Chapter 213

"Creak~"

As the tightly closed door was opened, Uchiha Madara, who had been waiting anxiously outside, felt his heart, which was already hanging, instantly rise to his throat. Looking at Uchiha Miao, who came out of the door wearing a white coat and a mask, he asked cautiously:

"Elder Miao, how is Father's condition?"

"Sigh~ Clan Leader, I did my best, but the old clan leader is of advanced age and the wound is in a vital area. Go in and see him one last time, then prepare for the funeral."

Sighing deeply, Uchiha Miao stepped aside to make way, his tone filled with deep regret as he spoke to Uchiha Madara before him.

"Impossible! Impossible!"

Until this very moment, Uchiha Madara did not believe that his invincible father would leave him so simply. Suppressing the grief in his heart, Uchiha Madara stepped into the ward.

As soon as he entered the room, he smelled a pungent medicinal odor. On the only hospital bed in the room, "Uchiha Tian Dao" lay peacefully. The blood on his body had been cleaned, but upon closer inspection, one could still smell a bloody scent mixed with the smell of disinfectant.

"Cough, cough, cough... is that Madara?"

Perhaps the sound of footsteps upon entering was too loud, waking "Uchiha Tian Dao," who was on his deathbed. A weak voice rang out, waking the numb Uchiha Madara.

"Father, I'm here."

Uchiha Madara's black eyes were instantly filled with deep sorrow. He walked quickly to his father's bedside, looking at the man who had once stood tall, now lying weakly on the bed, his pale face devoid of any vitality. He extended trembling hands, wanting to do something, but could only stop helplessly in mid-air.

"Where is Izuna?"

"My brother is still on the way. Father, hold on, he'll be here soon."

Sensing the life force within his father that was about to dry up, Uchiha Madara gritted his teeth, his hatred for a certain white-haired man reaching its peak. Just as he didn't know how to face his father who was about to leave, "Uchiha Tian Dao," lying on the sickbed, breathed with difficulty and said:

"Madara, you must understand that Father's failure has a traceable cause."

"Father, please don't speak anymore."

"No, all of this stems from Father's eyes, which have lost their light. Otherwise, how could I have been defeated by that kind of brat?"

Forcing himself to sit up, "Uchiha Tian Dao" removed his reading glasses. A pair of dim, lusterless eyes stared fixedly at the stunned Uchiha Madara and continued:

"Your situation is not much better than mine. If this continues, you will sooner or later die at the hands of those two brothers. By then, the Uchiha clan will vanish into the long river of the Land of Fire's history."

"And you will be the sinner of the Uchiha."

"Father, I..."

Facing the rebuke of "Uchiha Tian Dao" on his deathbed, Uchiha Madara wanted to retort, but looking at his father on his deathbed, he ultimately chose to accept it silently.

"I am dying, but I am not reconciled."

Trembling, he extended a hand and placed it on the shoulder of the silent Uchiha Madara. "Uchiha Tian Dao" used all his strength and said slowly:

"Madara, I hope you can take my eyes, lead the Uchiha clan, and stand at the pinnacle of the Land of Fire."

"Father, are you going to...?"

Uchiha Madara, who vaguely had the answer in his heart, looked in surprise at his father, whose gaze was resolute, and asked hesitantly.

"That's right. Transplant my Mangekyo and achieve the Eternal Eyes that will never lose their light again!"

The hand on Uchiha Madara's shoulder exerted slight force, and the words spoken carried an undeniable tone.

"I don't..."

Uchiha Madara wanted to refuse, but was stopped by a look from "Uchiha Tian Dao."

"Madara, the Eternal Eyes are the ultimate power of our clan. Once you possess them, your strength will leap forward. By then, that brat from the Senju clan will certainly be no match for you."

"But..."

Uchiha Madara, still having some reservations in his heart, saw the resistance on his face relax significantly.

"Cough, cough, cough... my time is running out. Besides this, there is one more thing..."

"Uchiha Tian Dao" suddenly vomited blood. The sprayed blood dyed the white sheets bright red, just like the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan.

He extended a trembling hand, wiped the blood hanging from the corner of his mouth, and looked at Uchiha Madara, who was conflicted. His final words carried a hint of pleading:

"Remember to give your cousin a raise and let him work in the dungeon until he retires~"

"Okay, Father, I promise you."

Looking at "Uchiha Tian Dao," who was breathing more than he was exhaling, Uchiha Madara closed his eyes, as if he had made a great determination. He slowly opened his slightly reddened eyes and nodded to his most respected father.

"Good, good, good. Then I can leave in peace..."

Since Uchiha Madara had agreed, Uchiha Gin, having achieved his goal, stopped dragging out the plot. Facing his cousin who was immersed in grief, he tilted his head, the hand on the other's shoulder slowly dropped, and he made no further sound.

"Father!"

After many years, Uchiha Madara, having lost a loved one again, instantly shed tears. He opened his mouth wide, but because of excessive grief, he could not make a sound no matter what.

"Old Clan Leader~"

Uchiha Miao, who had been watching the show outside for a long time, saw that the time was ripe and came in to join the fun. This usually cold eighty-year-old man now had tears in his eyes. Looking at "Uchiha Tian Dao," who had lost his life force, his voice also carried a trace of trembling.

"Clan Leader, please accept my condolences. Does the old clan leader have any unfulfilled wishes?"

