The Fall of a Genius

Uchiha Gin, dragged into the shadows by the Old Jailer, felt as though he were suffocating. Everything around him was pitch-black, and his senses could not perceive the outside world at all. A feeling of helplessness washed over him.

He tried activating his Sharingan. With his eyes glowing scarlet, Uchiha Gin was surprised to discover that he could use his Dojutsu Power to resist the encroaching darkness around him.

As he increased his Dojutsu Power, his senses were freed. Only then did he see the Old Jailer standing across from him.

"What exactly is your purpose?"

Although he had received the other man's help, Uchiha Gin did not dare let down his guard when he could not determine whether the Old Jailer was friend or foe.

"Hehehe, I've been waiting for you."

A long-suppressed anticipation appeared in the Old Jailer's pale eyes.

"Once you enter Dungeon Number Zero and find the person waiting for you, you'll know everything."

The Old Jailer's words were vague and disjointed. Before Uchiha Gin could question him again, his body suddenly felt light. In the blink of an eye, he had returned to Uchiha Ryuei's office.

Uchiha Ryuei had already left. Uchiha Gin lowered his head and looked at his perfectly calm reflection.

Without hesitating further, he reached out and felt around the vase on Uchiha Ryuei's desk. As the vase rotated once, the bookshelf behind the desk turned over, revealing a dim and unfathomably deep hidden passage before him.

So this was the entrance to Dungeon Number Zero. Uchiha Gin had already reached the point of no return. Every clue he knew pointed toward this Dungeon. If he wanted to unravel the mystery of the original owner's memories, he could only find the answer inside.

After entering through the Hidden Door, he found a switch on the wall. Uchiha Gin tried flipping it, and the Dungeon's Hidden Door turned back into place. It seemed this was the switch for the Hidden Door.

Taking a deep breath, Uchiha Gin did not dare deactivate his Sharingan. His scarlet eyes vigilantly swept over the surroundings, guarding against any danger that might suddenly appear.

Dungeon Number Zero had a layout similar to the other Dungeons. The ruined cells lining both sides of the corridor had long since been abandoned.

The pungent smell of mold made Uchiha Gin frown, but since Uchiha Ryuei personally guarded this place, it had to conceal some unknown secret.

As Uchiha Gin ventured deeper, mottled skeletons began appearing in the cells on both sides. From the unnatural bends in their limbs, it was clear that the prisoners here had suffered extremely brutal torture.

Other than corpses, Uchiha Gin found nothing else along the way until he reached the final cell, sealed behind an iron door.

The moment he saw the seal formed by complex techniques on the door, Uchiha Gin knew he had found it.

Knowing nothing about Sealing Technique, he stared worriedly at the door before him. If he forced it open, whoever came afterward would definitely discover it.

But he had no skill at picking locks either. Just as he was at a loss, the Old Jailer's familiar voice came from the shadow behind him.

"Hehehe, I can take you inside."

"Then I'll trouble you, Senior."

Uchiha Gin turned to look at the Old Jailer, who was grinning strangely at him, but did not refuse.

Since the other man had been guiding him here all along, he must have wanted him to meet the person imprisoned in the Dungeon.

Besides, Uchiha Gin was not some important figure within the clan. There was no reason for the Old Jailer to go to such lengths for a worthless Uchiha with such a terrible reputation.

Hearing Uchiha Gin agree without the slightest hesitation, the Old Jailer seemed unsurprised. He immediately stretched out his withered, chicken-claw-like hands and pulled Uchiha Gin into the shadows again.

His reflection, now without its original body, did not dissipate. Instead, like a pool of ink, it slowly seeped into the gaps around the iron door. Before long, it had completely squeezed through.

Having experienced the shadows once before, Uchiha Gin did not feel too uncomfortable this time. He merely closed and opened his eyes, and he had passed through the iron door into the cell.

The environment inside was not as terrible as Uchiha Gin had imagined. The walls were spotless, there was even a bookshelf, and the simple furnishings were all present. It looked more like a study than a prison.

There was a desk beside the bookshelf. A figure with his back to Uchiha Gin was bent over it, writing furiously. Hearing someone enter, the figure stopped writing and slowly straightened up.

