Chapter 564: Ginny's Clumsy Ocular Jutsu

"Who's there!?"

Still feeling somewhat groggy, Ginny jolted awake the moment he heard a deep, sexy baritone voice by his ear, quickly rolling over and retreating to put some distance between them.

"This is..."

Just as he steadied himself, he discovered something extra in his arms, his eyes filled with astonishment.

A Tailed Beast Rider Driver and a Tailed Beast Card?

Where did Master go?

"Little prisoner, holding that thing—do you want to be a Rider too?"

Just as Uchiha Kagami was utterly bewildered, that same strange voice rang out once more; he hurriedly shielded the Driver and Tailed Beast Card behind his back, his eyes flashing with a soul-piercing crimson glow.

"Brother Decade? Why are you here?"

He quickly locked onto the source of the voice; having crossed paths with Brother Decade before, Uchiha Kagami immediately recognized the other's identity.

Before the confusion in his gaze could fade, he shifted his eyes downward and discovered Tobirama Senju lying at Brother Decade's feet, his pupils shrinking violently.

"Master!"

Through the perspective of his Sharingan, his master on the ground was already devoid of all life, which meant the third person present was the prime suspect.

"What did you do to Master?"

"Do I have any reason to make a move? I was just passing by~"

Uchiha Gin shrugged, squatted down, and reached out to poke the already stiff corpse of the Tobirama Senju clone, his voice tinged with a sense of inexplicable lament.

"Tsk tsk tsk~ What a pity. I thought I'd witness the inheritance of the Rider spirit, but it seems being a Rider is a high-risk profession after all."

"If only I could..."

Uchiha Kagami widened his eyes; the cruel reality was hard for him to accept, and he couldn't stop muttering to himself.

As he spoke, an extremely cold aura surged up, successfully drawing Uchiha Gin's attention.

No way?

Is Ginny going to awaken it just like that?

Watching the three tomoe spinning rapidly in the unfocused eyes of Uchiha Kagami, Uchiha Gin looked at the clone's corpse at his feet with slight surprise.

He hadn't expected Ginny to be so sentimental; the death of a white-haired man was enough to make him awaken the Mangekyo.

"Ahhh!!!"

Just as Uchiha Gin was sighing, a miserable scream erupted from Uchiha Kagami, who was clutching his face.

The next second, the ocular power condensed within Uchiha Kagami's eyes finally broke through its shackles; the three spinning tomoe successfully sublimated, gradually sticking together until they finally formed a strange, ornate pattern.

"Damn it!"

Seeing this, Uchiha Gin felt sour. Why were everyone else's patterns so good-looking, while his own Mangekyo was so perfunctory? He wanted to report this to the Pure Land and seek justice from the Sage of Six Paths.

"This power..."

After years of accumulation, Ginny had finally blossomed and ascended to the Mangekyo, but he wasn't happy at all.

Just as the family records stated, the birth of every pair of Mangekyo meant a cruel sacrifice.

His master's death had brought about this pair of Mangekyo, but it still couldn't change the reality that his master had died in battle.

"If I had awakened sooner, maybe Master wouldn't have died..."

Overwhelmed by self-reproach, Uchiha Kagami couldn't help but shed two trails of blood tears, which, combined with the bewitching pattern in his eyes, gave him an inexplicably tragic beauty.

This made Uchiha Gin feel even more sour inside.

If anyone dared to show off their Mangekyo in front of him again, he'd serve them with pepper spray.

"Clap, clap, clap~"

"Alright, save the tears for the memorial service. Where is Uchiha Madara?"

Looking at the despondent Ginny, Uchiha Gin clapped his hands to remind him to cherish those still alive.

Pulled from his grief, Uchiha Kagami's body jolted; Uchiha Madara's life or death was still unknown, so how could he wallow in sorrow and stand still?

"Hokage... Uncle! Uncle is over there!"

Pointing in a direction in the distance, Uchiha Gin immediately locked on with his super-sensory perception, but the results of his investigation made his brows furrow slightly.

Nothing.

There was no trace of his cousin's chakra in that direction.

"Did something really happen to him?"

Uchiha Gin felt a tightness in his chest and leaped, speeding toward the direction Ginny had pointed.

Uchiha Kagami watched Brother Decade's retreating back, frowning as he recalled the other's style of conduct.

Regarding the mysterious Brother Decade, the various villages had very little intelligence on him, but from his behavior, one could infer that besides being interested in battles between Riders, he didn't care about anything else.

Unable to think of any ulterior motives the other might have, Ginny quickly and carefully collected the corpse of Tobirama Senju, and after finishing, chased after Brother Decade.

Ahead, the closer Uchiha Gin got to Uchiha Madara's battlefield, the heavier his heart became; along the way, one familiar aura after another gradually appeared on his sensory radar.

One-Tail, Two-Tails, Three-Tails...

Except for the Five-Tails and Six-Tails, this small area actually contained the residual chakra of the other seven Tailed Beasts.