"Elder Miao, I leave it to you to transplant Father's eyes to me."

Hearing Uchiha Miao's unintentional words, Uchiha Madara pulled himself out of grief. With cold eyes, he looked at the old man before him and said.

"As you command!"

I was waiting for you to say that~

Because of Uchiha Madara's cooperation, the Mangekyo transplant surgery ended very quickly. When his cousin, whose eyes were wrapped in white cloth, was pushed out of the ward, Uchiha Gin, who had been playing dead for a long time, slowly opened his eyes and stretched his stiff body. The smile on the corner of his mouth couldn't be suppressed even by ten Wood Humans.

"Gin, the surgery was very successful. After the anesthesia wears off, the clan leader's eyes will be able to function normally."

Uchiha Miao, who had just removed his gloves, walked in. Looking at "Uchiha Tian Dao" with a smile on his face, he said.

"Phew~ It wasn't easy, but this can only fool my cousin for a while."

Uchiha Gin, who waved his hand to dispel the disguise technique, jumped off the hospital bed and reminded his partner in crime.

"Are you so sure that after the clan leader obtains the Eternal Eyes, he will still be no match for that Senju Hashirama?"

As the scientific research expert of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Miao knew the power of the Eternal Eyes best. Just the fact that one could use pupil techniques without side effects was already the ceiling of combat power in the Ninja World, not to mention the bonus these eyes gave to the Susanoo, which could reach a terrifying level.

"Wood Release."

Uchiha Gin shook his head and spat out these two words lightly.

"That secret technique of the Senju? Although it's very strong, I don't think it will be a match for the clan leader."

"No one understands Wood Release better than I do!"

As one of the only two Wood Release ninjas in the current Ninja World, Uchiha Gin could clearly perceive the majestic Wood Release power within Senju Hashirama. He was indeed a natural Sage Body; he always held back when fighting his cousin, fearing that he would hammer his best friend to death.

"I don't know for what purpose, but Senju Hashirama has always been holding back. However, this time my cousin has obtained the Eternal Eyes, which should make that guy get serious. Just wait and see~"

"Just because of that secret technique of yours for building houses?"

Uchiha Miao had never looked highly upon Wood Release. The reason was that he knew Uchiha Gin used Wood Release to build houses. How could such a low-level secret technique be compared to the noble Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha clan?

"Alright, alright. How is the matter I entrusted to you going?"

Uchiha Gin didn't blame this old man for his short-sightedness. After all, Uchiha Miao hadn't witnessed the divine power of Wood Release on the battlefield, so he could understand the contempt he showed. He skipped the topic and asked about the matter he had entrusted.

"The steel ships you wanted have already been designed. They are currently being tested. If nothing goes wrong, they can be mass-produced this year."

Recalling the matter entrusted to him, Uchiha Miao, frowning, still couldn't figure out what medicine Uchiha Gin was selling in his gourd. Why not stay in the Land of Fire properly? Why insist on going to sea?

"That's good. Elder Miao, the future fate of the Uchiha clan rests entirely on your shoulders."

Hearing that the matter he entrusted had made great progress, Uchiha Gin immediately breathed a sigh of relief. The escape route he had painstakingly managed for the Uchiha clan for many years was finally going to come in handy.

Just as the two were having a heated discussion about the ship design, a familiar figure arrived late.

"Big Brother! Big Brother! What happened to Father?"

Uchiha Izuna, dusty and tired, had a face full of anxiety. Having just rushed back to the camp and learned the bad news of his father's passing, the sudden change made him anxious, his eyes slightly red, and his hands and feet trembling. After some questioning, he rushed toward the ward without stopping.

"Uh... the little cousin is here~"

Hearing Uchiha Izuna's shouts in the ward, Uchiha Gin, feeling something, quickly formed seals to create a wood clone, directed it to perform the disguise technique, disguised it as "Uchiha Tian Dao" with no life force, and lay back on the blood-stained hospital bed. He himself and Uchiha Miao stood by the bed with their heads bowed, looking mournful.

"Cousin! Father is..."

Rushing into the ward in a panic, not expecting to meet Uchiha Gin here, Uchiha Izuna, who was just about to say hello, saw his cousin's painful expression and his heart tightened. Then he saw his father on the sickbed with no life force, and tears instantly burst from his eyes. His hands and feet also showed signs of going soft.

"Woooooo~ Father, how did you end up lying on a board in the blink of an eye?"

Uchiha Izuna slid to his knees, instantly reached Uchiha Tian Dao's bedside, hugged the body, and cried loudly. Thick snot mixed with tears all stuck to the wood clone's face, making Uchiha Gin feel a sense of relief in his heart—thank goodness he wasn't the one acting as the corpse.

"Cough, cough, cough... little cousin, please accept my condolences."

Uchiha Gin, who couldn't bear to watch anymore, reached out and patted the sobbing Uchiha Izuna, comforting him.

"It's all my fault. If I hadn't failed to hold back that white-haired guy, Father wouldn't have sacrificed himself."

Uchiha Izuna, who had already learned the cause of his father's death, fell into deep self-reproach. His two hands were clenched into fists, and visible blue veins throbbed on the back of his fair hands.

If he could have held him back, or defeated the hateful Senju Tobirama, his father, who had already begun to enjoy his later years, would not have left them.

"Sigh~ It's not you who is wrong, it's this world."

(End of chapter)