Uchiha Kagami—the original owner of the silver ring.
"How did he die?" Rin asked.
"I don't know," the old man shook his head. "They say he died in the line of duty, but the details of the mission were never made public. Back then, relations between the Uchiha clan and the Village had already started to deteriorate."
Uchiha Rin said nothing.
The old man glanced at him and lowered his voice. "Kid, I like you, so I'll give you a piece of advice."
"Please."
"In Konoha, there are things you're allowed to ask about—and things you're not. People you can trust—and people you can't." He stared straight into Rin's eyes. "And since your surname is Uchiha, you need to be even more careful."
"Careful of what?"
"Things that grow in the dark." The old man spat those words out, then stood up, patted the dust from his pants, and walked away. "If you want more soup, help yourself."
Rin watched his retreating back, understanding that it was a sincere warning.
He finished his last rice ball, washed his bowl, and put it back. At that moment, something shifted slightly in the shadows of the warehouse.
It was extremely subtle—but it didn't escape Rin's perception.
He pretended not to notice and continued washing the bowl, while his peripheral vision locked onto the spot behind a stack of empty wooden crates in the corner.
Someone was hiding there.
It wasn't ANBU—they wouldn't be this sloppy.
It wasn't White Zetsu either—Rin was already familiar with that chakra.
Then it could only be Danzō's people.
Rin dried his hands, then suddenly turned and walked toward the crates.
"Rin?" Sakura called out. "Where are you going?"
"Looking for something," he replied without turning back.
He reached the stack and lifted the top crate. It was light and empty. He set it aside, then lifted another.
Three crates later, the corner wall was fully exposed.
No one was there.
But the dust on the ground had been disturbed. Someone had been standing here moments ago. The footprints were shallow—deliberately lightened.
They had already retreated.
Rin straightened and brushed the dust from his hands.
Very cautious. Retreating the moment they realized they'd been noticed.
As expected of Root—well-trained and disciplined.
"Did you find it?" Naruto leaned over.
"No," Rin replied calmly. "Guess I remembered wrong."
He returned to the courtyard and resumed work, but his mind was fully alert.
Root's probing had begun.
And this wasn't simple observation—it was close-range, aggressive testing.
Next time, the methods would likely be more direct.
By three in the afternoon, the warehouse was fully organized. The old vegetable vendor inspected it, nodded in satisfaction, and paid them their reward.
When Kakashi Hatake arrived to pick them up, he glanced at the warehouse, then at Rin—and said nothing.
On the way back, Rin deliberately walked at the rear of the group. Kakashi slowed his pace until he was beside him.
"Anything unusual today?" Kakashi asked quietly.
"No," Rin answered. "Everything was normal."
"Is that so?" Kakashi glanced at him. "I heard there were unfamiliar faces around the warehouse."
"Probably just villagers."
"Maybe." Kakashi didn't press the issue.
But Rin knew Kakashi had already sensed something. Despite his lazy demeanor, the Copy Ninja's awareness was sharper than most.
When they disbanded in front of the Hokage Building, Kakashi called out to him.
"Tomorrow morning. Five o'clock. Training Ground Three. I want to test your combat ability."
"Huh?"
"Yes," Kakashi said evenly. "I want to see where you stand. Come alone."
"I already agreed to train with Sasuke tomorrow," Rin replied.
Kakashi hesitated, then changed his mind. "Fine. Let Sasuke come too."
"I want to go as well!" Naruto shouted. "Test me too!"
"You're not there yet," Kakashi said, patting his head. "Focus on your fundamentals."
Naruto pouted.
After separating, Rin didn't head home right away. He took several detours through the streets, confirming that no one was tailing him, before slipping into a narrow alley.
The alley ended in a dead end—but there was a concealed door in the wall.
One of the secret passages left behind by the Uchiha clan.
Rin took the ring from his ninja tool pouch, put it on, and pressed his palm against the wall.
The ring warmed slightly.
The wall slid open soundlessly—just wide enough for one person. Rin slipped inside, and the wall sealed itself behind him.
The passage was narrow. Faintly glowing stones were embedded at intervals, providing dim light. This was part of the underground tunnel network the Uchiha had built beneath Konoha—supposedly abandoned after the clan's massacre.
