Chapter 6 : Return

Immersed in darkness, with only the light of a campfire, Chikara lay on the ground, still feeling the pain of the fire on his skin.

"Hello there."

Startled by the sound from the depths of the cave, Chikara struggled to lift his head and catch a glimpse of a figure concealed in the shadows.

The faint glow of the fire revealed only the lower part of the silhouette, while the cave's silence made the atmosphere oppressive.

"Am I dead?" Chikara asked in a barely audible voice, a mixture of fear and uncertainty.

The silhouette slowly emerged from the darkness, revealing a young man dressed in white Hanfu, bearing the name of the Thousand Lotuses on his back. Armed with a simple sword hanging from his belt, this young man was undoubtedly Akeno.

"No, you're not dead. I saved and healed you," came the response from the mysterious figure, causing Chikara to let out a breath of relief.

"Or rather, you could be considered both alive and dead," he added enigmatically.

Not understanding the implications, Chikara focused his gaze on his interlocutor. Finally catching sight of the silhouette's face, Chikara attempted to recognize the young man.

"I know you must have many questions, Chikara, but know that you are safe now," Akeno declared.

Upon hearing his name, a myriad of questions raced through Chikara's mind: 'Who is he? How does he know me? Where am I?'

"Tell me, Chikara, do you remember your last moments before waking up here?" Akeno circled around Chikara, asking this question to refocus his thoughts on the essential matter.

Recalling his "death," Chikara's face expressed a pang of pain.

His hazy memories gradually became clearer. The attack on the outpost, the screams of men and women fighting for their lives, and finally, the flames burning his skin. Flames sent by a member of his own clan.

"Yes, I remember..." Chikara replied emotionally.

Amid a moment of silence, Akeno continued to pace around Chikara before finally stopping in front of him.

"So tell me, why did you die?"

"Because I was a burden, because I got captured by the enemy, and because I am weak..." Chikara answered, tears in his eyes.

"Chikara, listen carefully," Akeno said.

Lifting his eyes to Akeno, Chikara, disheartened by his seemingly futile existence even in the eyes of his own clan, had lost all hope and believed that only death awaited him now.

The young man before him had stated that he was both alive and dead, and remembering the scene where he had been burned, Chikara logically assumed that he was in a state between life and death, on the verge of receiving a judgment.

Even if Chikara wasn't truly dead, a part of him indeed was.

Seeing his nearly lifeless eyes, Akeno, perhaps for the first time in his two lives, saw the gaze of a completely shattered man. And a child, moreover.

Faced with such a gaze, Akeno, who had prepared a well-rehearsed speech to convince Chikara to follow him, lost his words.

In this heavy silence, one awaiting his sentence and the other not knowing what to say anymore, the two stared at each other, as if time had stopped.

"Chikara, follow me. If you do today, you will become my brother, and I will never see you as a nuisance. Chikara, you deserve to live."

Few words, indeed, but such words Chikara had never heard.

Hand extended towards Chikara, Akeno patiently awaited Chikara's response. This was not the time to try to make him dream of a quest for power or adventure; it was a moment to restore confidence in a lost child.

Under this infinite anticipation, Chikara, whose eyes had lost all traces of life, regained a glimmer of light.

Shifting his gaze to the hand extended towards him, Chikara finally hesitated to believe in this young man.

But for the first time in his life, he wanted to think for himself. He wanted to believe in the person in front of him. Just for once, forget his clan, forget his obligations, forget everything, and live.

Deep within himself, something whispered that he should grasp that hand. That he could trust this young man, no matter the difficulties that would follow this choice. He had to believe.

After a silence that seemed to last for hours, Chikara reached out his hand and grasped Akeno's. Regardless of who this person was, he felt he could follow him.

"Thus, from today onward, you, Chikara, and I, Akeno, are now brothers."

With a firm handshake, Chikara, the outcast of the Uchiha, the one said to be without talent, was embarking on a journey toward heights that no Uchiha had ever even dared to imagine.

*** Road near Hope City ***

On the originally calm road, devoid of living souls nearby, a spatial rift briefly opened, leaving behind two unconscious figures lying on the ground.

After a few minutes of waiting, one of the young men slowly regained consciousness, opening his eyes to see a young boy by his side and the road he had once left.

