Forty-five years ago,
On the eve of Clan Leader Madara Uchiha leaving the village,
The young Uchiha Setsuna once asked him:
How can a person possess the power of God?
Uchiha Madara gave him a cold look and said,
Do you want to dance too?
Golden flames pierced the sky.
Setting the creeping dome ablaze. Burning, molten rubber crashed down in a shower of fire.
This scene, reflected in Uchiha Ci's eyes, was like the sky twinkling with falling stars.
But he no longer had the strength to move.
He could only stare upward as the fireball expanded midair, his eyes widening slightly.
Suddenly—
A dark figure leaped down, grabbed Uchiha Ci by the neck, and hurled him onto a ledge of earth and stone nearby.
Zhi—
The fireball smashed into the boiling spring, sending sparks flying in all directions.
Uchiha Ci stared in astonishment at the Great Elder who had appeared before him.
Uchiha Setsuna said nothing, his gaze sweeping the surroundings.
At this moment,
The volcano formed by upheaved earth continuously drew scalding hot springs from below.
The water level rose wildly, the air compressed, and an earth-shattering explosion was imminent.
He looked up at the burning dome, eyes narrowing slightly.
Then, he formed hand seals and unleashed several ninjutsu in succession:
Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique! Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!
Several fire techniques shot upward, striking the dome—but they only caused the volcano to shudder violently.
Uchiha Setsuna frowned slightly and ceased his efforts.
Uchiha Ci stared at him in disbelief, as if he'd seen a polar bear in the Antarctic Circle.
"Great Elder, why are you here??"
Before the barrier was thrown into the volcano, Ci had clearly seen that Uchiha Setsuna was outside the range of Kumogakure ninja Dodai's technique.
With the barrier ninja's restraint gone, Setsuna should have been able to escape easily.
Uchiha Setsuna snorted coldly and replied calmly:
"Nonsense. Of course I'm here to save you."
Uchiha Ci was dumbfounded. "Wait, Great Elder, you should—"
Uchiha Setsuna shook his head, his tone steady:
"According to what you said, I should retreat."
"I should fulfill my duty and go to Hell Valley to take charge, to prevent Kumogakure from causing trouble and inflicting heavy losses on our clan."
He frowned slightly as he looked at Uchiha Ci—covered in bloody stab wounds and burns, his arm detached and hanging limply.
This level of injury was worse than that of a ninja just returned from the battlefield in the Land of Rain.
Uchiha Setsuna's eyes flickered, and he let out a long breath.
"But—"
"What about you?"
"Me?" Uchiha Ci was stunned, then shook his head in confusion.
"Great Elder, don't joke. Compared to others, how could I be worth saving?"
"No." Uchiha Setsuna's eyes narrowed, and he said in a deep voice:
"I think you are!"
"At least, compared to me—a mediocre, useless old man—"
"You have determination, vision, and the hope of reaching a height I never could."
"You deserve to live more!"
The smile on Uchiha Ci's face froze.
Uchiha Setsuna closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
He slapped Ci on the head and ruffled his hair, frizzy from electric shock.
When he opened his eyes again, a pair of scarlet Sharingan glowed.
His gaze was calm yet resolute.
"Ci, as you can see—" Uchiha Setsuna released his hand, took a step forward, and gripped his sword hilt.
"From the Warring States Period until now, this old man should have met his destined end long ago."
"Aged, fading toward death."
"However,"
"I've been stuck in the filthy quagmire of power all my life, unable to break free."
"But I have never experienced that short, bright moment that life ought to have."
Uchiha Setsuna's eyes suddenly turned sharp.
"Until you appeared—"
"I knew—this is the guidance given to me by our ancestor, Uchiha Madara."
"I firmly believe that now is that moment!"
Uchiha Ci stared in shock. Seeing Uchiha Setsuna's determined, sacrificial expression, he panicked.
"No, wait—Great Elder, what are you talking about?"
"What you understand and what I understand are completely different!"
"I'm not as noble as you think. I—"
Just as Uchiha Ci was about to explain,
Uchiha Setsuna suddenly turned and smiled knowingly.
Then, his tone turned cold and indifferent:
"I know—"
"You want to die."
"You lost your parents young, were bullied by your clan, lived in the mud, and find the world boring."
"You've long wanted to die."
Uchiha Setsuna narrowed his eyes and sneered darkly:
"But you don't want to die as a laughingstock."
"You want to wash away your shame and die with honor—as an Uchiha!"
"So—"
"I won't let you die."
Uchiha Ci opened his mouth to explain but suddenly remembered:
His body's life experience did match what Setsuna described—but the motivation was entirely wrong!
It's me who wants to die!
"Wait, you must have misunderstood, Great Elder! Please let me explain!"
"Hmph." Uchiha Setsuna snorted coldly, his face arrogant and paranoid. "I have my own judgment."
"Now, then—"
Uchiha Setsuna glanced coldly at the boiling spring about to erupt beneath his feet.
Slowly, he drew his long sword and shouted:
"You bastard, watch closely."
"I will use the Uchiha clan's secretly taught S-rank forbidden sword technique—"
Hearing this, Uchiha Ci was stunned.
Besides Fire Release, shuriken, and Susano'o, the Uchiha have something like that?
S-rank sword secrets? Konoha doesn't even have many of those, right?
While Uchiha Ci was dazed,
No one expected—
In an instant, Uchiha Setsuna spun around and struck the back of Ci's head with the hilt of his sword.
The blow was like a heavy hammer. Stars exploded in Uchiha Ci's vision, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Damn it, you—you bastard old man! You fucking sneak-attacked me!"
Uchiha Ci cursed, his consciousness fading to black as he fainted.
Yet, faintly, he heard Uchiha Setsuna's final sneer:
"That's it. Go ahead and hate me! Loathe me! Then live on, you ugly fool."
Then—a leap!
In his daze, Uchiha Ci seemed to see a blazing flame ignite throughout the volcano.
A vague figure wielded a long, flaming sword that reached toward the sky and earth.
With a slight wave, the volcano crumbled and shattered.
Like a god!
Immediately after, a plop echoed, as if something fell into the boiling, erupting sea.
Then, consciousness blurred into darkness.
Only then did a talent announcement sound in his mind:
[Ding!]
[You bravely fought back against an enemy who mocked you, but the opponent is dead and unable to refute.]
[The counterattack is stronger, and the reward is a critical hit.]
[You gain a random skill from the opponent: Deathmatch Barrier (Proficiency, A-rank)]
[The skill has been critically hit. Current attribute: Super·Deathmatch Barrier (Mastery, S-rank)]
[The layers of your Heart Steel have increased.]