People Who Speak in Riddles Deserve to Die

The aura of death rushed at him. At this Moment of Truth, Uchiha Gin's eyes turned scarlet.

The tomoe in his right eye spun wildly, Dojutsu Power pouring into it as if it cost nothing.

Kaguya Josuke, who had thought he had already succeeded, wanted to see the miserable state of the Uchiha before him.

But instead of spurting blood and Uchiha Gin's screams, he felt a bone-piercing heat erupt from the wound in his chest.

Amaterasu

A black lotus bloomed in his chest cavity. Endless pain suffocated him as the burning sensation spread from his lungs throughout his body.

The bones grown through his bloodline limit shattered at the slightest touch of those strange Black Flames. Unable to support himself, Kaguya Josuke could no longer sustain his bloodline limit. The blossoming bone flowers scattered with the wind as Uchiha Gin pulled out his arm and flew backward.

Before Kaguya Josuke could retaliate, Uchiha Gin, who had been sent flying, dropped to one knee. One hand "struggled" to brace against the ground while the other wiped away the bloody tears flowing from his right eye. His face pale, he said, "As expected of the legendary Shikotsumyaku. It truly is formidable. I, Uchiha Gin, acknowledge you as the strongest in taijutsu. I willingly admit defeat!"

With that, he weakly closed his eyes and canceled Amaterasu.

Host failed. Obtained Heart Energy ×12. The Heartsteel Chest reward can be unlocked after two more battles. (Current accumulated Heart Energy: 22)

The Black Flames on his chest went out. Kaguya Josuke, who had already been burned to the brink of death, vomited mouthful after mouthful of blood. The gruesome wound on his chest had been charred by the heat, giving off the scent of roasted meat.

After suffering such severe injuries, Kaguya Josuke was no longer as blank and sluggish as when they had first met. His eyes gradually regained clarity.

Looking at the somewhat disheveled Uchiha Gin beside him, he frowned as though pondering something. "You little brat... are..."

"Do you remember something?"

Seeing that the other man seemed lucid again, Uchiha Gin hurriedly asked.

This Kaguya Clan Member seemed to know about the massacre at the Uchiha camp six years ago.

He desperately wanted to know the truth behind the Kaguya Clan's attack on the Clan Grounds that year, as well as what exactly the original owner of this body had forgotten. "No, y-you aren't him. Your eyes..."

Having been tortured for so long, Kaguya Josuke was already at the end of his strength. On top of that, forcibly activating his bloodline limit just now had drained what little Life Force he had left. This final clarity was merely a last flicker before death.

As Kaguya Josuke's voice gradually weakened, Uchiha Gin, seeing that he was about to die, hurriedly pressed for answers. "When you surrounded and killed those at the Uchiha Clan Land back then, who was behind it? Where did the rest of the Kaguya Clan go?"

At that question, endless terror flooded Kaguya Josuke's dim pupils. Struggling to retreat backward, he muttered in broken fragments,

"Everyone is dead... Everyone who saw the moonlight is dead!!!"

"Who died? What moonlight?"

Hearing these new keywords, Uchiha Gin dashed to Kaguya Josuke's side, seized his shoulders, and stared intently with his Sharingan into those fading eyes.

"Double Tomoe? Hahaha... You're not... you're not..."

Seeing the Two Tomoe slowly turning in Uchiha Gin's eyes, Kaguya Josuke spoke meaningless words as he gradually went limp, until he stopped breathing altogether.

Damn people who speak in riddles!

After setting down Kaguya Josuke's corpse, Uchiha Gin frowned deeply and turned to leave the cell.

After only a few steps, he ran into Uchiha Lucha coming toward him. Seeing Uchiha Gin in such a bedraggled state, the other man was greatly surprised.

Then he saw Uchiha Gin's bloodstained hands and could not help shuddering. Remembering Uchiha Gin's "infamy," he gathered his courage and cautiously asked, "Gin-sama, what happened?"

"Kaguya Josuke attacked me while I was questioning him. But he had been imprisoned for too long, and his strength had greatly declined. I killed him instead. Go find someone to clean it up."

Uchiha Gin did not hide Kaguya Josuke's death. He was just a prisoner with something wrong with his head. If he died, he died. At worst, they could write a report.

"Yes!"

Hearing him speak so casually about killing a prisoner, Uchiha Lucha felt a chill run down his spine. He swallowed and immediately accepted the order.

Only after watching Uchiha Gin's back disappear did Uchiha Lucha let out a breath of relief. The man's appearance just now had been far too frightening, sending a cold shiver through him.

