Sharingan Devotee

"I need an explanation."

Although Uchiha Naoto's tone was calm, Shiri still felt as though his words had left her gasping for air.

Shiri had been forced to participate in the Sharingan research because of her talent for it. Uchiha Naoto, on the other hand, was driven purely by interest.

In his eyes, the Uchiha weren't living, breathing people, but walking experimental subjects.

Shiri recited the story she had prepared along the way. The plan had gone smoothly at first, and she had sent a signal to inform Daimyo Imagawa's troops in advance. But then Uchiha Keisuke had suddenly attacked the Senju ninja.

After that, she concealed what had happened during the two days in the valley. She only said that Senju Arashi had struck and poisoned her, and that she had fallen into a deep ravine. It had taken her two whole days to regain the ability to move. Qiancao and Wuming were nowhere to be found, and she suspected they had been captured by the Senju ninja.

Naoto listened to Shiri's story without saying a word. At the end, he activated his Sharingan and examined the flow of chakra in her body.

"Have you heard about the strange rumor that's been spreading lately?" Naoto suddenly asked.

Shiri froze. She had prepared for many possibilities, but never expected Naoto to ask that. All she could do was answer honestly, "No."

"Four Uchiha ninja ambushed Senju Arashi, daughter of the Senju Clan Head. Both sides perished at Mount Hakkoda." Naoto smiled at Shiri as he spoke, as though he'd heard something delightful. "How did Wuming perform before you lost the ability to fight?"

"She was on par with Senju Arashi." As the one who had made Wuming into a weapon, Naoto had always paid close attention to her combat ability.

Silence fell between them. Naoto seemed lost in thought, and Shiri couldn't help asking, "Should we find someone to set the record straight? Uchiha Keisuke definitely wasn't the Keisuke we knew. I suspect someone impersonated him just to stir up trouble between us and the Senju."

Naoto didn't rush to answer. He poured himself a cup of tea from the pot in front of him, then spoke unhurriedly. "That's not something we should concern ourselves with. The clan head is actually delighted and spreading the story everywhere."

"Go to the infirmary and have someone prepare medicine for you. There's still some Aburame Clan neurotoxin in your body. If it stays there, it'll damage your nerves."

The remaining poison in Shiri's body was something she had specifically asked Aburame Kei to inject before she left, to dispel Naoto's suspicions. Seeing that Naoto seemed to believe her story for now, Shiri gritted her teeth and cautiously asked:

"Do we need to retrieve Qiancao and Wuming's Sharingan?"

Naoto gave Shiri a blank look, as if trying to see through her.

"No need. I placed a seal on them long ago. If their Sharingan leave their bodies, they'll be destroyed automatically."

He even raised his head and gave Shiri a faintly amused look. "This time, I wasn't lying."

Understanding the implication in Naoto's words, Shiri's heart gave a sudden lurch. She didn't dare let anything show on her face. After bowing, she fled in a panic.

Left alone in the room, Naoto watched her flustered retreat with amusement. He took out another teacup and deftly brewed a second cup of tea, setting it beside him.

The air rippled unnaturally, and the figure of a young man appeared in the room out of nowhere. He sat down before the freshly brewed tea and gulped it down, heedless of how scalding it was. Uchiha Naoto could only shake his head.

The visitor was Uchiha Eiki, the strongest among the current generation of young Uchiha.

Naoto couldn't be bothered to serve Uchiha Eiki more tea leaves, so he simply poured him a cup of hot water. Eiki immediately protested. "Hey, hey, hey! I finally come home for a visit, and you only offer me plain water? I'm your nephew!"

Naoto only smiled. Instead, he asked, "What do you think of Senju Arashi's strength?"

Eiki was annoyed that he'd changed the subject, but he knew his uncle would never answer anything he didn't want to discuss. He could only answer the question honestly.

"Senju Arashi isn't the kind of opponent I'm good at handling. Without the Mangekyō Sharingan, I probably couldn't beat her."

What Eiki meant was: If I used the Mangekyō, she wouldn't stand a chance.

Naoto didn't dampen his confidence. Instead, he continued, "Do you think Wuming has succeeded as a weapon, given that she held her own against Senju Arashi?"

Eiki thought it over. He'd almost blurted out that, considering Wuming's age, being evenly matched with Senju Arashi was already a success. But then he remembered her uncanny Mangekyō Sharingan and shook his head.

"After ten years of cultivation, the results are still too meager."

Naoto was pleased with his answer. He gave a slight nod, then continued. "Based on my research over the past few decades, using hatred as fuel for the Sharingan has nearly reached its limit."

"Even if we really cultivate a more powerful Sharingan, hatred will destroy its host first."

"The Caged Bird Seal has too many limitations. Only a flower that grows naturally in a wider world can truly be beautiful."

Then Naoto smiled at Eiki. "Aren't you just such a wildflower?"

Eiki fell silent, then smiled too, acknowledging that Naoto had a point.

"No matter how many ninjutsu we implant in Wuming, she'll only become a monster that destroys everything. How could we waste those precious eyes like that?"

"The clan head is a brute. He'll never understand."

Eiki couldn't help defending the clan head. "He's thinking of the Uchiha Clan's future. He wants to make the Uchiha the strongest clan. If you let Wuming go, aren't you afraid of creating an enemy who'll destroy the clan?"

"What does the Uchiha Clan amount to, compared with the Sharingan?"

"The Sharingan is a gift from heaven. The Sharingan chose the Uchiha Clan; the Uchiha didn't choose the Sharingan."

"As long as the Sharingan still exists, the Uchiha Clan will never be destroyed."

Uchiha Eiki listened silently. Ever since his uncle's eyesight had gradually deteriorated from using the Mangekyō Sharingan so many times, Naoto had become utterly devoted to the Sharingan. This wasn't the first time he'd said something shocking.

The Uchiha Clan Head remembered his many contributions to the development of the Sharingan, as well as his obsession with it, and so turned a blind eye to many of Uchiha Naoto's mad schemes.

I just hope his choices don't really destroy the Uchiha Clan, Eiki thought.

Meanwhile, after returning home, Shiri quickly greeted her parents and hurried off to her room alone.

Before leaving, Shiri had summoned two messenger hawks to follow Qiancao and the others. They had agreed that if the test showed the poison was harmless, they would call back the brown hawk. Otherwise, they would summon the other one.

As the smoke cleared, the brown hawk held a note in its beak. It was written in an unfamiliar hand:

We've reached the Aburame Clan's territory. The initial inspection showed no problems. Please don't worry, Shiri.

The note was signed by Senju Arashi.