In the dimly lit dungeon, the sound of pages flipping echoed. Uchiha Gin furrowed his brow as he carefully reviewed the document in his hands.
This was a plan that Uchiha Igaku had produced to substantiate his claims. The rough texture of the paper confirmed its age. The worn cover bore the title:
"War Weapon Development Program"
Author: Uchiha Tajima
Chief Editor: Uchiha Haru
Unable to hold back a bit of sarcasm at the overly dramatic title, Gin began reading each word closely.
The content was extensive. The first half analyzed the abilities and limitations of the Mangekyo Sharingan owned by the two main individuals: the original user and Nameless.
The document noted a high compatibility between the two, suggesting that when their abilities were combined, they could enhance the destructive power of the Mangekyo.
Uchiha Haru observed that the Uchiha clan's emotional volatility surpassed that of others, especially among its youth. If the young duo, with abilities beyond their age, lost control of their emotions, it could spell great loss for the clan.
To prevent such a disaster, Uchiha Haru proposed "de-willing" the two—a process to remove their emotional instability while preserving their powers, effectively transforming them into emotionless "weapons" for the clan's benefit.
Reading this gave Uchiha Gin a headache.
The original user had had immense trust in Uchiha Tajima, and now Uchiha Igaku seemed to be wielding this document with lethal intent.
As he reached the final pages, he found detailed notes on how to counteract the irreversible degeneration of the Mangekyo's powers.
According to clan records, when a Mangekyo Sharingan exhausted its power, the user would experience bodily decline, lowered immunity, and—most critically—loss of vision.
The solution that had been tried was to transplant another Mangekyo. If the transplant did not result in rejection, the user's eye power could be restored, with a chance of wielding both Sharingans' abilities.
"So, my Sharingan was taken?" Uchiha Gin looked up and asked Uchiha Igaku, who nodded.
"That's right, your Sharingan was taken by Uchiha Tajima and successfully transplanted to the more controllable Nameless."
It all made sense now. Uchiha Gin realized that his current eyes weren't even his own.
From the surprised reactions of Uchiha Tajima and the others when he returned from his mission, he could infer that his current eyes might not even belong to the Uchiha clan.
"And what happened to Nameless in the end?" Gin asked, curious about Nameless's fate.
"According to intelligence from Spectre, after Nameless's power grew, she was sent by Uchiha Tajima on brutal missions. Her strange abilities made other clans wary."
One of Igaku's eyes gleamed with a dim light as he continued, "Eventually, she was ambushed and sealed by the Senju and Sarutobi clans in a hidden place."
Sealed away. A surge of restlessness welled up in Uchiha Gin, an unexplainable urge to find this girl known as Nameless.
After a moment, he caught his breath and asked, "So, you brought me here and revealed all this…are you hoping I'll do something?"
Though Igaku was technically his grandfather, Gin knew that such elaborate efforts couldn't be for a simple reunion.
Otherwise, why go to such lengths to instill all these supposed truths?
"Yes," Uchiha Igaku admitted candidly. "I could've reconnected with you earlier, but Uchiha Tajima's power is overwhelming. Neither of us could oppose him alone. Besides, you lost your Sharingan and your strength has plummeted."
Igaku was well aware of Gin's condition six years ago when he'd overused his Mangekyo Sharingan, nearly collapsing his entire body.
Though his Sharingan was removed in time, his meridians had been ruined by the backlash of the Mangekyo's powers. If he were lucky, he might retain a sliver of chakra; if not, he'd be utterly powerless.
"But why do you need me now?" Uchiha Gin asked, aware of his limited capabilities.
"Uchiha Hiro recently captured a Sarutobi clan ninja," Igaku's eyes sparkled, "and that person knows the location of where Nameless was sealed."
So that was it.
Uchiha Igaku was targeting Nameless. Gin suddenly understood. Though he'd never witnessed Nameless in combat, her transplanted abilities suggested that her power could rival even Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke's Mangekyo prowess.
"As soon as Uchiha Hiro extracts the location, Uchiha Tajima will move swiftly to break the seal, hoping to reclaim his prized 'weapon of war.'"
Igaku fixed Gin with a steady gaze. "If you join them and help break the seal, I'll ensure you gain control of Nameless before he does. With her on your side, no one in the Uchiha clan would stand a chance against you."
Why? Based on what? Gin's first thought was, what reason would Tajima have to let him join such a classified mission?
From Igaku's words, he gathered that he'd betrayed Uchiha Tajima before, and it was only blood relations that kept him alive.
Why would they trust a former traitor with something this critical?
"All you have to do is express your desire to join the mission, and he'll agree," Igaku murmured, his expression unreadable. "All I can say is that, in this world, you're the only one Uchiha Tajima truly trusts."
At those raspy words, Gin's mind went blank.
The Uchiha grounds lay silent under the night sky.
In Uchiha Tajima's mansion, Izuna and Madara had long since fallen asleep. In the study, the candlelight burned softly. Seated cross-legged, Tajima cultivated his chakra in silence.
"Whew…"
After a long while, he exhaled deeply and opened his eyes. Instead of the usual three-tomoe pattern, a windmill-like design spun in his pupils. Sensing his immense ocular power, Tajima thought to himself, Looks like my recovery is almost complete.
Reflecting on the events six years ago, he closed his eyes in agony. If he could turn back time, he'd rather give up his ultimate eyes than let that incident happen again.
Because of that, he'd lost the one he loved and condemned his beloved nephew to a life of suffering.
-
Read 60 advanced chapters here (with update rate of 5-10 chapters/day):
Patreon.com/rashta
Join as a member and you will get:
- Read up to 300 chapters of Douluo Dalu: Qian Renxue's Younger Brother
- Read my new ORIGINAL novel that has not been published yet, 'Anime Summoning System' (Psst, chapter 1 is free as a teaser. So check it out if you already like the title)