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Start of volume 2
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After a quick lunch with my mother, which, mind you, was less about eating and more about convincing her that I was fine along with, that I wasn't going to jump off a building.
Obito walked beside me, like always.
However, he was too quiet. And I knew exactly why.
I sighed and turned towards him.
"I'm not mad at you for telling my parents everything."
Obito flinched and looked at me sideways. Making sure I was not messing with him.
After a minute, he finally relaxed.
He bowed, of course he did. "Thank you for understanding, young master."
"You need to relax around me, Obito."
He bowed again. "Got it, young master."
Yeah. That's never going to happen.
After a few more minutes of walking, we reached a smaller training ground on the western side of the estate.
It was much smaller compared to the main grounds where I'd seen the adult clan members practice.
The place was filled with training dummies made of straw and wood, which stood in a row at the far end.
And in the middle of it, sitting cross-legged on the dirt, were six children.
Ages ranging from six to nine, roughly. All of them with average cursed energy reserves. Nothing remarkable. Nothing terrible.
But standing before them was someone who was very much not average.
An old man.
Tall, even with the slight hunch due to his age.
Broad-shouldered, with silver-white hair, wild and swept back from a weathered face. A thick mustache and beard framed a mouth that was currently busy drinking from a tokkuri.
Strapped across his back was a naginata.
THE IMAGE(COMMENT)
And his cursed energy?
Second only to my father.
"Obito, who is the old man?"
Obito looked in the direction, then explained.
"That is Commander Yuki Jubei, young master. Known as the Berserker of the Yuki clan. He is a master of the clan's cursed technique and physical body enhancement. In terms of raw combat strength, he is second only to your father within the Yuki clan."
I looked at the old man again.
If he's this old and still serving as a commander, and still carrying a weapon like that… then he's survived things that would have killed most sorcerers decades ago.
We reached the edge of the training ground just as Jubei lowered his tokkuri and turned toward us.
He stared for a while, then grinned.
"You doing good, kid?" he called out to Obito.
Obito bowed respectfully. "Yes, Commander."
Jubei laughed as he took another sip of his drink. Then he turned his attention to me.
"Well, well, well. Look who finally crawled out of his little room." He crouched down to my level. "How does it feel to finally touch some grass, brat?"
I froze for a second.
Did he just… tell me to touch grass? In this era?
Before I could respond, Jubei stood up and turned back to Obito.
"You can head back, Obito. And tell Soran I won't be going easy on this one."
Obito bowed. "Master Soran said he would prefer you go even harder on him, Commander."
Jubei looked down at me.
"Even harder, huh?" He placed a hand on my shoulder, which was heavy and calloused. The hand of a man who'd been holding weapons longer than most people had been alive. "Well, you do somehow have the Six Eyes. Let's see if you can keep up."
Obito turned to me one last time. "I will be back to pick you up after training, young master."
I nodded.
He bowed and left.
Jubei patted my shoulder and steered me toward the group of kids.
"Come on, brat. Let's get you introduced to your peers."
Six pairs of eyes stared at me as I approached.
The children were seated in a semicircle. All of them probably from our clan, judging by the hair.
The first to react was a girl who was around eight years old.
"Wow…" she breathed. "His eyes are pretty. Just like Lady Fuyomi's."
The boy next to her, maybe nine, lean and fidgety with messy black hair that stuck up in every direction, leaned forward and stared.
"Yeah, but isn't he kind of… small? How old is he?"
"He looks like a baby," another boy muttered.
"Don't be mean, Daichi," the girl said.
"I'm not being mean. Just stating facts."
Jubei clapped his hands once, and the gang of kids went silent.
"Settle down."
Finally, no noise.
"Now, since we have a new face, let's do introductions again. All of you. Name, age, and something about yourself. Go."
The kids got up and did what they were told.
"Yuki Saya! Eight years old! I like sword training, and I can already make ice leaves!" She smiled with the confidence of someone who was used to being the best in the room.
Next was the fidgety boy with the messy black hair.
"Yuki Tomoe. Nine. I'm the fastest runner in training, and I once froze my older brother's sandals to the floor. Let me tell you, that was epic."
Some laughs here and there.
The stocky boy went next. "Yuki Daichi. Six." He paused, like he was considering whether the rest of the introduction was worth his time. "I hit things."
Bruh....
Then a quiet boy sitting at the edge of the group spoke next.
"Yuki Haruto. Seven. I, um… I'm not very good at the technique yet, but I'm trying really hard."
The girl beside him immediately put a hand on his arm. "You're doing great, Haruto." She turned to the group. "Yuki Miya. Eight. I'm Haruto's friend, and I'm going to be the best healer in the clan someday."
Miya had dark blue hair tied back in a long braid.
