Chapter 13 Hook

"Then I will set off." Madara packed his luggage, "Please rest assured, I will definitely complete the mission successfully and come back."

"Well, he's Madara after all." Ling smiled and ruffled Madara's hair, "Be careful."

Tajima nodded slightly, "It doesn't matter if something unexpected happens, it's okay to give up the mission, the important thing is to come back alive."

Izuna also tugged at the hem of Tajima's haori, looking quite reluctant to leave. "Brother Ban, please come back soon. You promised to teach me the art of throwing."

Bantan reached out and rubbed the top of Izuna's head like Ling had just done to him, with a smile that was extremely gentle. "Well, don't worry, but Izuna must not fall behind in her own practice, okay?"

"Ok!"

After saying goodbye again, Madara did not stay and ran to the team waiting at the door and followed them. When he could no longer see Madara's back, Tajima turned around and took out the prepared ninja tool bag from behind the door, "Ling, this is yours."

Izumi, who was standing at the side, suddenly opened her eyes wide, and her voice sounded aggrieved as if she was about to cry, "Brother, are you leaving too?"

Ling first thanked him and took the ninja tool bag and put it on his back, then turned to Izunai and rubbed his brother's head, "Well, after all, brother has recovered from his injury now, and it's time to start rehabilitation training."

Izuna was still holding onto the hem of Tajima's haori, but her cheeks were slowly puffing up, "Ban-nii left, and my brother left too... without taking me with him."

Ling burst out laughing, "Quan Nai, my brother is in the back mountain. If you want to see him, you can always find someone to take you there."

Izunai just puffed up her cheeks and turned her head away, "... No, you still don't want to take me with you."

Tian Dao also laughed quietly, bent down and picked up the sulking young son, "Then let's go send Ling to the back mountain?"

Izuna's eyes suddenly lit up, "Really?! Father is the best!"

Ling was a little worried. "Father, we have just finished a battle and are very busy. You..."

"Don't worry, Ling," Tajima patted his eldest son's shoulder with his free hand, smiling gently, "As a father, I still have time to send my son to the training place, and knowing where you are, I can also let Madara take Izuna to see you, so don't refuse, let's go."

Ling uttered a helpless sound, but when he tapped his cane to keep up with Uchiha Tajima's pace, a smile appeared on his lips, and his tense shoulders relaxed. "Yes, I'm sorry to trouble you."

Quan Nai leaned on his father's shoulder and looked at Ling. After a while, he said, "Brother, haven't you already adapted? Why do you still need to practice?"

"This is just the initial stage of adaptation," Ling raised his head and faced Izunai, "If you want to truly adapt, there is still a long way to go...

The most basic thing is to stay away from people and rely on my own strength to survive. Only by leaving the comfort zone provided by my family and friends can I really get familiar with my body again. "

Izuna nodded, not quite understanding, "Will I need this kind of training in the future?"

"...No, neither Izuna nor Madara need it." Ling's smile faded a little, but his voice was still gentle, "If possible, I hope you will never need this kind of adaptation training in your life."

Quannai stared at the scar on Ling's face and subconsciously raised her hand to touch her eyes. After a brief silence, tears fell down and she buried her face in her father's shoulder and sobbed softly.

"Izuna?" Ling was a little flustered. "Are you crying? Brother is fine. You see, without eyes, it doesn't affect brother's daily life much. This training is just to return to the battlefield. I don't mean to blame you. I just don't want you and Madara to get hurt... Izuna? Stop crying, okay? Brother is worried about you."

Uchiha Tajima sighed softly, raised his hand and patted his young son's back, "It's okay, Ling, Izunai should just be scared by his own imagination, I will comfort him later... Can I speed up on the next mountain road?"

Ling listened to Izuna's quiet sobs and looked a little worried, but he still responded respectfully when he heard Tajima's words, "Yes, I'm fine."

Uchiha Tajima reached out to protect the back of his young son's head and nodded slightly to Ling, "Well, I will slowly speed up."

As the group's speed increased, Tiandao also found that Ling's movements became more and more awkward from the ease at the beginning, and he always lost his balance when landing because of the rugged mountain road.

However, every time he lost his balance, Ling would react quickly by opening his palms and lightly touching the ground, then quickly adjusting his movements and standing up with the cane, without losing a step - but it was obvious that this way of moving forward, which required him to be prepared at all times, was very tiring for Ling. A thin layer of sweat soon seeped out of his forehead, and his breathing became rapid as the distance he moved forward increased.

Uchiha Tajima saw all of this, but he did not help Ling. He just maintained a speed that Ling was exhausted but not unable to keep up with, and finally stopped at an open space near a water source that was suitable for camping.

But Ling failed to stop in time. He rushed forward a few steps before stopping and standing up straight. Even though he tried to adjust himself, his breathing still sounded messy and heavy.

Uchiha Tajima looked down at his eldest son, who was still standing tall even though he was extremely tired, and sighed in his heart, "Then I will send you here... Can you still find your way back?"

"Yes..." Ling let out a long breath, suppressed the discomfort caused by uneven breathing, and smiled, "Please don't worry."

"Well, you are worthy of being my son." Uchiha Tajima reached out and rubbed Ling's hair, which was already a little sweaty. "Come on, Izuna, say goodbye to your brother."

Izunai then raised her head with red eyes, waved at Ling, and spoke with a strong nasal tone, "Goodbye, brother...please be safe."

"Yes, I will." Ling took a few steps forward following the voice, groping for Izuna's hand, "When Madara and I were not around, Izuna was the man of the family, and a man can't cry easily... Our Izuna is a strong child, right?"

"Well, I won't cry." Although she said that, Izuna still pouted and couldn't help raising her hand to wipe her tears. "When my brother comes back, I will definitely increase my current chakra many times. When my brother comes to teach me ninjutsu, I will fight as handsomely as my brother."

Ling then smiled, "Well, brother will definitely finish his training as soon as possible and rush back... After all, I still want to take my Izunai to do the first battlefield mission."

Izunai stretched out her little finger aggrievedly, "…then let's pinky promise."

"Okay," Ling's smile widened, and he also extended his finger, "Let's pinky promise."