But the memories from the scroll told him otherwise.
Some passages were still functional, maintained by Kagami's remaining forces.
That was what Rin wanted to confirm.
After walking for about ten minutes, he reached a three-way junction.
Left led to the Naka Shrine.
Right led toward the Uchiha district.
Straight ahead—unknown.
Rin went straight.
Five minutes later, the tunnel sloped upward and ended at an old wooden door.
He pushed it open.
Outside was a small storage room, cluttered with old furniture and coated in dust. Yet the floor was clean—no cobwebs, no buildup.
Someone had been here recently.
Rin scanned the room and spotted a mark in the corner.
The Uchiha clan crest.
It was concealed with chakra—only visible through the Sharingan or Yin Release perception.
He walked over and placed his hand against it, channeling chakra.
The mark glowed faintly. Words appeared on the wall:
If you require assistance, leave a token and a location — "Crow."
Crow.
The codename Kagami had left behind.
Rin thought for a moment, then took out a piece of paper and wrote:
Tomorrow night, 8:00 PM. Southeast corner of Training Ground Three, beneath the camphor tree. — Uchiha Rin.
He folded the paper, placed it beneath the mark, then set the ring on top of it.
The ring was the token.
The paper was the message.
After that, he retraced his steps and left the tunnels.
By the time he returned home, dusk had fallen.
Rin made a simple meal, then sat at the table and began planning for tomorrow's test.
Kakashi would certainly use the Sharingan.
With only a 6.1% synchronization rate and having just unlocked Fire Release: Dragon Flame Jutsu, a head-on confrontation was impossible.
He would have to rely on tactics.
"Kakashi's weaknesses…" Rin thought. "There are several. First, he relies heavily on the Sharingan to copy techniques, but Uchiha-specific abilities can't be fully replicated. Second, his resistance to Genjutsu isn't actually top-tier—the Sharingan itself is vulnerable to Genjutsu. Third, his chakra reserves aren't massive. Prolonged battles don't favor him."
Rin's own chakra reserves were only at an average genin level, so a battle of attrition wasn't an option either.
Even Yin Release perception, though efficient, was still a burden at his current stage.
"I also can't reveal too much. Kakashi is testing me, not trying to kill me."
"With combat instincts on par with a young Uchiha Madara and daily system-based training, my strength already surpasses most of the Konoha Eleven at this stage."
"…Except Naruto when the Nine-Tails interferes."
"And Rock Lee."
"I'd say my odds against Sasuke are about seventy–thirty."
He decided to display roughly seventy percent of his strength—enough to make Kakashi take him seriously, but not enough to trigger unnecessary suspicion.
With his plan set, Rin entered system training once more.
The scroll's knowledge gave him deeper insight into the Sharingan.
After awakening it, an Uchiha's body is constantly eroded by Yin Release chakra, often causing changes in temperament. The Mangekyō's side effects are even worse—excessive use leads inevitably to blindness.
The original records were far more detailed than anything in the history books.
As for solutions to Mangekyō blindness, the scroll listed several possibilities:
First—balancing Yin with Yang Release chakra.
Second—using special suppressive drugs.
Third—
"Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan."
By transplanting the eyes of a close blood relative, one could obtain it.
That final option made Rin frown.
In history, Madara took Izuna's eyes. Sasuke took Itachi's.
The method was too cruel.
And not something Rin intended—or even could—use.
That left only the first two paths.
"Yang Release… Hashirama cells?" Rin shook his head. "Too dangerous. Danzō and Orochimaru already proved how low the fusion success rate is—and how easily it leads to loss of control."
"As for drugs… the recipes exist, but most of the ingredients are incredibly rare. Some are even extinct."
He laughed softly at himself. "I'm still just at a single tomoe. Why am I worrying about this already?"
"Maybe when my synchronization reaches a certain level, the system will just hand me an Eternal Mangekyō."
When he exited the system, it was already late at night.
Rin lay down, just about to fall asleep—
When that familiar sensation returned.
Someone was watching him again.
But this time…
It wasn't from outside the window.
It was coming from underground.