Carrying two big fish, Su Yun followed Tang San into Tang Hao's house.
As soon as they stepped inside, Tang San hurried into the room, eager to tell Tang Hao the good news that Su Yun had come over.
But when he reached the inner room, it was still completely empty, exactly as it had been when he left that morning.
Only then did Tang San turn around and look at the dining table. The bowl of porridge he'd served that morning hadn't been touched—in other words, his father hadn't come home.
At the thought, Tang San couldn't help panicking. Nothing like this had ever happened before.
Seeing Tang San's expression change, Su Yun couldn't help asking,
"What's wrong, Third Brother?"
At Su Yun's question, Tang San suppressed the unease in his heart.
"Nothing. I just don't know where my dad went."
Tang San forced a smile after saying that.
"It's fine. I'll go cook the fish first."
With that, he carried the fish to the kitchen and acted as if nothing had happened, scaling them, cutting them open, and removing their entrails...
Watching Tang San's reaction, Su Yun naturally knew something must have happened.
And it had to be related to Tang Hao. After all, in this world, the only people who could make Tang San look like that were Tang Hao... ah, no, he had to include himself too.
As for everyone else, even Old Jack, who'd once helped Tang San, couldn't make him look this way.
So what had happened to Tang Hao? Had he run off? That was the only possibility Su Yun could think of.
As for being captured by Spirit Hall?
What a joke. Tang Hao had killed Qian Xunji. Bibi Dong must have been grinning from ear to ear.
The wanted poster had only been put up for show. If they'd really wanted to investigate, they would've figured it out long ago: six years old, Innate Full Soul Power, Blue Silver Grass, and the surname Tang.
Thinking of this, Su Yun pretended to be bored and glanced into the inner room.
The bed was empty. Then he looked at the dining table and the cupboard, his expression growing stranger by the second.
Damn, if Tang Hao had left, fine, but surely he hadn't left without even a letter?
What the...
He hadn't done anything, had he? He'd only gotten along a little better with Tang San. How could things have changed so much?
Su Yun shook his head and stopped thinking about it. Maybe he'd got it wrong. Perhaps Tang Hao had just gone out for a stroll?
Tang San thought the same thing, but even though he tried to act cheerful over lunch, he still seemed distracted.
The scene he'd imagined—"the family" sharing a happy meal—was gone.
After lunch, Tang San seemed to realize that something was wrong with his mood. Feeling bad for Su Yun, he gave him another 34 Friendship Points.
That afternoon, Tang San was still distracted during training, his gaze drifting toward home every so often.
Su Yun kept practicing [Shave] and [Konoha Style Body Technique] to raise his proficiency. He didn't comfort Little San Sheep.
Su Yun did want to farm Friendship Points, but too much of a good thing was bad. If he kept this up, Tang San would get used to it and take it for granted. Then he wouldn't give Su Yun any Friendship Points at all—and that wasn't what Su Yun wanted.
So that afternoon, as they walked home together, Su Yun didn't take the initiative to talk to the taciturn Tang San like he usually did. His mind was entirely occupied by the newly acquired [Kenbunshoku Haki]. Tang San, preoccupied with Tang Hao, didn't notice.
At the village entrance,
the two went their separate ways, and Tang San headed straight home.
Everything in the room was as it had been when he left. Tang Hao still hadn't returned.
Tang San grew more and more anxious. Although Tang Hao had never been fond of him, and although he'd found a new little sister, he still longed for his father's love.
"Dad must've gone to another village to smith."
"He'll come back later."
Tang San murmured words of comfort to himself. For the first time, he looked like a boy his age.
As usual, he lit the fire, cooked, and set the table.
Tang San didn't eat. He just sat outside the door and waited.
He waited until the sun set.
Night fell, but Tang Hao still hadn't come back.
Tang San's thoughts grew more and more tangled. He couldn't understand why Tang Hao had chosen to leave without a word.
Was it because he'd lost to Su Yun?
An absurd thought rose in Tang San's heart. But once it had occurred to him, the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Everything pointed to it.
Ever since Tang Hao learned his Martial Soul was Blue Silver Grass, his attitude had grown increasingly harsh. And after learning Tang San had lost to Su Yun, he hadn't even bothered to hide the contempt in his eyes...
Had Tang Hao left because he was disappointed in him?
At that moment, Tang San felt a pang of regret.
He regretted not telling Tang Hao about his Twin Martial Souls. He regretted not giving it his all that day. If he had, would he have won, and would his father have stayed?
Tang San thought all night and waited all night.
The next morning, Tang Hao still hadn't come home.
For the first time, Tang San stopped his daily practice of the Mysterious Heaven Skill and Purple Demon Eye.
Meanwhile, Su Yun brought breakfast as usual.
On the hillside,
when he didn't see Tang San, Su Yun wasn't worried. He casually set the lunchbox on a rock and began practicing.
Without Tang San to attack him, Su Yun could only rely on his own insights, and his progress was slower than a tortoise's crawl.
An hour passed.
Su Yun stopped practicing. It really was no good without someone to help!
Extremely frustrated, Su Yun opened the system panel to look for a solution.
Maybe he could make a clone to spar with. But the moment he opened the System Mall, he felt terrible.
[Self-Created Soul Skill: One Qi Transforms into Three Purities], [Self-Created Soul Skill: Eight-Nine Profound Art: Hair Transformation], [Self-Created Soul Skill: Buddha Three-Body Method (Dharma Body, Reward Body, and Response Body)], [Self-Created Soul Skill: God is Everywhere], [Self-Created Soul Skill: Quantum Form: Schrodinger's Cat]...
These skills all cost at least tens of billions. There was no way he could afford them. There were a few that were a little cheaper, though.
[Self-Created Soul Skill: Multi-Shadow Clone
Description: From the world of Naruto. By consuming Soul Power, it creates a large number of physical clones, each with an independent consciousness, memories, and ability to act. When the clones are dispelled, their experience, memories, fatigue, and even fatal injuries are all transferred back to the original.]
Even so, it cost a full 10 million Friendship Points. In the world of Naruto, this skill looked pretty weak. In a fight, a Ninja could knock out its clones with a single punch.
But it was truly monstrous for training. As long as you could handle the side effects, you could make 50 clones and train for one day, which was the same as training for 50 days. It was a complete cheat.
Looking at his little over 7,000 Friendship Points, Su Yun closed the System Mall helplessly.
He couldn't afford it. Not a chance.
Just as Su Yun was about to give up on practicing [Kenbunshoku Haki] for the time being and develop the [Rasengan] instead, he spotted a figure racing toward the hillside.
It was Tang San.
Once he'd confirmed that Tang Hao really did seem to have left, he had gone out and sprinted all the way here.
His father was gone. He couldn't lose his little sister too.
So when Tang San reached the hillside and saw that familiar figure, his heart finally settled, and a smile appeared on his face.
[Friendship Points +45 from Tang San.]
[Friendship Points +55 from Tang San.]
Looking at the system panel that appeared in his vision, Su Yun couldn't help sighing. No wonder he was the top supporter—Little San Sheep had just given him 100 Friendship Points the moment they met.
Before you continue