Chapter 22: On the Matter of Awakening My Sharingan and Shocking the Higher-Ups

Although curious about the strange behavior of the two Uchiha sentries he had just passed, Uchiha Gin had no time to dwell on it as his squad hurried along.

As the pace of the group slowed, a massive fortress appeared before him. During the Warring States period, productivity and living conditions were relatively backward, but for a great clan like the Uchiha, their settlement was a fortress constructed from exquisite, massive stone blocks. While it lacked the reinforced concrete structures of the future Hidden Leaf Village, it possessed a distinct historical character.

The guards at the gate simply verified their identities before allowing the party to pass. Once inside the Uchiha compound, Gin was greeted by the sight of clansmen training—people of all ages, some as young as only a few years old. The younger ones were practicing their accuracy with sharpened shuriken, while the older ones honed their swordsmanship. The sound of clashing metal was incessant, and among them were many women; it was truly a society where everyone was a soldier.

Walking through the compound, Gin realized that the Uchiha gene pool was no joke. From old to young, men to women, there wasn't a single person who wasn't attractive. His own face, which he had considered quite handsome, seemed utterly unremarkable here.

Reflection aside, Gin noticed that every Uchiha clansman he encountered instinctively avoided his gaze. Some Uchiha women, when they saw Gin glancing their way, immediately dragged their daughters back into their homes and shut the doors and windows behind them.

"What's going on? People here look at me as if I'm some kind of monster," Gin muttered, scratching his curly hair in confusion. "Was the original owner really that unpopular?"

"Uchiha Gin, you will report the mission results when we see the Clan Head," Uchiha Fenghuo, leading the group, said without turning back.

"Understood, Captain." Gin knew there was no avoiding it, so he nodded in agreement.

They arrived before a grand building at the heart of the compound. Fenghuo informed the guards that they were there to report to the Clan Head. After the guards went in to announce them, they returned a moment later to open the gates.

They walked inside, navigated several turns, and finally arrived at a room. Pushing open the doors, they saw a middle-aged man sitting in a seat of honor, with two elderly men—one stout and one thin—standing to the side. The three had been discussing something, but they stopped to look at the newcomers.

This was Gin’s first time seeing his original body’s cousin-uncle, the current Uchiha Clan Head, Uchiha Tajima. He wore the long, spiky hair common among the Uchiha, and his lean face was marked by two deep laugh lines. His dark, deep-set eyes held a faint sense of authority.

Watching this familiar yet strange middle-aged man, the members of the Uchiha squad knelt on one knee to offer their respects. Gin, seeing their actions, was momentarily stunned. No one had told him about this. What was he supposed to do now? It was too late to kneel, so he just stood there awkwardly, appearing quite restless. The others kept shooting him meaningful glances, signaling him to hurry up, but Gin, lacking the habit, was stuck in a bind.

"It is enough that you returned alive. Rise," Uchiha Tajima said coldly from the center seat. He did not blame Gin, appearing instead to be accustomed to his lack of etiquette.

"Thank you, Clan Head!" the others replied respectfully as they rose.

"Fenghuo, I have always trusted your capabilities. It is within my expectations that you completed this mission first," Tajima said to Fenghuo, his tone carrying a touch of appreciation. The two seemed to have a good relationship.

"It is all thanks to the Clan Head’s cultivation!"

*I never would have guessed,* Gin thought. *This old guy can butter people up, too. He spews nonsense and flatteries as if it were second nature.*

"Now, tell me how the mission went," Tajima continued.

Hearing this, Fenghuo did not speak but turned his gaze toward Gin. Prompted by the look, Gin stepped forward, placed the unconscious Senju Itama—whom he had knocked out beforehand—in front of him, and said, "Clan Head, let me report the mission details!"

"Gin, stop fooling around. Your seniors are present. Step back; I will have a mission for you later," Tajima said, looking at his nephew with some surprise. He was well aware of his nephew's current strength. Sending him on a mission was merely a way to keep him from causing trouble within the clan; he didn't expect him to provide any real help, and not being a burden was already a blessing.

"Clan Head, let Uchiha Gin report it," Fenghuo interjected from the side.

Hearing the squad captain say this piqued Tajima’s curiosity. He turned to look seriously at the nephew he had never paid much attention to. "Then, Gin, you tell me about the mission process."

With Tajima’s permission, Gin began from the moment "he" had broken into the Senju compound. When he mentioned being wounded and near death by a powerful Senju, a flicker of ruthlessness flashed in Tajima’s eyes. When he spoke of witnessing the chaotic battle between the Hagoromo and Senju clans and how the Uchiha squad had watched the tigers fight from the mountain, Tajima showed an expression of appreciation.

When he recounted capturing the son of Senju Butsuma, Tajima’s eyes flared with brilliance. He glanced at the unconscious boy in front of Gin, lost in thought. Finally, Gin described their pursuit by the Uzumaki clan.

"That muscle-bound man is the son of Uzumaki Ashina. His strength is formidable. How did you survive his hands?" the stout elderly Uchiha asked, listening with great interest.

Gin was not annoyed by the interruption, and Tajima, still deep in thought, also looked toward him.

"Because I awakened this in the face of despair." As he spoke, he pointed to his eyes. Within his scarlet irises, two tomoe spun slowly.

Logically, the fact that Uchiha Gin had awakened his Sharingan was something to be congratulated. However, as the two tomoe revealed themselves in his eyes, the atmosphere in the room suddenly stagnated. The two elders, who had been calm just moments before, shifted their expressions as if performing a theatrical mask change, turning terrifyingly grim.

Uchiha Tajima, sitting in his chair, activated his own three-tomoe Sharingan, staring intently at Gin’s eyes. The rapidly spinning tomoe seemed as if they wanted to pull him in.

The sudden chill in the room left Gin, who had prepared a full script, momentarily speechless. After a moment, he asked cautiously, "Should I continue...?"

"Uchiha Fenghuo, you all may withdraw. This mission is considered perfectly completed. Take a few days of leave to go home and see your families." Tajima interrupted Gin’s question, forcing him to swallow his words.

Confused, Fenghuo and the others dared not linger and took their leave. Seeing his teammates go, Gin prepared to run as well. Just as he picked up Senju Itama to slip away, Tajima’s cold voice rang out: "Gin, you stay. I have some things to ask you."

Seeing there was no escape, Gin resigned himself to putting down the boy and stared blankly at his cousin-uncle, waiting for the interrogation. But Tajima ignored him for a moment, turning instead to the stout elder. "Elder Yan, what is the meaning of this?"

"This shouldn't be. This is impossible," said the elder, Uchiha Yan, one of the oldest high-ranking members of the clan.

"Elder Miao, explain to me what is happening here." Receiving no satisfactory answer, Tajima turned to the lean elderly Uchiha. Uchiha Miao did not answer, but instead stared fixedly with his wrinkled eyes at the two-tomoe Sharingan that were still spinning slightly in Gin’s eyes.

Gin felt his skin crawl under the gaze. He thought to himself, *Is the original owner's talent really that trashy? They are all shocked out of their minds just because I awakened a two-tomoe Sharingan.*