Eight Thousand Spears

Seeing the two of them getting along so well, Shiri felt a sense of relief and remarked from the side, "You two are getting along quite well."

Wuming, who had been standing there stunned, was triggered by her words. She jumped up as if her fur had been ruffled and retorted, "Who—who is getting along with him!"

To her surprise, Qiancao first pointed at himself, then at Wuming, and said to Shiri, "Friend." Hearing this, Wuming flew into another frenzy.

Finding it amusing, Shiri asked Qiancao, "I thought you couldn't speak anymore? Who taught you the word 'friend'?"

Qiancao didn't understand Shiri's question and could only stand there with a silly grin, while Wuming hurriedly denied it, "I certainly didn't teach him!"

Shiri smiled. Although it would be difficult for these two to escape the control of the Uchiha and they might ultimately face a tragic fate, being able to help them for a moment brought a small sense of comfort to her conscience.

Unsure if anyone was monitoring them, Shiri couldn't say too much and kept her tone professional: "From today on, Wuming, you will live with Qiancao."

Wuming showed no reaction to this, only feeling a pang of pity for Qiancao in her heart; he, too, was about to lose his freedom just like her.

Due to the tragic experiences of the past few years, she had come to view herself as a weapon, so she felt nothing regarding the inconvenience of living with a male.

Seeing Wuming's numb expression, Shiri felt a sting in her heart, but she had to continue: "Qiancao witnessed his parents being killed by his own clansmen. He was severely wounded, and his heart even stopped beating for a time."

"Perhaps that is why he has returned to this state. The elders of the clan are interested in his condition and wish to study him. To prevent any accidents, I have to rely on your help."

"You must place the mark of the 'Eight Thousand Spears' upon him and share your chakra with him at any time. That way, if his body fails, you can transfer chakra to him immediately to help him survive the danger."

Wuming remained silent. The "Eight Thousand Spears" was a miraculous ability naturally inherent in her Mangekyō Sharingan, and it was also the root of her tragic life.

After her parents were sacrificed in the war, Wuming awakened her Mangekyō Sharingan, and with it, the "Eight Thousand Spears."

The power of the "Eight Thousand Spears" allowed Wuming to brand others. As long as someone bore her mark, she could ignore distance and status to drain their chakra or even control their minds.

Because this power was so formidable and sinister, the Uchiha clansmen viewed her as a monster and intentionally kept their distance.

Upon learning of Wuming's ability, Uchiha Naoto saw its potential: a transmitter that could theoretically provide infinite chakra. If it could be used to fuel various ninjutsu, what a powerful weapon that would be.

Thus, Naoto instructed the clansmen to forcibly imprison her and implanted various ninjutsu within her body; Shiri was the one in charge of this experiment.

To stimulate the growth of Wuming's ocular power, Naoto also tacitly allowed the clansmen to bully her.

Furthermore, to mold her into a weapon without emotions, they even stripped her of her original name, and from then on, she lived as "Wuming."

A series of twisted bullying caused the negative emotions in her heart to grow day by day, and her ocular power deepened accordingly.

Her immense ocular power allowed Wuming to better utilize the chakra she siphoned from others, and at a young age, she became a powerful killing machine on the battlefield.

Her terrifying performance only deepened the Uchiha clansmen's fear of her, leading them to alienate her even further.

Looking at Qiancao's eyes as he smiled at her, Wuming sighed inwardly, Are you also reduced to being by my side because of these cursed eyes?

Seeing that Wuming had developed sympathy for Qiancao and was no longer resistant to living with him, Shiri wished them good luck in her heart, silently cleared away the dishes Qiancao had finished, and left.

After Shiri left, Wuming finished her meal hastily, but Qiancao tugged on her sleeve with a pained expression.

Seeing his expression, Wuming asked hurriedly, "What's wrong? Are you in pain somewhere?"

Qiancao pointed to his stomach. Thinking he had a wound there, Wuming pulled up his sleeve, ready to use medical ninjutsu again.

Realizing Wuming had misunderstood him, Qiancao couldn't worry about anything else. He gritted his teeth and made a gesture for urination, signaling, "I need to use the bathroom."

Wuming seemed to understand his meaning and pointed to a large bucket in the corner of the cell, telling him to take care of it there.

Qiancao rushed over and was just about to drop his pants when he realized Wuming was staring right at him, showing no intention of looking away.

After finishing, Qiancao felt incredibly awkward; other than his mother when he was a child, no woman had ever watched him use the bathroom.

Wuming was just about to study why Qiancao's lower body was different from her own when another Uchiha clansman walked into the cell block.

He appeared to be around thirty, and his armor looked expensive; his status in the clan was clearly higher than that of Ryuji, who wore only simple armor.

Wuming stared at the man expressionlessly as he entered. This was the first time Qiancao had seen Wuming look so stern.

After entering, the man glanced at Qiancao in the cell, then smiled at Wuming and said, "You should be grateful to Lord Naoto! He was afraid you'd be lonely, so he found you a playmate!"

Wuming remained cold and indifferent. The man seemed accustomed to her attitude and didn't say anything else, simply pulling out a key to unlock the cell door.

Seeing the door open, Wuming walked out. Qiancao followed suit, intending to trail behind her.

Unexpectedly, the man was in front of Qiancao in an instant, shoving him hard on the shoulder.

Qiancao had braced himself for the man to strike, but the man's speed was too great—in an animation, it would have been nothing more than a blur.

His eyes could track the movement, but his untrained body couldn't dodge it. He was sent flying backward by the shove, nearly slamming into the wall.

Though surprised that the little fool had attempted to dodge, the man laughed out loud:

"Hey! I didn't expect this little traitor to have some tricks! Be grateful to Lord Naoto! He's spared your life for now! Otherwise, I'd dig your eyes out myself!"

Falling to the ground, Qiancao aggravated his old wounds, and for a moment, he lay there dizzy and lightheaded from the lack of blood flow.

A surge of anger suddenly welled up in Wuming's supposedly numb heart, and her body moved on its own, throwing a punch at the man.

The man, who had instantly activated his three-tomoe Sharingan, parried Wuming's attack while laughing:

"The seal on your body hasn't been lifted yet; this is nothing more than a massage for me. Save your strength for dealing with the Senju!"

Missing her strike, Wuming tried to kick him, but the man beat her to it, kicking her back before her leg could even fully extend.

With ninety percent of her chakra and her Sharingan sealed, Wuming was no match for the man before her and stumbled from the blow.

Yet, the anger in her heart drove her to continue, launching attack after attack at him.

Like a cat playing with a mouse, the man calmly parried her moves one by one. He even felt a hint of annoyance; if only Wuming weren't sealed, he could have had a real fight.

"Only a day has passed, and you're already getting cozy with an Uchiha traitor. You really are a lowly weapon!"

What he failed to notice was that Qiancao, lying on the ground, had already silently activated his Sharingan, the three tomoe in his eyes slowly rotating toward the man.