511-515

Chapter 511: The Fugitive and the Prisoner  

Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock. 

It sounded like blood dripping.  

Shinji slowly regained consciousness, but his body felt unbearably heavy and exhausted.  

The last image in his mind was of Uchiha Nahe, that lazy, fish-like man, raising his arm. And then— 

The grain of sand in his hand burst into a brilliant white light—  

"That’s how it is, hahaha. Only by witnessing the absurd darkness that pervades everything can one understand—we are nothing more than prisoners of time. No matter how much we struggle, we can’t change a thing!"  

"Unless—"  

"You kill me before the final battle of this world arrives!"  

Before he could fully process what was happening, a rough and angry voice exploded beside his ears.  

"Iron Head!"  

Then, a fist came hurtling toward him!  

A bad premonition surged in Shinji’s heart. Instinctively, he wanted to counter with a Tailed Beast Bomb. 

However—at that moment, he realized that his body had no chakra at all. His broken body felt like a sieve, leaking energy from everywhere.  

His undying body, Sage Mode: Eternal Form, Tailed Beast Physique—all these complex abilities seemed to have burned away in his battle against Uchiha Madara.  

Right now, he appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary person, powerless to even truss a chicken.  

However—  

If that was all—  

The instincts honed from countless battles kicked in, and Shinji slightly tilted his head, narrowly dodging the punch aimed at his face. Judging from the weight at his waist, he quickly assessed that he still had weapons on him.  

"You little brat, you dare dodge?!"  

Ignoring the angry shout, Shinji swiftly reached for his waist, pulling a kunai from his pouch.  

His fingers hooked into the ring of the kunai, flicking it into the air. The glinting blade twirled between his fingers before landing firmly in his grasp.  

In the next moment—  

A cold light flashed in his half-closed eyes.  

He swung his arm, driving the kunai straight toward the heart of the man in front of him!  

But—  

A sharp pain shot through his right shoulder. It seemed a bone was broken, preventing him from delivering the fatal strike. His arm hung limply at his side. Instinctively, Shinji attempted to flick the kunai from his fingers, aiming for the man’s throat.  

However—  

Bang!  

His body’s lack of strength slowed him down by a fraction of a second.  

Before he could release the kunai, a heavy punch landed squarely on his face. His vision exploded with stars as he fell backward, crashing onto the ground.  

A rough voice barked down at him, full of rage:  

"You disgrace! A shame to the Uchiha clan! A deserter!"  

"You abandoned dozens of our kin on the battlefield of Mountain and fled alone! Kouta, throw him into the dungeon!"  

"Big Brother, there was no one on that battlefield capable of using Izanagi. The fact that he made it back alive is already a miracle. Maybe we should let this go… After all, the higher-ups—"  

"Silence!"  

The one called Big Brother cut off Kouta’s words with a sharp growl.  

"Lock him up. Put him in the deepest part of the dungeon. And don’t let Claw find out about this brat!"  

Clang, clang, clang.  

Heavy iron chains wrapped around Shinji’s limbs, locking his hands behind his back. Pain shot through his injured shoulder as he was hauled to his feet. A rough hand pressed against his bound wrists, shoving him forward, forcing him to stumble in a hunched posture toward some unknown destination.  

Only now did Shinji gather enough strength to barely open his eyes.  

And he saw—  

Under the setting sun—  

A vast wasteland, filled with countless swords and kunai buried in the ground.  

A group of Uchiha clan members, dressed in high-collared robes and layered gray armor from a bygone era, carried corpses on their backs, their faces grim as they walked southward.  

These Uchiha…  

They all looked unfamiliar. Not a single one was someone Shinji recognized.  

And from the looks of it, he was at the edge of this wasteland, beneath a newly constructed fortress.  

Before he could examine his surroundings further, exhaustion overwhelmed him.  

His vision darkened, and he lost consciousness.  

When Shinji regained awareness again—  

He found himself in a suffocating space filled with the stench of decay.  

Nearby, someone was struggling. The sound of chains scraping against the floor echoed in the darkness.  

And then, through the clanking chains, a desperate, agonized cry rang out—  

"No!! No!! No!!!!"  

"Help me! Help me! Someone… can someone save me?!"  

"Stop crying! Crying won’t help!"  

"Weapons must maintain absolute rationality! Gouge out her eyes and continue engraving the new seal!"  

"This time—it must succeed!"  

Shinji’s eyes snapped open.  

He realized he was inside a dungeon.  