If what Tobirama Senju said was true, then his cousin had likely faced the siege of seven alien Riders all by himself.

Besides that, there were some unfamiliar chakras; having no impression of them, Uchiha Gin marked them first, intending to investigate thoroughly after returning.

"Huh? Lady Wang, why are you trembling?"

Just as Uchiha Gin was recording the unfamiliar chakras, the Driver at his waist suddenly emitted a restless vibration; he immediately lowered his head in confusion.

"... Ate too many oranges."

Inside the belt, the expressionless Wang Liang forcibly steadied her trembling body and replied coldly, though a faint, complex look flashed through her pure white eyes.

The unfamiliar chakra Uchiha Gin was recording was all too familiar to Kaguya; its owner was none other than Isshiki Otsutsuki, whom she had backstabbed all those years ago.

She just hadn't expected that in only a thousand years, that Isshiki, who had been on his last breath, would have recovered most of his strength.

"Oh my~ I haven't retired yet, brother, don't you go dying on me early!"

After finishing the recording, the anxious Uchiha Gin immediately accelerated, his figure swaying as only an afterimage remained in place.

Landing successfully, the battlefield was indeed a mess; the destruction caused by various types of attacks was countless, and the methods basically matched the attributes of the Tailed Beasts, which confirmed Uchiha Gin's previous conjecture.

"Where did everyone go?"

However, after a search with his super-sensory perception, he found absolutely nothing—not to mention living people, he didn't even find a corpse.

"Fly for me!"

Finding nothing, an unconvinced Uchiha Gin raised his hand to search for the Flying Thunder God mark he had left on Uchiha Madara, but after several minutes passed and he had searched the entire area for a hundred miles, he still couldn't find his cousin's mark.

"Something's not right."

Lowering his hand with a grave face, Uchiha Gin's brows knit into a 'chuan' shape; unless someone used Yin-Yang Release-level methods to erase his Flying Thunder God mark, it would absolutely not disappear.

Could his cousin have encountered a Six Paths-level enemy?

But Uchiha Gin racked his brains and couldn't find any information about such an enemy in the original story.

"Sigh, for now, let's first confirm whether my cousin is alive or dead."

Since he couldn't find his cousin's whereabouts, Uchiha Gin settled for second best, deciding to first confirm if Uchiha Madara was alive or dead.

With that, he reached into his storage space, rummaged around, and pulled out a long-sealed scroll.

"Blood Samples of Konoha Residents"

"Whoosh~"

After unfurling it, Uchiha Gin quickly locked onto his cousin's name among the dense list of names.

"Release!"

"... Pop~"

Watching the delayed Summoning Jutsu, Uchiha Gin frowned imperceptibly; he had noticed the abnormality in the space-time power the moment he stepped onto the battlefield—the flow was so slow it felt like it was thawing.

"Just as that white-haired guy said, the enemy has the ability to seal space-time power."

But Uchiha Gin couldn't afford to think about that now; he placed a tube of scarlet liquid on the ground, skillfully performed a few hand seals, and then slammed his hands onto the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu: Impure World Reincarnation."

Tadpole-like incantations spread rapidly, surrounding the tube of blood and finally combining into a complex array.

Uchiha Gin stared with wide, nervous eyes, waiting anxiously for the result.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

Fortunately, the gray dust of the Pure Land from his memories did not appear; the Impure World Reincarnation jutsu was forced to interrupt because it couldn't find the soul of the blood's owner, and the array dimmed and vanished.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness, as long as he's alive."

Finally putting his hanging heart back into his stomach, Uchiha Gin stepped forward and took back the blood sample.

"Tap!"

The moment he turned around, Uchiha Kagami landed behind him; noticing that the surroundings were empty, his face was instantly filled with anxiety.

"Where is Uncle?"

"As you can see, not even a hair was left behind here."

Since he had confirmed his cousin's life was not in danger, the relieved Uchiha Gin was no longer as tense as before and shrugged as he replied.

"But this is good news, at least Uchiha Madara isn't lying in a coffin like that white-haired guy."

"Try saying that one more time!?"

Hearing Uchiha Gin mock the "fallen" Tobirama Senju, even the good-natured Ginny could no longer suppress the anger in his heart; the bewitching pattern in his eyes rotated slightly, and pure ocular power leaked out.

"Oh?"

Seeing this, Uchiha Gin raised an eyebrow; he was actually quite interested in the abilities of Ginny's Mangekyo. There were only a few named Mangekyo in the original story, and he was quite keen to see something different.

"Could it be that you still want me to award him a 'Shortest Active Service Knight' prize?"

As he spoke, he beckoned to Mirror Boy, practically wearing the word 'provocation' on his face.

"I won't allow you to insult Master!"

Having experienced the double blow of his mentor dying in battle and his uncle's fate remaining unknown, the emotions long suppressed within Uchiha Kagami finally erupted; the pattern in his eyes shifted violently, and the surrounding air stagnated in response.