The last boy sat at the back. Nine years old, and had black hair, neatly combed. "Yuki Kaede. Nine. I don't like anything."
Jubei nodded, satisfied. Then all eyes turned to me.
I stepped forward.
"Yuki Reizan. Four years old."
Silence.
Then boom.
"FOUR?!"
"Wait, Reizan? Like, Master Soran's-"
"He's the clan head's son?!"
"He's FOUR, and he's in OUR class?!"
The kids went wild. Saya was bouncing on her knees. Tomoe's jaw had dropped. Daichi's scowl had been replaced by shock, which looked weird on his face. Haruto was blinking rapidly, and Miya had grabbed his arm. Kaede, to his credit, simply raised an eyebrow.
Jubei let the chaos run for about five seconds. Then he clapped his hands again.
"Calm down, kids. He's a student, just like you. Treat him like one." He shot me a sideways glance. "No special treatment, brat. You start at the bottom like everyone else."
"Wouldn't have it any other way."
He snorted. "Good answer."
He turned back to the seated children and folded his arms.
"Now then. All of you should have inherited the Yuki clan's cursed technique, correct?"
"YEAH!" the kids yelled in unison.
Just then, Saya raised her hand. "Commander, wait. Why isn't my friend Akiru here? He's been wanting to join training for months."
Jubei's expression softened. "Akiru isn't a Yuki by blood, Saya. He doesn't possess our clan's cursed technique. Because of that, he can't follow our specific training regimen. He and the other non-Yuki children are being taught by a different instructor, one who can help them develop their own abilities properly."
Saya frowned, clearly unhappy, but nodded.
Jubei looked out at the group.
"Which brings me to my next point. Does anyone know what makes the Yuki clan's bloodline special?"
Tomoe scratched his head while Daichi stared blankly.
Jubei waited three seconds, then answered.
"Time's up. Let me tell you."
The kids leaned forward.
"Every single person born into the Yuki bloodline inherits the clan's cursed technique. Everyone."
He let that sink in.
The kids stared at him.
"Is that not normal?" Tomoe asked.
Jubei shook his head. "Not even close. Take the Kamo clan, for example. Their technique is blood manipulation. Powerful stuff. But out of every generation, only a handful of their members actually inherit it. The rest are born without it."
"Same goes for most clans," he continued. "Cursed techniques are passed down through blood, but blood is unpredictable."
He tapped his chest.
"But us? The Yuki bloodline guarantees it. Everyone inherits it. No exceptions. That's what makes us unique."
"Wow…" Saya whispered.
"That's awesome!" Tomoe grinned.
I sat quietly, processing. That is a significant advantage. A clan where every single member is born with a CT.
But then Jubei's expression shifted.
"However," he said, "our bloodline comes with a cost."
The children went quiet.
"Whenever you use the Yuki clan's cursed technique, the temperature of your own body drops."
He let that settle.
"The stronger the attack, the colder you become. Use a small technique, and you might feel a chill, which most of you must have felt. Use something powerful, and your body temperature will plummet. Push too far, and your organs start shutting down."
Haruto's face went pale.
"That," Jubei said flatly, "is why, time to time, children of our clan die young."
The training ground was silent. Even Tomoe had stopped fidgeting.
"Young sorcerers who awaken their technique too early, or who push too hard before their bodies are ready, freeze from the inside out. It is the single most common cause of death among Yuki children under the age of ten."
That's why Father didn't meet me until I was four?
The weight of that understanding settled in my chest.
My father hadn't been absent because he was busy. He'd been absent because he was afraid.
Jubei continued, his voice steadier now.
"But our bloodline gives us a second gift. Resistance to cold. Every Yuki is born with a natural tolerance, far beyond what any normal human could endure."
He held up a finger.
"The catch is that every person's limit is different. Some can endure a mild frost before their body says nope. Others can stand in a blizzard and feel nothing. The higher your cold resistance, the more you can use your technique, and the greater your potential as a sorcerer."
What a unique bloodline, I thought. Power and self-destruction built into the same package. A gift that kills you if you're not strong enough to wield it.
It was elegant, in a weird way. A bloodline that tested its own members. Those who were strong enough to withstand the cold thrived. Those who weren't….. well, you know the answer.
Jubei must have seen the nervousness in the children's expressions, because his grin returned.
"Don't look so grim, brats. That's exactly why you're here. To learn control. To understand your limits, and to push them safely, gradually, until your body can handle what your technique demands."
He stood up straight, rolling his shoulders.
Then he clapped his hands.
"So," he said, a scary grin appeared on his face. "Let's see what you've got."
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Yup, a small intro to the Yuki clan's bloodline. Hope it was not bad or boring.
Hope you enjoyed it😁!
Advanced chapter update: I have +2 advanced chapter for now, in next 2-3 days should be +10.