Chapter 5: The Secrets Beneath the Blood
In which old truths are unearthed, hearts are bound not by blood but by love, and vengeance is softly born.
The air was still in the Xiao Clan courtyard, as though the world itself held its breath.
A late summer sun filtered lazily through the paper-thin curtains, casting golden slashes across the wooden floor. Dust motes floated like memory fragments in the glow, drifting between silence and revelation. In the centre of that heavy hush sat Xiao Lie, the eldest of the Xiao Clan and once its proudest warrior, though now he looked more like a weathered monument to grief than the vital man he once was.
His hands were clasped in his lap, knuckles pale, his eyes lost in a place far beyond the walls of the room. When he finally spoke, his voice was slow, as if torn from the deepest well of his soul.
"There is something I must tell you… something long buried."
Yun Che, seated across from him, blinked, the shadows playing on his face. Lingxi stood behind him, one hand pressed tightly over her chest as if to hold her heart steady.
"You are not… Xiao Che."
The words landed like stones in a still pond, rippling through the silence.
Xiao Lie's tale unraveled like a threadbare tapestry, each detail a worn and painful knot.
Years ago—when fire still danced in his limbs and time had yet to touch his face—his son, Lingxi's brother, had journeyed beyond the borders of the empire. There, amidst battle and betrayal, he met a man—Yun Che's father.
They were not blood brothers, but they became brothers in everything that mattered. Sword to sword, back to back, they survived countless trials. And then, as all great friendships do in the stories of old, they parted with the promise to meet again.
"And fate, cruel and strange, did bring them together again… but not in joy."
Yun Che's parents were being hunted, shadows trailing them with blades drawn and eyes aflame. The child was no older than a bundle of soft cries and starlit dreams. Desperate, they came to the Xiao Clan seeking sanctuary.
"My son did the only thing he could. He gave them his son—our Xiao Che—and took in you, young one, to keep you safe."
There was a sharp intake of breath behind Yun Che. Lingxi's eyes had widened, her lips trembling with the weight of revelation.
Xiao Lie's voice cracked as he continued, the memory of loss cleaving through his spirit like the final blow of a war he never truly survived.
"The pursuers found them. Killed my son. Killed your mother. The only one who lived was you…"
And then, as if that sorrow were not enough, his wife—his heart's companion—passed not long after, worn thin by grief and the silent death that comes with shattered hope. What should have been the prime of Xiao Lie's life turned into a hollow echo. His body aged with unnatural speed, a man robbed not just of time but of purpose.
Yun Che sat frozen, his hands clenched tightly on his knees. The name he bore, the blood in his veins, even his destiny—it all shimmered like a mirage, reshaped in the heat of truth.
But instead of anger, it was clarity that filled his heart. He looked up, voice low but unshaken.
"You will always be my family, Grandpa. Whether by blood or not. I owe you everything."
His words were quiet, but they landed like thunder in the small chamber.
A flicker of moisture rimmed Xiao Lie's eyes. It did not fall.
"And I will find them. The ones who did this. Not for my sake… but for you. For Lingxi. I swear it."
There was silence again, deeper now, more sacred.
Lingxi stepped forward, her hand brushing Yun Che's shoulder. She had always known he was different, that there was something unspoken wrapped around the mystery of his birth—but this… this was more than any tale she had imagined.
Her heart ached for her brother, for the father who died protecting a friend's child, and for the boy who now sat with quiet fire in his eyes.
Yun Che's shoulders straightened as if the very truth had given him a new spine, forged not of bitterness, but of unwavering resolve.
"I will bring Xiao Che home. And I will end those who took your son from you."
-----------------------------------------------
It was one of those moments where the past and future hung in fragile balance—like a delicate paper lantern in the wind, swaying between light and shadow.
The courtyard had long since fallen into a reverent hush, broken only by the soft rustle of leaves and the gentle trickle of a fountain tucked somewhere out of sight. The late afternoon sun had mellowed into a warm glow, casting soft amber rays across the room like a blessing.
Xiao Lie sat perfectly still, his hands folded before him like a monk deep in contemplation, though his eyes shimmered faintly. His weathered face bore a dozen lines of sorrow and a thousand of wisdom, but in that moment, there was only quiet hope.