"You've finally come."

The owner of the voice turned around. He had gray-white curly hair, and excitement filled his deeply lined face.

One of his eyes was gray-white like the Old Jailer's. When he saw Uchiha Gin, his hunched body trembled slightly with excitement.

"You are...?"

The old man before him was exactly the same as the elder in the photograph Uchiha Gin had found at home. Looking at the familiar curly hair and the resemblance in their features, Uchiha Gin vaguely guessed his identity.

"So you really don't remember?"

Seeing the unfamiliar expression on Uchiha Gin's face, the old man restrained his emotions and wore an expression as though he had expected this all along.

"My name is Uchiha Yao."

The old man spoke an unfamiliar name. "I have a son named Uchiha Kin."

Uchiha Kin—the original owner's father, who had died young. Recalling the gentle, jade-like man in his memories, the old man's identity became obvious.

"You're my grandfather?"

Uchiha Gin asked cautiously.

"That's right, my good grandson."

Uchiha Yao nodded in satisfaction.

"Then why don't I have any impression of you at all?"

The old man's identity matched his guess exactly. Without doubting him, Uchiha Gin could not help asking.

"It's a long story, but you must remember..." Uchiha Yao shook his head with a sigh, then said something shocking. "The culprit behind all this is your Uncle, Uchiha Tajima."

"???"

Uchiha Gin's head began to ache. In the original owner's memories, Uncle Uchiha Tajima had cared for him quite a bit.

Yet his own grandfather had identified him as the culprit behind his missing memories. It was difficult for him to accept for a moment.

Seeing Uchiha Gin's disbelieving expression, Uchiha Yao slowly explained everything from beginning to end.

"More than a decade ago, I was the head of the clan's research department, dedicated to developing the power of our clansmen's Sharingan."

"Like Uchiha Miao?"

Uchiha Gin could not help interrupting. His grandfather had actually been the head of the research department. By today's standards, he could be considered the descendant of a high-ranking official.

"Hmph! Uchiha Miao, that coward."

Uchiha Yao seemed utterly disdainful of the current head of the research department.

"And Uchiha Yan, the one who imprisoned me. They're both my cousins."

Uchiha Gin had not expected that the two Great Elders currently at the height of their power within the Uchiha Clan were both his relatives. Yet from Uchiha Yao's expression, it was clear that he had deep conflicts with them.

"Let's not talk about those two traitors."

Uchiha Yao could not be bothered wasting words on them.

"The beginning of everything dates back to the day my son died in battle."

When Uchiha Yao mentioned his son, his tone became deeply sorrowful.

Dying for the clan could be called a supreme honor, but for Uchiha Yao, it meant a white-haired man sending off his black-haired son. It made the nearly seventy-year-old elder stoop even further.

Regarding Uchiha Kin's sacrifice, there was only a faint mention of it in Uchiha Gin's mind, as though most of it had been erased.

No matter how he tried to recall the details, he could not remember them. The more he thought about it, the worse his head hurt, as though needles were stabbing into it.

"My son, Uchiha Kin, was once the clan's number one genius and the strongest contender for the position of Clan Leader."

When Uchiha Yao spoke of his son, he could not suppress the pride in his voice.

His father had actually been the number one genius? Uchiha Gin's mind nearly crashed.

There were very few images of his father in the original owner's memories. He only remembered that his father had been very gentle, obedient to his wife in everything at home, and deeply caring toward him. He had been the perfect model husband, but there was little impression of his strength.

"Your father awakened his Sharingan at eight. By twelve, he had reached the Three Tomoe, crushing many Ninjas of his generation. He was a genuine genius. But..."

Uchiha Yao continued.

"He shouldn't have died! I thought he had died on the battlefield, that he had died for the clan's honor."

"Wasn't that the case?"

Uchiha Gin asked with a frown.

A reminder: the next several chapters will involve multiple narrative timelines. Some things the characters say are true, while others are false, so it may be a little difficult to follow. Overall, this is about revealing the protagonist's background. As a beginner, I may not have handled the writing very well, so please bear with me. Once this is explained, it will be Uchiha Gin's time to shine.