Chapter 44: The increasingly familiar Kaguya Wangliang

Isn't this just a simplified version of the Infinite Tsukuyomi?

As the wielder of the Eight Thousand Spears, Wuming could not only control the target's mind but also endlessly absorb the chakra of anyone branded with the mark.

"Doesn't that make one invincible?"

Uchiha Gin asked in confusion.

"Since there were two such powerful 'weapons,' why did Uchiha Tajima still fail?"

"Heh, for all his scheming, he ultimately failed to account for the fact that I had long since seen through his conspiracy."

Uchiha Yao stroked his gray-white beard, speaking with pride.

"I broke the seal Jin had left within his Sharingan and saw the footage recording Uchiha Tajima's murderous acts."

Uchiha Yao said in a sorrowful tone.

"When I saw the moment Jin died, my pain reached its peak, and so I also..."

"Awakened these eyes, filled with hatred."

As Uchiha Yao spoke, the pupils of his one remaining eye slowly turned red, and the black tomoe in the center eventually transformed into a hollowed-out equilateral triangle.

Uchiha Yao had actually awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Looking at the unfamiliar pattern in his eyes, Uchiha Gin, feeling uncertain, asked cautiously,

"What is the ability of your Mangekyo?"

"My Mangekyo's ability is named 'Kaguya Wangliang'."

Uchiha Yao did not hide it and explained,

"My Mangekyo produces a 'Shadow Clone.' It is the embodiment of my will, possessing a certain degree of self-awareness. Because it is composed of shadows, it can be said to be a clone without a physical body. I call it the Shadow Clone."

The more Uchiha Gin heard, the more something felt off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. His head felt itchy, as if his brain were about to grow.

"Is that the old jailer?"

"That's right."

No wonder the other party could sneak into shadows and ignore physical attacks; it turned out he didn't belong to the category of humans, but was a product of Uchiha Yao's Mangekyo Sharingan.

Following Uchiha Yao's introduction, that eerie old jailer appeared in the darkness once more.

His face still wore that chilling smile, his two gray-white pupils staring straight at him.

For some reason, Uchiha Gin could faintly sense a trace of extremely deep-seated malice hidden within this old jailer.

"Kaguya Wangliang can conceal its presence to sneak about, and it can also attach itself to people, controlling their bodies to a certain extent."

Uchiha Yao continued to explain.

Uh, the vibe was getting increasingly suspicious.

Hearing this ability, Uchiha Gin couldn't help but scrutinize the old jailer from head to toe, yet the other party remained unmoved, like an obedient puppet.

"After awakening the Mangekyo, I first used Kaguya Wangliang to lurk beside Uchiha Tajima, searching for your whereabouts while passing on the conspiracy he was plotting."

"At that time, you had already been brainwashed by Uchiha Tajima. I couldn't make contact with you and could only watch from afar as they conducted all sorts of experiments on you."

Uchiha Yao said again, his heart aching.

"Until one day, the Kaguya Wangliang monitoring the laboratory passed me some news about you."

"Oh?" Uchiha Gin was full of curiosity about this; what kind of trouble could he have caused after being brainwashed?

"When Uchiha Miao was checking your physical health, he discovered that your bodily functions were beginning to decline, especially your eyesight, which was dropping rapidly."

Isn't that the common ailment of the Mangekyo Sharingan? Especially for these purely offensive Sharingan, which are used frequently and require long durations, the toll is heavy.

In the original story, Uchiha Itachi didn't use his much, yet his body was already falling apart by twenty-one, eventually drowning in the sea he had created himself.

"Uchiha Miao reported this situation immediately. Upon learning of it, Uchiha Tajima decided that once your body reached its limit, he would gouge out your Sharingan and transplant the ocular powers to Wuming, who had a high compatibility with you."

Uchiha Yao said with hatred, almost grinding his teeth to dust.

