Entrusting Her (1)

"Cough, cough."

"Cough, cough, cough..."

"Whew, whew, whew..."

Elder Uchiha Raimon's breathing was labored. His face had grown even paler, and his eyes had lost their light. His spirit had been damaged, and forcibly refining Chakra had overwhelmed his body. He wouldn't be able to fight for some time and would need a period of quiet rest to recover.

And that wasn't all...

The strain had also shortened his life.

At this rate, he probably had only a few years left!

"Elder Raimon, are you all right?"

Uchiha Tenshu hurried over, worried, and placed a hand on Uchiha Raimon's wound, preparing to use Healing Jutsu to ease his pain.

The moment Healing Jutsu began to shine, its warm, gentle light flowed over Uchiha Raimon's body like a clear spring.

As the jutsu took effect, Uchiha Raimon's face, pale as paper, gradually regained a faint hint of color beneath its glow.

His tightly shut eyes twitched, then slowly opened. The pain had clearly eased.

Still, despite the slight improvement brought by Healing Jutsu, Uchiha Raimon remained extremely weak. His breathing was no longer as rapid and labored as before, but it was still strained. His body had also stopped shaking violently and grown somewhat steadier.

But it had to be understood that even though Uchiha Tenshu had enhanced Healing Jutsu by several levels, it had started out as a low-level ninjutsu.

No matter how much Uchiha Tenshu had developed and refined it, he could never overcome the limits of a low-level jutsu. He couldn't bring the dead back to life.

At that moment, Uchiha Tenshu yearned desperately for his Medical Ninjutsu to be stronger.

If he had the medical skills Tsunade possessed in the original story, an injury of this severity would be easy to treat. He wouldn't be as helpless as he was now.

But Tsunade hadn't even been born yet.

Medical Ninjutsu across the entire Ninja World had yet to be properly developed. It was a barren wasteland.

There was nowhere to go for specialized training in Medical Ninjutsu. He could only keep learning on his own and grow through practice.

As for Healing Jutsu, which seemed somewhat useful right now...

Though it could ease Uchiha Raimon's pain to some extent, it could never defy fate and save his life.

It was like a lone boat in a raging storm. It might withstand the waves for a while, but in the end, it would still be swallowed by the sea.

Damn you, Tobirama Senju—and the traitors in the clan. One day, I'll make you pay for this in blood! Uchiha Tenshu swore fiercely to himself again.

A moment later.

Uchiha Tenshu lowered his hands. He had finished treating all of Uchiha Raimon's injuries.

Under the bandages, Uchiha Raimon's body wasn't actually as badly injured as it looked.

The wounds were only superficial.

But his spirit had forcibly drawn energy from his body, leaving it unable to recover. Unless he absorbed energy from an outside source, his injuries would most likely keep worsening until his body's energy was exhausted and he died.

Uchiha Tenshu had no way to stop the loss of life caused by forcibly refining Chakra.

Because throughout the history of the Ninja World,

those who forcibly refined more Chakra than their bodies could handle had died when their minds and bodies failed.

In Uchiha Tenshu's view,

this involved the realm of Yin-Yang Release. It wasn't something an ordinary person could solve.

As for the external injuries, the Uchiha Clan had plenty of secret medicines that could provide energy from outside the body and heal wounds like these. Uchiha Tenshu didn't need to worry about that.

All I can do is ease his pain, Uchiha Tenshu thought helplessly.

"Don't worry. The clan's physician has already examined me. At least, you don't need to worry about my condition for the next few years."

Uchiha Raimon forced himself to wave a hand. A warm smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he spoke to Uchiha Tenshu.

Even though Uchiha Raimon acted as if he didn't care at all, who could truly be indifferent to their own life?

"I'm afraid I don't have much time left. I'm not worried about Lingyue. She's exceptionally talented, and given time, she'll become an outstanding shinobi. She'll be more than capable of protecting herself in this dangerous world."

"But my younger daughter, Yukino, is what worries me. If something happened to her..."

Uchiha Raimon pondered in silence, his brow tightly furrowed, his worry plain to see.

Unlike Lingyue, Yukino was gentle and frail. Her Kekkei Genkai had caused her to suffer from an illness since birth, leaving her unable to train. In order to survive in this cruel shinobi world, she would need far more than her own strength.

After thinking it through and watching them over the years,

Uchiha Raimon had actually decided long before Uchiha Tenshu arrived that he would entrust his second daughter, Uchiha Yukino, to him.

Uchiha Tenshu was not only talented but clever and resourceful. No one could take advantage of him.

He wasn't exactly a righteous or kind person, but he valued loyalty and gratitude above all else. After personally training him for the past few years, and seeing how close he had grown to Yukino, Uchiha Raimon knew they had formed a deep bond. Though Tenshu was ambitious and unwilling to live under anyone's thumb, that very nature would help him keep Raimon's subordinates in line.

With his strength, all he needed was a few years to grow. He wouldn't fall victim to the struggles of the Ninja World.

After all, with the way that kid's mind worked—sharp enough to hold eight hundred schemes at once—he was actually the most trustworthy person in the Ninja World.

If he entrusted his younger daughter, Yukino, to him, Uchiha Raimon believed that even after he left this world, Uchiha Yukino would receive the best possible care and protection.

After making this decision,

Uchiha Raimon felt a little more at ease.

He knew this was the best arrangement for Yukino. Though his heart was still heavy with reluctance, he had to do this for his daughter's future.

With that in mind,

Uchiha Raimon no longer hesitated. He gently rested a hand on Uchiha Tenshu's shoulder, looked him in the eyes, and suddenly asked, "Tenshu, what do you think of Yukino?"

"Yukino?" Faced with the sudden question, Uchiha Tenshu answered without hesitation. "She's gentle and adorable. I really like her—she's much cuter than Lingyue!"

Uchiha Tenshu praised her.

He had also casually mentioned Yukino's older sister, Lingyue.

Thinking of that tsundere girl who was always giving him a hard time, picking at little things he did, and keeping an eye on him and Yukino...

Strange.

He'd only just realized she hadn't come out today.

A flicker of confusion crossed Uchiha Tenshu's mind.

The next moment,

Uchiha Raimon's words interrupted his thoughts.

"If I told you I planned to entrust Yukino to you, what would you say? Would you be willing?"

Uchiha Raimon gazed steadily at Uchiha Tenshu and spoke with complete seriousness, without the slightest hesitation.

"Hm?" Uchiha Tenshu was puzzled at first, but a moment later, his expression turned solemn. He thumped his chest and said, "I don't know why you've made this decision, Elder Raimon, but I know that Yukino is one of the most important people in my life. No matter what happens or when, I'll never let anyone hurt her. I swear it with my life."

Uchiha Tenshu's eyes were filled with resolve. Whether the road ahead led over a mountain of blades or through a sea of fire, nothing could shake his determination.