How Could I Possibly Harm You?

I did not know how long I had been unconscious, but in the pitch-black void, I was awakened by a rustling sound.

I struggled to open my eyes. In my peripheral vision, I saw a kerosene lamp being lit. The gentle glow illuminated the room, revealing rows of glass vessels. The light filtered through the gaps between various pieces of clutter, much like the nights in my childhood when I would wake up on my mother's bed and see her busy by the lamplight.

I was dazed for a moment, and then, a figure approached my bed, reached out, and placed a hand on my forehead.

The touch was ice-cold, incomparably familiar, and felt like a nightmare.

"You had only just left for a moment, yet you ran off on your own. You really don't know how to put one's mind at ease."

Orochimaru!

My heart nearly stopped. I don't know how I regained my senses so quickly, but a kunai instantly sprouted from my fingertips, and I lunged to stab him without a second's hesitation!

With a "slap," my wrist was seized by Orochimaru. The kunai clattered to the floor, and my arm was rendered immobile!

I went mad, drawing my final trump card with my right hand—Murasame unsheathed in an instant! Flashing with a cold glint, it struck straight toward him!

There was a dull thud as the blade of Murasame was caught in Orochimaru's hand. He seemed not to feel the pain at all, merely gripping the blade tighter, refusing to let go no matter how hard I struggled.

In an instant, fresh blood began to flow!

He... he was actually wounded?

I was stunned, wanting to continue my assault, but Orochimaru seemed to have run out of patience. He forcefully wrenched Murasame from my grip, tossing it aside, blood and all, where it landed with a jingle.

"Stop this nonsense, Akatsuki."

He reached out to steady my wrist, and only then did I notice an IV line inserted into the back of my hand, with transparent liquid flowing into my body—

What is he doing now!

Pinned by him with my back against the wall, I had nowhere to retreat. In a state of terror and despair, I could only roar at him—

"Don't touch me!"

Orochimaru was halted by this shout. He did not understand my reaction; instead, he looked puzzled.

"What is wrong with you?"

He frowned as he leaned closer, his palm stained with the blood from the wound I had inflicted. He used that same hand to touch my forehead, wiping away my sweat. I turned my head away in fear, but I could not escape that icy touch.

"Are you afraid of me?"

I was nearly scared to death, trembling and hissing with hatred: "You wanted to kill me, how could I not be afraid!"

Orochimaru paused, seemingly amused by my words. He shook his head, his fingers moving to my shoulder, where my wound was wrapped in bandages.

"Akatsuki, watch closely."

The next moment, those bandages shattered violently! I was startled and hurried to cover the wound, but I saw that the shoulder Orochimaru had pierced was now completely intact. There wasn't even the slightest scar on my skin!

"This... what is this...?"

I was dumbfounded.

I clearly remembered that sword piercing straight through me! I remembered the pain, the blood, and the sensation of flesh being sliced—there was no mistake!

But now... why was the wound... gone?

My mind was in chaos. For a moment, I felt as if I were still in a dream, not yet awake—

What... what on earth is going on?

Just as my head began to ache again, I heard a sigh.

"Akatsuki, I believe I told you that there is a technique in this world called Genjutsu."

In the dim room, Orochimaru took out a handkerchief and lifted my chin, meticulously wiping the congealed blood and sweat from my face. Once he was finished, he wrapped the handkerchief around his own injured hand, treating his wound with that simple gesture.

"I let my students experience death, but I do not truly let them undergo it." Orochimaru looked at my vacant expression, a flicker of helplessness crossing his eyes.

"Therefore, from the very first heavy blow, you entered my Genjutsu world. All the subsequent attacks were illusions, meant only to draw out your potential."

"During this process, other than suffering mental attacks, you did not sustain any physical damage."

"Do you understand now, Akatsuki?"

Hearing these words, my gaze remained hollow, yet I grew quiet.

I sat there blankly, digesting the information for a long time, before suddenly tearing open my clothes!

I looked closely and discovered that my body did not have a single wound. My entire chest was pristine, with barely even a bruise to be found. Only then did I finally understand, and I looked up in disbelief to ask: "So, those were all hallucinations?"

"You never hurt me at all?"

Orochimaru shook his head, his eyes reflecting my image with candor, showing a warm hue in the dim light.

"Of course not."

"As a teacher, how could I possibly harm my own disciple?"

"..."

Finally understanding everything, I leaned back against the wall and slid down onto the bed, bowing my head, unable to recover for a long time.

After a long while, my eyes grew hot, and tears began to stream down uncontrollably.

Why must you always do things like this...

"Teacher... I don't like this..." I felt my eyes stinging from the tears. I reached up to wipe them away, but they only flowed faster, and gradually... my entire body began to sob.

"...I don't like this... sob..."

I am someone who has already died once; I do not want to experience that feeling again.

I am truly, deathly afraid...

Through my tear-blurred vision, I felt someone sit beside me, place a hand on my head, and pull me into a full embrace, patting me soothingly.

"Born into this world, one must eventually experience these things," he said.

"Only when you understand death will you comprehend the meaning of life."

"A ninja is, by nature, someone who lives toward death."

Orochimaru stroked my hair, his voice low and gravelly.

"And the choice you made when facing death undoubtedly proves this."

"You will be the one who fights until the very end."

I gripped his sleeve tightly, my vision a hazy blur.