Entering Kaguya Josuke's cell, Uchiha Lucha stepped forward to inspect the corpse on the ground. It was fine until he looked—then he sucked in a cold breath.

Kaguya Josuke was already skin and bones. His hands had previously been broken and bound, a miserable enough state, but now all ten finger bones had been cruelly pulled out. His fingers drooped to the ground like noodles.

That was not even the most horrifying part. Looking at the corpse's chest, there was a pitch-black hole that had appeared Out of Thin Air. There was nothing left inside.

His sternum and ribs had all been shattered, and Fire Release had cruelly scorched the inside of his chest cavity. The smell of roasted meat still lingered in the air, making Uchiha Lucha retch.

After finishing his inspection, Uchiha Lucha raised his head. Thinking back to Uchiha Gin's harmless Facial Expression earlier, he simply could not reconcile it with the pervert who had tortured this prisoner to death.

No wonder there are so many rumors in the clan about Uchiha Gin's evil deeds. Ordinary people really couldn't use methods like this.

Uchiha Lucha thought to himself. Right now, all he wanted was to grab his good brother Uchiha Tiedan and run as far away from Uchiha Gin as possible.

The inscrutable Uchiha Gin pushed open the door to the Archives Room and found someone sitting in his work area. When the person saw him enter, he rose with a beaming smile and said,

"Gin-kun, you've only just started working here. If you have any requests, feel free to bring them up. I'll arrange whatever I can."

The speaker was Elder Yan, whom he had met briefly in the Clan Leader's Office yesterday. Round and plump like a likable Maitreya, he gave no sign that he had once been a decisive executioner in his youth.

"You're too kind, Elder Yan. Officer Uchiha Ryuei has already settled everything for me."

Uchiha Gin replied politely, "I'm new here, so if there's anything I do poorly, I hope Elder Yan will be understanding."

"Archive work may be tedious, but it helps calm the mind. The Clan Leader saw that you had been somewhat restless lately, so she wanted you to come here and recuperate while finding something to do."

Uchiha Yan explained Uchiha Tajima's intentions for him.

"Everything will be as the Clan Leader decides."

Uchiha Gin said respectfully.

"Gin-kun, what did you go out to do just now? You kept me waiting for quite a while."

Uchiha Yan asked casually with a smile.

"I happened to come across information on a prisoner. I was curious, so I went to take a look."

Knowing he could not hide it, Uchiha Gin answered truthfully.

"Gin-kun is truly dedicated to his work. You started working as soon as you arrived. How admirable."

"Not at all, not at all. Elder Yan, you're the one who treats work like family..."

The two began exchanging the pleasantries of adults.

Just as they were chatting happily, Uchiha Lucha pushed the door open and said,

"Gin-sama, the prisoner's corpse has been cleaned up. Please rest assured, there definitely won't be any traces left. Ah! Greetings, Elder Yan."

Uchiha Lucha had been somewhat anxious to begin with and did not realize there would be another person in the room. He blurted it all out as he entered. The moment he saw his superior, his legs went weak and he dropped to his knees.

Nothing was scarier than sudden silence.

"Believe me, the prisoner attacked first."

Seeing the awkward silence, Uchiha Gin spoke first. His face was full of sincerity and innocence.

"Ahem, ahem. These prisoners are truly outrageous, daring to attack someone so brazenly. Fortunately, Gin-kun, your strength is exceptional. If you had been injured, how would I explain that to the Clan Leader?"

Recovering his wits, Uchiha Yan followed along with a few comforting words, wearing the expression of an elder caring for a junior.

"Just lucky."

Uchiha Gin waved his hand and said modestly.

"Since you're fine, I won't disturb Gin-kun's work any longer. This Archives Room is yours now."

Before leaving, Uchiha Yan patted his shoulder, signaling him to work hard.

After Uchiha Yan left, Uchiha Lucha, who had been kneeling on the ground, stood up as well and sheepishly walked over to Uchiha Gin, as if waiting to be punished.

"Lucha, you seem pretty sharp. There's something I'd like to ask you to do."

Rather than holding it against him, Uchiha Gin asked for his help.

"What are you saying, Gin-sama? So long as it's something you want done, I, Uchiha Lucha, will go through fire and water without hesitation."

Hearing this, Uchiha Lucha immediately changed into an expression of utter loyalty and patted his chest as he spoke.

"Thank you very much. I'd like you to look through the Dungeon records and see which prisoners were locked up there six years ago."

Uchiha Gin stated his request.

"No problem. Leave it to me!"