"Your performance is still disappointingly poor, you two weak little children."
Leon spoke in a mocking, disappointed tone as he slowly walked away with calm steps, glancing back over his shoulder.
Right behind him, Ishin Senju and Hiroshi Uchiha lay helplessly on the cold ground, their bodies completely covered in blue and black bruises while dried red blood clung to their wounds. Both of them were breathing heavily, struggling desperately to regain their broken rhythm of breath.
"I hope you improve much more before our next battle."
Leon said it like advice, though faint mockery was still clear in his voice.
"Otherwise, I'll have to become even harsher."
Then, in the very next moment, he vanished instantly from the area, leaving the two of them behind in their pain and humiliating defeat.
"Damn it!"
Hiroshi Uchiha slammed his trembling fist into the hard ground while still lying flat on his back, unable to stand, then shouted with a voice full of fury, frustration, and pain,
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
His expression was completely twisted by overwhelming rage and helplessness. His face had turned red, and tears filled his eyes from the crushing frustration inside him.
How many more times would he be crushed like this? When would he finally avenge his father? When would he reclaim those eyes?!
As for Ishin Senju, he simply lay there silently, slowly recovering his breathing while staring blankly into the wide blue sky above with strange calmness.
How could he become stronger? How could he defeat that monster? How could he protect his clan?
But neither of them realized that Leon was still nearby, carefully observing them and watching their reactions from a distance. Then, after a moment, he smiled as he saw Hiroshi's rage and Ishin's calmness.
"Yes! Exactly like that!"
Then he continued inwardly with hidden excitement,
"Gather all that anger and resentment."
"And turn it into fuel to sharpen your strength more and more!"
Only then did Leon truly leave this time, returning after completing his task. The stimulation and pressure he wanted had already been achieved now, all he had to do was wait.
Meanwhile, deep inside the forbidden area, after Dan finished his intense training on the Depth Seal, he calmly turned toward the nearby dense forest after noticing something strange and unexpected.
A small tiger cub had approached the area, even though wild animals normally stayed far away from this place because of the overwhelming pressure surrounding it.
Dan disappeared from his spot and appeared directly in front of the tiny cub. Beautiful orange and black fur. Wide blue eyes.
"What brought you here, little one?"
Dan muttered curiously while carefully examining the cub.
"Where's your mother?"
Then he released his sensory network, covering the surrounding region as he searched for its mother. After a short moment of searching, he looked back at the little cub, which was making frightened warning sounds at him, trying to stop him from approaching.
"Miaaaw! Hssss! Miaaaw!"
"Well then, I've decided to take you with me."
Dan said firmly. After examining the surrounding area, he had discovered that the cub's mother had unfortunately died from severe injuries, most likely after a violent battle with another beast.
He slowly approached the little cub, but it immediately started making even more frightened and defensive sounds, as if trying to threaten him despite its fear.
Dan paused for a moment and thought calmly.
"If I want to adopt it and take it with me…"
"Then I should tame it a little first and show it the proper hierarchy."
After that, he released only the tiniest fragment of his aura for a brief instant.
Even that alone made all the cub's fur stand on end in terror as it immediately began whimpering fearfully.
"Miaaaaw… miaaaaw… nnngh…"
Its entire body curled up tightly into a small trembling ball, completely frightened and submissive.
Dan then gently reached out and picked up the shaking cub in his arms, feeling its tiny body trembling intensely between his hands.
"Miaaaaw… miaaaaw…"
"Looks like I overdid it a little."
He muttered quietly to himself with a slight feeling of guilt. Maybe he should have used even less than that.
Still, what was done was done. The result was good, and the submission had already been achieved.
Then he vanished from the spot returning to his family's residence, where he would raise this small cub.
And honestly, he was certain his children especially his younger daughters would absolutely love this new member of the family.
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