"Damn. I thought traveling between worlds would be as simple as snapping my fingers, like opening a door. Next time, I'll make sure to do it in a safe place," Akeno muttered.

' System, why do I lose consciousness when I use the travel?' Akeno inwardly asked.

[Host, know that spatial travel between dimensions is extremely difficult and perilous.]

[The host's body not being strong enough to endure such journeys, fainting is a safety measure to prevent any spatial tearing of the body and soul.]

"It would have been nice to know that beforehand..."

Gently rising from the dirt road, Akeno approached his new companion, who was still deep in slumber.

"Chikara, are you okay?" Akeno asked.

No response. Akeno checked Chikara's condition and ensured he was merely sleeping.

While waiting for him to wake, Akeno lifted Chikara onto his back and settled down a bit farther, near the edge of the road.

Initially, he had planned to arrive at Hope City on the same day, but due to his brief excursion into another world, night had already fallen.

"Um... Where are we?" Chikara mumbled, half asleep.

"I wish I could have brought you to a more splendid place, but well, if your world is that of ninjas, then welcome to the world of the immortals!" Akeno replied cheerfully.

"So we really are in another world..." Chikara exclaimed before drifting back into deep sleep.

For Chikara, this day had drained all his strength. From morning training to patrolling, then new training, only to be thrust directly onto a battlefield at the outpost. Not to mention his apparent "death" and rescue to be brought to another world.

All of this had exhausted the young Uchiha.

Akeno prepared a fire and arranged a bed of leaves for Chikara. Sitting in a meditative position, Akeno rested while meditating, circulating his soul's energy and keeping watch for any nearby dangers.

And so, the night passed, and as the sun rose, Chikara slowly opened his eyes.

Surprisingly, it might have been one of the best nights of sleep he had had in weeks. The wind was gentle, the sun's rays filtered through the tree leaves and caressed his skin, while the chirping of crickets and birds enveloped him in perfect tranquility.

In this perfect atmosphere, Chikara relaxed and observed the entirely new world he had been transported to.

In the end, nothing seemed truly new at first glance: the same trees, the same sun, the same grass, the same birds and sounds he had already known in his life.

No, actually, there was something different he couldn't quite describe, a particular sensation. As a ninja, he had learned to subtly sense his environment, and he perceived something different in the air.

"Oh, you're finally awake," greeted Akeno.

"Hello, Akeno. Sorry for bothering you while you took care of me," Chikara replied.

Faced with this response, Akeno, still in a meditative position, sighed. "What did I tell you about that? Stop considering yourself a burden."

Without answering, Chikara showed a genuine smile and curiously looked at Akeno, asking, "What are you doing in that position, Akeno?"

"Hehe, I'm practicing meditation to strengthen my foundation of Qi," Akeno replied.

"Qi?"

"Have you ever heard of natural energy?" Akeno retorted.

Seeing Chikara's doubtful expression, Akeno continued, "In your world, there's a so-called natural energy. This energy is present everywhere in the environment, and the most gifted can sense it to harness incredible power.

In our case, the Qi in this world can, in a way, be compared to that energy in your world.

The difference lies in how Qi governs the laws of this universe in a more specific way.

For now, know that the Chakra you use doesn't exist in this world, and here, Qi is the primary energy that allows humans to become true immortals. I'll explain more in detail in due time."

"Whoa, does that mean you're an immortal, big brother?" Chikara exclaimed, his eyes pleading for more details.

Originally, Chikara had never been very curious. But this discovery of a new world and a power capable of transforming humans into immortals exceeded his wildest dreams.

"No, I'm just a soul seeking the Dao. The ultimate goal being the immortal stage, if it really exists..." Akeno replied.

Looking at the sky, Akeno lost himself in his deepest thoughts. The immortal stage... Although he had searched through all the books in the sect's library, he had never found any proof of its existence.

It was only as a reincarnated individual and a former fan of such books that he thought such a level must surely exist.

The path ahead to achieve his goals was both perilous and unknown...

"Chikara, I'll answer your questions later. For now, we need to hurry and reach the next city. I'll explain along the way what you absolutely need to know for the moment.

Now, we really need to get going," Akeno declared.

Putting aside Chikara's insatiable curiosity for the time being, Akeno set off, accompanied by his new companion, toward what would mark the beginning of their legends.