The original owner was truly miserable; his parents died, he awakened the Mangekyo, failed to take revenge, was brainwashed by his enemy, had his utility squeezed dry, and was finally going to have his eyes gouged out. He was the quintessential tragic protagonist.

"Naturally, I couldn't let them succeed. I took advantage of a moment when they weren't paying attention and ordered Kaguya Wangliang to attach itself to you, waiting for the right moment to give Uchiha Tajima a big surprise."

Uchiha Yao's eyes flashed with madness and brutality.

Hearing this, Uchiha Gin frowned. Had he once been possessed by this old jailer?

In truth, he remained skeptical of Uchiha Yao's words. This old man who claimed to be his grandfather didn't seem as simple as he made himself out to be.

"When the Kaguya clan was lured to the clan grounds and Uchiha Tajima manipulated you into starting a massacre, I urged Kaguya Wangliang to control your body, break the seal in your brain, and launch an attack on Uchiha Tajima's people."

Uchiha Yao said gloomily.

"You didn't succeed, did you?"

Uchiha Gin sighed. If things were truly as Uchiha Yao described, he would have succeeded, Uchiha Tajima wouldn't be alive today, and he wouldn't be locked in this hidden dungeon.

"That's right. I underestimated Uchiha Tajima. I never imagined there were four pairs of Mangekyo present at the time."

Uchiha Yao said with regret.

"I failed. Uchiha Tajima's Sharingan can alter a person's cognition. That special ocular power that turns enemies into friends tampered with your memories."

"I was powerless to resist three pairs of Mangekyo and ultimately fell, ending up locked in this dungeon."

Having finished recounting the secrets of the past like a story, Uchiha Yao sighed, his eyes lowering in an unreadable expression, not showing what he was thinking.

In Uchiha Tajima's office.

Uchiha Yan and Uchiha Miao were busy preparing for their respective missions and had already departed.

Uchiha Tajima sat alone in the clan leader's seat, his eyes closed as if he were asleep.

"Father! I overheard Brother and that person agreeing to meet by the river in three days."

The ever-energetic Uchiha Izuna rushed in, interrupting Uchiha Tajima's contemplation.

"Understood. I will bring men in three days."

Uchiha Tajima opened his eyes, looking at his lively son. His tiger-like eyes were filled with affection. Including Uchiha Gin, who wasn't his biological son, he had six children.

Now, whenever he closed his eyes at night, he was filled with images of his wife and children being slaughtered. The state of the clan grounds kept him awake at night and had also given him an unknown brain ailment.

He didn't know how much time he had left. Uchiha Tajima wanted to hand over a powerful and united Uchiha clan to his sons before he died.

Therefore, that sealed "weapon" must be grasped in the hands of the Uchiha clan!

Years ago, the old clan leader had entrusted the two children who had awakened the Mangekyo to him, wanting him, the designated successor, to carefully nurture them to strengthen the clan's power.

He had taken good care of the two children. In particular, Uchiha Gin was the son of his cousin, whom he had been close to, and his father, Uchiha Jin, had been his senior apprentice brother.

Both of them had been students of Uchiha Yao, who had been extremely knowledgeable in clan research at the time.

Thinking of his former teacher, Uchiha Tajima couldn't help but frown.

His teacher was not only powerful but also had unique insights into the Uchiha clan's research, especially regarding the Sharingan, which was second to none, but his personality was somewhat eccentric.

Uchiha Jin, as his son, hadn't gotten along with him well, often parting on bad terms due to conflicting philosophies.

Eventually, they had a conflict over a certain research topic, and from then on, they stopped interacting until Uchiha Jin and his wife sacrificed themselves.

Not long after, because the old clan leader passed away due to illness, Uchiha Tajima, who had been married for only a short time, had to bite the bullet and take over as clan leader.

"Sigh! ~"

His headache flared up again. Uchiha Tajima closed his eyes and massaged his temples, his thoughts returning to over a decade ago.

(End of chapter)