dmims Chapter 58 Heart-to-Heart Talk
Chapter 58 Heart-to-Heart Talk
Sasuke was taken aback and looked at Zeref with some disbelief.
He had already prepared himself for what other demands Jelf might make or what tests he might undergo, but he didn't expect Jelf to agree so easily.
Zeref's quick agreement not only shocked Sasuke, but also Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi in the corner, whose eyes widened slightly.
Seeing Sasuke's surprised expression, Zeref chuckled and gently lowered the hand that had been supporting his cheek.
He looked at Sasuke and said with a smile, "What's wrong? Didn't you ask to continue learning from me? I agreed, so why are you making that face now?"
Sasuke finally realized what was happening. He opened his mouth, his expression complicated, and said, "No, I thought..."
I thought you wouldn't agree so easily...
"It's nothing serious. The world of magic is much more free and unrestrained than the ninja world," Zeref said casually.
From then on, Sasuke lived a busy and fulfilling life with Orochimaru, learning ninjutsu from him during the day and magic from Zeref at night.
……
"Sasuke, are you going to Zeref's place again?"
Orochimaru squinted at Sasuke, who was about to turn and leave, and asked casually.
Sasuke paused, looked at Orochimaru, and said coldly, "What's wrong?"
Orochimaru, who had gradually gotten used to Sasuke's behavior, didn't care at all. He smirked and said, "It's nothing. Please take the ninjutsu scrolls on the table to Zeref."
Sasuke's gaze fell on the scrolls on the table. He silently picked them up and walked briskly toward Zeref's room.
In Jelf's room, the lights were still bright, the layout was neat and orderly, and there was even a sofa and coffee table placed against the wall.
When Sasuke knocked and came in, he saw Zeref sitting leisurely on the sofa, holding a travelogue of the ninja world in his hands, with some tea and pastries on the coffee table.
"...You're really having a good time." Sasuke said, somewhat speechless, as he watched this scene.
Putting the travelogue back on the table, Zeref said with a smile, "Since I have such a wonderful opportunity to come to the ninja world, I can't help but want to learn more about it."
Sasuke placed the scroll on the coffee table and explained to Zeref, "This is a ninjutsu scroll that Orochimaru asked me to bring you."
Zeref raised an eyebrow, a half-smile on his face, and said, "Orochimaru is reminding me to return the favor."
Sasuke immediately understood and said with certainty, "Orochimaru is also interested in magic."
However, upon closer reflection, it's not surprising at all. Orochimaru, who is so thirsty for power, how could he possibly ignore the novel and powerful force of magic?
"Tomorrow, invite Orochimaru and Kabuto along. I'll explain the magic to you again and check on your training progress," Zeref said.
Sasuke's eyes lit up, and he nodded in agreement without hesitation.
Then he seemed to realize something, looked at Zeref, hesitated for a moment, but still asked, "Orochimaru taught me ninjutsu to help me become stronger in order to take over my body, so what do you want from me by teaching me magic?"
"If it's about the deal that helped you and Mavis stay in Konoha, you already paid the reward while you were in Konoha, didn't you?"
Jelf picked up the hot tea from the coffee table, calmly took a sip, and asked in return, "So what can you give me?"
Sasuke answered without hesitation, "I can assist you in researching the power of the Sharingan. If you need it in the future, my power can be used by you!"
Sasuke's answer was very decisive, showing that he had thought about this question beforehand.
Looking at the proud and straightforward young man in front of him, Zeref smiled and said, "Sounds pretty good. I am indeed somewhat interested in the Sharingan. This kind of unique power inherited from bloodline is rarely seen in the magic world."
“But that’s not the reason you helped me, at least not the main reason, is it?” Sasuke said bluntly.
He looked at Zeref, determined to get an answer: "Orochimaru covets the power of the Sharingan, but you don't seem to care that much. On the day Orochimaru attacked Konoha, you clearly saw the power of Madara Uchiha's Susanoo, didn't you?"
