Overly peaceful days often make people forget the tension they once lived through.
Ever since becoming a full-time writer, Zhong Yan's daily routine had been reduced to just one thing—typing away at his keyboard at home.
Occasionally, he would check in on Airi and the others. They were subordinates he had fought hard to earn, after all—it was only right to show them some care.
But that task was usually delegated to his shadow clone. It saved both time and effort.
His real responsibilities now involved writing his manuscripts—and regularly checking in on his three children.
Zhong Ling had just turned one. Zhong Xi was over six months old, and Zhong Lan, the youngest, wasn't far behind.
Zhong Yan had already been thinking about their future: when the time came for school, should he enroll all three of them together? It'd be a great way to build sibling bonds—and give them someone to look out for each other.
On a related note, because Zhong Yan now carried the Uchiha bloodline, all three of his children had the potential to awaken the Sharingan. The only reason they hadn't yet was that the time hadn't come.
Awakening the Sharingan required powerful emotional stimulation. It could be from joy or pain—anything intense enough could trigger the activation and evolution of the eye.
As for the Mangekyō Sharingan, the usual legend was that one had to witness the death of a loved one. But in truth, any emotion strong enough could trigger it—even within the flow of daily life.
The real hassle was the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. But that might not be a big problem for them.
As long as the three children could each awaken their Mangekyō, they could simply transplant eyes among each other, evolving them into Eternal versions—and thus eliminating the risk of blindness.
Still, that was a distant concern. According to Zhong Yan's plan, the three wouldn't even be introduced to the concept of "Uchiha" until they were at least twelve.
"Come to think of it, today should be the day…" Zhong Yan sat in front of his computer, staring at the system shop. The object of his long-awaited dream—the Rinnegan—was finally within reach.
The points he had accumulated were nearly enough. At this pace, he'd be able to redeem it by the end of the day.
That said, acquiring the Rinnegan came with a caveat: it needed to be concealed.
Unlike the Sharingan, the Rinnegan couldn't be turned on or off at will. Once activated, it remained visible at all times. If he wasn't careful, it could easily expose his identity.
Thankfully, his Uchiha persona always wore a mask. With that as cover, he didn't need to worry about anyone seeing the Rinnegan.
"When I activate it... I might as well test out the abilities on a few scumbags." With that thought, Zhong Yan finished his work, then activated Kamui and vanished from his home.
...
Time slipped by, and night soon fell. Even the bustling, ever-noisy New Eridu seemed to fall silent in sleep.
Lately, very few people ventured out at night. The spike in criminal activity had shaken the city. Every district had witnessed violent crimes.
This made the average citizen extremely wary of going out after dark. Unless absolutely necessary, most people just stayed home.
The criminals, meanwhile, operated in the alleys no one cared about. These places were perfect for hiding—and even fully armed security officers avoided going in alone.
At that moment, in a corner of Sixth Street, a gang of weapon-wielding criminals was finalizing their plans for a robbery.
"Listen up! This one came straight from the boss. We can't afford a single mistake!" the leader barked.
Their target tonight was a video rental store on Sixth Street.
Rumor had it that the store did booming business, frequented even by Public Security officers.
For a group that had declared war on New Eridu's authorities, it was the perfect target.
"I heard the owner's a young babe too... real looker. Maybe when we're done with the job, we can—" one of the men sneered, flashing a predatory grin.
The others grinned in unison, their expressions equally sinister.
Meanwhile, inside the video store...
"Bro, Lan pooped again—grab a diaper, quick!" Belle shouted, holding a thoroughly soiled Zhong Lan in her arms.
Wise swiftly arrived with a fresh diaper in hand, smoothly taking the baby from her.
With practiced ease, he swapped out the dirty diaper and cleaned up Zhong Lan. The baby, who had been wailing, began to quiet down in his arms.
"Lan's been restless lately. How about he sleeps with me tonight?" Wise tossed the diaper into the trash as he asked, glancing at Ling hopefully.
She shook her head. "No. I can't sleep without him. Maybe when he's older. Right now, I still need him close."
With that, she took the baby back, flopped onto the bed, and waved at Wise. "Thanks, now off you go. And don't forget to turn off the lights."
Wise chuckled helplessly and turned to leave, switching off the lights and closing the door behind him.
Outside the video store, the criminals had already crept into the garage—an ideal location, situated behind the building and completely out of sight.
As they started to pick the backdoor lock, a sudden cold breeze blew past, sending chills up their spines.
Instinctively, they turned—and froze.
Standing near an empty parking spot was a figure wearing a white mask. No one had seen him arrive.
The sight stunned them into silence.
Their first thought was that they'd been caught—but no, who would show up in this kind of outfit in a garage?
"Y-You're... Uchiha?!" one of them blurted out.
As realization dawned, panic spread like wildfire through the group.
Uchiha's reputation for exterminating criminals had long since spread across New Eridu. Especially those who had impersonated him—they had all been eliminated without exception.
As fate would have it, this gang had done exactly that in the past.
They thought they'd gotten away with it.
But now… they had been found.
And in that moment, all of them understood—
Their time had run out.