"I knew it! Big brother, you definitely had a way."
Aileen lifted her small face and grabbed Leno's arm, her eyes brimming with joy and excitement.
The tension that had kept her on edge these past days finally eased at this moment, and her mood relaxed along with it.
Only heaven knew how heavy a blow it had been to her heart to fail again and again despite so many attempts.
Beside her, Aisa was just as delighted. As her best friend, she knew better than anyone how miserable Aileen had been during this time.
Now that a solution had finally been found, she was genuinely happy for her from the bottom of her heart.
Seeing the two little girls beaming with smiles, Leno couldn't help but pour a bucket of cold water on them.
He slowly crouched down, met Aileen's gaze directly, and said seriously, word by word:
"Aileen, my method could put your life in danger, and it doesn't guarantee success."
"Are you sure you still want to try?"
"..."
As his words fell, the excitement on Aileen's face froze instantly. She then lowered her head in a daze.
Aisa's expression changed slightly. She immediately turned to look at Aileen, her eyes filled with worry.
Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she said nothing.
With Aileen's stubborn personality, once she set her mind on something, not even nine oxen could pull her back.
She had longed for awakening Haki for so long—so long as there was even a sliver of hope, she would never give it up.
Sure enough, the next moment—
Aileen clenched her small hand into a fist, raised her head sharply, and spoke with ringing determination.
"Big brother, I want to try! I will awaken Observation Haki no matter what!"
Her gaze was firm, shining brightly!
Such imposing resolve. Leno secretly praised her, his eyes softening.
"Alright. Since you've made up your mind, go back and rest properly today."
After a brief pause, his voice grew lower.
"Starting tomorrow, we begin training Haki."
"Mm, I understand~"
Aileen nodded vigorously and pulled Aisa along as they left the temple.
After the two little girls departed, Leno organized his thoughts and felt that the method should be feasible.
The only question was whether the little girl could endure it...
Time quickly passed to the next day. Aileen arrived at the temple early in the morning.
She eagerly searched for Leno for quite a while, yet somehow couldn't find him at all.
After asking a maid and learning that her brother hadn't even gotten up yet, the little girl exploded on the spot.
She ran straight to Robin's room and dragged Leno out.
"Big brother, you lazy bum! Do you know what time it is now?!"
Hands on her hips, the little girl glared at Leno angrily, her tone full of dissatisfaction.
"Did you forget that you're supposed to train with me today?!"
"I didn't forget, I didn't forget!..."
Leno yawned, responding weakly and perfunctorily.
It wasn't until he saw that the little girl's eyes were practically spewing fire that he finally shuffled off to wash up.
Sigh—he'd sparred with two Robins late into the night again, developing many new techniques. The aftertaste was still lingering.
And now this little girl came barging in early in the morning to ruin his good dream. He'd make her pay later.
Moments later, the two arrived at the top of a massive vine.
Once there, Leno's aura changed abruptly. His lazy demeanor vanished without a trace, replaced by a cold, iron-blooded killing intent.
Before Aileen could recover from the sudden shift in his presence, Leno's icy voice reached her ears first.
"Since you've made your decision, no matter what happens next, you must grit your teeth and endure it. Understood?"
"Understood!"
Aileen nodded forcefully, her expression solemn as she replied firmly.
She sensed that this training would be different from before and silently encouraged herself in her heart.
Seeing that the little girl was prepared, Leno finally reminded her:
"Next, I'll use Haki to intimidate you. All you need to do is endure it with sheer willpower!"
"At the same time, focus on sensing that absolute silence—your own heartbeat pounding loudly!"
As he spoke, his gaze grew dangerous, locking straight onto Aileen.
"If you can't endure it, you'll become a pale, stupid fool! Got it?"
"Big brother, stop trying to scare me and start already!"
Leno gave a light nod, somewhat gratified. Without further hesitation, he instantly released Conqueror's Haki.
Buzz—
The terrifying Haki, like a bottomless abyss, swallowed Aileen whole. The little girl lost her balance and fell hard onto her backside, her face turning deathly pale in an instant.
Her lips trembled, her pupils shrank violently, and her entire body shook uncontrollably.
At that moment, how could she remember anything Leno had said? Instinctive fear had already consumed her completely.
Seeing the little girl's terrified and miserable state, Leno felt heartache—but he still maintained the release of his Haki.
This was the path she had chosen herself. She had to keep walking it—these were things she would have to experience sooner or later!
Besides, he was consciously controlling the intensity of his Haki. Otherwise, the little girl wouldn't last even a single breath.
The reason he chose such an extreme stimulation method was mainly inspired by how the so-called "King of Deserters" awakened Haki during the Summit War.
But this also depended on individual aptitude. Not everyone could awaken Haki under intense stimulation, which was why Leno was uncertain.
After all, aptitude was a vague, intangible thing. This wasn't cultivation—you couldn't just test it.
He wanted to see for himself whether Aileen could awaken Haki through this method.
In the end, after enduring for several minutes, Aileen's eyes rolled back and she collapsed unconscious.
Leno immediately picked up the little girl, drenched in cold sweat, and vanished from the spot in a flash.
Back at the temple,
He immediately found Chopper and asked him to help examine her—making sure the little girl wouldn't suffer any aftereffects.
After enduring a round of Chopper's scolding, Leno finally learned that Aileen wouldn't have any serious issues.
Still uneasy, Leno went and fetched Kuina, asking her to burn Aileen with Divine Fire just to be safe.
Seeing Aileen reduced to this state by Leno, Kuina's eyes revealed a rare hint of reproach.
She was still so young—how could this bastard bring himself to do this to her?
Leno was utterly speechless in response. What could he possibly say?
That the little girl had asked for it herself? Judging by their looks, they clearly didn't believe him.
Left with no choice, Leno could only wait for Aileen to wake up and clear his name herself.
Time flowed on quietly, and in the blink of an eye, half a month passed.
During this period, Aileen made obvious progress. Under Haki pressure, she was able to endure for longer and longer each time.
After the first experience, every time she was about to faint, Leno would precisely withdraw his Haki.
This gave Aileen a chance to breathe, allowing her to comprehend herself more quickly while still conscious.
However, every time she returned to the temple, she looked pale and utterly drained, which soon caught everyone else's attention.
After careful questioning, they learned it was all for the sake of awakening Haki.
They expressed doubt toward such a self-torturing method—they'd never heard of anything like it before.
In the end, if not for Aileen personally stepping forward to testify that her five senses had become sharper, Leno would probably have been criticized again.