Jiu He listened to these words that were honest to the point of being cruel, but he didn't feel the slightest bit of anger. He only smiled bitterly again, the sincerity in his eyes now mixed with a bit more relief. "Hehe, I only hope Lord Shine can choose a qualified husband for my daughter."
He knew very well that he had no bargaining chips; Shine's honesty, instead of hypocritical promises, made him feel more at ease.
"You don't need to worry about that." Shine raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a trace of unnoticeable teasing as he shrugged. "If nothing unexpected happens, marrying that little fellow would actually be your daughter marrying up."
The huge stone in Jiu He's heart suddenly dropped.
He could see that Shine was telling the truth—this youth before him had an unquestionable confidence and control; his promises might be cold, but they would never fall through.
He nodded lightly, just about to say something, but was interrupted by Shine.
"Although it might make you uncomfortable, I think it's better to make things clear while you're still alive." Shine's gaze fell on Jiu He's weak body, his tone without any ripples, as if speaking of an insignificant matter.
"What matter?" Jiu He was stunned, a flash of confusion in his eyes.
"After you die, I need to take a part of your body for people to research the life force secret techniques of the Uzumaki Clan."
"How can you do this?!" Uzumaki Kana suddenly raised her head, her tear-blurred face full of disbelief. She stared fixedly at Shine, her voice trembling with grief and indignation. "Jiu He is already so miserable! Won't you even give him peace after death?!"
Jiu He was also stunned, a flash of bewilderment in his eyes, which was then covered by a deeper helplessness.
He was silent for a moment, looking at Shine's emotionless Sharingan, and smiled bitterly. "I suppose I don't have the right to refuse, do I?"
"Indeed not," Shine admitted frankly, but his tone softened slightly. "But I felt that by saying it and getting your consent, your wife might feel a bit better."
Jiu He turned to look at the grief-stricken Kana, reaching out his withered hand to gently hold hers.
His palm was ice-cold, yet it carried a bit of comforting power.
"Kana," his voice was still weak but exceptionally firm, "everything has a price. If I don't pay this price, it will be you, or..."
His gaze slowly moved to the infant Karin in swaddling clothes, his tone full of reluctance and resolve, "or our daughter who has to pay."
This sentence was like a bucket of cold water, dousing Kana's grief and indignation.
Her whole body stiffened, staring blankly at her husband's pale face, then at her sleeping daughter. Her lips trembled, but she couldn't say a word.
Yes, if Jiu He didn't agree, would Shine take his anger out on them?
She didn't dare think about it, nor could she afford to gamble. Finally, she could only lower her head weakly, tears dripping onto their joined hands, piercingly cold.
"I agree." Jiu He took a deep breath and looked at Shine, his gaze calm and frank. "Thank you for your honesty, Lord Shine."
Shine nodded and added another sentence, his tone having a trace of touch he hadn't even noticed himself. "Actually, at first, I intended to get rid of you and have Kana marry a core member of our clan to completely bind the Uzumaki Bloodline."
He paused, looking at the fatherly love in Jiu He's eyes, and said frankly, "However, your responsibility as a father and husband moved me. So I gave up on that idea."
Having said that, he didn't stay any longer, turning and walking straight out of the stone house. His black robe swept across the threshold, bringing a faint breeze that slightly dispersed the oppression and sadness within the stone house.
Leaving Jiu He with a complex bitter smile and Kana with a mix of shock, grief, and a hint of unnoticeable gratitude in her eyes.
"Lord Shine is just saying that..." Crimson, who was nearby, saw this and hurriedly stepped forward to comfort Kana in a soft voice, trying to ease the heavy atmosphere.
Jiu He shook his head, tightening his grip on Kana's hand, his tone calm and relieved. "No, Lady Crimson doesn't need to explain. I don't hate Lord Shine's decision; on the contrary, I admire his honesty and straightforwardness."
He looked at his daughter in the swaddling clothes, his eyes full of tenderness. "At least Kana won't have to raise Karin alone, and Karin will have a strong support. For us, this is already the best outcome."
Silence fell over the stone house again, with only Kana's suppressed sobbing and the baby's even breathing intertwined.
Jiu He leaned against the stone bed, looking towards the direction of the cave outside the window, his gaze calm and peaceful—his life was coming to an end, but he had used his final dignity and sacrifice to exchange for a stable future for his Family. That was enough.
Walking out of the stone house, the shouts of training and the sound of the waterfall in the cave rushed back into his ears, dispelling the oppression from the stone house.
The complex emotions on Shine's face instantly vanished, replaced by his usual calm, though a trace of the touch from Jiu He remained deep in his eyes.
He stopped, his back to the stone house, and asked Xiu behind him in a steady voice, "How is the progress in the Hidden Mist Village according to the plan?"
Xiu hurried to keep up, his face carrying a bit of unavoidable helplessness as he bowed and reported, "Replying to the Lord, our eyes and ears have already penetrated the outskirts of the Hidden Mist. We have indeed found some children from Kekkei Genkai Clans who meet the requirements."
"But the Hidden Mist is currently implementing the blood mist policy, and internal security is exceptionally strict, especially the control over Kekkei Genkai Clans, which is almost to the point of never being left unattended."
"Uchiha Yue and the others are lurking in the shadows, and for now, they haven't found an opportunity to take the children out, so they can only continue monitoring."
Shine's brow arched slightly, his fingertips lightly tapping the stone wall beside him, his tone giving away no emotion. "Tell me the specific intelligence. Among the two clans we're focusing on, are there any children worth noting?"
He was referring to the Kaguya Clan and the Yuki Clan—the former's Shikotsumyaku is arguably invincible in close combat, and the latter's Ice Release is extremely valuable in terms of battlefield control and lethality. Both are forces he must include in his plans.
"Yes!" Xiu quickly responded, taking out an intelligence scroll from his robe. After unfolding it, he said quickly, "According to your requirements, we have focused our monitoring on the Kaguya Clan and the Minazuki Clan (the Yuki Clan, which Haku belongs to)."
"Within the Kaguya Clan, we discovered an exceptionally gifted child named Kimimaro. He..."
"Wait!" Before he could finish, Shine suddenly turned his head, his gaze shooting toward Xiu like lightning. A flash of shock instantly crossed his originally calm face, replaced by intense interest. "Who did you say? Kimimaro?"
His voice unconsciously rose a few notches, even his breathing becoming slightly hurried—this name, in his memories from his past life, represented the pinnacle of talent and regret..."}],
Advance chapter available on pãtrêon Got1808