???
"It hurts."
"I'm tired."
"I can't move."
"There's nothing in front of me."
"Why am I injured?"
"Why am I here?"
"Where are you, big brother?"
"Sniff! Come save me."
---
Zoro
I was facing a huge dilemma.
I had learned from Hyo that our escape had caused an uproar among the higher-ups.
The reputation of the Zen'in clan had taken a hit, and even if it wasn't good news for them, it was even worse for me.
Now I was convinced they wouldn't hesitate to do anything to get their hands on me and make an example of us for anyone who dared defy them.
I was truly cornered.
I was sure I could handle things on my own. Most tracking techniques didn't work on me because I had no cursed energy.
The only techniques that could work would be soul- or body-related ones, which were much rarer than people think.
In a way, the same applied to Toji, except that surviving, feeding us, and finding shelter for both of us while on the run would be incredibly difficult.
I had talked about it with Hyo, which led to my current dilemma.
"Should I let him grow up safely with Hyo, or take him with me on the run?"
Said like that, the answer seemed obvious.
On one side, he could live safely, be cared for, go to school, make friends, get a girlfriend—basically, a normal life.
On the other side, he would be forced to run for his life until we got strong enough, and experience deadly battles. A guaranteed traumatic childhood.
Yet one thing stopped me from choosing: my promise.
I promised I would always be there for him. A promise I couldn't keep if I left him behind.
If I took that promise seriously, I would have no choice but to bring him with me.
And honestly… I didn't want to leave him.
I could even admit that I was using that promise as an excuse for my own selfishness, and I couldn't deny it.
So here I was, stuck between reason on one side and emotion on the other.
I didn't even want to bother asking Toji's opinion.
After all, what can a five-year-old really understand about the situation we're in?
I didn't want to sound arrogant, but there was almost a 100% chance Toji would choose to come with me.
"Sigh! What a pain."
---
Three days later – Tsukumo Hyo
I can't stand this kid anymore.
When the kid arrived at my place five days ago and I made the mistake of letting him in, I didn't expect to deal with so many problems.
He spent his days either sulking next to his brother, stuffing himself like a pig, or training like an idiot in the garden despite his injuries.
The worst part was his lack of answers when I asked how he healed so fast.
How he could be so fast?
How he could have so much endurance?
The only answer he ever gave was:
"I'm just built different."
This little jerk.
"Please stop insulting me in your thoughts," Zoro said, stopping his training.
"You can read minds now?"
"I'm just built different."
'Okay, I'm going to kill him.'
It took all the patience I had cultivated over the years to stop myself from using my innate technique to split him in half.
I could clearly see he was doing it on purpose. That cheerful little smirk on his face proved it.
I'm never letting my daughter anywhere near him.
"I'm not interested in your daughter, ma'am."
Shock ran through me at those words.
"Brat, how did you do that?"
That punchable grin returned to his face.
No way~ Don't tell me he's—
"I'm just built different."
"You little brat," I said, rushing toward him.
---
Zoro
"Bwahahaha!"
I couldn't stop laughing. In this stressful situation that was wearing down my nerves, teasing Tsukumo Hyo was a real comfort.
Reading her thoughts wasn't hard.
While she watched me train, I felt her frustration through my Observation Haki. She insulted easily, and since she wasn't speaking out loud, it was obvious she was insulting me internally.
Then her frustration shifted to determination and affection, emotions she only felt when talking about her daughter.
And since she had mentioned her daughter a hundred times already, it wasn't hard to guess what was going on in her head.
When will she understand that I'm not interested in her daughter?
Over the three days that passed, I had recovered from most of my injuries, both physical and mental.
My Haki wasn't at its peak yet, but it had recovered enough for me to cover the house with it.
I was currently training infusion.
Imbuing was useful, but I couldn't use it on two swords at once because of how weak it was.
While I trained, I constantly monitored Toji's condition through Observation Haki, which allowed me to notice that…
"He's awake!"
I immediately sheathed my swords and sprinted off.
"Hey! Brat, where are you running like that?!"
I didn't bother answering, and simply entered the house.
I rushed up the stairs, reached the hallway, then finally stopped in front of his room.
But my hand froze before it reached the door handle.
Nothing was stopping me. There was no invisible force holding my hand back.
No infinite force slowing me down as I approached.
No Stand grabbing my wrist to stop me.
No barrier blocking the way.
Yet I still couldn't grab that handle. And I knew why.
It all came down to one thing: fear.
I was scared.
Scared that Toji might be afraid when he saw me.
Scared that Toji might be relieved when he saw me.
Scared of making a choice.
Because I knew. If I opened that door, I would be forced to choose.
Would I choose reason? Would I abandon Toji in someone else's care, even if that someone was trustworthy like Hyo?
Or would I choose emotion? Would I take Toji with me even if it increased the chances of getting us both killed?
The dilemma I had managed to push away came back stronger than ever.
Without realizing it, I stepped back from the door. But that ended quickly.
"WHAAA! BIG BROTHER, WHERE ARE YOU?!"
Hearing Toji's cries, I stopped thinking. My brain switched to autopilot, and I kicked the door open.
I rushed to Toji and held him tightly.
"Shh! Shh! I'm here, don't worry. Don't think you can get rid of me that easily."
Toji quickly calmed down and buried his face in my neck.
"Big brother… sniff… sniff…"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm here. It's okay."
At that moment, my decision was already made.