms held his younger brother like iron hoops, his body heat seeping through the fabric, hot and vibrant, a stark contrast to Yan Sheng's icy body temperature.
"Alright," Ban said gently, "that's enough for today."
Yan Sheng tried to break free, but his body was already exhausted and he couldn't even lift a finger.
Jiazhi winked at her eldest son, and while Yan Sheng had his back turned, she silently mouthed: Your brother is too stubborn.
Then she took the youngest son from her eldest son's arms, placed her palm on the youngest son's back, and slowly channeled her warm chakra into him to relieve any possible muscle soreness.
“You’ve done very well,” she said softly, her fingertips brushing against her young son’s sweaty forehead.
Yan Sheng closed his eyes and did not respond.
not enough.
This progress is far from enough. If he doesn't work harder, when will he be able to recover to the level he was in his previous life?
The next day arrived in the blink of an eye.
As the spring sun shines down, the cherry blossoms in the courtyard are swept up by the breeze and flutter down to the edge of the corridor.
Yan Sheng leaned against Jia Zhi's chest, a fever-reducing wet wipe on his forehead—yes, he had indeed developed a fever, but it was a low-grade fever. The low-grade fever made his vision a little blurry, but he could still clearly see the flashing blades in the courtyard.
Madara and Izuna are sparring.
Madara's movements were as swift as lightning; the moment the shuriken left his hand, he had already flashed to the other side like a ghost. Izuna was slightly inferior, but his changes of moves were extremely fast; the kunai flipped between his fingertips, drawing a silvery arc.
good.
Yan Sheng unconsciously examined the two men with the same eye he had used to judge swordsmen in his previous life.
Madara's talent is astonishing. Whether it's the refinement of his chakra or his grasp of timing, he absolutely meets the standard—by his own standards.
Izuna is a bit green, but he is quick-witted and will surely become a great talent in time.
This should have been something to appreciate.
But Yan Sheng's mood turned sour the next second.
He looked down at his hands.
Without comparison, there is no harm. Moreover, his body in his previous life, even before becoming a demon, was very strong in his human form.
"bite--"
Madara's kunai knocked Izuna's weapon away, and the boy's triumphant laughter drifted down to the corridor along with the cherry blossoms.
Yan Sheng's mood worsened.
Kaori noticed something was wrong with the baby in her arms and asked with concern, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
As she spoke, she stroked her young son's forehead with her palm.
Yan Sheng remained silent. His mind was filled with the contrast between his past life, in which he could wield a knife on the edge of lava for three days and three nights, and his present life, in which he could barely walk and would fall ill with even a little exercise.
Who could accept this? It's like a millionaire waking up one day to find themselves a beggar.
However, the situation is slightly different. Yan Sheng died and was reincarnated, so it's normal that he couldn't take his past life's "wealth" with him.
In the courtyard, Ban suddenly turned to look at the corridor: "Yan Sheng! Watch closely!"
The boy's hands flew, forming hand seals so fast they almost left afterimages: "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
The blazing fireball suddenly expanded, whistling through the air. The scorching heat instantly evaporated the cherry blossoms fluttering in the air, turning them into fine mist that dispersed. Izuna was forced back several steps by the hot wind, and the edges of his sleeves even curled up and turned black.
Yan Sheng snapped out of his daze, his pupils suddenly contracting.
This is... the power of chakra?
His breathing quickened, his chest heaving slightly. In his past life, he had devoted his entire life to pursuing the ultimate swordsmanship, but he never managed to enter [that world] before his death.
If this power could be combined with breathing techniques...
Ban had already dashed to the front of the corridor, his forehead damp with sweat, but his eyes couldn't hide the excitement: "How about it? When you grow up—"
The sound suddenly got stuck in my throat.
He saw Yan Sheng's eyes.
Those eyes, which were always sickly and half-closed, were now as sharp as drawn blades. Although she was so weak that she needed her mother's arm to sit up, her gaze was fixed on the spot where he had just used his ninjutsu, like a hungry leopard locking onto its prey.
That look in his eyes...
Ban recalled the injured snow leopard cub he had encountered in the snow last winter. Despite its hind legs being caught in a trap and mangled, the cub still bared its teeth and glared at him with eyes that seemed capable of tearing everything apart.
A note from the author:
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[Sprinkling flowers]
Um, the update frequency is currently unstable; once I'm on the charts, I'll update daily.
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