Leaving the Mountains

Ordinary ninjas found it difficult to withstand the side effects brought by the Uchiha's Sharingan.

Not to mention ordinary ninjas—even someone like Kakashi Hatake could hardly say whether a Sharingan was an advantage or a weakness for him.

Not to mention outsiders, even Uchiha Clan ninjas could hardly bear the consequences if they used the Sharingan without restraint after awakening it.

For all these reasons, when Yuzhen saw a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan, his first reaction was not greed but mostly surprise and vigilance.

Before becoming White Zetsu-Man, he probably would not have been so calm in the face of the Mangekyō Sharingan. But now he had already found a relatively stable way to grow stronger, so there was no need to try another, riskier path.

In theory, since Yuzhen could transform into White Zetsu, perhaps he could withstand the risks brought by the Sharingan.

After all, White Zetsu had excellent adaptability to things like the Sharingan and Hashirama Cells.

But one had to consider one's circumstances. In Yuzhen's situation, could he really provoke the Uchiha Clan without leaving any loose ends?

There was no guarantee that a pair of stolen Sharingan could escape the Uchiha Clan's investigation. No matter how secretly he used them, there would always be a chance that word got out.

If he casually pretended to be associated with the Uchiha, they definitely would not be able to devote much effort to investigating him thoroughly. But what if he stole a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan?

The Uchiha Clan's mental state was already rather unstable. Yuzhen did not want to provoke them too much.

Besides, Yuzhen's optic nerves were certainly not as robust as those of the Uchiha Clan. Could he really just dig out a pair of new eyes, stick them in, and use them? He did not have the ability to perform transplants, either.

So whether based on his personal feelings or rational judgment, Yuzhen probably would not engage in the business of trafficking human organs.

In any case, he was not particularly afraid of the Sharingan now, and had no desire for it.

That raised the question: how should he deal with this Uchiha ninja?

If he left her here, there was no guarantee she would survive. After all, she had suffered serious injuries.

Yuzhen thought for a moment, then said:

"Treat her wounds. Handle everything according to the previous 'Tobirama Senju incident.'"

Although the last time had involved an "intrusion" and this time was a "fall from the sky," there was actually no difference between them.

In any case, a living Uchiha ninja was certainly more valuable than a dead one.

Yuzhen was thinking that since he had managed to get quite a lot out of Tobirama Senju before, it was now the Uchiha's turn. Surely he could not favor one side over the other?

Although the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan had been bitter enemies for a long time, what did that have to do with a small group of wandering ninjas?

Yuzhen decided to do good deeds and treat himself as the Red Cross on a battlefield.

His only concern was the Uchiha ninja's mental state. As the saying went, Uchiha ninjas' emotions often swung wildly. What if she woke up and started causing trouble?

Especially Uchiha ninjas who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. In a sense, they had to be considered at least somewhat paranoid.

Even if she did not cause trouble, waking up and reenacting the old antics of the Four Mad Laughers would still be unbearable. To be honest, their laughter was terrifying.

Bias aside, when an ordinary person entered a psychiatric hospital, they would always cautiously skirt around the patients.

The camp's only two female members came over. They carried the sprawled-out woman aside like a dead pig, then began treating her wounds.

Yuzhen scratched his head and, having no choice, looked at everyone and said:

"Rest for a while. We'll set out again in two hours."

He had discovered that his luck and experiences had changed completely from a certain point onward. Looking back now, it seemed that this transformation was not a good thing.

Yuzhen thought that he really could not have anything to do with the Otsutsuki, or all sorts of troublesome matters would come one after another.

He used to be nothing more than a bottom-rung ninja struggling to survive. Yet ever since he came into contact with White Zetsu, it had been Sarutobi, then the Senju and Uchiha. The level of people he was encountering had clearly changed.

A cannon fodder who did not even count as a supporting character could easily get himself dragged in if he kept coming into contact with the groups surrounding the "main plot" or even the "protagonists."

Two hours passed quickly. After the Uchiha ninja's external wounds had been treated, someone made a simple stretcher, preparing to take the injured woman with them.

If they were merely doing a good deed, Yuzhen could have left her behind. After her injuries were treated, the Uchiha ninja would probably survive.

However, given their current circumstances, any investment would inevitably come with an attempt to claim a return. They had not yet reached the extravagant state of doing good without seeking fame or repayment.

They had postponed leaving the forest several times already. Considering the season and the climate, Yuzhen and the others had reached the point where they had no choice but to set out.

Once winter arrived, the mountain forest would lack supplies, and hypothermia would also be extremely likely... So even though they had encountered the ominous portent of an Uchiha falling from the sky that day, Yuzhen still decided to follow their original plan.

That decision proved correct. One day after leaving the camp, sparse snowflakes began drifting down from the sky.

Unlike when they had entered the forest, everyone was now well-rested and moved swiftly.

Although they traveled through the forest normally most of the time, rather than refusing to descend from the treetops like ninjas rushing to complete a mission, by the evening of the second day they had still reached the edge of the forest.

For some time, this forest had provided them with safe shelter. Their brief camp life had even created the illusion of comfort, to the point that when they left their familiar surroundings, quite a few people felt reluctant and uncomfortable.

But there was nothing they could do. They could not live in the forest forever.

Besides, the forest's safety was only an illusion. Sooner or later, this place would be affected by war as well.

After reaching the edge of the forest, Yuzhen decided to set up camp and rest for one night. Once they went farther out and returned to the ordinary world, even getting a peaceful night's sleep would probably become a luxury.

They set up a temporary camp beside a stream and lit a fire to cook. Without looking closely, it would have been easy to mistake them for a merchant caravan traveling a long distance.

Yuzhen first arranged the nighttime watch, then returned to the center of the camp and sat directly on the ground.

For the past two days, he had been responsible for keeping an eye on the Uchiha ninja, without relaxing for even a moment.

She had remained unconscious the entire time and had also been running a high fever. Unfortunately, the only help the people at the camp could provide was physical cooling. Fortunately, she proved quite resilient.

Yuzhen felt that she should be waking up soon.

Sure enough, after the busy camp setup and dinner, amid the gloomy night illuminated by the campfire, the Uchiha ninja finally opened her eyes.

Yuzhen, who had been beside her the whole time, noticed immediately that she had awakened.

However, she merely opened her eyes and lay quietly on the stretcher, staring at the pitch-black night sky and the falling snow for quite a while before finally asking:

"What time is it?"

Yuzhen misunderstood her and answered somewhat beside the point: "You've been unconscious for about two days."

"No, I mean, what month and day is it? If convenient, it would be best if you could tell me the year, month, and day." she said again.

Yuzhen blinked, somewhat dazed by the question.

See? The Uchiha really are mentally unstable.

He opened his mouth to speak, then suddenly faltered.

After a brief silence, he finally said:

"The exact date... To be honest, you've really stumped me."

Yuzhen and the others had been living in the mountains and roughing it for so long that, over time, he had actually forgotten the exact date.

But then he immediately realized that the way she had asked the question seemed to imply something.