I ran as fast as I could to reach Toji, who was lying face down on the ground. I knelt beside him and turned him onto his back.
Toji had fainted from the shock. Fortunately, the attack hadn't caused too much damage, but the left side of his lips had been struck.
You could even see his teeth through the wound.
That will definitely leave a scar. My heart tightened as I thought about the irony of the situation. Despite all my efforts, he still ended up with that injury. Worse… this time, it's because of me.
My expression darkened, and the air around me grew heavy.
I ran my hand through Toji's hair and said softly,
"Don't worry, little brother. No matter what happens to me, those who did this to you won't leave here alive."
It was at that moment that I swore to eradicate the higher-ups of the Zen'in clan.
"But first… let's start with that bastard of a cursed spirit."
I stood up and deployed my Observation Haki to its maximum, but that was when I realized something was wrong.
"Why aren't they attacking us?"
I turned my gaze away from Toji, and what I saw deeply shocked me.
All the cursed spirits in the room were lying on the ground.
That's when I remembered what had happened earlier.
"A moment ago… that was…"
Conqueror's Haki.
I had been too worried about Toji to notice it, but I had truly used Conqueror's Haki.
Almost all the murderous intent I had felt toward the cursed spirits suddenly transformed into overwhelming joy.
I began trembling. The pressure became so intense…
"HAHAHAHA!!"
…that I burst out laughing.
I was literally dancing and singing inside the cursed spirit pit.
"Who's the best? I'm the best! Oh yeah!"
I spun around before suddenly stopping.
I could still see Toji lying unconscious on the ground. My excitement vanished instantly, replaced by guilt.
I slapped myself.
What the hell am I doing?!
The awakening of my Conqueror's Haki had completely made me forget the situation.
At the same time, who could really blame me? Conqueror's Haki was literally what could allow me to surpass this entire universe by a vast margin.
Even now, I could feel the cursed spirits dissipating. My Haki had the ability to disperse cursed energy, and Conqueror's Haki was essentially a massive discharge of Haki. Since cursed spirits were aggregates of cursed energy, they had been instantly exorcised.
After a few moments, not a single cursed spirit remained in the pit.
At first, I thought showing my strength early would protect us from harassment. Now… I'm not so sure.
The exorcism of several hundred cursed spirits by two six-year-old children would absolutely not go unnoticed. The attention it would attract could be either beneficial… or disastrous.
Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do anymore. It already happened. As always, everything ultimately comes down to one thing…
Becoming stronger.
No matter what anyone said, this experience had helped me unlock one of the pillars of my future power.
"Once I'm able to activate Conqueror's Haki at will and imbue Armament Haki into objects, I'll refocus on Observation Haki."
I had neglected it too much lately. Even though it was the Haki I used the most, during the past nine months I had barely trained it.
"Wait!! No… I'll train imbuement first, then Armament Haki. Conqueror's Haki can wait. For now, it isn't the priority."
And there was still something else to consider.
"Now that I finally have real weights, I should be able to start training my jaw for Santoryu."
I sighed at the sheer number of things I needed to train.
"Pff… the more time passes, the more overwhelmed I get."
I sat down and turned to look at Toji.
"The bleeding hasn't stopped?"
The blood still hadn't coagulated. The wound continued to slowly seep blood. It wasn't much, but leaving it untreated could become dangerous.
I stood up, lifted Toji, and leaned him against the wall with his head tilted downward so the blood wouldn't choke him.
I tore off my sleeve and tied it around his mouth, making sure it didn't obstruct his breathing.
Then I began to think.
"I knew he would need it eventually… but I never imagined it would be this soon. I have to start teaching him. Not being able to see or hit cursed spirits is becoming a real problem."
I had to teach Toji Haki.
Until now, I told myself he didn't necessarily need it yet. That his Heavenly Restriction would allow him to manage for a while.
But I had to face the truth: Toji wasn't developed enough to survive on his own.
His senses weren't refined enough to perceive cursed energy.
His body wasn't strong enough to fight against it.
And he was far too young to wield a cursed tool.
I had to accept it — teaching him Haki was the only real way to protect him.
"I won't always be there."
I planned to regularly leave on missions to hunt cursed spirits and curse users. Those missions were dangerous; I couldn't take him with me.
But leaving him alone within the Zen'in clan was just as dangerous. He needed a way to survive without me.
"Besides… I can feel he's becoming too dependent on me."
You might say that was normal — he was only six years old, of course he depended on the one taking care of him.
But Toji wasn't an ordinary child, and we were definitely not in an ordinary situation. Not surrounded by people who would try to get rid of us at the first opportunity.
"Alright. It'll slow down my own progress, but as soon as he recovers, I'll begin initiating him into Haki. But first…"
I coated my hands in Armament Haki and took a deep breath.
"Alright… it's for a good cause."
I raised my left fist high and slammed it down onto my leg.
PAM!
The pain was immediate and overwhelming, yet I couldn't stop.
Shoulder.
PAM!
Knees.
PAM!
Forearm.
PAM!
Face.
I hesitated slightly there, but when I thought of Toji, all hesitation vanished.
PAM!
I was already bleeding from several places. Multiple bones were cracked, and one of my ribs was broken.
I was in absolute agony.
Yet I kept striking myself.
Anyone watching would probably think I had gone insane.
But it was necessary.
Two six-year-old children without cursed energy defeating several hundred cursed spirits — including a semi–Grade 2 — and one of them coming out completely unharmed…
That was far too suspicious.
Normally, I wouldn't have cared.
But I refused to let another reckless action of mine bring consequences upon Toji.
"Never again."
I finally collapsed from the pain.
"Ah… Ah… Ah…"
I was out of breath, yet strangely satisfied.
"Hahahaha… damn… what wouldn't I do for my little brother?"
Apparently, The pain had completely made me forget that I was the one who had put us in this situation from the start.
Author's note
Damn, I'm on time, I never thought I'd succeed.
There are 2 minutes left before midnight at my place, I almost missed it but I managed to get the chapter out on time.
This all deserves power stones.