Chapter 29: The Realm of Shadows

The scent of death rushed toward him. At this critical, hair-trigger moment, Uchiha Gin's eyes turned scarlet.

The tomoe in his right eye spun frantically, pouring pupil power into it as if it were worthless.

Kaguya Zhangzhu, who had thought he had already succeeded, wanted to see the miserable state of the Uchiha before him.

Before the expected splash of blood or Uchiha Gin's wails arrived, he only felt a bone-chilling, scorching heat radiating from the wound on his chest.

【Amaterasu】

A black lotus bloomed in his chest cavity. The endless pain suffocated him, and the burning sensation spread from his lungs to his entire body.

The bones grown through the stimulation of his Kekkei Genkai were shattered the moment they touched the eerie black flames. Unable to support his Kekkei Genkai, Kaguya Zhangzhu collapsed, the blooming bone flowers vanishing with the wind as Uchiha Gin pulled his arm free and flew backward.

Before Kaguya Zhangzhu could counterattack, Uchiha Gin, who had been sent flying, knelt on one knee on the ground, one hand "struggling" to support himself while the other wiped away the blood-tears flowing from his right eye, saying with a pale face,

"As expected of the legendary Dead Bone Pulse, truly formidable. I, Uchiha Gin, am willing to call you the strongest in taijutsu. I concede defeat!"

Having said this, he weakly closed his eyes and canceled Amaterasu.

"Host failed, obtained Heart Energy *12. You may unlock the Heartsteel Chest reward after two more battles. (Current cumulative Heart Energy: 22)"

The black flames on his chest extinguished. Kaguya Zhangzhu, already burned to his last breath, vomited large mouthfuls of blood from his mouth. The gruesome wound on his chest had been seared by the high temperature, emitting wafts of the aroma of roasted meat.

After being severely wounded, Kaguya Zhangzhu no longer looked as dull as when they first met, his gaze gradually regaining clarity.

Looking at the slightly disheveled Uchiha Gin beside him, he frowned as if pondering something,

"You little brat are..."

"Have you remembered something?"

Seeing that the other party's mind seemed clear, Uchiha Gin asked hurriedly.

This Kaguya clansman before him seemed to know about the tragedy that occurred at the Uchiha camp six years ago.

He now urgently wanted to know the truth behind the Kaguya clan's attack on the clan grounds that year and what exactly the original owner's missing memories were.

"No, you are not him, your eyes..."

Kaguya Zhangzhu, who had been tortured for so long, was already at the end of his rope. Coupled with the forced activation of his Kekkei Genkai power just now, it had drained his remaining vitality. This final clarity was merely a flash of light before death.

As Kaguya Zhangzhu's voice grew increasingly low, Uchiha Gin, seeing that the other party was exhausted, hurriedly pressed him,

"When you besieged the Uchiha clan grounds that year, who exactly instigated it? Where did the rest of the Kaguya clan go?"

Hearing this question, endless terror surged into Kaguya Zhangzhu's dim pupils. He struggled to retreat, muttering intermittently,

"Everyone is dead, those who have seen the moonlight are all dead!!!"

"Who is dead? What moonlight?"

Hearing the newly emerged keyword, Uchiha Gin lunged to Kaguya Zhangzhu's side in a single stride, grabbing his shoulders, his pair of Sharingan staring fixedly at the other's fading pupils.

"Two? Hahaha, you are not, you are not..."

Seeing the double tomoe slowly rotating in Uchiha Gin's eyes, Kaguya Zhangzhu spoke words of unclear meaning, gradually going limp until he had no breath left.

The damned riddle-maker!

Laying down Kaguya Zhangzhu's corpse, Uchiha Gin, with furrowed brows, turned and walked out of the cell.

After walking only a few steps, he encountered Uchiha Lu Cha coming the other way. The other party was very surprised to see the disheveled Uchiha Gin.

Seeing his blood-stained hands, he couldn't help but shiver. Recalling Uchiha Gin's "infamy," he mustered his courage and asked cautiously,

"Lord Gin, what happened?"

"Kaguya Zhangzhu attacked me while I was questioning him, but because he had been imprisoned for too long, his strength was greatly reduced, and I killed him in self-defense. Go find someone to clean it up."

He did not hide the news of Kaguya Zhangzhu's death; he was just a prisoner with a broken brain, so if he died, he died. At worst, he would just write a report.

"Yes!"

Hearing the other party speak so nonchalantly about killing a prisoner, Uchiha Lu Cha felt a chill down his spine, swallowed his saliva, and immediately agreed.

Watching Uchiha Gin's departing back, Uchiha Lu Cha finally breathed a sigh of relief. The other party's image just now was truly too terrifying, giving him a feeling of bone-chilling dread.

