The True Warring States Era (2)

Chapter 7: The True Warring States Period

By the time Uchiha Tajima, Uchiha Shin, Madara, Izuna, and Uchiha Shiro arrived at the Uchiha clan's graveyard, dozens of braziers had already been lit around the desolate grounds.

The flames within the braziers flickered in the wind, casting long, distorted shadows of the gathered Uchiha clansmen upon the ground.

The atmosphere at the scene was solemn.

Under the illumination of the dozens of braziers, rows upon rows of neatly arranged oval-shaped earthen mounds came into view for Uchiha Shin, Madara, and Izuna.

In a vacant space, seven rectangular pits of identical size, each a man's depth, had been dug.

Uchiha Shin knew that these seven identical rectangular pits were prepared for Uchiha Kawasuke and the other six who had fallen in battle.

"Lord Tajima!"

The Uchiha ninjas present bowed their heads one after another to greet Uchiha Tajima.

"Mm."

Uchiha Tajima nodded with a grim expression, then led Uchiha Shin, Madara, and Izuna directly to the side where the seven corpses were laid out, bending down to crouch.

Gulp...

Uchiha Shin, Madara, and Izuna, who were following closely behind Uchiha Tajima, swallowed subconsciously.

It was only natural that Madara and Izuna, given their young age, would feel uncomfortable and fearful when faced with such a scene.

However, it was not strange for Uchiha Shin, who possessed the soul of a thirty-year-old adult, to have this reaction as well.

After all, although Uchiha Shin had been a thirty-year-old adult in his previous life, he was fortunate enough to have been born in a peaceful, powerful, and happy nation.

He had truly never encountered a scene like this, where he had to face the remains of clansmen who had lost their lives to war.

Although Uchiha Shin had already steeled his resolve to become an independent ninja, this was his first time encountering such a grim spectacle.

Therefore, it was forgivable that Uchiha Shin felt a bit nervous.

Gulp!

The seven fallen men lay on their backs, covered by white cloths.

As Uchiha Tajima reached out to lift the white cloths covering the bodies, the pupils of Uchiha Shin, Madara, and Izuna constricted once more.

"Uchiha Kawasuke, seventeen, Chunin."

"Uchiha Hideki, eighteen, Chunin."

"Uchiha Hiroshi, ten, Genin."

"Uchiha Toshio, seven, Genin."

"Uchiha Shin, seven, Genin."

"Uchiha Ryuichi, six, Genin."

With every white cloth Uchiha Tajima lifted, he accurately stated the name and the strength the deceased had possessed during their lifetime.

By the time Uchiha Tajima lifted the final white cloth, even he, accustomed as he was to life and death, could not help but show a change in his expression.

"Uchiha Toru, five, Uchiha Hiroshi's younger brother, a child with great talent as a ninja..."

Uchiha Tajima stood up, looked at the corpse on the ground that had been reduced to only half a body, and could not help but sigh.

"Toru fought very bravely before he fell!"

"He could have escaped with the five who were severely wounded, but Toru, in order to help his brother Hiroshi, firmly chose to stay behind and cover the retreat with Kawasuke and the others."

Uchiha Shiro reported the details he knew about Uchiha Toru to Uchiha Tajima.

Aside from his youthful face, which could barely be identified, the rest of his body had been mangled beyond recognition.

Uchiha Shin opened his eyes wide in disbelief.

Is this the cruel truth behind this era?

Is this the final outcome of the path of the ninja that I will have to face in the future?

Uchiha Shin felt a sense of sorrow as he muttered to himself. Although his stomach churned and his throat felt itchy, he struggled to hold it back.

Uchiha Shin did not want to make a fool of himself, nor did he want to lose favor in Uchiha Tajima's eyes by showing weakness.

He did not want to miss the chance to become the future leader of the Uchiha clan.

Thus, Uchiha Shin gritted his teeth and kept his mouth tightly shut, forcing the bile that had risen to his throat back down.

Meanwhile, the performance of Madara and Izuna nearby was abysmal.

Perhaps it was because they had never witnessed such a cruel scene before.

Madara and Izuna both covered their mouths with one hand and quickly ran toward a large tree nearby, leaning against its thick trunk as they vomited uncontrollably.

Uchiha Tajima kept a straight face as he watched their poor performance, shaking his head slightly with a flicker of disappointment in his eyes.

However, seeing that Uchiha Shin remained calm and composed despite witnessing such a cruel scene for the first time, Uchiha Tajima nodded in satisfaction.

It seemed his choice was indeed correct.

Uchiha Tajima looked down at Uchiha Shin standing beside him, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

"What about the five who were severely injured?"

After inspecting all the corpses, Uchiha Tajima straightened his back, crossed his arms, and turned to look at Uchiha Shiro standing to the side to ask.

"Lord Tajima, after being examined by the clan's physicians, it has been confirmed that three of the five severely injured will no longer be able to serve as ninja."

"As for the other two, it is estimated they will need half a year of recovery before they are fully healed."

Uchiha Shiro bowed his head and reported to Uchiha Tajima.

"Hmm!"

Upon hearing the specific status of the five severely injured, Uchiha Tajima nodded, having made his own calculations.

"Now, tell me why—when a battle plan had already been established before the mission—such a grave oversight occurred!"

Uchiha Tajima's expression turned grim as he continued to question Uchiha Shiro.

"Originally, Kawasuke and his team had perfectly executed the mission according to the battle plan formulated before departure!"

"Who would have thought that on their way back, they would be ambushed by a joint force of the Senju clan and the Inuzuka clan..."

"It was only because those seven, including Kawasuke, fought to the death to cover the retreat that the five severely injured were fortunate enough to escape back to the clan."

Uchiha Shiro once again reported the specific intelligence to Uchiha Tajima in full detail.

"The Senju clan!"

"And that Inuzuka clan who partner with ninja hounds!"

"I will absolutely not forgive them!"

A flash of anger crossed Uchiha Tajima's eyes; his hands, clasped behind his back, suddenly clenched into fists before slowly relaxing.

"Very well, see that they are buried properly!"

"All seven of them are heroes of our Uchiha clan!"

Uchiha Tajima looked directly at all the ninja present, delivering the final verdict on the deaths of Kawasuke and the other six.

Under Uchiha Shiro's arrangements, the seven fallen were placed into seven wooden coffins that had been prepared in advance.

These seven coffins were tied together in pairs by ropes, slowly carried to the side of the rectangular pit that had already been dug, and then lowered down one by one.

As the final shovel of dirt was cast over them, seven new graves were added to the cemetery within the Uchiha clan compound.

Once everything was finished, the crowd began to disperse, heading back to their respective homes.

Uchiha Shin, following behind Uchiha Tajima, looked up at the starry night sky, unable to help but recall the words once spoken by Uchiha Itachi in the original Naruto series...

Life is born, life struggles, and life also dies.

Hahaha, this is what it means to be a damn ninja...

A look of irony flashed through Uchiha Shin's eyes, and he couldn't help but want to curse, hoping to release the anger he felt right now.

PS: Seeking recommendation tickets, favorites, investments, and comments. Thank you all!

Sigh, I was still half an hour late; I didn't manage to finish before twelve o'clock.