Chương 8

His words might sound very naive coming from a child of 5 years of age, but the conviction he had said that made the considerably young couple, feel both pride and sadness. They were proud that their son was so caring, but also sad as they felt that their son seemed to be burdened by something. Sniff.

"…Mom?"

"…Nothing." Hana immediately looked away. She wiped at her eyes quickly before letting out a shaky laugh.

"… I just… I got scared for a while." For months now, Hana had watched her five-year-old son suddenly gain terrifying abilities beyond normal understanding. She had watched him obsessively train. Watched him adapt to chakra at an age where children normally barely understood what chakra even was. And somewhere deep inside. A part of her had been afraid. Afraid that power would change him. That her son would slowly become someone unrecognizable, even though he had been the good kid all along.

But right now, watching Rei willingly reject the easier path simply because he found it morally wrong… That fear finally disappeared.

"…You're a good kid," Hana whispered softly.

"I don't understand." Rei was confused seeing the small tears on her eyes.

"You don't need to. I am just glad that you are my son." Hana said.

"…Clearly he got the good genes from me."

"…You suggested weaponized arm wrestling."

"…And it almost worked."

"…Please stop sounding proud about that."

"Never." Daichi declared shamelessly before suddenly leaning forward again.

"Anyway, enough emotional development. Sign the normal contract already. My son still needs half my greatness." Hana said, as she was growing irritated by this man's antics at ever passing moment now.

"…Your confidence is unbelievable." Rei muttered tiredly.

"It is because I am amazing."

"It is because you lack shame," Hana corrected instantly.

"Both can be true." And honestly… somehow that ridiculous exchange managed to lighten the atmosphere again. The heaviness from before slowly faded away as Daichi grabbed the original contract instead of the second one this time. The one Rei was actually willing to use. Daichi picked up the pen dramatically like he was about to sign a peace treaty between nations.

"…Should I make a cool signature?"

"…It's a contract, not a fan club membership."

"…You wound me." Hana sighed deeply.

"Please just sign the paper before I lose my sanity."

"Too late," Rei muttered under his breath. Daichi finally signed it with an exaggerated flourish anyway. The moment the final stroke completed itself, the contract immediately reacted. A pulse of chakra spread through the room. Unlike before though, Rei was ready this time. The page glowed softly before dissolving into streams of light that rushed directly into his body. And immediately— The sensation hit him. Warmth first. Then pressure. Then understanding. Not memories exactly. Not fully.

More like instincts being engraved directly into his body. His muscles suddenly felt heavier yet more balanced. His posture unconsciously adjusted. His breathing shifted slightly. Combat instincts. The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Movement efficiency. Physical conditioning. And chakra..... more chakra. Rei's eyes widened slightly as he felt another stream of power integrate itself into his system. Compared to Hana's chakra, Daichi's felt rougher.

Less refined but far more suited for actual combat. Knowledge surfaced inside his head rapidly. Basic taijutsu stances. Shuriken trajectories. Body Flicker applications. Even a few earth-style jutsus flashed through his mind though unlike before, he could immediately tell that he hadn't inherited all the actual techniques themselves. This wasn't a huge problem, he could always learn over time with proper training from his own father. His body tensed slightly.

The chakra inside him fluctuated violently for a brief second before stabilizing again.

"…Rei?" Hana immediately moved closer.

"I'm fine," Rei answered quickly, though his voice came out slightly strained. And surprisingly… he actually was fine. The pressure was intense, yes. But unlike the first transfer from Hana, his body already understood chakra now. It wasn't being introduced to an entirely foreign system anymore. This time… it was adapting. Rei slowly exhaled afterward.

"…Huh." Daichi blinked.

"…That's it?"

"…What do you mean 'that's it'?" Hana immediately snapped toward him.

"Last time he literally collapsed unconscious!"

"Yeah but this one looked cooler." Hana just rolled her eyes hearing the response of her husband. Rei meanwhile flexed his fingers slowly. The difference was obvious immediately. His body felt… steadier. Grounded. Hana's abilities had sharpened his control and precision while Daichi's felt like they reinforced the physical framework supporting it all. Honestly… the combination worked disturbingly well together. That thought alone both impressed and concerned him.