He had seen the worst of life. Betrayal. Death. The slow erosion of joy that comes with burying those you love. And yet… here, in this room, something had shifted.
The storm that had haunted his family for over a decade was beginning to lift.
Across from him, Naruto leaned against a wooden pillar with the ease of someone who had no fear in his bones. Calm, unshakable, and entirely unreadable. He had said little since revealing the truth. But the very air around him pulsed with quiet certainty, as though he had peered through all the world's chaos and still found reason to smile.
Xiao Lie cast him a sideways glance. He wanted to say, Don't waste your youth chasing vengeance. Just live happily. But something about the man's stillness… something about the way he carried the weight of a thousand unseen battles… made him hold his tongue.
This wasn't a man who needed advice. This was a man others listened to.
"We will always love you as family," Xiao Lie said instead, his voice deep but soft. "But tread carefully. Hatred is a blade with no hilt. Grasp it too tightly… and it will cut you."
Yun Che nodded, calm and composed, yet fire simmered in his eyes.
"Grandpa, I'm always cautious."
Xiao Lie smiled—truly smiled—for the first time in a long time. For the first time, perhaps, since his son died.
And then Yun Che turned.
He looked at Naruto. At Lingxi. At the man who had raised him from a child barely able to walk.
"Grandpa," he said, his voice firm, "I wish to take back my real name."
The words, simple as they were, fell like thunder.
Xiao Lie blinked. "You don't need to do that, Xiao Che—"
But Yun Che cut him off gently, shaking his head.
"No. The truth must be known. Not because I want to distance myself from you… but because I love Lingxi. I want to marry her."
The silence that followed was so intense, one could almost hear the leaves outside freeze mid-rustle.
Lingxi gasped quietly, her cheeks turning the shade of spring rosebuds. Even Naruto, who had mastered the art of looking unbothered, raised a brow in amused surprise.
But Yun Che's gaze didn't waver. He didn't flinch. He had waited too long to speak the truth of his heart. If he hesitated now, he might lose her forever.
"I've always loved her," he continued, voice softening. "Even when I believed we were family… I couldn't stop it. I tried. I really tried. But every time I looked at her, I saw the only light I've ever known. And I can't imagine my life without her."
Lingxi's breath hitched.
Her heart was beating wildly, not like a drum but like wings fluttering in a jar. This moment—the truth, the name, the confession—it all collided inside her like a summer storm. Her knees felt weak, and her head spun, but Yun Che's voice kept her grounded.
"Didn't you always ask me to spend more time with you than with other girls?" he asked gently. "Do you really want me to marry someone else and leave you behind?"
She stared into his eyes.
And for the first time, she really looked—past the childhood memories, past the boy she had once seen as family. What she saw now was a man who had fought quietly, relentlessly, to stay by her side. Even when it was forbidden. Even when it broke his heart.
She didn't want anyone else.
She didn't want him to leave.
She didn't care about blood or names or tradition.
"Father," Lingxi said, stepping forward, her voice trembling but clear, "I love Xiao Che. Not as a sister. As a woman. I don't want anyone else. I want to marry him."
The room exhaled.
Xiao Lie looked between them—his adopted grandson, his bright-eyed daughter. So much pain had wound itself into their stories, but here they stood, hand in hand, their hearts finally unchained.
He had tried to keep them apart. For their sake. For tradition's sake. But love had quietly bloomed in defiance of it all.
He could see it now—had always seen it, if he were honest. The stolen glances. The hours spent beneath the peach tree. The warmth in Lingxi's eyes whenever she laughed at Xiao Che's clumsy jokes.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked.
"Yes," they said in unison, voices strong, fingers intertwined.
Xiao Lie nodded slowly. The smile that returned to his face this time was sad, but peaceful.
"Then I have nothing more to say. I accept it. And I allow you to take Lord Uzumaki as your master."
Yun Che's eyes shimmered as he stood up and wrapped his arms around the old man.
"Thank you, Grandpa. I'll never let anything happen to her. I swear it."
In the corner, Eida sniffled dramatically.
"Ugh," she said, wiping away a suspiciously shiny tear. "That was disgustingly sweet. Honestly, I feel like I just swallowed a whole bag of sugar."