He was lying on a pile of dry straw. Besides that, the cell was completely bare—no windows, no ventilation.  

His wounds had been crudely treated, wrapped in bandages. Over them, he wore a slightly too-small black robe. His ankles and wrists were shackled, the chains fixed to the dungeon walls.  

The sounds he heard were coming from the cell across from his.  

Following the noise, Shinji lifted his gaze.  

And saw—  

In the opposite cell, five large men, dressed in traditional Uchiha battle gear, surrounded a terrified young girl.  

She had long black hair reaching her waist, a tattered blue dress, bandages wrapped around her lower legs, and shackles on her ankles. Her face was filled with fear.  

One of the Uchiha men took a deep breath, pinched his fingers together, and reached toward the girl’s wide, helpless eyes.  

Upon seeing this—  

Shinji’s pupils contracted violently.  

A bunch of grown men from the Uchiha clan, bullying a little girl right in front of him?  

And they were trying to gouge out her eyes?  

What the hell—  

Was this even Konoha anymore?  

Where the hell was he?!  

Without thinking further, Shinji, as the former heir of the Uchiha clan, could not stand by and do nothing.  

He immediately lifted his shackled arms and slammed them against the metal lock on the wall—  

Clang!  

The sudden noise startled the five men in the opposite cell.  

The short-haired, middle-aged man in the lead whipped his head around.  

When he saw the long-haired, grimy-faced young man in the dungeon, his brows furrowed.  

"Damn, you scared me. What do you want, brat?"  

"Hahahahaha—"  

Shinji let out a cold, mocking laugh.  

"Beasts. Doing this to a little girl—are you even human?"  

"Get over here."  

"Let me out, and I’ll take you all on!"  

The middle-aged man’s temple twitched in anger.  

A flash of hesitation crossed his face, but it quickly darkened. He glared at Shinji and coldly barked:  

"What do you know?!"  

"And you—of all people—a disgrace to the Uchiha clan, a deserter, dare to speak?!"  

"Bullshit!"  

Shinji shot back without hesitation.  

"I just stepped down as heir a few days ago!"  

"You bunch of worthless trash—you’ve all lost your damn minds!"  

After two rounds of verbal sparring, the middle-aged Uchiha’s face grew even darker.  

Coldly, he turned to a spiky-haired young man beside him.  

"This brat’s brain really must’ve been kicked by some Senju dog…"  

"Go, Hui Er."  

"Slap him twice—maybe that’ll wake him up."  

Chapter 512: Light  

Bang!  

The prison door, covered in special talismans, was yanked open by a young Uchiha with spiky hair and a cold expression.  

Stepping inside, he sneered as his gaze locked onto Shinji, who was shackled in the corner of the cell. Slowly, he unsheathed the long sword hanging from his waist and casually stabbed it into the ground. Then, he reversed his grip, drew the scabbard, and strode toward Shinji.  

"If I were you, I would never make such a meaningless move in times like these," he said coldly.  

"The captain is trying to save the Uchiha… and you as well."  

"As the only one who escaped from the Battle of Qianyi Mountain, I’m sure you understand that, right?"  

Shinji frowned slightly, sensing that something was off.  

This "Battle of Qianyi Mountain"—this was the second time he had heard that name. Along with that, there was the Uchiha who had deliberately knocked him out and thrown him into this dungeon, and the repeated mention of his supposed status as a "deserter."  

The place he was in no longer seemed to be the time he was familiar with. 

And his current identity… also seemed to be rather special? 

But with so little information, he couldn't piece it together. Instead, he furrowed his brows and demanded coldly,  

"What the hell are you talking about?"  

Uchiha Hui Er flared his nostrils and snorted.  

"Hmph. Don't play dumb. It won't help you. The captain's orders must be carried out."  

"This is the only way to save the Uchiha!"  

With that, he took a step forward and swung the scabbard at Shinji’s face!  

Seeing the attack coming, Shinji immediately raised his shackled hands, grabbing the chain and pulling it taut to block the strike.  

Clang!  

Glaring at Uchiha Hui Er with disdain, he scoffed,  

"If the only way to save the Uchiha is by torturing a little girl—"  

"Then this clan might as well perish!"  

Uchiha Hui Er hadn’t expected Shinji—despite being shackled at both hands and feet—to resist so effectively. His eyes widened slightly in shock.  

Before he could react or swing the scabbard again, Shinji suddenly crouched, then launched himself upward, smashing his forehead into Hui Er’s chin. The impact sent Hui Er crashing to the ground. Seizing the moment, Shinji bent his head down and snatched a kunai from Hui Er’s ninja pouch with his teeth.  

