Heaven and hell, separated by a single line, it's truly unimaginable.
It's a big world, full of wonders.
If one day he could resolve the biggest hidden danger, Kaguya Otsutsuki, perhaps he would choose to travel the world. The thought of exploring the world beyond the Ninja World map was exciting.
Adventurer! This was the retirement career Inoyue planned for himself.
Speaking of which, it seemed he was thinking too much. Whether he could even live to the end was still unknown.
...
On such a large island, being alone, he still felt a little uneasy.
Looking back at the forest behind him, he didn't feel good, after all, it was a bit like a lyric from Richie Jen: An island locks up a person.
Inoyue wanted to cry, wanted to go out and chase his master, Yuhi Kurenai, maybe she hadn't left the island yet. But, he stopped as soon as he turned around.
After all, he was an adult now. What was that situation just now? Why was he acting like a child, actually starting to be afraid without any image?
"That was truly embarrassing."
Inoyue scoffed at himself. The purpose of coming here was to solve his own problems, so why be afraid?
"Let's face reality."
He sighed inwardly, turned and sat cross-legged, facing the flawless, mirror-like jade wall: "I'll solve my problem now; I don't have time to waste here."
Cultivation starts now.
Staring at himself in the jade wall, he blinked. Because it hurt a little, he had stared for quite a while.
He blinked again, and his reflection in the mirror also blinked. Then, it remained the same; no other self appeared.
The person inside was himself; this was obvious.
"Where is my other self?"
Inoyue was a bit confused. Didn't his master say it was simple? As long as he concentrated, another self would appear in the mirror. But what was his situation now? No other self appeared in the mirror.
He recalled how Naruto, in front of the Waterfall of Truth, as soon as he sat down, another Naruto instantly ran out, clean and swift, not even saying an extra word.
"Now? When it's my turn, why isn't it working?"
Three hours passed like this. Staring at oneself in a mirror for three hours was indeed a very trying experience.
Besides his eyes being unbearably tired, his head also hurt terribly, especially his brain. It felt as if he had overused his mental energy, making it throb with pain.
He raised his right hand, wanting to slap his useless self hard. But, just as it touched his face, Inoyue's hand stopped, and then he stared straight at himself in the mirror.
"You raised the wrong hand, oh. This is a mirror. If I use my right hand, then you should use your left hand, right?" Inoyue teased his reflection in the mirror.
The Inoyue in the mirror was clearly startled, then immediately subconsciously lowered her right hand, raised her left hand, and made the same face-touching gesture as Inoyue. After completing it, she even playfully stuck out her tongue and made a funny face.
"So cute!" Inoyue praised inwardly.
At this moment, she finally saw her other self, and now she also understood what her other self was all about.
"The Little girl who appeared in the mirror is not me, but the real Inoyue, an eight-year-old girl. And I should be Zhou Yan, the cuckoo who took over the magpie's nest."
From this moment on, Inoyue was no longer Inoyue, but Zhou Yan. At this point, he had made his own judgment, so Zhou Yan also began to communicate with the real Inoyue.
...
What would it be like to chat with a child?
One moment here, one moment there, sometimes in the sky, sometimes on the ground.
Children are curious about everything, like angels bestowed by heaven. They are simple, innocent, and kind, always infecting every heart that has been tempered by the mundane world.
"The prince gave the princess a deep kiss, and the princess finally woke from her sleep. They lived happily ever after."
Snow White, this fairy tale known to modern people, the Inoyue in the mirror listened with great relish, her big eyes not even blinking.
Hearing the happy ending, she jumped up with joy, the fulfillment of her anticipated wish, her lighthearted and cheerful expression truly infected Inoyue.
The happier the Little girl was, the more guilty Zhou Yan felt. Although his transmigration and rebirth were beyond his control, ultimately, he had taken someone else's body.
If he hadn't transmigrated and been reborn, if someone had found the Little girl when she was dying, if she had been able to get through that ordeal, if...
But, there aren't that many 'ifs' in the world; everything has already happened.
"I'm sorry!" Zhou Yan murmured.
The Little girl in the mirror paused for a moment, then smiled, and at the same time, her small head shook like a rattle drum as she comforted him, saying, "Big Brother didn't do anything to apologize for."
