Homeless

"Heh—vodka still tastes the best!"

Kurenai Yuhi finished the canteen in one gulp, raised a hand to wipe away the lingering droplet at the corner of her mouth, and tossed the canteen to Izumi with a bold, unrestrained air.

Only Ingetsu and Izumi, seated beside her, witnessed that seductive display.

"Huh?"

Izumi widened her pretty eyes, reached out to catch the canteen, and shook it. Finding not a single drop left, she pouted with bitter grievance and used the edge of her sleeve to wipe the spout.

It was tainted now.

This woman was truly going too far, defiling her canteen. She had drunk someone else's water, yet had the nerve to complain that it didn't taste good.

The group of Uchiha, including Mikoto and Nonō, were focused intently and failed to notice this little interlude, hanging on Ingetsu's every word.

White Zetsu...

So those kinds of monsters had a unified name.

Everyone furrowed their brows in deep thought.

Ingetsu patiently explained:

"For now, you only need to know about three basic ninjutsu used by these monsters.

The first is called the Spore Technique. It allows White Zetsu to parasitize ninjas they have touched and absorb the host's chakra.

The second is called the Impersonation Technique. By absorbing a ninja's chakra, White Zetsu can transform into that exact ninja, to the point where even the Byakugan and ninja hounds cannot tell them apart.

The third is called the Mayfly Technique. Utilizing this ability, they can fuse their physical bodies with the earth and vegetation, achieving high-speed movement underground.

Beneath the very ground we stand on right now, there might be countless White Zetsu!"

As Ingetsu spoke, he glanced sideways at the grass beside him, completely unconcerned.

The rest of the Uchiha wore looks of panic, not knowing where to look as they wildly swept their gazes over the area beneath them and checked carefully.

Izumi suddenly seized on the crux of the matter, lingering fear flashing in her large, pretty eyes as she pressed:

"Then... Captain, we've had contact with them as well. Could someone among us already be parasitized or... replaced?"

At those words, the group of Uchiha stiffened in expression and posture. Lost in thought, they looked toward their companions, suspicion flickering in their gazes.

Ingetsu's expression remained unchanged as he shook his head.

Everyone instantly let out sighs of relief.

Before the Uchiha could ask further.

Ingetsu explained: "All of you have been hit by my Mangekyo ability. The moment your mind or chakra shows any anomaly, I'll be able to sense it."

This was why he had nothing to fear.

Yachihoko served as a disguised form of sensory power, leaving no gaps for White Zetsu, or even stronger disguised ninjas, to infiltrate them.

Only then did the Uchiha recall.

The Night of the Clan Annihilation.

They had pursued Ingetsu, and the two sides crossed paths for merely a moment before everyone became Ingetsu's captives.

At this thought, the group flushed crimson with shame.

Izumi wore a solemn expression, raised a hand with her finger pointed, gestured toward Kurenai at Ingetsu's side and Nonō beside Mikoto, and asked, "What about the two of them?"

Ingetsu cast a sideways glance at the two women, the corners of his lips curling up slightly as he replied: "I branded them the moment we met."

Hearing this, Kurenai and Nonō widened their beautiful eyes, both thinking to themselves: When on earth did we get hit by some baffling brand?

Uchiha Nanpu fell into deep thought, the fierce firelight reflecting in the lenses of his square-rimmed glasses. After a moment of hesitation, he asked honestly:

"Captain Ingetsu, I want to ask... how did you find out about information regarding these monsters?"

Only then did the others realize that Ingetsu seemed awfully familiar with those humanoid monster lifeforms.

The Uchiha fixed their gazes unanimously on Ingetsu.

The firelight cast a fiery red glow across Ingetsu's handsome face, tinging the edges of his dark hair with orange and adding a touch of mystery.

An abrupt voice broke the brief silence.

"Heh, you guys are just suffering from reading too few books and lacking culture. My big brother usually holds a book and flips through it when he's at the Police Force office—was he reading those for nothing?"

After a cold huff, Tamao spoke with a haughty and arrogant tone.

"..." Uchiha Nanpu's face changed color once more, choked speechless by this mental patient.

The Uchiha instantly recalled past events.

