"Burning Ash is fine. The clincher is these eyes."
Ennosuke thought for a moment. In this strange world, blood can mutate. Maybe the gods shut one door on his little brother and opened a window.
Ocular bloodlines tend to mutate the most and stay the most mysterious—like the Sharingan, Byakugan, Rinne-type eyes, even compound eyes.
By contrast, elemental bloodlines are relatively stable. Their wielders must carry Yin or Yang nature, and only those who master at least two elemental changes can evolve into true bloodline release—for example: Water+Earth → Wood Release; Water+Wind → Ice Release; Earth+Fire → Lava Release; Water+Fire → Boil Release; and at the pinnacle, Dust Release; while things like Magnet Release, Crystal Release, Shadow Release, Steel Release, Transparency, etc., come from combining elemental changes with Yin/Yang manipulation. In essence, the "cycle blood net" is woven from seven nature changes.
Sharingan and Byakugan are extreme expressions of Yin/Yang. That's why great clans so often inherit Yin or Yang traits—the genes record them, so they're called bloodline inheritances. Even then, in the Uchiha some live a whole life without ever opening their eyes—probabilities, nothing more. A lightning-nature father can still birth a son with earth nature. Father having five natures plus Yin and Yang? Not impossible—just hard to measure.
Ennosuke smiled. "Good. Keep pushing."
They crashed together again.
Naruto and Sasuke later receiving Yin–Yang Power is basically the upgraded form of Yin/Yang Release. Since Yin/Yang are bestowed late, you must grasp them yourself and write your own path.
Before six, Ennosuke knocked on Kaede's door. "Up! Morning drills!"
Kaede cracked the door, bleary. "Aniki, it's five-ten. I hurt everywhere—pulled muscles all over. Give me today off…"
Ennosuke scooped him up, pressed glowing green palms into arms and thighs. Medical chakra flowed; damaged cells knit back together. In under three minutes, Kaede's limbs felt brand new.
Kaede grimaced. "Then at least let me eat first?"
"I figured. Took a Five-Grain Pill already."
"I'm still a kid! What if I stop growing?"
In the kitchen Kaede fried up last night's rice with meat and eggs—fluffy omurice.
"Didn't know you could cook. This is great." Ennosuke scrubbed bowls like it was the most natural thing in the world. Kaede ignored him and, after eating, they went straight back to training.
That morning, Kaede taught the full-seal version of Burning Ash. Ennosuke was annoyed—signs or not, an A-rank escape wasn't something he could just master on the spot.
Ennosuke, in turn, broke down the mixed-monkey staff style—thrusts, stops, sweeps, breaks—stripping out anything that didn't fit spear work, distilling the parts that did. With his grasp of the staff, he shaved months off Kaede's detours and copied out a lean "Ennosuke Edition" for him.
By noon, Kaede had the scroll full of annotations. "I marked the cuts and the keepers for you. Tonight's the concert—we'll meet the Second Princess afterward. I've got a task this afternoon."
Kaede waved, then stared at the Overlord Spear in his hands and felt his mood dip. Was he really going to take the lonely road? Spears hit hard, but they would swallow years. He hadn't found the secret key to spear arts yet. Could staff foundations redeem the spear's reputation? He could self-study a systematic staff style—or pivot to the sword. His fingers traced the intricate lines etched along the spearhead, and he fell into thought.
"Shishō, why aren't you back for lunch? I waited. The Third and Fourth Princesses are here too." Aoi's voice floated from behind.
They sat. Kaede asked quietly, "Aoi, say you've heard since childhood about a far eastern land—beautiful, wondrous. You only know it lies to the east; the path is unclear; getting there might take half your life. Would you go?"
Aoi pondered, then answered seriously, "I wouldn't. Not alone. With you, with Madam—if we could go together, I'd spend half a life there gladly."
Kaede smiled and ruffled her hair. "I'll find a way. If Shiro stays by your side, will you go?"
Aoi glanced toward the Third Princess and faltered, then drew a deep breath, eyes shut like confessing. "Shishō… if that day comes, will you be able to let me go?"
Kaede hadn't expected her to kick the question back. She looked at him with that hopeful shine; in his mind, a flash—where does your fire come from?
He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Thank you, Aoi. You're my lucky star." Then he hopped up, cheerful again. "Come on, let's eat."
(End of Chapter)
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