If Fugaku was teaching me how to survive, then Orochimaru was teaching me how to face death head-on.

I knew this was a lesson I had to undergo, yet I still trembled with resistance.

Just like in my past life.

In that life, even at the very last moment, when I had no lingering attachments and was even prepared to meet death calmly, my body still struggled with all its might. It reached out with pale hands toward the blue sky, toward hope, toward the future, begging my soul for one last shred of vitality.

I lay on that soiled bed, watching the people bustling before me, listening to my own heartbeat fade bit by bit, hearing the sounds of the monitors merge into a single line, and hearing all the noise of the world turn into a buzzing hum before settling into the silence of death.

Finally, I closed my eyes quietly and entered the endless darkness.

No one wants to die.

Because death is the ultimate verification of life.

The kerosene lamp had been burning for a long time. When the flame grew dim, I felt my teacher press the back of my head, telling me to look up. He wiped away my tears and said, "Akatsuki, you may not realize it, but your talent for ninjutsu is higher than you imagine. In our last training session, you reached the second stage of Nintaijutsu, and you may have even mastered the nature transformation of chakra."

At this, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, contemplating that among all his test subjects, no such precedent existed, and he couldn't help but curl his lips.

As expected, the most perfect ones are still the Uchiha clan...

"Teacher, what did you say?"

Orochimaru's words left me completely stunned.

"The second stage? Chakra nature transformation? Me?" I pulled away from his embrace and looked at my palms, recalling that pulse-like lightning-attribute chakra! Remembering the process of trading blows with my teacher, I couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement!

I remembered! No wonder my physical prowess was so enduring, my body so powerful! It turns out I had reached the second stage of Nintaijutsu!

The second stage that reinforces the bones and muscles!

"But... but what does chakra nature transformation mean?" After the joy subsided, I looked up at Orochimaru in confusion.

Chakra nature transformation—wasn't that something extremely difficult to control?

"Do you not remember?" Orochimaru frowned slightly, his eyes sweeping over Murasame on the ground. He picked it up and handed it to me.

"Between life and death, you used this blade to block my fatal strike. Although I was using a genjutsu, the lightning-style ninjutsu released by this blade was genuine lightning power."

It was even an instantaneous release, a ninjutsu that didn't require hand seals!

"What?" I froze, trying hard to recall, but I could only remember fragmented pieces; I had absolutely no memory of any lightning ninjutsu!

Perhaps my consciousness had been too blurred at that moment. I frowned and looked at my palm again, finding it all incredible.

It seems that when a person is on the verge of death, they really can erupt with power they never imagined possible.

Wait!

"Are you saying that I used Murasame to release the ninjutsu?" I asked, both shocked and delighted.

"Yes," Orochimaru said.

Could it be—could it be that this is the ability of Murasame? I grabbed the blade with a start and examined the steel closely, but looking it over, I found that other than the color being a bit darker, there was nothing special about it!

Watching the changes in my expression, Orochimaru guessed the gist of it and comforted me, "It's fine. Since you can't remember, don't dwell on it. Talent and ability will not disappear; they will only grow stronger as you grow, until the day you truly realize who you are."

This sentence left me stunned.

I savored the words, feeling that they contained so much, as if they held the truths of life. But beyond the literal meaning, I could barely grasp even the first layer of depth. In the end, I could only nod, tucking the words into my heart and burying them deep in my mind, waiting for the day they would be fulfilled.

In the dim light, the kerosene lamp flickered twice, emitting a crackling sound.

I remained quiet for a long time, but suddenly, I grew angry again, grinding my teeth in frustration, wishing I could tear someone into eight pieces!

This anger, naturally, was directed at Orochimaru!

Damn it, who wouldn't be angry after being tortured by genjutsu like that? Who wouldn't be fed up with having such a psycho for a teacher!

If it had been anyone else, they probably would have been scared to death the moment that sword thrust down; instead of experiencing death, they would have gone straight to discuss the true meaning of life with King Yama!

I really should let Kusama Shigeo experience this feeling!

I was full of complaints, but I didn't dare scold Orochimaru openly. I could only glare at him from below, rolling my eyes at him while my mouth pursed into a downward curve, silently venting my dissatisfaction!

Little Moon is very angry, and the consequences are very serious!

Just you wait, one day I will make you pay! Even if you are my teacher, I won't let you off!

"Teacher, I—"

I originally wanted to ask something, but in an instant, my body suddenly felt incredibly weak. Layers of exhaustion and sleepiness surged up, making my eyelids feel so heavy they drooped, as if I could fall asleep in the span of a single breath.

Having gone through a series of accidents, my energy had long since been exhausted.

"Although your body is not injured, your chakra and physical strength are severely overdrawn. You need a good rest." In my daze, I felt the teacher cover me with a quilt, his voice very soft and light as he spoke.

"For these next few days, you will stay with me. Once you have recovered enough, you can return to your own quarters."

"This is also for your own safety."

I heard Orochimaru muttering in my ear. My eyes were already closed, but I kept feeling like I had forgotten something. A pair of cyan pupils flashed before my eyes, and I broke out in a cold sweat, forcing myself to fight off the sleepiness to ask—

"Teacher... where did you find me?"

"When you found me, did you see... did you, see..."

—Did you see a person?

I wanted to ask more, but my eyelids felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. A vast, boundless darkness descended, and before I could hear a reply, I sank into a deep sleep.