Chapter 7: Seichiro, the Blood Pool, and Glory
"Get lost! We're a proper establishment here—no minors allowed!"
Amid the rough shouting, Uchiha Ci was thrown out the door by two burly men.
He got up, rubbing his sore back, fuming.
"Damn it, calling yourself a proper establishment when you don't even let minors in?"
"He~tui!"
Hearing the commotion outside, the villagers inside glanced at him with strange expressions.
"You thought you could sneak in with a Transformation Jutsu and we wouldn't notice?" one of the bouncers sneered disdainfully.
"Get out of here already! Or do you want me to call your clan elders to come pick you up?"
That made Uchiha Ci shrink his neck in embarrassment.
He glared hard at the two "guard dogs."
If only social humiliation were covered by insurance...
"You still peeking inside? Want me to call someone on you?" the man growled, wrinkling his nose as he turned to shout inside.
Uchiha Ci quickly shook off any lingering fantasies and dashed out of the alley with his face covered.
When he reached the main street again, there were barely any people left walking around.
The round moon hung high, silently watching over the world.
The early spring wind still carried the chill of winter. As it brushed against his face, Uchiha Ci shivered, his head finally cooling down.
Just then, another Uchiha—his teammate, Uchiha Seichiro—staggered out of the same alley, a bottle of sake dangling from his hand.
When he spotted Uchiha Ci, Seichiro looked him up and down, then noticed the dirt smudges on his clothes. A mischievous grin spread across his flushed, drunken face.
"Well, if it isn't the pride of our Uchiha clan. What happened—got thrown out?"
Uchiha Ci's face stiffened. "No, I was just walking down the street and got stepped on by an elephant."
"Heh, who hasn't done something stupid in their youth?" Seichiro chuckled, reeking of alcohol. His grin turned sly. "I get it. I really do."
"After all, we're about to take on that mission…"
His tone suddenly dropped, and his eyes flickered with unease—like he'd remembered something he didn't want to face.
Then his expression hardened. "You're Ci, right? Listen carefully—"
Seichiro paused, narrowing his eyes.
"This mission—don't expect me to help you."
[Uchiha Seichiro has developed hostility toward you.]
Uchiha Ci glanced at the sudden message floating before his eyes, then replied calmly, "Don't worry, Seichiro-senpai. I won't drag you down."
"Heh, you still don't get it, do you? You have no idea what kind of mess you've caused!" Seichiro's face darkened.
"I don't know why the Elder decided to include you in this mission, but this operation was originally planned for three jōnin-level members of our clan."
"Then because of your little 'ninja game,' the Elder changed his mind—and now a mere chūnin like me has to take part in this suicide mission!"
His voice grew colder, eyes sharp as a kunai.
"You have no idea what kind of maniacs you're going up against!"
"Without a Sharingan, you're just a toy to those lunatics!"
Uchiha Ci raised an eyebrow. Of course he knew what awaited them in the Land of Hot Water—he'd seen it in the original story.
Their destination: the Blood Pool Clan in the Valley of Hell.
In their Blood Dragon Eyes burned centuries of hatred toward the Uchiha, stretching all the way back to the Warring States Era.
Seichiro wasn't wrong.
Without a Sharingan, Uchiha Ci had no advantage at all against them.
The Blood Dragon Eye, like the Sharingan, was a kekkei genkai born from powerful emotional stimulus—but once awakened, it granted terrifying abilities: hypnosis, illusion amplification, Blood Release ninjutsu, even turning living bodies into bombs. Its power rivaled a two-tomoe Sharingan.
As its wielder's eye power grew, even more horrific abilities could manifest.
A Uchiha who hadn't yet awakened his Sharingan—or just barely had—was completely outmatched against them.
Worse, the Blood Pool Clan lived deep within that godforsaken valley. Years of hunting for food in that harsh environment had honed their taijutsu to frightening levels, and their throwing accuracy was nothing short of expert.
Ordinary ninjutsu were nearly useless in the valley's boiling springs—the Blood Release techniques' water-nature transformation countered them completely.
Ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu—Uchiha Ci would be crushed in all three aspects.
Even with his near-mastered Uchiha-style Shuriken Thread Manipulation, he could only stand there and watch helplessly.
Utter perfection.
Ahem, what he meant was—they were truly formidable enemies.
He must give his all to face them!
"Forget it," Seichiro muttered after another long gulp of sake. His voice slurred as he stared blankly ahead. "You wouldn't understand anyway... I just awakened my second tomoe. Why... why did it have to be me…"
He clutched his head, squatting down in anguish, his face twisted in fear.
Uchiha Ci looked at him in silence, sighed softly, and patted his shoulder.
He'd been worried this would happen—his interference had altered the story, dragging this pitiful man into it.
Though they weren't close, Ci still felt a twinge of guilt.
He shook his head and finally spoke seriously.
"Seichiro-senpai, don't worry. I still stand by what I said."
"If someone has to die, that person will be me."
"I've already accepted my fate."
"You... what did you just say?" Seichiro lifted his head, shocked.
Then his face softened slightly as he sighed.
In his eyes, Ci was still too naïve—talking big without understanding what death really meant. Only when he faced it head-on would he learn what fear truly was.
Still, Seichiro couldn't bring himself to scold the boy any further.
After all, Ci was just a child.
"Forget it. I guess this is just my fate."
With a weary sigh, Seichiro took another swig from his bottle and stumbled past Ci, swaying down the moonlit road like a stray dog that had lost its way home.
Under the cold, clear moonlight, his figure looked both lonely and fragile.
Suddenly, he turned his head slightly and asked in a low voice,
"Kid… can you at least tell me why you're doing all this?"
Uchiha Ci froze, scratching his head awkwardly.
He couldn't exactly say it was for the insurance payout…
After a long pause, he stood beneath the cold moonlight, the chill wind brushing his face. The towering Hokage Rock cast a long shadow across the village.
He clenched his fist over his heart.
"The reason… huh."
His face was hard to read, but his tone was as sharp and unyielding as a blade cutting through weakness.
"I often wonder… what can a mediocre ninja like me really do?"
"What is the meaning of the village—and of the Uchiha?"
"But after all that thinking, I could only come to one conclusion."
"Without power, I can do nothing."
"So I'll throw myself into the flames of war, offer up everything I have, and in life or death, find the path my eyes were meant to see—my path to… medical insurance."
"Then, I'll use these eyes to light up the world—"
"And restore the glory of the Uchiha!"
Standing tall in the cold wind like a statue carved from stone, Uchiha Ci's eyes burned with determination.
"…Is that so?"
Seichiro looked at him quietly, his expression softening.
He thought back to what the noble young pacifist, Shisui-sama, had told him earlier that day.
"I understand now…"
After a moment of silence, Seichiro turned and walked away, leaving behind a completely baffled Uchiha Ci scratching his head.
"Huh? Wait—what the hell do you even understand!?"