It's Good to Be Alive

Uchiha Yu felt himself being devoured by darkness.

His consciousness gradually blurred.

He was crushed by an invisible weight, unable to breathe!

Every breath felt like dancing on the edge of a blade, agonizing and unbearable.

Before his eyes was utter blackness, the sounds around him growing more distant, leaving only the faint beat of his own heart, like a candle flame slowly extinguishing in the dark.

He felt his life force ebbing away drop by drop, his body growing colder and colder, as if submerged in icy river water, unable to struggle, only able to let himself sink.

He wanted to call for help, but his throat only produced bloody foam, unable to make a sound.

He wanted to move, but his body felt like it no longer belonged to him, too heavy to lift even a single finger.

Yet, just as Uchiha Yu was about to be completely swallowed by the darkness, a fierce will to survive erupted within him!

I don't want to die like this, I still have too many unfinished things!

This will was like a lightning bolt, tearing through the darkness in his heart, bringing a glimmer of light!

He felt a surge of power!

Rushing up from the depths of his body, impacting every cell, every gene!

His body trembled in pain, his consciousness blurred in struggle!

He felt his genes being rearranged, his body being reshaped!

Gene Lock... First Stage... Unlock!

With the unlocking of the Gene Lock, Uchiha Yu felt his life force rapidly recovering, his senses rapidly returning!

His sight, hearing, smell, and touch all quickly restored, and his consciousness rapidly cleared.

When Uchiha Yu opened his eyes again!

He found himself lying in a pool of blood!

Every inch of his body screamed in agony, especially the gash on his chest, the pain extremely sharp.

He felt his skin as if scorched by flames, every breath like inhaling sharp blades.

He tried to move, but the pain made it nearly impossible.

He could only lie there, feeling his life force flow within him, waiting for the pain to gradually fade.

The moon had quietly climbed onto the branches, and Uchiha Yu finally managed to rise with difficulty.

"I... I'm not dead."

"Ah!?"

Pirate World Fang Yu suddenly woke with a start, shouting loudly, "You're not dead!? Brother! That's great!"

Stephen Fang from Marvel World was also woken by the noise. Hearing their exchange, he breathed a sigh of relief, "That's the best news I've heard in two days."

"Strange! How did you survive? Because of the physique boost from the Pirate World? That shouldn't be it, right?" Pirate World Fang Yu rubbed his chin, "Do you have an answer yourself?"

"Gene Lock."

Uchiha Yu recalled the experience just now and synchronized the ability to his two clones in the Pirate and Marvel worlds.

[Gene Lock (First Stage): By facing life-threatening danger and the fear of death, those with a strong obsession can unleash the latent potential of humans, with certain side effects.]

"This, this, this!" Pirate World Fang Yu was astonished, "Does that mean Main God Fang Yu isn't dead!? He synchronized the ability to us?! Then why can't we contact him?"

Uchiha Yu, who had unlocked the Gene Lock, seemed to have also synchronized brainwaves with Main God Fang Yu. Supporting himself on a tree trunk as he walked, he explained, "I speculate that our connection might be cut off or interfered with inside the Reincarnation Instance."

"We'll only know the answer when we contact him."

Uchiha Yu gritted his teeth as he walked, "I don't have time to think about that now. I need to find a Medical Ninja."

"I feel like even though I'm not dead, I'm not far from it."

He looked down at the shuriken embedded in his bones, unable to even grit his molars in anger from the pain.

But even so, He endured the pain, lying on the ground, covering himself in blood.

Slowly dragging the bloodstains, he crawled forward bit by bit.

After crawling for a while...

Uchiha Yu tore a corner of his clothes and used a kunai to cut the fabric into several strips, scattering them on the ground.

"With this much effort, it should be enough to fake the scene as an animal dragging away a corpse."

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead as he thought seriously.

Konoha occupied the forest with the richest resources among the Five Great Nations, full of wild animals.

And with constant wars raging nearby, even if a ninja below Chunin rank disappeared from Konoha, it wouldn't be a big deal.

"Strictly speaking, I haven't even earned the qualifications of a ninja, so I'm just a civilian."

"As long as Itachi Uchiha doesn't investigate, and I don't show myself in front of him."

"Then he won't know I'm alive for a while."

He touched the black cloth on his face. "Good thing my face wasn't exposed."

"Heh. How ironic."

"Before the Night of the Massacre even happened, this guy already 'killed' me once."

Sighing over his own misfortune, he walked westward.

He emerged from a dense primeval forest.

Uchiha Yu saw a slightly worn but sturdy building.

Its outer wall was painted a warm beige, standing in stark contrast to the surrounding nature, giving off a cozy, homely feel.

The roof was covered in dark tiles, weathered by years of sun and rain, somewhat mottled but still solidly protecting those inside.

This was the Konoha Orphanage.

The towering trees formed a natural barrier, isolating the orphanage from the clamor of the outside world.

It lay beyond Konoha's sturdy high walls, not within the village itself.

The branches and leaves swayed gently in the wind, rustling softly, adding a sense of peace and tranquility to the orphanage.

Dragging a body that was nearly at its limit, Uchiha Yu struggled to the orphanage's main gate.

"Tap."

He only managed one knock.

Then—thud!

He collapsed to the ground.

"Who's there?"

A gentle female voice sounded. The window beside her slid open as she scanned the entrance.

"Ah!"

Seeing the child lying on the ground, she quickly unlocked the door, pushed it open, and began checking Uchiha Yu's injuries.

"No time to go back to the village. I'll do it here."

A soft green light, like tender spring leaves, gently enveloped Uchiha Yu's chest.

It was a warm Chakra, slowly seeping into his body, bringing vitality and healing power.

The glow of Medical Ninjutsu swirled around his wounds, each rotation carrying away a measure of pain, each rotation speeding the wounds' closure.

He lifted his eyelids slightly.

When he saw the gentle, bespectacled woman before him, he finally relaxed—and then passed out.