Chapter 1: Birth in Silence (Part 2/4)
The first three months passed quietly.
Snow gave way to cold rain. The wind stayed sharp. But inside the small shed-room they lived in, Huo Yun'er did what she could to keep them warm.
She patched the thin blanket with bits of linen left in the laundry shed. She boiled rice porridge twice a day and gave Yuhao every bite she could spare. Her cheeks grew thinner, her hands bonier, but she smiled when she held him.
Yuhao felt the difference every time he touched her skin. Her body was growing weaker, slowly but steadily. Her pulse stuttered more often in her sleep. Her cough came more often after standing.
> [System Analysis: Host's Guardian in Early-Stage Lung Degeneration]
[Recommended Action: Improve Nutrition, Reduce Cold Exposure, Begin External Treatment]
But he was still a baby. He couldn't talk. Couldn't walk. Couldn't reach the kitchen fire without help.
So he observed. Memorized. Calculated.
When Yun'er opened the shutters during the day, he studied the yard layout. The servant rotation patterns. The way food was delivered to the outer rooms.
He noticed who looked down on them. Who ignored them. Who tossed extra scraps to the animals—but never to them.
The estate was cold, in more ways than one.
---
By the time Yuhao was six months old, he had started crawling. His limbs were small, but flexible. His fingers moved with surprising coordination.
Yun'er was delighted.
"Already trying to run away from your mother?" she teased, reaching to scoop him up.
He didn't resist. He liked the warmth of her arms.
That night, she fell asleep with him against her chest. Her heartbeat was slower than it should've been. Her body had lost weight again.
Yuhao stared into the darkness, unmoving.
> [Host Soul Power: Dormant]
[Sharingan: Suppressed, Manual Activation Only]
[Mental Power: Low – Normal for Age]
[Projection Magic: Available (Basic)]
[System Efficiency Module Active – Learning Rate Boosted in Passive Observation Mode]
He couldn't do much. Not yet.
But he could prepare.
---
The estate doctor visited once a month. He was paid well by the main house, but never stepped near the outer servant rooms. The one time Yun'er asked for help, he laughed and walked away.
"Be glad you're not on the street."
She said nothing.
That night, Yuhao watched the door of the main hall flicker open from his blanket. The doctor left, whistling. A bottle of tonic swung loosely from his belt.
Yuhao marked the brand. Memorized the scent.
---
By age one, Yuhao had begun standing.
Not always. Sometimes he slipped. But he could reach the edge of the bedframe. Use it to lift himself upright. And balance.
Yun'er clapped softly when she saw.
"You're growing so fast," she said.
He looked up at her. She didn't notice the way his eyes tracked the fluttering candle flame—perfectly steady.
That night, while she slept, he activated his Sharingan for the first time.
Only briefly.
The world shifted. Light patterns sharpened. The wood grain of the walls became clear as paper. The faint breath of a mouse beneath the floor registered.
He blinked once, and deactivated it.
> [Sharingan Activation Duration: 0:00:17]
[Mental Drain: Minor]
[No External Detection]
Step by step.
He was going to fix this life from the ground up.