"So, what's next?"
Yuzuki looked up at Indra expectantly, arms crossed, her expression practically daring him to say something interesting
Indra exhaled, thinking
"Next? You wait until you're born
Trying to train you in here could get us both killed"
Yuzuki winced, her nose scrunching as if the very thought of danger unsettled her
"Yeah... using fire here does sound pretty reckless"
"Luckily"
Indra added
"those flames were only affecting your soul
Your physical body was fine
But if it had been the other way around..."
He trailed off
Yuzuki simply waved a hand dismissively
"Minor details"
Indra sighed
She tapped a finger against her chin, eyes glinting with something sharp
"Alright, so no ninjutsu yet
But that doesn't mean I have to sit around doing nothing"
Indra raised an eyebrow
"You have something in mind?"
Yuzuki's smirk widened
"Cultivation"
Indra blinked
"Come again?"
"You heard me
I want to cultivate"
Indra's suspicion deepened
"And what exactly do you mean by that?"
Yuzuki's smile took on an unmistakably devious edge
"Oh, nothing too complicated
Just a little something to help me... get stronger faster"
Indra didn't react right away, just studied her carefully
"And how does that help me?"
"Ah, so you're interested"
Yuzuki leaned forward, her voice light but carrying just enough weight to let Indra know she wasn't joking
"Cultivation is about refining and enhancing your soul and energy
It's an easy way to increase your strength without, you know, accidentally burning everything down"
Indra's gaze flickered, considering
"Go on"
"You teach me the basics of ninjutsu"
She continued smoothly
"and I'll introduce you to cultivation
But I'm not just talking about physical strength here
I mean refining your mind, your control over energy, your connection to power itself"
She grinned, sharp and knowing
"It's a little personal touch I picked up along the way"
Indra leaned back slightly, his arms crossing
"And what do you get out of this?"
Yuzuki waved a hand lazily
"Besides your endless gratitude and admiration?"
Indra gave her a flat look
"Uh-huh..."
Her smirk softened, just slightly
"I get control"
Indra's expression flickered at that
"Control?"
"Mm"
Yuzuki rested her chin in her hand
"Over my abilities
Faster access to power
And, most importantly... knowledge
If I know how this world works, I can stay one step ahead"
Her tone was casual, but there was an edge to it, one Indra recognized
It wasn't arrogance
It was certainty
A pause settled between them before Yuzuki stretched, her grin returning in full force
"Plus, who knows? You might actually teach me something useful for once"
Indra exhaled through his nose, half amusement, half exasperation
"You really don't know how to stop talking, do you?"
"Not when I'm winning"
He chuckled, shaking his head
"Fine
I'll bite
But I'm not doing this for your ego"
Yuzuki's innocent smile returned, far too sweet to be genuine
"Oh, I don't know about that
I'm pretty sure you're already doing it for my ego"
Indra smirked
"You've got guts, I'll give you that"
With a mock salute, Yuzuki closed her eyes, settling into a relaxed posture
"Well then, let's get to work
We've got a lot of cultivating to do before I'm born, so you better keep up"
-=-
"Alright, let's get started"
Yuzuki stretched, cracking her knuckles
Indra raised an eyebrow
"Started with what?"
"Cultivation, obviously"
Indra's skepticism was immediate
"You keep using that word like I should care"
Yuzuki smirked
"Oh, you'll care once you realize how useful it is"
She sat cross legged, motioning for him to do the same
"Before I explain, let me ask you something"
Indra sighed but humored her
"Go on"
"What do you think cultivation is?"
Indra thought for a moment
"Refining one's energy and body over time?"
"Close
But it's not just refining-it's elevating"
Yuzuki corrected
She tapped her temple
"Unlike chakra, which forces balance between the body and mind, cultivation refines energy on an individual level
whether that's the soul, the body, or even concepts beyond that"
Indra frowned, processing
"So... you can train the soul separately?"
"Exactly
In fact, you should"
She leaned in, her smirk deepening
"Especially if you're planning to stay in my head forever"
Indra gave her a flat look
"(-_-)"
Yuzuki chuckled but quickly shifted back to the lesson
"Since I can't train my physical body yet, I'm focusing on refining my soul instead
And lucky you-cultivation works on spirits too"
Indra exhaled through his nose, skeptical
"Fine
And how do you do that?"
Yuzuki's grin sharpened
"Ah, now that's where it gets interesting"
She straightened, her expression turning uncharacteristically serious
"My technique is unique
It's Yang-heavy"
Indra frowned
"That doesn't make sense
Yang is usually dominant in men
Shouldn't you-?"