With a swift flick of his head, the kunai’s tip struck the lock on his shackles.  

Then, he arched his back, pulling against the thick chains like a drawn bow, and with a forceful jerk—  

Crack!  

His bones snapped, but in that instant, an almost inhuman strength burst forth, breaking the shackles apart.  

In the next moment, he dashed up the wall, kicking off with explosive speed. Like an arrow loosed from a bow, he shot forward, grabbing the long sword that Hui Er had stabbed into the ground. With a single slash, he executed Uchiha-ryu: Instant Void Slash, slicing through the chains binding his ankles.  

"This kid—! How the hell did he cut through chains with a sword?! What kind of swordsmanship is this?!"  

The four Uchiha in the opposite cell, as well as Hui Er—who was still lying on the ground clutching his jaw—stared in shock.  

The middle-aged Uchiha leading them gasped, his face paling.  

"Dammit!"  

"We can’t let him escape the dungeon, and under no circumstances can Claw see this kid!"  

"Everyone, take him down!"  

At his command, Hui Er and the other four immediately drew their swords and leapt toward Shinji!  

However—  

Now unshackled, Shinji merely arched an eyebrow, chuckling mockingly. With a simple flick of his wrist, he flipped the long sword in his grip—pointing the blade toward himself, leaving only the dull edge facing his enemies.  

Then, he charged.  

His jet-black eyes flicked rapidly, analyzing their attacks in an instant, pinpointing every opening.  

Draw. Charge. Spinning Crescent Slash.  

In a blink, he moved past them.  

Shinji picked up a scabbard from the ground, twirled his sword elegantly, and sheathed it with a smooth motion.  

Click.  

The sword slid into place.  

All five enemies collapsed simultaneously.  

And only then—high above in the air—a crescent-shaped blade flash appeared, slicing through the dim dungeon like a full moon.  

The middle-aged Uchiha widened his eyes in horror, coughing up a mouthful of blood. Struggling to speak, he stammered,  

"How… how can you be this strong…?"  

"You’re not Shinji!"  

"Who… who are you?"  

Shinji glanced back at him, clearly annoyed.  

"You idiots. Do none of you read the clan reports in the morning?"  

"I’ve already said—I am the former heir of the Uchiha Clan."  

"Shinji!"  

The middle-aged Uchiha froze, his mind momentarily stuck on the term "clan reports." But quickly, his expression twisted in disbelief.  

"Clan reports? No… No way. Claw is the clan leader! You’re nothing but… a deserter!"  

"You mustn’t leave this dungeon, brat! Ugh—!"  

Thud!  

He finally lost the strength to stand, crashing to the ground and slipping into unconsciousness.  

"What the hell are you wailing about? You make it sound like I killed you," Shinji muttered, irritated.  

Judging from his physical abilities, this guy was probably at jōnin level. But they were both Uchiha. And from his words, there seemed to be deeper secrets at play. To avoid killing him outright, Shinji had deliberately struck with the blunt edge of his sword.  

Now, with the five enemies sprawled across the floor, silence returned to the prison.  

Shinji lifted his head, looking toward the opposite cell.  

There, a little girl in a tattered blue dress sat in the shadows. Her big eyes flickered between wariness, confusion, and curiosity as she watched him. But the moment his gaze met hers, she immediately lowered her head, curling into a ball, hugging her knees tightly as her frail body trembled.  

She withdrew into herself once more.  

Shinji raised an eyebrow, sheathed his sword, and strode into her cell. Standing before the girl—whose messy black hair cascaded over her face—he spoke.  

"Alright, it’s over. No one’s going to take your eyes anymore."  

"Now, can you answer a few questions for me?"  

"Who are you? Who am I? Where is this place? And who are ‘Uchiha Claw’ and ‘the Captain’?"  

"And one more thing—"  

"Where is Uchiha Nahe?"  

But the girl didn’t respond.  

Instead, she shrank back even further, clutching her knees so tightly that her pale arms turned slightly blue.  

She buried her face between her legs, her voice trembling like a broken record as she muttered,  

"I am a weapon… a weapon of the Uchiha Clan…"  

"I do not cry. I do not waver. I do not run away."  

"Pain must be endured… until the day I die…"  

Watching her, Shinji nearly believed her act—if he hadn’t just seen her curiously peeking at him like a little rabbit a moment ago.  

But no one fakes something like this. 

Maybe this was just her way of surviving.  

