Chapter 33: Once a Sunny and Cheerful Boy

"Gin, recall carefully how you awakened your Sharingan."

Uchiha Tajima, unable to get the answer he wanted from the two elders, turned to question Uchiha Gin.

This question truly stumped Uchiha Gin; his Sharingan had been awakened after being stimulated by the Tsukuyomi, a genjutsu unique to the Mangekyo Sharingan, used by Uchiha Itachi who had refreshed in the backyard. This matter had to be buried in his stomach.

"Don't be nervous. I'm just curious, after all, you awakened your Sharingan at this age."

Seeing Uchiha Gin's furrowed brows, Uchiha Tajima spoke to comfort him.

The three people before him looked normal again, as if the cold aura from just a moment ago had been his own illusion.

The two elders also looked at him kindly, like gentle seniors, their eyes revealing gratification; everything appeared harmonious.

Yet, Uchiha Gin still felt a strange sensation lingering in the air.

"I hope it's just an illusion."

Uchiha Gin muttered to himself, unknitting his brows, and after a moment of thought, he spoke:

"It was when the Senju clan severely wounded me. Between life and death, I awakened the Sharingan."

The method of awakening the Sharingan is nothing more than intense emotional stimulation; his description of awakening it while being severely wounded and near death was perfectly logical, leaving no room for criticism.

"Gin, you've really worked hard on this trip. I didn't expect the defenses in the Senju clan's heartland to be so tight."

Hearing such a "reasonable" explanation, Uchiha Tajima, though still suspicious, found it difficult to continue questioning, lest it seem too deliberate.

After all, a mere two-tomoe user was not worth such a massive interrogation by the clan head.

The two elders beside him also tacitly stopped speaking, but their obscure gazes never left his eyes from start to finish.

"Clan Head, this Senju clan brat..."

Sensing that Uchiha Tajima had a subtle intention to send him away, Uchiha Gin hurriedly pushed Senju Itama forward.

Uchiha Tajima, whose mind was already elsewhere, heard this and said with a gentle expression,

"Since he is your captive, you shall keep him under your custody for now. Keep him alive; he may serve as a bargaining chip when we battle the Senju clan."

Hearing that Uchiha Tajima had left Senju Itama to his disposal, Uchiha Gin was overjoyed; it seemed the brat's life was temporarily saved.

Fearing that the clan head—his cousin—might change his mind, Uchiha Gin hoisted the still-unconscious Senju Itama up, muttered a farewell, and slipped away in a flash.

As the door closed, Uchiha Tajima's gentle expression instantly turned cold, and the two elders, who had just been warm-faced, also furrowed their brows tightly.

"Elder Miao, you were one of the leads for the surgery back then. You shouldn't forget the results of the surgery; it is absolutely impossible for Uchiha Gin to awaken the Sharingan."

Uchiha Tajima's voice was as cold as a winter wind.

"Clan Head Tajima, I guarantee there were no mistakes in the surgery back then, but that person hadn't been captured yet at the time. Could it be..."

Uchiha Miao, withered like a bamboo pole, revealed a trace of unease in his eyes.

"Are you talking about that person?"

Uchiha Tajima rubbed his sore eyes with a headache after hearing this.

"Is he still alive?"

"He is still locked in the dungeon."

The round Uchiha Yan spoke up.

"Don't worry about this for now. The decisive battle with the Senju clan is imminent. I will arrange for Uchiha Gin to stay behind in the clan."

Uchiha Tajima said after a bout of headache.

For some reason, Uchiha Tajima seemed to have developed a brain ailment recently, suffering from intermittent throbbing pains. The clan doctors had diagnosed him, but found nothing serious, so he simply assumed it was from overwork.

Carrying Senju Itama out of the clan head building, Uchiha Gin walked toward the home in his memories while identifying the identities of the two elders based on the original owner's memories. A moment later, he had his answer.

The round Uchiha elder was named Uchiha Yan, the former clan head's personal guard. In his youth, his combat power was not low, and he followed the previous clan head on various campaigns.

After Uchiha Tajima succeeded as clan head, he retired to the second line, becoming an elder of the Uchiha clan, mainly responsible for training new recruits and clan security patrols.

The lean and withered Uchiha elder was Uchiha Yan's brother, named Uchiha Miao. His strength was unknown, and his status was the head of the Uchiha clan's research department, dedicated to developing the clan's ocular techniques and ninjutsu research.

It was said they had an older brother, but he died in clan infighting years ago; other information was unknown.

The original owner's data on these people was limited to this, and Uchiha Gin couldn't discern any clues. Along the way, Uchiha clansmen who saw him lost in thought all dodged to the side.

With no one bothering him, he followed his memories and walked unimpeded to a remote area far from the clan's gathering place. Looking up, he saw a small wooden house.

The wooden house was no different from the homes of ordinary clansmen, but it was slightly dilapidated. Uchiha Gin pushed open the aged wooden door, and the interior was clear at a glance.

A simple room and a living room; the furniture was very old, but from the scratches on the aged pieces, one could tell the owner cherished these things very much.

Walking into the bedroom, there was only a simple wooden bed. On the nightstand sat a well-preserved family photo. Uchiha Gin picked up the photo and examined it.

A simple family of three. The young original owner was a cute little boy back then, with a head of fluffy curly hair, his face beaming with a happy, joyful smile.

On both sides were a man and a woman, who must have been the original owner's parents. The man on the left had a gentle and warm smile, also with slightly curly black hair, eyes slightly squinted, and a warm smile at the corners of his mouth, radiating a sunny aura.

On the right was a cold woman with short, jet-black hair. Her exquisite face was like a model from his previous life, and her temperament was somewhat similar to Uchiha Tajima's. Her expression seemed cold, but her eyes looking at the original owner were full of tenderness.

Sighing, Uchiha Gin put down the photo. "It seems the original owner was also a sunny, cheerful boy before his parents died in battle. How did he end up turning so dark later on?"

Lamenting the impermanence of the world, he put down his luggage and cleaned the dust-covered house. As hunger pangs came from his stomach, he decided to go out and buy some ingredients.

He wasn't at ease leaving the unconscious Senju Itama at home; after all, the hatred between the two clans was as deep as the sea.

If the news leaked, there was no guarantee that some Uchiha clansman blinded by hatred wouldn't sneak in and kill this defenseless brat to vent their anger, and then he would be the one in trouble.

He immediately hoisted Senju Itama up skillfully and walked toward the Uchiha clan's market.

Along the way, many people pointed at him for carrying a child, but no one dared to come forward to ask, perhaps fearing his reputation, which actually gave Uchiha Gin some peace.

After arriving at the market, he bought some simple ingredients and tossed the money to the stall owner, who looked at him with terror.

Uchiha Gin, carrying the ingredients in both hands, swayed back to his front door, humming, "A chicken in my left hand, a duck in my right, and a chubby doll on my back, ya-yi-ya-er-you."

From afar, he saw someone waiting at his desolate doorstep. Confused, Uchiha Gin walked over slowly and took a look.

"Yo? Isn't this Sasuke?"

A brat of about ten years old was squatting at Uchiha Gin's door. From his spiky black hair, it could be determined he was one of his own. Looking at the kid's face, Uchiha Gin felt a sense of spatial displacement.

The brat in front of him looked so much like the future Sasuke that Uchiha Gin suspected he had transmigrated again.

The brat squatting on the ground saw that the person coming was Uchiha Gin and stood up with a swoosh. Before Uchiha Gin could ask, a familiar voice echoed in his mind:

"Combat detected. Heartsteel chest accumulation initiated..."

(End of chapter)