He stopped
Because the second the words left his mouth, he understood
Yuzuki tilted her head, her smirk not quite reaching her eyes
"Go on
Finish your sentence"
Indra didn't
For a moment, silence stretched between them
Then-
"...I see"
Yuzuki let out a soft chuckle, waving a hand dismissively
"Took you long enough
Don't worry about it"
Indra's jaw tightened
"You could've just said-"
"And you could've just accepted my answer the first time"
Indra's expression darkened, but Yuzuki had already moved on, her tone as casual as ever
"Anyway, I can't use pure Yin techniques
Not an option
So I stuck with Yang"
Indra took a controlled breath
"Fine
Then what about me?"
Yuzuki studied him for a moment, then snapped her fingers
"You had kids, didn't you?"
Indra blinked at the abrupt topic change
"That's... an odd way to phrase it"
"I mean, obviously, you did"
Yuzuki continued
"You're my ancestor
Duh"
Indra sighed
"Get to the point"
Yuzuki smirked
"Your Yang must've been strong enough to pass down
But Uchiha blood is heavily Yin-aligned
Which means..."
She trailed off expectantly
Indra thought for a moment before nodding
"A balanced technique would work best for me"
"Ding ding ding! We have a winner"
Indra exhaled, rubbing his temple
"You're exhausting"
"And yet you keep listening to me"
Indra chose to ignore that
"Couldn't you just switch to a Yin-based technique, though? Your new body isn't... tainted, is it?"
It was an innocent question
A logical one
But the air between them shifted
Yuzuki's smirk didn't waver, but there was a slight pause before she answered
"I never learned one"
That was all she said
And she left it at that
Indra, despite every instinct telling him to ask, didn't push
Not this time
Instead, he shifted topics
"So, a balanced technique
What does that mean?"
Yuzuki leaned back on her hands, the tension breaking
"Balanced techniques are great for dual cultivation-combining energy with another person to refine it even further
They work best with lovers or siblings since their energies are naturally in sync"
Indra frowned
"That sounds... unnecessarily complicated"
"Oh, it is
But when it works, it works"
Indra hummed, processing
"And since I'm currently a spirit, that means my Yin energy is-"
"Unnaturally high"
Yuzuki finished for him
Indra nodded
"Then I should focus on cultivating Yang, right?"
"Nope"
Indra blinked
"Why not?"
Yuzuki tapped her head
"Right now, you're only Yin
But if you get a body, your natural Yang will return
If you only train Yang now, you'll just shift the imbalance later instead of fixing it
That's a dumb move"
Indra stared at her
"If I get a body?"
Yuzuki rolled her eyes
"Obviously
Did you think you were stuck like this forever?"
Indra opened his mouth
Stopped
For the first time in a long, long time...
He had no idea what to say
Yuzuki, of course, noticed immediately
And immediately mocked him for it
"You're telling me a reincarnating soul like you never considered the possibility?"
Indra remained silent
Yuzuki let out an exaggerated sigh, waving him off
"Ugh, fine
Be all broody about it
But you better not slack off now that you know it's possible"
Indra still hadn't fully processed what she just told him
But as he looked at Yuzuki, at the utter lack of concern in her expression
He realized something
She already knew
She always knew
And in classic Yuzuki fashion
She simply didn't care
Not because it wasn't important
But because to her, it was just another piece of knowledge to use
Indra exhaled, shaking his head
"You never stop, do you?"
Yuzuki smirked
"Nope
Now shut up and get cultivating"
Indra raised an eyebrow
"And how exactly do I go about that?"
Yuzuki smirked, settling into a comfortable position
"Simple
Move your energy through your soul in a controlled cycle and let it refine itself
Easy"
Indra's deadpan stare could have flattened mountains
"That explains absolutely nothing"
Yuzuki rolled her eyes
"Fine
Here"
She lifted a hand, and a faint golden glow flickered around her fingertips
Slowly, the energy moved in an elegant, looping path, flowing smoothly in and out of her body
"Follow this pattern
Just direct your spiritual energy along a similar path
It'll reinforce itself naturally"
Indra studied the movement, frowning
"And if I do it wrong?"
"Then you'll feel like garbage"
Yuzuki grinned
"But hey, trial and error, right?"
Indra sighed but nodded, closing his eyes to focus
Meanwhile, Yuzuki glanced down at herself
I wonder...