With that thought, he shook his head, reached out, and ruffled her messy hair. Squatting down, he smirked.  

"I didn’t kill those five guys, you know~"  

"So—stay here and wait for them to come take your eyes, or escape with me."  

"You have five seconds to decide."  

He waited.  

Five seconds passed.  

Seeing her remain motionless, Shinji turned and left the cell without hesitation.  

Leaving the little girl alone in the darkness.  

For a long time, she bit her lip, her red-rimmed eyes brimming with tears she refused to shed.  

Then, in that pitch-black void, she trembled and reached out—  

As if trying to grasp something.  

Or perhaps—  

Hoping that the light that had appeared so suddenly… would return to save her.  

And then—  

Her small, pale hand closed around something.  

The hilt of a sword.  

A simple, ordinary long sword—thrown to her by Shinji, who had been standing at the cell door the whole time.  

"I hate trouble the most," he muttered. "If no one’s going to save you and you’ll cry… and if someone does save you but you’ll just be afraid—"  

"Then how about saving yourself?"  

*Chapter 513: Shinji, Do You Want to Destroy Everything?*

"I wasn’t crying!"

"Got it, got it. I’ll erase my memory of that moment right away!"

"You’re lying—your eyes weren’t even open back then! There’s no way you could’ve known if I was crying or not!"

"Fine, fine. You weren’t crying, okay?"

"I am a weapon of the Uchiha clan. Of course, I wouldn’t cry!"

Inside the long dungeon corridor,

Shinji walked ahead, followed closely by a small figure clutching a long sword.

The little figure was dressed in a tattered dress, with black hair and dark eyes. Her face was expressionless, but her lips curled slightly as if she had thought of something amusing. She fixated obsessively on the shadow cast by the young man walking in front of her, following his every step.

Shinji didn’t bother questioning the slightly tsundere, autistic girl trailing behind him. He also didn’t stop her from following him on her own.

Having suddenly arrived in this world,

Every Uchiha he had encountered along the way seemed to have their own agenda. Their words subtly hinted at phrases like: "Locking you in the dungeon was for your own good," and "The Uchiha clan is facing a great crisis. To save the clan, we must take a little girl’s eyes."

But to Shinji, it was all meaningless—

Like a player mashing the skip button through the story without reading the guide.

He didn’t know who he was or where he was. He only knew one thing—

*From now on, it was going to be a massacre.*

Since his goal was to find Uchiha Nahe and eliminate him,

Then he would set out to do just that.

And along the way, whoever pissed him off—he’d take them out too.

With that mindset,

Shinji arrived at the dungeon’s exit.

The heavy iron door was framed by an eerie contrast—holy white light spilling out from the edges, yet the door itself was pitch black and stained with dried blood, exuding an ominous presence.

It felt as if once the door was opened, everything beyond it would be completely different.

Shinji reached out, pressing his hand against the door, ready to push it open.

But just then—

A trembling hand suddenly grabbed his sleeve from behind.

Shinji narrowed his eyes slightly and turned his head.

"Do you have something to say to me?"

The nameless girl blinked, nodded blankly, then quickly shook her head.

"Uh…"

She clenched her fists slightly, as if mustering up the courage to say something difficult.

Shinji immediately looked serious.

"As I thought—you're trying to tell me that there's great danger beyond this door, and that danger involves the people who want to harm us, right?"

"It has something to do with Uchiha Claw, doesn’t it? And the ‘Captain’ they keep mentioning. But don’t worry—I’m strong! As long as I’m here, no one can hurt you. That’s a promise!"

Shinji patted his chest with a confident grin.

The nameless girl froze for a moment, then, after some hesitation, finally gathered her courage, lifted her hand, pointed at the door handle, and whispered with a flushed face—

"This door… pulls open."

Shinji was dumbfounded.

"Huh? Ah—"

He quickly turned back, feeling a bit embarrassed. Damn, girl, you could’ve said that earlier! No wonder it wouldn’t budge…

---

*Creak—*

The dungeon door was pulled open from the inside.

Blinding sunlight spilled into the darkness.

Squinting, Shinji stepped out of the dungeon with the nameless girl by his side.

The moment he stepped outside, the oppressive sensation that had been weighing on him vanished.

His body, which had been at rest for some time, suddenly surged with energy—

A fusion of his physical and spiritual strength.

The chakra coursing through him was minimal,

But it confirmed one thing—

This was still his original body. His heart was still his Flaming Heart. Even his Tailed Beast constitution and immortality remained intact.