"That day, I knew I had to go. I originally carried regrets, but after you came, Big Brother, my regrets disappeared." The Little girl's voice was very sweet, especially her earnest comforting expression, which inexplicably touched the mature Zhou Yan's heart.
"It's because of me that Big Brother often has scattered thoughts and lacks focus. After all, I am a part of Big Brother, so I have somewhat influenced Big Brother's personality."
The Little girl spoke eloquently, earnestly explaining the root of the problem.
Zhou Yan instantly understood what the Little girl said. The fundamental reason his thoughts had always been scattered and his attention often unfocused was because he had fused with the Little girl's soul.
After the fusion, his soul carried some childlike qualities, which led to scattered thoughts, lack of focus, and other issues.
...
This jade wall was truly miraculous; it could trace back to the source. The Little girl's soul, which had completely vanished, was actually able to meet him face-to-face with the help of this jade wall.
Although he had met the Little girl, what should he do next? Zhou Yan completely avoided this thought and just chatted with the Little girl.
Because there was only one way: only by making the Little girl's soul completely and truly disappear could he solve his problem.
Such a method was obvious without even thinking. But Zhou Yan, who had originally come to solve the problem, now felt it was better not to solve it.
"This way, at least she won't disappear!" This was Zhou Yan's truest thought deep down.
"What's wrong, Brother?"
The Little girl was very perceptive and sensed a hint of abnormality. No matter how well Zhou Yan hid it, she was still a part of his soul, albeit a very small part.
"Can you recover?"
Zhou Yan whispered, speaking his inner thoughts. If the Little girl's soul could still recover, even if he died like this, it would probably be for the best.
That's what he thought, or rather, that was Zhou Yan's true thought.
Having taken over another's body, there was always a knot in his heart. This wasn't to say Zhou Yan was a particularly good person or a saint.
If the body he, Zhou Yan, occupied wasn't that of a little girl, but an adult's, then he, Zhou Yan, wouldn't feel this kind of guilt. If the original owner of the body wanted to reclaim it, Zhou Yan would undoubtedly try every means to obliterate him.
But facing a child, Zhou Yan genuinely couldn't do it, not even to save his own life.
After asking if she could recover, Zhou Yan felt completely relaxed. It turned out that when a person lets go of some things, they feel so light.
"Brother!" The Little girl in the mirror called out sweetly. Zhou Yan looked up, gazing at the Little girl in the mirror who looked exactly like his current self.
"Give me your hand." The Little girl pressed her hands against the mirror, signaling Zhou Yan to do the same.
Her sweet, soft voice was very pleasant to hear. Zhou Yan unconsciously raised his hands and matched them with the hands on the mirror. Even if the Little girl did this to reclaim her body, Zhou Yan would go along with her, because it was her body to begin with.
...
Time flew by, his consciousness was in a trance, and the eight years from birth to now felt as if he had re-experienced them. Happiness, despair, regret—in just eight short years, he had experienced everything life should offer, and lost everything that shouldn't have been lost.
"Do you understand, Brother?" The Little girl sweetly asked.
"You..." Having re-experienced eight years of life, looking at the Little girl, he somewhat understood what she wanted to express, but Zhou Yan only managed to say 'you'. He couldn't speak further.
"Brother, from now on, be me, because I am also you. I hope you can make our lives more exciting. I also really want to see the overseas parts of this world, just like Brother, to become an adventurer like Columbus and discover new continents."
"Ah, when this is over, we'll explore the whole world together." Zhou Yan laughed out loud.
These words were spoken to the Little girl, and also to himself.
"En!" The Little girl nodded obediently, her face beaming with a happy smile.
Zhou Yan seemed impatient, immediately starting to tell her the story of Cinderella. As he told it, a faint echo suddenly resonated deep within him: "Brother, live a wonderfully exciting life for me!"
The sweet, soft voice grew fainter and fainter, almost inaudible by the last word.
Zhou Yan continued telling the story, the story of Cinderella, until Cinderella and the prince entered the marriage hall. However, tears unconsciously streamed from his eyes.
People look undignified when they cry, especially children, who cry even more unrestrainedly. Tears flowed uncontrollably, snot dripped out, and he tilted his head back, wiping away tears and snot.
Zhou Yan suppressed his sobs, then roared, "I will definitely live the most exciting life for you, the one you gave me. I will travel to every corner of this world, and take you to see all the sights we have never seen before!"