One Uchiha sighed with emotion:

"When Captain Ingetsu had nothing to do at the Police Force, he really did like to sit out in the open flowerbeds behind his office during the afternoons, soaking up the sun. One person, one chair, a book, a cup of tea, reading the entire afternoon away."

Another Uchiha added:

"It was also because of that lazy personality that Inabi, Tekka, Yashiro, and the others didn't like him."

Yet another Uchiha chimed in:

"That just shows those Police Force higher-ups were narrow-minded. Everyone knew that Captain Ingetsu kept the Konoha district under his jurisdiction in immaculate order. He'd finish his patrols in the morning, and by the afternoon nobody would cause trouble, nor was there any need to constantly respond to calls."

It was only under the blessing of such exceptional qualities and hobbies that Ingetsu appeared refined and courteous, and reading books was also a well-known hobby of his.

Listening to the Uchiha recount Ingetsu's past, Kurenai's mature and alluring face immediately blossomed into a look of infatuation. After all, this was the man she had set her sights on.

His excellence was also the capital of her pride.

Yet no one could have ever imagined.

That such an elegant, handsome, and gentle-as-water good captain could have committed the demonic act of trading lives on the Night of the Clan Annihilation.

The Uchiha who had survived.

Were bought by Ingetsu with the lives of his own clansmen.

The thoughts of the Uchiha suddenly returned to the Night of the Clan Annihilation, sorrow coloring their expressions and a sharp ache gripping their hearts.

The emotions arrived with overwhelming speed.

"Sob..."

A few of the younger Uchiha youths suddenly burst into tears, choking with sobs.

The grief erupted like a volcano!

"Why did it have to come to this!"

"Why didn't you even spare the civilians?"

"Older brother! Younger sister!"

An Uchiha knelt on the grass, sobbing and choking as he slammed his fist fiercely into the ground.

No one stopped him.

At the edge of the campfire, Mikoto kept her head lowered in silence, her eye sockets red and tears streaming down her face.

Fugaku's decision.

Had truly been wrong.

Itachi's decision was wrong compounded upon wrong.

Mikoto bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, her fingers digging deep into the grass. She felt that the Uchiha should never have evolved to this stage.

For a time, sorrow permeated the space around the campfire.

Even outsiders like Nonō and Kurenai felt a resonance and pity for the Uchiha beside them.

Whoosh—

The mountain wind howled, stoking the campfire as if heaven and earth were showing care for this group of homeless people, sending them a sliver of warmth amidst the dark night.

Ingetsu said nothing, reaching out to turn the wild boar that had been roasting for a long time without anyone to tend it. He had no intention of comforting anyone.

Having arrived in the Shinobi World.

Was he not also a homeless person?

Back in that spacetime of his.

He had a younger brother, a younger sister, parents, a grandfather, a grandmother, a maternal grandmother, a maternal grandfather...

So how could he possibly afford to die here!

Ingetsu suddenly twitched his brow, exercising his mastery over spiritual energy through Yachihoko.

He could physically feel that, after passing through yet another baptism of sorrow, the pupil power of the batch of Uchiha he had brought out had increased significantly once more.

As for whether anyone could unlock the Mangekyo.

That remained unknown.

The Sharingan was the mirror of the heart; the method of awakening it was not necessarily extreme pain, and could also be extreme joy and anticipation.

Yet possessing extreme pain and hatred, or extreme joy and anger, did not guarantee an awakening either.

From the Warring States Era down to the present day, throughout the modern era of the entire Uchiha clan, aside from Fugaku, only three super geniuses had awakened the Mangekyo.

Shisui, Itachi, and Sasuke.

These three individuals shared a common trait: even without the Mangekyo, their personal strength was still peerless and their natural talent extraordinary.

The group of people Ingetsu brought out had guaranteed character, but lacked that kind of genius, nor did the Uchiha clan possess any surplus talent of that caliber.

The scarcity of modern Uchiha Mangekyo.

The root cause was bound to be multifaceted.

He did not delve deeply into investigating that aspect.

Taking advantage of the period when everyone was silent in their grief, Ingetsu summoned the Black Blade Dark Moon. Space rippled, and the pitch-black, sharp blade materialized.

He gripped the Dark Moon tightly, wanting to experiment and see what kind of effect would emerge if he injected other Chakra Nature Transformations into this blade.