However, unlike the time he had recovered from falling into Hell Valley, his Dōjutsu: Amano-Iwato could no longer fully reconstruct his increasingly complex body. It had only managed to regenerate a basic form.

Right now, his entire body was running in an ultra-low-power state, making all his external abilities shift from active to dormant.

He needed time to absorb the free-flowing natural energy in the atmosphere—or rapidly replenish his chakra—

Only then could he reawaken some of his abilities.

Previously, the dungeon’s walls had been lined with paper talismans imbued with sealing techniques, seemingly designed to suppress and devour chakra. That was another reason he wanted to leave.

But soon, Shinji frowned slightly.

Using his unique perception of natural energy, he realized something—

This world… *had no natural energy!*

There was no sage energy at all!

Still, there was some good news.

Shinji noticed that his Sharingan seemed to be undergoing an evolutionary adaptation.

During this process, he couldn’t use his Mangekyō abilities—only his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

However, thanks to this,

His vision, which had been so poor that he couldn’t even clearly see his own hand, had now fully recovered!

For the first time,

Shinji felt like he was seeing the world with complete clarity.

It was as if…

His eyes could pierce through all darkness—revealing the very essence of existence itself!

"Is this… the Eternal Mangekyō? No… these eyes seem to have surpassed the Bloodline Selection level… They’ve gone even further, reaching a stage beyond Bloodline Selection but not quite at Bloodline Web…

"Weird… my eyes feel so swollen! Why does it feel like there are three pairs in my eye sockets? How is that even possible?"

Shinji stared in a daze at his palm, where a small water mirror had formed using the little chakra he could muster.

(A side note: This was the Water Release: Water Mirror Technique he had acquired from Yagura Karatachi in the past.)

From the reflection,

He saw his own face—

And his deep, pitch-black eyes, carrying an indescribable beauty.

But before Shinji could continue studying the changes in his body—

A small, pale hand suddenly grabbed his sleeve, tugging at him anxiously.

At the same time,

A deep, rough voice filled with shock and disbelief erupted in his ears—

"You… Shinji?!"

"Damn it! How did you get out?! And you even brought that weapon with you?! Get back inside the dungeon! Don’t let Claw see you!"

Almost instantly,

Shinji sensed a group of people swiftly surrounding him.

Another voice snapped at him coldly—

"Shinji, have you forgotten the Captain’s plan? What the hell are you doing? Has your resolve to serve the Uchiha been eaten by a dog? Damn it! I told the Captain from the start—giving this mission to an ignorant brat like you was a mistake!"

Shinji’s gaze darkened as he lifted his head slightly, displeased.

Before him,

A cluster of traditional Uchiha-style buildings loomed, and a group of Uchiha clan members—clad in high-collared Uchiha robes—stood watching him coldly.

Their awakened Sharingan glowed with distrust, tension, and open discontent.

Behind Shinji,

The nameless girl trembled at their words.

Hearing them refer to her as nothing more than a weapon made her bite her lip tightly, her complexion pale.

Her grip on her long sword tightened—

As if it was the only comfort she had left.

And at that moment,

Shinji exhaled sharply, closed his water mirror, and lifted his head.

He stared at the group coldly and spoke in an indifferent tone—

"You’d better give me a good explanation."

"You’ve been chirping like birds since the start. Do I owe you guys money or something?"

Shinji raised a hand and pointed at a long-haired Uchiha youth who had just shouted at him.

"If you don’t know how to talk properly—"

"I’ll teach you!"

The long-haired Uchiha sneered, his expression growing increasingly dangerous.

Gritting his teeth, he hissed—

"Shinji, do you want to destroy everything?!"

(End of chapter)

Chapter 514: Uchiha Hikari!  

"Destroy everything?" Shinji muttered, repeating the words with a playful smile creeping onto his face.  

"That actually sounds... kind of interesting?"  

His eyes widened slightly as he coldly stared at the Uchiha clansmen before him. His crimson pupils spun, revealing three pitch-black tomoe swirling into place.  

"If your so-called 'saving the Uchiha' requires sacrificing a child of the Uchiha clan..."  

"Then all of you deserve to die!"  

"When did the clan's teachings ever tell you that this is how we save the Uchiha?"  

As Shinji's icy reprimand fell, the gathered Uchiha exchanged uneasy glances, their eyes flickering with guilt as they glanced at the nameless girl standing behind him.  