Out of respect, the eyes behind Uchiha Gin's mask also quietly turned scarlet, his pupils, dotted with three tomoe, watching Mirror Boy's every move.

Uchiha Kagami's eyes widened, and his fragile eyeballs bled from the impact of the ocular power.

"Futsu-no-Mitama."

As he coldly spat out an unfamiliar name, a smooth mirror suddenly condensed out of thin air in front of Uchiha Kagami, and Uchiha Gin's figure was perfectly reflected within it.

"This is?"

Looking at the reflection in the mirror, a sense of inexplicable confusion arose in Uchiha Gin's heart.

The next second, something unexpected happened: the reflection in the mirror actually tilted its neck, and Uchiha Gin was startled at the sight.

"Is it haunted?"

As he spoke, the reflection in the mirror actually took a step, walking out of the mirror with a fluid motion, and stood beside Uchiha Kagami.

"."

The scene instantly fell into silence; a few seconds later, Uchiha Gin scratched his head with a strange expression, his eyes full of disappointment as he looked at Uchiha Kagami.

You brat, I let you awaken a dojutsu, and you just conjured up a Water Mirror Jutsu for me?

A pure waste of resources; if I had known, I would have just interrupted you earlier to save you from embarrassing yourself later.

"Are you too scared to speak?"

Looking at the silent Decade, Uchiha Kagami shook his head, feeling inflated.

"I have a curse word I don't know if I should say."

Hearing this, Uchiha Gin couldn't help but roll his eyes; why are all the people in this family the same, acting all arrogant and turning their backs on others after awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan?

"Attack!"

Seemingly sensing the disdain in Uchiha Gin's words, Uchiha Kagami waved his hand, and the Decade born from the mirror instantly vanished from where he stood.

"Swish~"

The next second, a fierce fist appeared in front of Uchiha Gin.

"Oh? It seems the fidelity is quite high~"

Feeling the powerful wind of the punch, Uchiha Gin put away his underestimation and raised his hand to block the opponent's attack.

"Bang!"

After steadily bracing against the attack, Uchiha Gin kicked the opponent in the chest, sending the fake Decade flying back several meters.

"Huh?"

The strange sensation from his chest caused his expression to shift slightly, a trace of surprise appearing in his eyes.

"You don't think my dojutsu is just a simple copy of the enemy, do you?"

Uchiha Gin turned his head, his eyes filled with inquiry as he looked at Mirror Boy.

"My Futsu-no-Mitama can not only replicate an enemy's abilities one-to-one, but it can also reflect double the damage caused by the enemy."

Retracting his previous statement, Mirror Boy's dojutsu is actually not bad.

"A very good ability."

Patting the non-existent dust off his chest, Uchiha Gin gave Mirror Boy high praise; the Uchiha family finally produced a somewhat devious dojutsu, which could be considered bringing honor to his ancestors.

Like every Uchiha, even the honest and simple-minded Mirror Boy could not escape the dark history of being lost in the power of the Mangekyo.

"Hmph, still talking tough; lament your unfortunate fate of not having a Sharingan!"

At this moment, he acted like a normal Uchiha, his face full of evil arrogance, making Uchiha Gin's fists itch; he kicked off the ground, turned into a bolt of lightning, and swept toward the Decade copied in the mirror.

"Don't waste your effort; unless you can withstand double the recoil damage, you are absolutely no match for it..."

"Snap~"

Accompanied by a crisp breaking sound, the incessantly babbling Mirror Boy was instantly muted, his eyes wide with shock, almost slapping himself to verify if he had been caught in a genjutsu.

"That's it? That's it?"

Playing with the head of the replica, Uchiha Gin's words were full of mockery.

The moment he clashed with the Decade that appeared in the mirror, he realized the opponent was just a blank-slate replica, incomparable to him with his full gear, and was easily broken once he got slightly serious.

"Giving it back to you~"

He raised his hand and tossed the head over; fortunately, this kind of replica had no flesh and blood, so the scene wasn't that disgusting.

"How is this possible? Genjutsu, it must be a genjutsu!"

Watching the head roll toward him, Uchiha Kagami fell into deep self-doubt; his eyes gradually faded from scarlet, and the remains of the replica disappeared along with it.

Having finished checking the homework, Uchiha Gin sensed a large number of auras approaching from afar, so he didn't linger and turned to step into the Shadow Realm.

A moment later, a dark mass of people landed one after another; Uchiha Izuna, leading the group, looked at the only living person in the area, his already furrowed brows knitting into a knot.

"Kagami! Where did Big Brother go?"

"Lord Izuna, I only just woke up myself."

Having suffered a major blow, Mirror Boy's spirit was somewhat scattered; in a daze, he saw the familiar long-haired white-haired man in the crowd, and a deep sadness instantly surged into his heart.

"I'm sorry, Miss Hizumi, I will take care of you for the rest of my life in Master's stead." (End of chapter)