Daemon, sitting beside her, leaned back and grinned.
"I liked it. It was like one of those romance scrolls you keep hidden under your pillow."
"I do not—shut up, Daemon!"
Naruto chuckled under his breath as Delta shook her head, pretending not to care, though her smirk betrayed her.
--------------------------------
The golden twilight danced across the courtyard like a curtain of light spun from summer dreams. The breeze had softened, carrying with it the scent of jasmine and old leaves. Around the modest home of the Xiao family, an unusual stillness had settled—like the world itself was holding its breath.
Naruto, standing tall in his usual orange-and-black robes that somehow looked far more regal in this new realm, clapped his hands together with the cheerful finality of a teacher wrapping up a lecture. "Well," he declared, grinning like a fox with a secret, "that was a lovely family moment—but let's move on, shall we?"
His tone was light, almost playful, yet the air around him rippled faintly with a power so vast and ancient that even the wind dared not interrupt.
"I'll be journeying across this world with my students," Naruto continued, turning slightly as his cloak fluttered with authority, "training them, guiding them, giving them trials… the whole 'heroic mentor' routine."
He glanced at Xiao Lie, whose mind was still tethered to the emotional reunion he'd just had with his daughter. There was weariness in the old man's eyes—one that ran deeper than age. Naruto's gaze softened for a breath, and then turned sharp.
"Now," Naruto said, voice ringing with intent, "I offer you a choice. Serve me. Walk beside me—not as a soldier, but as a follower. Watch over the children, help guide them. I'll help you cultivate again… but more than that, I can help you find joy in a world that forgot you."
He took a step forward, and then dropped the line with a quiet power that shook the room:
"Prove yourself… and I can grant your desires."
Silence.
The words floated like mist, drifting and wrapping around the hearts of all who heard them. But they struck deepest into one man—Xiao Lie. The old general, long since retired into obscurity, had thought himself immune to dreams.
Until now.
My desires… my wife… my son…
The thought pulsed through his heart like a war drum. Was it possible? Could such things… be undone?
Before doubt could root itself in his mind, a voice—not spoken aloud, but one that resounded within the very walls of his soul—answered.
I mean it.
The voice was calm, resolute, and impossibly ancient. It was the voice of a being who had seen stars born and gods fall, who could reach into the tapestry of fate and tie its threads into a new design.
Xiao Lie dropped to his knees with a gasp that rattled his lungs.
There was no thunderclap, no divine chorus, but somehow, the act felt as sacred as any oath sworn before the heavens.
He bowed his head low and declared, "My lord… this unworthy servant shall serve you with utmost loyalty."
It wasn't a plea.
It wasn't desperation.
It was faith.
Because in that moment—when the veil between truth and belief had been lifted—Xiao Lie had seen it. Not with his eyes, but with the core of his spirit.
He had seen destruction.
He had seen creation.
And he had seen the truth that this man before him, with the easy smile and sunshine hair, was no mere cultivator. No—he was Immortal.
And Xiao Lie… was just an ant.
"Stand up," Naruto said, kneeling slightly and resting a hand on the old man's shoulder with warmth that hummed like lightning beneath the skin. "No need to bow to me. Just walk beside me. Help where needed. Take care of the little ones. Enjoy the ride."
And then—he did something no one was prepared for.
He poured his chakra into Xiao Lie's body.
It wasn't forceful. It wasn't even particularly dramatic. But it was powerful.
The change was immediate.
The stagnant, weary energy inside Xiao Lie shuddered—then roared. The old blockages crumbled like sand castles before a tide. Power surged through his meridians, hot and golden, cleansing, rebuilding, healing.
Within a breath, Xiao Lie broke through the bottleneck that had caged him for decades.
Then another breath—and he reached the fifth level.
His body changed.
His silver hair darkened, streaks of ebony dancing back in.
His bent back straightened.
His muscles reformed, lean and corded, like a warrior tempered by both age and strength.
When it was over, Xiao Lie stood not as a relic of yesterday—but a man reborn.
He blinked, touching his face as if seeing it for the first time in years.
"Thank you… my lord," he whispered, voice thick with reverence.
The others stared in wide-eyed disbelief—yet Naruto remained unbothered, as if he'd merely offered someone a warm meal.