However, the young Uchiha man with long, straight black hair at the front of the group remained expressionless. He raised his hand and spoke coldly:  

"In order to prevent more powerful Mangekyō Sharingan users from dying in internal conflicts during this war… in order to achieve the Uchiha's ultimate dominance over the shinobi world… this pain is unavoidable."  

"We are doing this for you—and for her!"  

"We poured an enormous amount of resources into her and sacrificed countless clansmen to bring you—someone who betrayed the clan for personal gain—back from Chii Mountain!"  

"And yet, you want to save her? You want to stop the captain's plan?"  

The long-haired Uchiha furiously pointed at Shinji, shouting:  

"You ungrateful bastard!"  

"You don't even have the Mangekyō Sharingan, yet you sympathize with this so-called 'human weapon,' whose Mangekyō ability is the 'Eight Thousand Spears'?"  

"You don't understand the power that lies within her eyes, nor do you understand what the Mangekyō Sharingan truly is!"  

At those words, Shinji couldn't help but feel speechless.  

What do you mean I don't have the Mangekyō Sharingan? 

Oh, right. Technically, I don't. 

Mine is the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.  

Based on what they were saying and the mention of the 'Eight Thousand Spears' ability, Shinji quickly pieced together his current situation and the era he was in.  

He was no longer the Shinji from Konoha. Instead, he had somehow traveled back to an unknown time—perhaps even before the Warring States Period. And in this era, he was still called Shinji.  

The difference was— 

He was no longer a former clan leader of the Uchiha. He was now the current clan leader of the Uchiha in this time, a subordinate of Uchiha Claw. 

Moreover, it seemed he had betrayed Uchiha Claw and joined the 'Captain's' side, becoming a hidden pawn in their so-called plan to 'save the Uchiha clan.'  

From what he could tell, there was even more to this situation that he could analyze.  

But—  

Shinji was already tired of listening to them!  

His gaze turned icy as he looked at the long-haired Uchiha ranting before him. His three tomoe spun rapidly, releasing an overwhelming pressure that distorted the air and even seemed to shake reality itself.  

Unlike the time he fought… whoever it was… using that one-minute ability called "Susanoo: Divine Might"— 

Now—  

He could use the terrifying power within these eyes without any restrictions!  

Sure, using it in this situation was overkill—like shooting a mosquito with an anti-aircraft cannon. 

But with his abilities currently sealed, leaving him with nothing but basic attacks and his ultimate move, Shinji didn't mind wasting a little bit of his seemingly infinite ocular power.  

At that moment—  

The long-haired Uchiha suddenly stopped speaking. His heart skipped a beat, and an indescribable fear gripped him, making his entire body tremble uncontrollably.  

"W-what… what’s happening to me?"  

Just then—  

A figure leaped into the crowd from outside, landing swiftly in the middle of the gathering. It was a burly Uchiha with a broad face, who immediately turned to the long-haired Uchiha and shouted urgently:  

"Yusuke! Claw is coming—he seems to have found out that Shinji is here!"  

"Hurry! We need to move the kid!"  

Yusuke, the long-haired Uchiha, narrowed his eyes. "Now? Where can we even move them? It’s too sudden—Claw must have received intel! Hayato, what do we do?"  

Uchiha Hayato's expression hardened as he spoke coldly:  

"If we don’t have time—kill him. Burn the body with Fire Release. We have backup candidates."  

"Hmm?"  

As if sensing something, he suddenly turned his head and locked eyes with Shinji, who stood there looking utterly unconcerned—perhaps even amused.  

Hayato's gaze flashed with murderous intent.  

"What's going on? How did this brat and the weapon get out? Never mind—it’s perfect! Don’t blame us!"  

"This is all for the Uchiha!"  

He immediately raised his hands to form hand seals for a jutsu.  

At the same time, Yusuke’s gaze turned sharp as he barked orders to the surrounding Uchiha clansmen:  

"Erase any traces of Chii Mountain! Destroy all records! We’ll handle the brat and return the weapon to the dungeon!"  

"Move!"  

At the command, the gathered Uchiha clansmen immediately sprang into action.  

The two men in front of Shinji turned toward him, their eyes filled with killing intent as they coldly sneered at him and the nameless girl standing behind him.  

"Brat, blame your bad luck for being born in the strongest—and weakest—era of the Uchiha!"  

"Your kindness and mercy mean nothing in this age!"  

Yusuke took a deep breath and slowly drew his sword from his waist.  

The situation was on the verge of exploding into a full-blown battle!  

However—  

Just as Shinji was about to casually swat away these nuisances—  

A small figure suddenly leaped out from behind him.  