Hana quickly dragged Rei into another medical examination afterward despite his repeated insistence that he was perfectly fine.

"You said that last time too."

"And I was technically alive."

"That is not the standard we are aiming for." A few minutes later, after checking his chakra flow repeatedly and making absolutely sure nothing was destabilizing internally, Hana finally relaxed slightly.

"…Your pathways are stable," she admitted with visible relief.

"…Honestly more stable than before." Rei nodded slowly. He could feel that too. The rough imbalance from earlier months had lessened considerably. It was almost like Daichi's more physically-oriented chakra had helped support the overall strain on his young body.

"…Excellent!" Daichi puffed his chest proudly.

"My greatness has stabilized the family." Dinner afterward somehow turned into a celebration. Not an official one. Nothing extravagant. But the atmosphere in the house felt lighter than it had in months. Hana cooked far more than usual while Daichi loudly insisted this was a historic occasion worthy of proper food. Rei honestly just enjoyed the warmth of it all quietly. For all his paranoia about the future, all his planning and caution and constant awareness of the dangers lurking in this world…

moments like this made things feel strangely peaceful. By the time dinner ended and the three of them began cleaning up together, the night outside had already grown darker. Rei was drying dishes while standing on the same stool Daichi had mocked earlier.

"…You know," Daichi said while stretching lazily, "our family is probably the weirdest household in Konoha now."

"…You say that proudly."

"I absolutely do." Hana was about to respond when suddenly, a presence appeared inside the room. Silent and instant. Rei's body reacted before his mind did. He immediately stiffened as chakra instincts screamed at him that someone dangerous had entered their home without warning. A masked figure wearing the uniform of an ANBU operative stood kneeling near the entrance. The atmosphere in the room changed instantly. Daichi's relaxed expression disappeared and Hana straightened immediately.

Even Rei felt every instinct inside him sharpen.

"…Daichi Amagi," the masked ANBU spoke calmly.

"The Hokage has summoned you." Silence followed those words. And immediately, Rei's mind went to the worst possible conclusion. The contract. Someone noticed? The Hokage knew? Beside him, Hana's expression had also gone stiff for a brief second before she quickly hid it. Daichi meanwhile looked between the ANBU and his family with visible confusion.

"…Me?" he asked while awkwardly pointing at himself.

"Yes."

"…Right now?"

"The Hokage wishes to speak with you immediately." And honestly, hearing the word immediately did not help the atmosphere in the room at all. Rei's thoughts started moving rapidly. Had someone sensed the sudden chakra pulse from his body? Had Hiruzen been spying on him with that crystal ball? But why would he? He didn't commit anything heinous and just acted like a normal child. Too many possibilities. Far too many. Daichi slowly stood up afterward.

Though he tried to appear calm, Rei could see the slight tension in his father's shoulders immediately. His father was nervous too. But just like Hana, Daichi was under contract too. Which meant even if the Hokage really questioned him directly about Rei's ability… he would have to lie to the Hokage's face even if he didn't want to. Rei wasn't concerned about that. He was concerned if that old man was spying on him using that old crystal ball.

"…I'll be back soon," Daichi said while forcing a grin toward them.

"…Dad." Rei suddenly called out. Daichi looked toward him. For a moment neither of them spoke. Then Rei quietly said, "…You don't have to say anything you don't want to." That made Daichi pause briefly. Then unexpectedly, he smiled. A much calmer smile this time.

"…Relax." He reached forward and ruffled Rei's hair lightly.

"Your old man isn't that weak." Rei looked mildly offended by the hair attack but didn't stop him. A few moments later, Daichi followed the ANBU operative out of the house and disappeared into the night. And the moment the door closed.

"…You think they know?" Hana asked as quietly as possible. Rei stayed silent for a few seconds.

"…I don't know." The timing was suspicious. Still, panicking now would solve nothing. So Rei forced himself to calm down and think rationally. If the Hokage truly knew about the contract, then summoning only Daichi made little sense. The Hokage would have called for all three of them directly. Unless he was testing something.