Zeref put down his teacup, looked at the boy in front of him with persistent questioning, and after a moment of silence, said, "Although we've been in contact in Konoha for a while, you don't really know much about my past, do you?"
He nodded, gesturing for Sasuke to sit on the other sofa.
Is this the start of a long talk? Sasuke's brow twitched, and he sat down decisively.
"I know you are an extremely powerful and terrifying mage who has lived for over four hundred years and taught Mavis magic, but your relationship with Mavis seems rather... complicated?"
Sasuke didn't try to test him with any suspense; he honestly told him what he knew.
Sasuke embodies the Uchiha clan's straightforwardness.
Watching Sasuke sit down without any hesitation, and recalling the time he spent with this child in Konoha, Zeref said with some emotion, "You know, Sasuke, in the magic world, almost no one dares to get this close to me."
Sasuke asked, somewhat puzzled, "Is it because you're strong? Or because you're brutal?"
Sasuke glanced around at Zeref and thought to himself, "He doesn't seem that cruel."
That's part of the reason.
"Zeref, the dark mage with the most terrifying reputation in history, said calmly."
"As for why I'm willing to help you..." Jelf's eyes darted around.
"It's probably because I have a younger brother, who is my only family. So, after hearing about the feud between you and your brother, I felt a bit emotional. Besides, teaching magic isn't a difficult thing for me."
When the topic of teaching magic came up, Zeref subconsciously thought of Mavis again, and said to Sasuke with a smile, "Just like when I suddenly felt like teaching Mavis and her companions magic."
Thinking of the golden light he saw on the day of Orochimaru's Konoha Crush, Sasuke subconsciously asked, "What you taught Mavis, was it Fairy Law and Fairy Sphere?"
Zeref nodded slightly and said, "The Fairy Law did indeed originate from the 'Law' magic I taught Mavis, but later, Mavis improved and expanded upon it, ultimately completing the development of the three great fairy spells. Truly worthy of Mavis."
In closing, Zeref couldn't help but praise her again: "Mavis is indeed amazing. From the first time we met, I knew she had extraordinary magical talent."
Instead of appreciating the subtle emotions Zeref felt when praising Mavis, Sasuke's focus shifted to the "law" magic.
Sasuke was deeply impressed by the absolute power of the fairy's law. His eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "Then can I learn 'law' magic?"
Looking into Sasuke's eager eyes, Zeref didn't hesitate to pour cold water on his enthusiasm, saying, "You're not suited for this magic."
You're not suited for this magic. — It's that same old excuse again.
Sasuke initially thought this was just Mavis's excuse for refusing to teach him magic, but he didn't expect to hear the same thing from Zeref.
Sasuke asked, puzzled, "I asked Mavis before if she could teach me the laws of fairies, but that's what she said too."
Jelf smiled knowingly: "Since you chose to defect from the village, even at the cost of abandoning your companions, you're destined to be different from Mavis. She..."
Zeref's voice softened slightly: "She cherishes her guild and companions the most."
"Fairy Tail?" Sasuke replied.
"That's right. If I hadn't come to the ninja world by accident, perhaps Fairy Tail would have been destroyed by me by now."
Jelf still wore a gentle smile, yet uttered such cruel words.
Sasuke looked at Zeref's barely concealed indifference as he uttered those words, but he wasn't surprised at all.
Perhaps this is the true face of the Black Mage, Sasuke thought to himself.
At that moment, Sasuke suddenly remembered what Zeref had said earlier about also having a younger brother, and asked curiously, "You don't mean you're also enemies with your brother, do you?"
Leaning back slightly, Zeref said, "That's true. He's also a mage from the Fairy Guild. To prevent my beloved guild and the whole world from being destroyed by me, he probably wished he could kill me, his evil brother."
Sasuke asked, puzzled, "Why do you want to destroy Fairy Tail and the world? What do you want to gain?"
Sasuke suddenly remembered that more than four hundred years had passed since Zeref's death, and subconsciously asked, "Do you, like Orochimaru, desire immortality?"
"Immortality, hahahahahahaha—"
As soon as Sasuke asked his question, Zeref on the other side burst into laughter, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.
