Uchiha (Part One)

Yuzhen silently raised his assessment of White Zetsu once again.

He had always regarded White Zetsu as Black Zetsu's expendable tool. Black Zetsu was the greatest mastermind behind the scenes in the ninja world, while White Zetsu was merely Black Zetsu's cheap pawn.

But who could have imagined that a cheap pawn would prove so useful in an unexpected way?

He had not expected that, aside from providing three practical ninjutsu and serving as an Experience Pack, White Zetsu would also possess resistance to genjutsu...

Regardless of which of the two possibilities Yuzhen had guessed was true, there was no doubt that "White Zetsu Transformation" could help him dispel genjutsu.

He had rescued his clansmen and made an unexpected discovery. Yuzhen's mood eased somewhat, and he stopped thinking about the combined Summoning Beast.

For something like this, all he could do was keep out of sight and out of mind.

A birdcall with a special rhythm suddenly reached Yuzhen's ears. He understood its hidden message and immediately rushed toward the direction of the sound.

After entering a forest, he soon found Hagane Chihori hiding in the treetops.

"Clan Leader."

Chihori looked to be in terrible condition, as though a gust of wind could knock her down.

"How are you? Can you hold on?"

Yuzhen supported her with one hand, afraid she might accidentally fall from the tree.

"It's nothing serious. My chakra was overdrawn for too long, leaving my body somewhat weak and frail..."

She said it lightly, but draining a pond dry to catch its fish could kill someone, especially an ordinary ninja.

Chakra was indeed a ninja's source of power, but it would not be an exaggeration to say that chakra was a kind of slow-acting poison.

Chihori's body needed proper recuperation.

At a time like this, there was no room for fussing. Yuzhen took out a bottle of Ration Pills and handed it to Chihori.

After Chihori swallowed one, her unhealthy pallor turned into an unhealthy flush. Still, at least she felt that some strength had returned to her body.

Ration Pills were only suitable for healthy ninjas. They packed quite a punch, and someone in poor health could easily suffer problems from taking them.

But at a time like this, it was good enough that Chihori had something to replenish her stamina. It was not as though Yuzhen could be expected to produce some miraculous tonic.

"After the village was attacked that day, we split up and broke through the encirclement. In the end, we were unfortunately captured by the Tsugawa Ninja. Some of our people resisted and were killed. After we exhausted our chakra, we were sold here as slaves... Seven people came here. Now, I'm the only one left."

After recovering some strength, Chihori briefly explained what she had gone through during this period.

Yuzhen thought to himself that perhaps the eagle or lion Summoning Beast he had dealt with had contained parts of his fellow clansmen... There was nothing he could do. Not only had Yuzhen not known the truth about those Summoning Beasts beforehand, even if he had known, he still would have had to act.

He could only remain silent about the fate of those clansmen.

"Clan Leader, what about the other clansmen?" Chihori asked again, her expression somewhat tense.

"Counting you and me, eighteen people remain," Yuzhen answered honestly.

"Eighteen..."

The truth was too tragic. Chihori's sorrow became visible to the naked eye.

Suddenly, she remembered something else. "Beji..."

"Mm. It completed its mission very well."

There was no need to explain that sentence. It had said nothing, and therefore said everything.

People could not be saved, and even the dog could not survive. That was the current reality of survival for minor ninja clans in the ninja world.

The forest fell silent for a while. After learning the state of her clansmen, Chihori needed time to sort out her emotions.

It might take a hundred years for a minor ninja clan to develop into a Ninja Village, but after just one night, they could return to the size they had been a hundred years ago... as though they had been restored to factory settings.

Such a cruel reality was indeed difficult for the "locals" of the ninja world to accept.

About an hour later, seeing that Chihori had recovered some strength, Yuzhen said:

"Let's go. No matter what, we should return to camp first... Everyone will be especially happy to see you."

Yuzhen protected Chihori as the two of them returned to camp without incident.

The emotional reunion among the clansmen after they saw her was another matter.

During that time, someone explained to Chihori why they had decided to conceal the surname "Hagane." Chihori understood the purpose behind it, but she still asked to preserve the clan's surname.

Yuzhen naturally agreed. Mixing their true surname in among a large number of other surnames would not interfere with their original objective.

They had originally planned to leave the camp, but because Chihori needed time to recuperate, they had no choice but to remain there and rest for a while longer.

Meanwhile, three days after the small town was burned down, two ninjas arrived there.

One of the two ninjas looked to be in his thirties, while the other was only eleven or twelve. Their foreheads were bare, as though they did not have the habit of wearing forehead protectors.

Even so, anyone else could recognize their origins at a glance.

The two wore long black coats, and printed on the backs was a symbol that looked very much like a ping-pong paddle...

The symbol was called the "Fan of Fire," representing the famous Uchiha Clan.

"The clues were correct. Unfortunately, we arrived a step too late," the older Uchiha ninja said.

The younger ninja said nothing. He merely kicked one side of an iron fence idly with his foot.

They had already found the dungeon. It reeked of blood and decay, and the corpses of many people and beasts lay across the ground, all burned black and impossible to distinguish from one another.

Presumably, after Yuzhen left, the ninjas he had released had not only dealt with that Tsuchishi but also held another "bonus match" among themselves for some reason.

Seeing that the older ninja was still patiently searching for clues, the younger ninja finally said impatiently:

"Captain, shouldn't we withdraw soon? We've already wasted too much time on something so insignificant."

"Insignificant?" The older ninja ignored the urging. "This is for the sake of friendly relations between the two clans."

"But the person we're looking for is nothing more than a useless piece of trash."

"Precisely because he is useless, our tireless search makes us appear all the more sincere."

The young ninja opened his mouth to argue, but for a moment he could not find a suitable reason.

He felt that the captain's words sounded somewhat reasonable at first, but the more he thought about them, the more he felt that something was wrong.

All one could say was that being a bootlicker was unacceptable.

They searched all around but found nothing of value. Fortunately, the others had some success.

Thirty minutes later, another Uchiha ninja came to the two of them, carrying a half-dead man in his hand.

"Captain, I found this nearby. I don't know whether he'll be of any use."

As he spoke, he dropped the man at the captain's feet.

This ninja was one of those Yuzhen had released that day. For some reason, he had not left in time and had instead kept wandering around the area.

He had escaped the wolf's den only to enter the tiger's lair.

The captain lifted the man up. It was clear that he had already suffered a beating. His mouth and eyes were crooked, and his gaze was vacant.

A trace of scarlet appeared in the captain's eyes. Three black tomoe emerged against the red of his irises. In an instant, with overwhelming ocular power, he cast a subtle genjutsu and easily invaded the unfortunate ninja's thoughts.

What Yuzhen had done that day was gradually "read" from his mind.

After seeing everything, the captain tossed the ninja aside. The expression on his face became strange.

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This chapter counts as an extra update.