Chapter 152: Life Within the “Cocoon”

"Alright, you two head back and get some rest first."

At the gates of the Hidden Leaf Village, the trio finally returned after several days of travel.

With a brief parting instruction, Uchiha Li chose to leave immediately.

Over the past few days, he had sensed that the brewing of "life" within the space of Terra had reached maturity and could be born at any moment.

This filled Uchiha Li with anticipation. He wondered what on earth could possibly give him such a deep sense of a bloodline connection.

Moreover, the fact that Terra was now capable of nurturing "life" was an incredible breakthrough.

Aside from natural creation, the ability to create life was the divine domain of gods.

Even those at the level of the Sage of Six Paths, possessing powers of creation and rebirth, could not claim the ability to directly create life.

Therefore, Uchiha Li attached immense importance to this impending birth of "life" within Terra.

After Uchiha Li departed, Shisui and Itachi, left behind in the spot, fell into silence.

Shisui remained silent because he sensed that Itachi was undergoing some strange changes, though he could not quite put his finger on it.

During the past few days, whenever he wanted to ask, Itachi always managed to deflect his attention with various topics.

"Itachi, what on earth is going on with you?"

Shisui looked at Itachi, letting out a silent sigh in his heart.

Seeing Shisui's gaze fixed upon him, Itachi instinctively averted his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Shisui-ko, but I have reasons I cannot tell you."

He dared not break the rules of Terra, and he had no intention of telling anyone that he had become a part of Terra.

Right now, he only hoped to use Terra's power to help him awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, and perhaps even obtain the method Uchiha Li spoke of to escape the curse of the Mangekyo.

Neither of them was particularly skilled in verbal expression, so the atmosphere settled into a quiet stillness.

Finally, Itachi took the initiative to speak. "Shisui-ko, if there's nothing else, I'll head back first. You should go get some good rest too."

Hearing this, Shisui glanced at Itachi one last time and said, "Alright."

After a brief pause, Shisui added, "If you encounter any problems, you can talk to me. I have a way to help you solve them."

Given his true strength, he could help Itachi no matter what difficulties he faced.

Even if he couldn't help Itachi himself, Shisui believed that Uchiha Li would have a solution.

If all else failed, having the Leader himself step in would surely resolve any issue.

Therefore, Shisui hoped Itachi would speak his mind rather than keeping things bottled up like this.

At these words, a faint smile appeared on Itachi's face. "Shisui-ko, I'm really fine."

With that, Itachi lingered no longer and walked away.

He was absolutely unwilling to involve anyone in matters concerning Terra, especially Shisui and his family.

Furthermore, in his view, although Shisui was stronger than him, Shisui was certainly no match for Terra.

Lastly, he had no desire for Shisui to find out about his unspeakable Apostolization.

Seeing Itachi leave, Shisui had no choice but to depart as well.

He decided to observe for a while longer; if he discovered that Itachi genuinely needed help, he would step in then.

***

Uchiha Li, naturally, was unaware of what had transpired between Shisui and Itachi after he left.

Gazing at the familiar and comforting small courtyard before him, Uchiha Li pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Crossing the courtyard all the way to the living room, he planned to return to his room to rest for a bit.

At that moment, Uchiha Li noticed that Yao was sitting on the sofa, her eyes covered by something that emitted a faint, subtle fragrance of medicinal herbs.

"Yao, what's wrong?"

Seeing this scene, Uchiha Li grew somewhat anxious.

Hearing Uchiha Li's voice so suddenly, Yao was startled as well.

However, she quickly calmed down, unconcernedly removing the herbs from her eyes, and then spoke in a casual tone, "I just felt a bit tired and was doing some eye-care massage. Why are you so jumpy?"

Looking closely at Yao's eyes and finding no major abnormalities aside from a slightly lifeless look, Uchiha Li breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Looking at Yao with a hint of heartache, Uchiha Li said, "Don't immerse yourself too deeply in work. No matter what, your health is what matters most."

Pausing for a moment, Uchiha Li pressed his lips together and added, "Especially your eyes—you must protect them well."

For the Uchiha clan, the eyes were undoubtedly of paramount importance.

As long as one still possessed healthy eyes, infinite possibilities remained.

With that thought, Uchiha Li mentally noted the matter down.

If he simply nagged her about it, Yao might not listen, so he intended to keep a close watch himself.

If he truly discovered any problems, he now had the means to resolve them.

Especially regarding the eyes, while he wasn't quite a specialist yet, he did possess a certain level of expertise.

"Got it." Uchiha Li Yao gave a serious nod upon seeing Li's nervous expression, then said, "Alright, you must be tired from your mission, go back to your room and rest."

Uchiha Li nodded and said no more.

Returning to his room, Uchiha Li locked the door from the inside, activated the teleportation array, and arrived in the space of Terra.

Without hesitation, Uchiha Li walked directly toward the newly opened space within Terra.

Upon entering the space, Uchiha Li could increasingly feel the sensation of that "life" preparing to burst forth.

Soon, Uchiha Li discovered a "cocoon"-like object standing upright within the newly cleared space.

And the sensation of life he had perceived was emanating precisely from this "cocoon."

Seemingly sensing Uchiha Li's approach, the "cocoon" began to sway gently.

"What on earth is this thing?"

Observing this scene, Uchiha Li's doubts deepened even further.

He had experienced a few times how the progression of Terra's restoration would cause areas previously shrouded in white mist to open up, so he was quite familiar with it.

Yet the appearance of a "cocoon" carrying clear signs of "life" this time was entirely unprecedented to him.

"Perhaps I can only wait for it to be nurtured and born before I'll know the answer."

"I just wonder how much longer it will take for it to hatch?"

Uchiha Li approached the "cocoon" once more and, on an impulse, gently touched its shell with his hand.

At that exact moment, an unexpected event occurred.

Uchiha Li felt his chakra begin to flow uncontrollably toward the "cocoon," and upon receiving his chakra, the "cocoon" emitted a feeling of joyful jubilation.

"An illusion?"

Uchiha Li doubted whether his senses were playing tricks on him; after all, how could a mere "cocoon" give him such a feeling?

Yet the deep sense of a bloodline connection was something he knew he could not possibly misperceive, and it was growing increasingly distinct.

*Crack...*

Suddenly, a faint cracking sound echoed.

In the quiet environment of Terra's sky, the sound was exceptionally clear.

With a hint of solemnity, Uchiha Li watched intently.

As the cracking process accelerated, he finally saw clearly what was being nurtured within the "cocoon."

Gazing at the figure inside, Uchiha Li knew he would likely never forget it for the rest of his life.

"It's you? No, it's..."

"Me?"