The nameless girl gritted her teeth, her crimson eyes burning with determination. She gripped the hilt of her drawn sword tightly, standing protectively in front of Shinji.  

"You will not harm him!"  

"Hmm?"  

"You—you're just a weapon! Do you even understand what you’re doing?"  

"As a weapon of the clan, you should obey our orders!"  

"I… I…"  

The girl’s hands trembled as she held her sword. She instinctively stepped backward—only to bump into Shinji.  

Startled, she turned her head—only to meet his gaze.  

Shinji studied her with mild curiosity, his brows raising slightly. Something about her face sparked a memory in his mind.  

Then, as realization dawned, he relaxed.  

With a shrug, he grinned at her.  

"You’re looking at me like I can help you. I’m just a perfectly normal three-tomoe Uchiha passing by, you know."  

Still grinning, Shinji teased, "You’re not hoping I’ll buy you time to escape, are you? Don’t be ridiculous—you should at least try fighting."  

"I…"  

The girl bit her lip, her eyes darting away in fear. Her entire body trembled as she lowered her head, staring at the ground.  

"You insolent brat!" Yusuke took a step forward, his voice laced with menace. "You dare defy me!?"  

"You are a weapon! Have you forgotten your place?"  

But—  

The word "weapon" seemed to strike a nerve deep within the girl, igniting a twisted, suppressed rage that had been buried for years.  

"I… I am NOT a weapon!"  

Her furious scream tore through the air as she clenched her teeth, her sharp canines grinding together audibly.  

Her three tomoe spun wildly in her blood-red eyes—until they merged into a new, twisted pattern, like three interlocking boomerangs.  

"My name is—Uchiha Hikari!"  

Chapter 515: When Women Fight, Men Scratch Their Heads  

The standoff in front of him continued. 

Yet, at this moment, Shinji ignored the imminent conflict unfolding before him and suddenly furrowed his brows, looking in another direction.  

With the power of her Mangekyō Sharingan and newfound courage, Uchiha Hikari didn’t need much interference from Shinji. She was fully capable of defeating the two arrogant Uchihas standing in her way with her own strength.  

But what truly surprised Shinji was—  

Behind the group of shinobi, toward the western side, a group of individuals with incredibly strong chakra fluctuations was rapidly approaching.  

This kind of chakra fluctuation was all too familiar to Shinji—  

Dark, sinister, and utterly mad. 

There was no doubt about it—this was the aura that only a Mangekyō Sharingan user could possess.  

And the shocking part? 

There were three sources of this aura!?  

Even in his own era, there had only been three people in the entire Uchiha clan who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.  

But now, including Uchiha Hikari, he was certain that this era had at least four sets of Mangekyō Sharingan. And if he counted Uchiha Nahe, whom he planned to eliminate—  

That made five!  

What the hell?! When did Mangekyō Sharingan become as common as cabbages at a wholesale market?  

Just then—  

As Uchiha Hikari was about to make her move against her opponents, a smoke bomb was suddenly thrown from the shadows, landing precisely between the two sides!  

Boom! 

Smoke erupted.  

A figure suddenly leaped down from a nearby rooftop. She grabbed Shinji’s hand and spoke in a calm yet urgent voice,  

“Come with me!”  

Now that she was up close, Shinji could finally see her clearly.  

She had long, violet hair and appeared to be around 15 or 16 years old. Her features were delicate, her face dignified—undeniably a beauty. She wore the same high-collared black cloak as other Uchiha clan members, with the iconic fan emblem emblazoned on the back. A white bandage was wrapped around her waist like a belt, securing a short sword at her side.  

At this moment, this beautiful girl was staring straight into Shinji’s eyes with her crimson three-tomoe Sharingan, her expression solemn.  

Upon closer examination, Shinji hesitated for a moment before recognizing her.  

She was the prodigy recorded in the clan’s history—Uchiha Chiri—the one who had developed the forbidden jutsu, Izanami, in an attempt to stop the clan’s internal conflict, only to perish as a result.  

However, right now—  

Uchiha Chiri tightened her grip on Shinji’s hand and gave a forceful tug, but he didn’t budge.  

She frowned slightly, lowered her voice, and urged,  

“The Clan Head, Tazura, and his men are coming! The ‘Captain’s’ people may have saved you, but under these circumstances, they have no choice but to abandon you. Right now, only we can get you out of here!”  

Shinji raised an eyebrow slightly.  

“Who exactly are you?”  