Carefully, she pulled a thread of chakra into her cultivation flow
For a brief second, the energy resisted-
Then, collapsed, dissolving into nothing
She felt a dull sting in her core, not painful, but enough to make her pause
Yeah, okay
Not mixing those yet
With that, she moved on, falling effortlessly into her cultivation cycle
She barely had to think about it, her soul knew the path, even in this weakened state
The energy moved in steady waves, smoothing over any imbalance before it could form
It was... instinctive
Indra, on the other hand-
"Tch"
He frowned
Something felt off
The energy was moving, but it was clumsy, unnatural, like he was trying to force a river through a maze instead of letting it flow
He gritted his teeth
"It's not working"
"You're overthinking it"
Yuzuki muttered without opening her eyes
"Forgive me for wanting to do this correctly"
Indra shot back
Yuzuki sighed, opening one eye to watch him struggle
She could already see the problem
"You're too stiff
Stop forcing it and just let the energy move"
"That's not how technique works"
Indra muttered
"It is if you're good at it"
Indra inhaled sharply through his nose
"Fine
Then show me again"
Yuzuki smirked
"I thought you'd never ask"
This time, instead of just showing him the motion, she reached out with her energy, carefully guiding his flow into the proper pattern
Indra tensed at the sudden interference but didn't resist
Slowly, the resistance in his energy smoothed out
The clashing forces steadied, settling into something more natural
"See? Now you just-"
She let go
The moment her energy withdrew, Indra's cycle immediately collapsed in on itself
He gritted his teeth as a sharp, uncomfortable pressure ran through him
"Tch-!"
Yuzuki winced
"Yeah, should've warned you about that
Letting go too fast kinda sucks"
Indra shot her a glare but said nothing, inhaling deeply to steady himself
"Again"
This time, when she guided his flow, he paid attention, not just to the motion but to why it worked
Slowly, carefully, he took control
And this time, it didn't collapse
The flow continued, sluggish, unsteady, but working
Indra exhaled slowly
"I see"
Yuzuki grinned
"Told you I was a great teacher"
Indra ignored that
For a while, they cultivated in silence
Then-
"Indra"
No response
"Indra"
Still nothing
Yuzuki's eye twitched
She stood, walked over-
And shoved him
Indra jolted awake, eyes snapping open
"What-?"
Yuzuki smirked down at him
"Congrats, you finally got it
Took you long enough"
Indra blinked, disoriented
Something felt... off
His eyes adjusted, focusing on Yuzuki-
And froze
She looked different
Taller
More refined
Her soul's presence had aged, not in a decayed way, but in maturity, like she had developed years' worth of strength while he was stuck in place
"You... look older"
Yuzuki smirked
"Well, yeah
Time doesn't wait for slackers"
Indra frowned
"How long was I-?"
Yuzuki stretched
"Oh, just a few weeks"
Indra froze
"...What"
"Yeah, you kinda just sat there the whole time"
His eye twitched
Yuzuki let out an exaggerated sigh, crossing her arms
"Honestly, I thought about waking you up earlier, but you looked so peaceful sitting there like a lifeless statue"
Indra exhaled sharply
"You're impossible"
"And you're predictable"
Yuzuki shot back
Indra had no retort
Yuzuki laughed again
-=Meanwhile, in the Physical World=-
Mikoto Uchiha sat near the window, a soft smile on her lips as she traced slow circles over her stomach
"They've been more active lately"
She murmured
"That's normal"
Came Fugaku's voice from across the room
He wasn't looking at her, too focused on his writing, but she could tell he was listening
"Still"
Mikoto continued
"it's nice
I wonder if it means they'll be strong"
Fugaku paused for a moment before setting down his brush
"They will be"
His voice left no room for doubt
Mikoto chuckled, leaning back slightly
"Oh? Already confident?"
"They're Uchiha
Of course they will be strong"
Mikoto hummed
Then, quietly, she said
"I just hope they'll be happy"
Fugaku didn't answer immediately
Then-
"Happiness is... secondary"
Mikoto sighed, shaking her head
"Of course you'd say that"
Fugaku exhaled, crossing his arms
"They'll have the strength to carve their own path
If happiness is what they seek, they'll find it"
Mikoto smiled faintly, looking down at her stomach again
"Yuzuki... Sasuke..."
Her fingers traced slow, comforting motions
"Your father believes in your strength"
She paused
"And I... I believe in your happiness"
The soft glow of candlelight flickered gently
Outside, the wind carried the quiet sound of distant laughter
-=Chapter End=-
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