Walking into Kaguya Zhangzhu's cell, Uchiha Lu Cha stepped forward to examine the corpse lying on the ground. It didn't matter if he didn't look, but one look made him gasp.

Kaguya Zhangzhu, who was as thin as a rail, had his hands broken and bound, which was already miserable enough, but now someone had cruelly extracted all the bones from his ten fingers, leaving them dangling on the ground like noodles.

That wasn't even the most horrific part. Looking at the corpse's chest, a pitch-black hole had appeared out of thin air, and there was nothing left inside.

The sternum and ribs were all broken, and it had been cruelly roasted from within the chest cavity using Fire Release. The air was still filled with the aroma of roasted meat, making him feel nauseous.

Having finished the inspection, Uchiha Lu Cha raised his head, recalling Uchiha Gin's harmless-looking face just now, and truly couldn't equate him with this pervert who tortured prisoners to death.

"No wonder the rumors in the clan about Uchiha Gin's various infamies exist. With such methods, an ordinary person really couldn't do it."

Uchiha Lu Cha thought to himself, only wanting to grab his good brother Uchiha Tie Dan and run away, staying far away from Uchiha Gin.

The inscrutable Uchiha Gin pushed open the door to the archives, finding someone sitting in his office area. Seeing him enter, the other party smiled and stood up, saying,

"Gin-kun, since you've just started working here, feel free to make any requests, and I will try my best to arrange them for you."

The one speaking was Elder Uchiha Yan, whom he had met once yesterday in the clan leader's office. Round and plump, he looked like a pleasant Maitreya Buddha, and one could not tell at all that he had been a decisive executioner in his youth.

"Elder Yan is too kind. Officer Uchiha Liuying has already settled everything for me."

Uchiha Gin said politely,

"I am a newcomer, so if there are any shortcomings, I ask for Elder Yan's patience."

"Although archival work is tedious, it can calm the mind. The clan leader saw that you were a bit restless recently, so he wanted you to come here to recuperate and find something to do at the same time."

Uchiha Yan explained Uchiha Tajima's intentions for him.

"Everything is decided by the clan leader."

Uchiha Gin said respectfully.

"Gin-kun, what did you go out to do just now? You made me wait for quite a while."

The smiling Uchiha Yan asked casually.

"I just happened to come across some information about a prisoner and was curious, so I went to take a look."

Knowing he couldn't hide it, Uchiha Gin answered truthfully.

"Gin-kun is truly dedicated to his work, starting on it as soon as you arrived. It is truly admirable."

"Not at all, Elder Yan, you are the one who loves your work as if it were your home..."

The two began the polite exchanges of adults.

Just as the two were chatting happily, Uchiha Lu Cha pushed the door and entered, saying,

"Lord Gin, the prisoner's corpse has been cleaned up. Please rest assured, I will definitely not leave... Ah! Greetings, Elder Yan."

Uchiha Lu Cha, who was already a bit anxious, hadn't thought there would be a second person in the room at first, so he spoke as he pushed the door. Seeing his top superior, his legs went weak instantly, and he knelt down.

The most feared thing is when the air suddenly goes quiet.

"Believe me, the prisoner struck first."

Seeing the awkward silence, Uchiha Gin spoke first, his face full of sincerity and innocence.

"Cough, cough. These prisoners are truly audacious, actually daring to attack openly. Fortunately, Gin-kun, your strength is extraordinary. If you had been injured, how would I answer to the clan leader?"

Uchiha Yan, who had regained his composure, followed along and said some comforting words, looking every bit like an elder caring for a junior.

"Just lucky, just lucky."

Uchiha Gin waved his hand and said modestly.

"Since there is nothing wrong, I won't disturb Gin-kun's work. I will leave this archive to you."

Before leaving, Uchiha Yan patted his shoulder, signaling him to work hard.

After Uchiha Yan left, Uchiha Lu Cha, who was kneeling on the ground, also stood up and walked to Uchiha Gin with a sheepish look, as if waiting for punishment.

"Lu Cha, I see you are quite sharp. I have something I'd like to ask of you."

Uchiha Gin didn't hold it against him, but instead asked for his help.

"What are you saying, Lord Gin? As long as it is something you want to do, I, Uchiha Lu Cha, will not hesitate even if I have to go through fire and water."

Hearing his words, Uchiha Lu Cha immediately put on a loyal expression, patting his chest as he spoke.

"Then thank you very much. I just want to ask you to check in the dungeon and see which prisoners were locked up six years ago."

Uchiha Gin stated his request.

"No problem, leave it to me!"

(End of chapter)