Sasuke frowned, not understanding what was so funny about what he had said.
Even though he himself scoffed at Orochimaru's desire for immortality, he understood that immortality was still very tempting for many people, especially those who were powerful.
As the laughter subsided, Zeref's face turned utterly cold. He looked at Sasuke and sneered, "Do you know what I hate most about Orochimaru?"
What kind of question is this? Sasuke frowned, but recalling what he had said before Zeref burst out laughing, he hesitated and asked incredulously, "Could it be... the pursuit of immortality?"
Zeref looked at Sasuke with some approval: "What a smart kid."
He wasn't really willing to be treated like a child, even if the other party was Jelf, who was over four hundred years old.
Sasuke said somewhat unhappily, "I'm not a child anymore."
However, Sasuke thought of Zeref's age of over four hundred years. It seemed that in front of Zeref, not only was he himself a child, but even Orochimaru could be considered a child.
Thinking of this, Sasuke felt a chill run down his spine.
Jelf's emotions gradually calmed down, and he chuckled, "You really know nothing about my situation. In this state, you dare to actively seek strength from me. Should I say ignorance is bliss?"
"All I need to know is that you're strong enough," Sasuke said without hesitation.
Zeref sighed, "Orochimaru's dream of immortality is nothing but the most vicious curse to me."
Sasuke looked at Zeref, who was incredibly young. Not only was he powerful, but he also didn't seem to have made himself into something other than human or ghost like Orochimaru. Even so, did Zeref not yearn for immortality at all?
Thinking of Orochimaru, Sasuke couldn't help but sneer, "That Orochimaru guy would be dying of jealousy if he saw you like this."
As he spoke, Sasuke looked at Zeref again, but he didn't see the mocking look he had imagined on Zeref's face.
On the contrary, Zeref's expression was complicated, and he even sighed, saying, "I am the one who is jealous of him. I once did something similar to him, disregarding life and death, which is why I was cursed with immortality. He is really lucky that the curse of the god Ankhseram does not exist in this world."
"Ankoseram's curse?" Sasuke repeated in confusion.
Looking at the boy in front of him, Zeref didn't know why he suddenly had the interest to talk so much with Sasuke.
"Could it be because I haven't chatted with anyone in too long?" Jelf thought with a touch of self-deprecation.
Since he had become interested, Zeref continued to explain: "The curse of Ankhseram, also known as the curse of contradiction, is that the more you respect life, the more you will release the power of death to take away all the lives you come into contact with. Conversely, if you do not respect life, you will not release the power of death."
Sasuke was somewhat alarmed as he listened to Zeref's explanation. Was it true that the more you try not to hurt others, the more likely you are to hurt them?
Even Sasuke felt a chill run down his spine because of the malice of this curse.
"Could it be that Mavis is also one?" Sasuke couldn't help but ask, thinking that Mavis had lived for over a hundred years.
Jelf didn't speak, but at that moment, silence was the answer.
However, Sasuke seemed to suddenly remember something, his face darkened, and he sneered, "If Orochimaru were to be afflicted by this curse, that guy would probably be laughing in his sleep. He has no respect for life or any other fine virtues."
Jelf: "..." That makes so much sense, he couldn't refute it.
In such a short time, Sasuke has already learned so much about Orochimaru?
Or perhaps it should be said that Orochimaru's personality is too vivid!
With a long sigh, Jelf's expression was a half-smile: "This is probably what they call fate playing tricks on people."
"Hmph, only cowards would blame everything on fate," Sasuke said coldly, with a hint of arrogance.
Looking at Sasuke's youthful spirit, Zeref suddenly felt old and weary.
It wasn't physical; his body had long since been frozen in time due to the contradictory curse. It was mental—four hundred years was simply too long, and too painful…
As if touched by something about Sasuke, Zeref suddenly spoke up: "Natsu, my brother, like you, hates his evil brother. However, he chose a path completely different from yours. Sasuke, perhaps even without betraying your comrades, you can still achieve your revenge..."