“We…” Chiri’s grip on his hand tightened slightly. After a brief pause, she locked eyes with him and said firmly, 

“I’ll explain later. For now, please trust me!”  

“We are not like the ‘Captain.’ We don’t treat our own clan members as mere bargaining chips!”  

With that, she tried once again to pull him away.  

But again, he didn’t move.  

Meanwhile—  

“Quick! Surround them! Don’t let them escape!”  

“Go inform the Captain!”  

“Jin, hurry and stall Tazura! We don’t have much time!”  

With the seemingly uncontrollable ‘human weapon’ Uchiha Hikari holding the front line, neither Uchiha Yusuke nor Uchiha Hayato dared to act recklessly. Realizing the gravity of the situation, they immediately started calling for reinforcements and alerting the ‘Captain,’ the only one capable of handling Hikari.  

Seeing this, Uchiha Chiri’s usually composed expression faltered slightly. She widened her beautiful eyes and turned to Shinji.  

“What more do you want?!”  

Shinji tilted his head slightly and gestured toward Uchiha Hikari, who was standing protectively in front of him.  

At this moment—  

Uchiha Hikari was gripping an oversized katana that was completely disproportionate to her body. She stood rigidly in front of Shinji, unwavering in her resolve.  

Her entire body was tense to the point of stiffness, her mind completely blank. She was so focused that she didn’t even notice the sudden appearance of the ‘violet-haired beauty’ behind her.  

“I see,” Uchiha Chiri exhaled deeply.  

She extended her other hand and gently grasped Uchiha Hikari’s trembling arm.  

Like a startled beast, Uchiha Hikari spun around in an instant. Years of rigorous Uchiha training had instilled in her an instinct for combat—without hesitation, she widened her Mangekyō Sharingan eyes, gritted her teeth, and slashed horizontally at Uchiha Chiri!  

Clang!  

Uchiha Chiri swiftly released Hikari’s arm, drew her short sword, and blocked the strike.  

However, before she could explain—  

The patterns in Uchiha Hikari’s Mangekyō Sharingan spun wildly with a crazed glint.  

From behind Chiri, pitch-black flames began to materialize out of thin air, forming a Tenshō arrow, silently locking onto her back.  

Even though Chiri hadn’t turned around, she instinctively sensed the danger. Her pupils dilated slightly as she clenched her teeth. A slight tremor ran through her hand as she prepared to drop her short sword to the ground—ready to activate another technique.  

It was happening—  

Yasaka Magatama vs. Izanami!  

The situation was about to erupt into an all-out battle!  

Having watched this clash of women for quite some time, Shinji scratched his head and finally glanced at Uchiha Hikari.  

Their eyes met.  

Genjutsu: Sharingan—activated!  

The three black tomoe in his eyes spun slightly, unleashing an overwhelming and unimaginable force straight into her mind!  

In an instant, all of the mental defenses within Hikari’s Mangekyō Sharingan—Tsukuyomi, Kotoamatsukami, and Meiou—were shattered!  

“Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”  

A clear and resolute voice rang in Uchiha Hikari’s ears.  

Her tightly wound nerves suddenly relaxed, and her body went limp. Shinji caught her before she collapsed.  

“Let’s go. And don’t drop your sword—it’s a hassle to retrieve.”  

Holding Uchiha Hikari in his arms, Shinji turned slightly toward Uchiha Chiri, offering a casual reminder.  

He hadn’t expected that even in her three-tomoe stage, Uchiha Chiri had already developed Izanami. Once activated, even he would have been immobilized for a while.  

More importantly, he could sense it—Uchiha Chiri was hesitating.  

This technique… She had someone she wanted to save.  

Meanwhile, Uchiha Chiri stared at Shinji in stunned silence.  

Had she just seen correctly?  

This boy had used a mere three-tomoe Sharingan to forcefully hypnotize a Mangekyō Sharingan user?!  

But after a moment’s thought, she convinced herself that she was overthinking.  

Using a three-tomoe Sharingan to control a Mangekyō Sharingan user?  

Especially someone like Uchiha Hikari, whose mind had been fortified by multiple genjutsu specialists?  

That was just too absurd.  

It must have just been a matter of trust… right?  

For now, she didn’t have time to dwell on it.  

Taking Shinji’s hand, she leaped forward, her tone serious.  

“Come on, I’ll take you to our base.”  

“There, we’ll explain everything.”  

“Shinji,”  

“Please, join us—”  

“Help us save the Uchiha clan!”  

(End of Chapter)