Chereads / Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home / Chapter 156 - Chapter 156: Flashback I

Chapter 156 - Chapter 156: Flashback I

Thank you guys for the reviews, I will be spreading out the chapters earned throughout the week since there has been more than expected and my irl workload has increased. 

I will also be stopping the review = 3 extra chapter promos for a bit, but don't worry it will be coming back again!!

There will be 8 chapters dropping today!!

Remember though that you can still send power stones to earn an extra chapter. We only need 13 more power stones to get an extra chapter (a free chapter every 30 power stones)!!

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The ability to peer into someone's mind is a skill only the Yamanaka clan possesses. They can directly invade a target's memories and witness the images rooted there. However, memories are a vague concept without any true physical form, so the images they see are often fragmented and somewhat blurred. Yet, these fragments are the most genuine, with no illusions or fabrications.

Compared to the Yamanaka clan, Ye Zi's spirit possession technique allows him to directly assimilate a target's memories after devouring their soul. In some ways, this ability is even more powerful than the Yamanakas'. However, due to its strength, it comes with many limitations. Even when consuming a young boy's memories, Ye Zi had to filter out a great deal to avoid being affected himself.

There are, of course, many other ways to peer into someone's mind or memories.

There's hypnosis, but those who undergo special training can provide false information.

Then, there's genjutsu, which uses illusions to reconstruct past events based on the target's memories. The degree of success depends on the skill of the user, allowing them to gain varying levels of insight into the mind.

As the most skilled member of the Uchiha clan, Madara's expertise in genjutsu is unrivaled. Although his Mangekyō Sharingan had evolved into the Rinnegan, which he had transplanted into Nagato, he could still cast powerful genjutsu with just the Three-Tomoe Sharingan he had borrowed.

Madara intended to use genjutsu to create a dream—a stable, unchanging dream. The dream's subject would be Ye Zi, and its content would be the memories buried deep within his mind.

Madara couldn't control the dream's content; he could only guide Ye Zi. The dream itself would be influenced solely by the sleeping Ye Zi's mind.

In the dark underground chamber, a crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly.

"Ye Zi, promise me, you'll take care of Rui!"

In an infinite white world, a voice echoed out of nowhere, like a single black drop of water falling from the sky into a pool of white. It sent out ripples, black circles spreading outward in an unending wave.

"This is your duty as her brother. Can you do it?" another voice called out.

"If we're not here, Rui will be your only family. You must protect her and never let her get hurt."

"Ye ZI, I'm sorry you have to bear this burden."

Two distinct voices resounded in the white world.

Black ripples danced across the white water, like the swirling currents of time itself.

"I swear, until you come back, I will take care of Rui," a childish voice suddenly interrupted, overshadowing the other two.

But… they will never return…

The white world abruptly shifted.

The black ripples vanished in an instant.

Above, the sky turned dark, and through a small, cold window, only a few stars twinkled in the night.

A six-year-old boy clutched the cold metal bars of the window, silently gazing at the stars. Behind him, the faint sound of gentle breathing could be heard.

Like the small window, the room itself was tiny, furnished only with a low square table and a rack for hanging clothes.

A single blanket covered the floor, taking up half the room. Beneath it, a two-year-old girl slept peacefully.

The boy was Ye Zi, and the girl was his sister, Rui.

Ye Zi hopped off the square table and walked over to his sister, who had kicked part of the blanket off in her sleep. Gently, he pulled the blanket back over her.

Moonlight streamed through the high, small iron window, falling on his face, revealing a faint resemblance to his future self.

This was the first day they had arrived at the orphanage. Earlier that day, their parents had been taken away by a group of people, leaving them behind.

As autumn neared its end, the night was cold, and the blanket covering Rui was thin. Ye Zi had folded it several times to keep her warm, leaving nothing to cover himself when he lay down beside her.

He lay next to her, fully dressed, enduring the creeping cold that slowly chilled his body, his brow slightly furrowed.

The next morning, the wooden door creaked open.

A large woman in blue entered, roughly pulling the blanket off Rui. The noise roused Rui, who groggily opened her eyes, while he immediately stood up, wide awake.

The large woman cast a cold glance at the siblings, dropped a washbasin on the floor, and said, "Wash up, then go to the cafeteria." With that, she left.

The basin held two sets of washing utensils.

After the woman left, he spat toward the door, sticking out his tongue in a rebellious gesture.

Then, he gently lifted his still-drowsy sister. "Rui, let's wash up. After that, we can eat. Are you hungry?"

Rui rubbed her eyes and nodded, her voice soft. "I'm hungry."

"Alright then," Ye Zi said with a smile. "If you're hungry, let's move quickly and get ready."

He helped Rui wash up, and then they made their way through the hallway to the cafeteria, where the noise of children filled the air. The eldest was no more than eight or nine years old.

Despite the loud chatter, the adults preparing breakfast remained unaffected, their faces expressionless as they worked.

Breakfast was simple: a cup of milk, an egg, and a piece of bread. Simple, yet plentiful, indicating that this orphanage was relatively well off.

Here, Ye Zi was among the older children, but Rui stood out because of her age. Most of the children were around four or five years old, making the two-year-old Rui especially noticeable.

The food portions didn't vary with age—everyone received the same amount.

Ye Zi peeled his egg, split it in half, and handed one piece to Rui. "Eat slowly, okay?" he said seriously.

"Okay," Rui responded obediently, taking small bites of the egg.

Ye Zi smiled and began eating his own breakfast, all the while observing the other children in the cafeteria.

"This is where we'll live from now on. Dad, Mom… when will you come back for us?"

He knew what an orphanage was, and the last words his parents had said before being taken away left him with a sense of foreboding, though he didn't want to dwell on the worst-case scenario.

In his heart, he had an idea why his parents had been taken.

From a young age, he had been an energetic boy, often running around his parents' lab. However, he had always been careful not to touch anything, merely observing the strange instruments. Because of this, his father allowed him to stay in the lab and sometimes explained things to him. Over time, Ye Zi had absorbed more than a child his age usually would.

His parents being taken away was undoubtedly linked to that lab.

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Chapter 211 - Sasori Joining the Akatsuki and his Requirements