Bearing the Zenin Name

The Kukuri member immediately bowed to Naobito Zenin and spoke respectfully.

"Clan head!"

Naoya tried to explain, at a loss.

"Father... I..."

Naobito Zenin shifted his gaze away from him and addressed the doctor and the Kukuri member in a commanding tone.

"Leave us. Take Naoya with you."

As he spoke, Naobito Zenin gave the Kukuri member a pointed glance and added,

"I believe Naoya shouldn't be seen outside in his current state, wouldn't you agree?"

The Kukuri member immediately understood what Naobito Zenin meant and addressed Naoya.

"My apologies, Master Naoya."

With that, he picked Naoya up and strode out of the room.

The doctor also packed up the blood he had drawn from Tan Man and left the room a little later, leaving only Naobito Zenin and his son, Tan Man.

In truth, Naobito Zenin had arrived nearby long ago, but had let things unfold.

Only now, when the situation threatened to turn into a genuine confrontation, had he chosen to intervene.

He had simply wanted to see how Naoya would react after learning of Tan Man's existence.

And how this somewhat strange illegitimate son of his would respond to Naoya.

Of course, the final outcome had indeed caught him by surprise.

Naobito Zenin took a deep swig of liquor, his eyes carefully surveying the entire room for the cursed residue that should have been there.

Although Naobito Zenin did not spend much time with Naoya, he was still among the people who understood him best.

He knew his son's current capabilities very well. Nothing ordinary could have sent him into such a panic.

And Naobito Zenin had already witnessed three of Tan Man's methods-Equal Lives, Black Rope, and Sanghata Hell. None seemed capable of frightening Naoya to that extent.

Were skeletons frightening? The cursed spirits Naoya had seen devouring people on missions were far more terrifying.

So Naobito Zenin concluded that Tan Man must have used some other method to make Naoya lose his composure like that.

As a jujutsu sorcerer, his first thought was naturally a cursed technique, but to his disappointment, he found no cursed residue at all.

Staring into Tan Man's Golden Eyes, Naobito Zenin asked, "To make Naoya lose his composure like that, you must have done something, didn't you?"

Facing Naobito Zenin, Tan Man chose not to hide anything and honestly confirmed it.

Having only just entered the Zenin Clan, all he could offer Naobito Zenin was candor.

Whether he was willing to acknowledge Naobito Zenin as his father, and whether Naobito Zenin was willing to acknowledge Tan Man as his son, Naobito Zenin remained Tan Man's strongest connection to the entire Zenin Clan. That made him one of the few people Tan Man needed to take seriously.

But after receiving Tan Man's confirmation, Naobito Zenin showed no intention of pressing the matter right away.

In his view, having Naoya receive a warning like this was a necessary experience in its own right.

Besides, today would not be the only day he spent with Tan Man. There would be plenty of time later to explore and uncover his potential.

Naobito Zenin took another swig of liquor, using the moment to think.

He still felt it would be better to wait for the expedited paternity test results before saying anything more.

"For now, you'll live here. Two people will be assigned to take care of your daily needs. Don't wander around, or you'll bear the consequences."

Tan Man merely nodded slightly and answered calmly and respectfully.

"I understand, clan head."

Even Naobito Zenin was momentarily taken aback when he heard Tan Man address him as the clan head.

He had to admit that, until the paternity test results came back, it was indeed the most appropriate way for Tan Man to address him.

For a moment, Naobito Zenin could not tell whether he was simply copying the Kukuri member from earlier or had chosen the form of address after careful thought.

"Your name is Tan Man, correct? Since that is the name your mother gave you, I have no objection to it. But from now on, you will bear the Zenin surname. Starting this moment, your full name will be Tan Man Zenin."

Naobito Zenin spoke with great seriousness, because surnames held particular importance to the Three Great Families-the very name that made them illustrious.

Whether or not Naobito Zenin's blood ultimately flowed through Tan Man's veins, he had already formally recognized him as a member of the Zenin Clan.

"Tan Man understands."

Watching Tan Man bow slightly, Naobito Zenin found his conduct almost impeccable for a six-year-old child.

"..."

Naobito Zenin had nothing to say. It was not dissatisfaction with Tan Man that left him speechless, but the boy's maturity. There was little else he needed to explain.

Looking at the bruises on Tan Man's body, Naobito Zenin could not understand why a child like this would have suffered such violent treatment. Or had he only become so mature and sensible after enduring that violence?

Unfortunately, Naobito Zenin had no way of knowing the true answer.

"You two, once he's washed up and eaten, give him a brief tour of the Zenin Clan grounds so he doesn't get lost here."

Naobito Zenin called out to those beyond the door as he slowly walked outside.

After all, with daybreak approaching, he still needed to deal with the mess Tan Man had caused.

As Naobito Zenin left, a man and a woman entered the room.

The woman was the servant temporarily assigned to look after Tan Man's daily needs. The man was another Kukuri member, responsible for matters beyond his everyday care, including communicating with other members of the Zenin Clan.

In a family as steeped in feudal traditions as the Zenin Clan, women held very little power. Beyond bearing children and serving the clan's men, they had few other rights.

Even the wives of the clan's higher-ranking members were merely exceptions whose standing came from their sons.

The Kukuri member would therefore also coordinate Tan Man's future training within the Zenin Clan.

Ordinarily, Zenin Clan members like Tan Man, who had reached the age of six and awakened a cursed technique, would be sent to train with the Kukuri as soon as possible to build a foundation. But Naobito Zenin had not immediately arranged for Tan Man to begin the clan's training.

This was not because Naobito Zenin was showing fatherly affection toward Tan Man, a child who had lived outside the clan and might be his own flesh and blood.

It was simply because the doctor had informed him of Tan Man's basic physical condition. The only way to describe it was that he was tenaciously clinging to life.

This was not special treatment for Tan Man. He genuinely could not endure even the Kukuri's least strenuous training.

Even Naobito Zenin found it difficult to imagine that, just last night, Tan Man had stubbornly challenged him through sheer willpower with his body in such a state.