"No need to thank me," Naruto chuckled, brushing invisible dust from his sleeve. "Your children have a future that even this world can't contain. It's only fair you walk forward with them."
Behind him, the barrier shimmered faintly—a masterwork of sealing that kept the miracle from echoing across the land. No senses would detect it. No enemies would hear.
But the hearts of those present?
They would never forget.
And as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long golden shadows across the earth, Xiao Lie stood taller than he had in years—beside the man who could remake the world.
---------------------------------
Everything was going surprisingly well, and that alone should've been a sign that something unpredictable was about to happen.
Young Xiao Yuanba stood awkwardly in the middle of the courtyard, hands behind his back like a boy who had accidentally wandered into a grown-up conversation and didn't quite know how to leave politely. There was a warm breeze in the air, a scent of plum blossoms drifting lazily through the trees, and the sun, with excellent timing, cast a golden shimmer over the cobblestones. It was, in every way, the kind of day that looked like it belonged in someone else's life.
The problem was, Yuanba didn't quite understand why he was there.
He cleared his throat, trying not to look too confused. Wasn't this supposed to be a family moment? Did they mean to include me or did I just tag along by mistake?
Yet, he couldn't bring himself to care too much. He was happy — the kind of soft, effervescent joy that bubbled up from your chest when life unexpectedly felt full of promise.
Naruto, meanwhile, stood with his hands on his hips, grinning like someone who had just finished solving five problems at once and was already planning on solving five more before dinner.
"No problem," he said breezily, patting Yun Che's back and gently turning him around. "Go handle your clan's matters. As for me, I'll take Yuanba with me."
Yun Che looked surprised. "Master, should I come along?"
Naruto waved a hand. "No need. You go, enjoy the family drama — I mean duties. You can join me once everything's wrapped up."
Without waiting for further protests, Naruto casually hooked an arm around Yuanba's shoulders, like an older brother leading a kid out of trouble — or into it, depending on the day — and began walking with him down the path.
"Erm... Lord Uzumaki?" Yuanba asked, blinking up at him as Daemon the squirrel comfortably made himself at home atop his head. "Where exactly are we going?"
Before Naruto could answer, Eida glided up beside them with the poise of someone who had never once tripped on a loose cobblestone in her life. Her gaze was calm, her voice as even as the ticking of a well-made clock.
"Lord Naruto intends to take your sister as a student as well," she explained. "And if you hadn't realized it yet, he intends to take you as one too."
Yuanba's feet stumbled a little over the path. "M-me? But I'm... I'm not very good at cultivation. I'm slow. Everyone says so."
Naruto stopped, turned to face him, and bent down slightly, placing both hands firmly on the boy's shoulders.
"Yuanba," he said, his tone lighter than air, but his eyes full of quiet certainty, "you're not slow. You're different. Sometimes, the people who seem slow are the ones who just need a different kind of push — a gentler one, or a weirder one, or even a sideways one. I think you're a genius."
Yuanba opened his mouth in disbelief, unsure if he should laugh or bow. He did neither, settling for blinking rapidly.
"Trust me," Naruto added with a grin. "My kind of training works on all kinds of oddballs."
At that exact moment, Delta — elegant, smug, and ever so helpful — appeared beside them with the timing of a thunderclap interrupting a romantic song.
"Don't let it go to your head," she said, peering down at him with half-lidded eyes. "You'll still be an ant compared to us... but at least you'll be a better-trained ant. A suitable little servant."
Daemon let out a high-pitched squeak, which might have been a squirrel's version of a snort.
Yuanba gave a nervous laugh. "I, uh... I don't mind being an ant. As long as I get to be your ant."
Naruto chuckled, slinging his arm back around the boy's shoulders. "Good answer. Now come on, I've got a whole new world of training to show you — and I promise, it'll be insane, painful, and absolutely brilliant."
As they walked off together, the sun dipped slightly lower, casting long shadows that danced behind them like playful spirits. The breeze shifted. Somewhere, the gears of fate clicked softly into place.
Yuanba didn't know it yet — not really — but today was the day his life began to change.
And all because someone had looked past his awkward smile, and seen something rare, something powerful, something waiting to be lit.
A spark.
And Naruto Uzumaki was very good at lighting sparks.