Uchiha Fugaku quietly looked at a Mangekyō Sharingan in his hand...
He would not mistake that faint feeling of familiarity; this Mangekyō indeed belonged to his father, but...
Why did it end up in Black Zetsu's hands?
Regarding Black Zetsu's situation, he actually knew very little, only having heard Lord Jun mention it...
Back then, Lord Jun worked alongside Black Zetsu under Uchiha Madara. Later, they parted ways due to disagreements. But Uchiha Fugaku understood clearly in his heart...
Things absolutely could not be that simple. Otherwise, why would Uchiha Madara end up staying in the Land of Whirlpools?
And even...
Intended to kill Black Zetsu with his own hands!
"It seems the only one who knows the truth now is Uchiha Madara." Uchiha Fugaku shook his head self-deprecatingly, then lowered his head to look at the Mangekyō in his hand. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his eyes. His eyes involuntarily spun rapidly, his dark pupils gradually turning crimson, until finally...
Mangekyō!!
Without his control, his eyes spontaneously activated the Mangekyō. Simultaneously, it seemed a certain pupil power was slowly strengthening his eyes. But due to the intense pain, he closed his eyes again.
Not long after...
Uchiha Fugaku opened his eyes once more. He could feel his right eye had grown stronger, and his eyesight seemed to have improved considerably...
He rotated the Mangekyō, getting accustomed to it...
"Is this the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan?" Uchiha Fugaku murmured. "How interesting."
Then...
He looked at the mask lying quietly beside him...
"Uchiha Shin!"
This was the person who made their Uchiha clan leave Konoha and become part of the Land of Whirlpools.
But...
He had known long ago...
That Uchiha Shin was merely an alias of Lord Jun.
And...
From today onward...
Uchiha Fugaku put on the mask. A single crimson eye was visible through the mask...
"I am Uchiha Shin!!"
...
"Let's go down the mountain." Uzumaki Jun stretched lazily, stood up, and said, "We've been here for several days already. It's time to descend."
Wanting to find a way to control the dense natural energy, Uzumaki Jun had stayed up late for several nights here, but...
He failed.
This trash system gave no hints at all, just told him to figure it out himself...
If he had a way, would he need to rely on the system?
"Truly garbage." Uzumaki Jun sighed, muttering helplessly. "What use are you?"
However...
The system was long accustomed to Uzumaki Jun cursing it occasionally, so it simply ignored him.
"Mhmm." Chimoko opened her eyes, looked at Uzumaki Jun yawning, and said, "Finally going down the mountain?"
Because Uzumaki Jun wanted to stay here for a few days, she hadn't gone down the mountain yet either.
After all, it was quite normal for herb gatherers to stay on the mountain for a few days, although she had never tried it herself before, only heard about it...
"Let's go." Uzumaki Jun shook his head helplessly and said, "Actually, you didn't need to stay here. You could have gone down first and come back to get me in a few days."
A young girl staying beside a stranger...
Should he call her naive, or call her foolish?
"No." Chimoko pouted, saying with a serious expression, "Since I accepted your payment, I will definitely guide you down the mountain."
Hearing Chimoko's words, Uzumaki Jun sighed and didn't say anything more, instead...
"Let's go."
As for the payment...
He had never hired a guide who only asked for a few pieces of candy before.
"Okay." Chimoko nodded happily and said, "Let's go."
Having been on the mountain for a few days, she estimated Grandma Natsu and Grandpa Kōta were worried...
But...
She had dug up a lot of herbs.
This time she should be able to exchange for more food, but then...
Chimoko suddenly lowered her head, her spirits dampened...
Even if she sold them, it still wouldn't be enough for the tribute the bandits demanded...
If this continued, the village would be in great danger.
"What's wrong?" Uzumaki Jun, seeing Chimoko's initially happy expression turn unhappy again, asked curiously, "Thinking of something unpleasant?"
"Nothing." Chimoko, hearing Uzumaki Jun's question, snapped back to reality, looked up, and showed a sweet smile, saying, "Wasn't thinking about anything."
Jun wasn't from Ran Village, so she shouldn't trouble him with these matters.
Besides...
Jun had already helped her a lot.
Hearing Chimoko's words, Uzumaki Jun shrugged and didn't say anything. He planned to stay in Ran Village for a while anyway; if something happened, he could just intervene then.
After descending the mountain...
He should first figure out his current location.
Then, he quietly listened to Chimoko chattering about the situation in Ran Village. Although the village was poor, Ran Village was very nice, the villagers were very hospitable. Grandma Natsu and Grandpa Kōta were the oldest in the village, and everyone listened to them. The problem was Ran Village had very little water resources. Then, she told Uzumaki Jun very seriously that he must conserve water, otherwise, the villagers would dislike him.
As she spoke, she hung her head沮丧ly again, saying there wasn't enough food, the villagers couldn't eat their fill, especially in winter. If they weren't prepared for winter, people would starve to death.
So, the men of the village would go hunting in the mountains soon, but for some reason, the game in the back mountains had started to decrease recently.
Uzumaki Jun didn't interrupt, just listened quietly...
Weak countries might just be a single rural village calling itself a nation, while powerful countries were so strong that even Chimoko didn't know how to describe them in words, because she had never gone to school.
Simultaneously, weak countries sought protection under powerful countries, needing to offer tribute every year, otherwise, they would be destroyed.
Summarized in one sentence...
The common people were treated worse than pigs or dogs, could be bought and sold like livestock...
Layer upon layer of oppression...
It was truly a world of darkness.
Even worse than the Warring States Period. Although the Warring States Period, due to the shinobi, caused suffering across the ninja world, and getting three meals a day was a problem, but...
The darkness wasn't as commonplace as it is now...
Everyone lived numbly like this...
Perhaps this was the influence of the feudal system and slavery...
Uzumaki Jun fell into deep thought...
Yet, even so, most villages still hoped for the protection of a great nation...
"Mhmm, we're almost there." Chimoko pointed at the dirt road not far away and said, "Just follow this road and you'll see Ran Village."
"I'm sure the villagers will welcome you, Jun."
She carefully touched the three remaining candies in her bosom. If they couldn't gather enough food later, she would ask Grandpa Kōta to sell them.
Such delicious candy would surely fetch a lot of money.
Thinking this, Chimoko felt happy. She had dug up so many herbs this time, made a friend, and got three candies. How lucky.
It's just...
She had eaten one candy. If she hadn't eaten it, four candies would definitely sell for more money.
But it was still good now, at least she still had three left.
Then, carrying her small bamboo basket, she happily skipped ahead...
"Hurry up..." She waved at Jun, who was still thinking about something behind her, and said happily, "We're about to see Ran Vill..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she turned her head, pointing into the distance...
Chimoko's eyes suddenly widened. Ignoring Jun behind her, she ran forward in a panic...
"What's wrong?" Uzumaki Jun snapped back to reality, watching Chimoko run further away, and said, "Don't run so fast."
With those worn-out straw sandals...
She could easily trip.
And then...
"Thud."
Chimoko really fell to the ground. Ignoring the herbs that fell out, she quickly scrambled up, covered in mud, and continued forward...
Seeing this, Uzumaki Jun immediately understood...
Something had happened.
He quickly looked up into the distance, and saw...
Thick smoke continuously billowing up, accompanied by flames that looked scorching even in the evening light...
This is...
A fire!!!
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