Chapter 49: The Original Owner's Side Story: Sneaking Around to Drive is Such a Thrill

The mysterious figure waited for the Kaguya clan to inspect the intelligence before turning around and vanishing into the night, while the members of the Kaguya clan made no move to stop him.

After all, in their eyes, this sneaky fellow was merely a pitiful wretch incapable of seeking revenge through his own strength.

Under the moonlight, the mysterious figure removed his disguise. His elderly face appeared extremely pale under the wash of the moonbeams, and the crimson in his eyes slowly faded.

Uchiha Yao recalled his recent encounter with the Kaguya clan.

"These brainless madmen are just right to serve as my cover. Once they fall into complete chaos with the Uchiha clan, I can make my move."

"Agin, wake up quickly!"

Feeling the moisture on his face, Uchiha Gin slowly opened his eyes. Entering his vision was a delicate young girl crying a rain-pear blossom with tears streaming down her cheeks and dripping onto his face. Parched with thirst, he instinctively stuck out his tongue to lick the moisture from the corner of his mouth.

Salty, yet sweet.

Seeing Uchiha Gin wake up, the young girl lunged into his arms like a swallow returning to the forest, burying her head in the boy's chest and saying with a sobbing voice,

"Wuwuwu, I had a very strange dream. In the dream, there was no you, and I was so scared all by myself..."

With his body still somewhat stiff, Uchiha Gin propped himself up, allowing the girl to lean against his arms and sob. He reached out a hand to gently stroke the girl's raven-black hair.

"It's fine, I'll always be by your side."

"Really?"

The young girl, her nose red from crying, raised her head and looked into Uchiha Gin's eyes with slightly red and watery eyes, as if confirming something.

"Of course. Didn't you always say that you only have me? If I don't take care of you, who will?"

He patted the girl's small head, signaling her to get up.

"Hmph, who said that? I can manage just fine without you."

Realizing that her actions had been a bit too intimate, the young girl immediately jumped up, turned her head away, and pouted in defense.

"Alright, you two kids stop being all lovey-dovey here. It's making us two old fellows' teeth ache just watching."

The roundly plump Uchiha焱 teased with a smile.

Only then did Uchiha Gin realize that Uchiha淼 and Uchiha焱, who had previously been sent away, had actually returned.

"Where is that old man?"

Remembering Uchiha Yao's bizarre behavior, the boy asked with a hint of anxiety.

"The Clan Head has already issued an order forbidding him from continuing to participate in this research of yours. You can rest easy now."

Uchiha淼, the lean-figured man standing to the side, stepped forward to explain.

"Is there any discomfort you're feeling, such as with your eyes or your brain?"

Hearing Uchiha淼's words, Uchiha Gin immediately brought up the issue of his declining eyesight, while Uchiha Hikari mentioned what Uchiha Yao's subordinates had referred to as a "weapon."

"A weapon?"

Hearing this unfamiliar term for the first time, Uchiha Gin looked at Uchiha淼 with some puzzlement. The man sighed in response and pulled out the document concerning the war weapon project.

The boy glanced over it roughly, frowned, and said,

"Has that old man lost his mind? He actually wants to turn me and Hikari into mindless 'weapons of war'?"

......

Meanwhile, Uchiha Tajima rejected the war weapon project compiled by Uchiha Yao—which had been submitted by Uchiha淼—and returned to his estate alone.

His wife, who had just given birth to a pair of twins for him, was nursing the baby in her swaddling clothes, while a slightly older child slept soundly beside her.

In this era that placed no emphasis on family planning, every shinobi clan believed in having many children; population represented combat strength. Looking at his wife and children, Uchiha Tajima's stern and fierce gaze softened.

"You've had a hard time."

Uchiha Tajima sat down on the edge of the tatami mat, carefully stroking his wife's frail body.

"I'm fine. Where are Madara and Izuna?"

Uchiha Tajima's wife was a gentle and virtuous woman. Although she was the daughter of the previous clan head, she disliked fighting. Her gentle, water-like personality provided a perfect complement to the fierce and strong-willed Uchiha Tajima, making their bond unusually loving.

"They've reached the age for combat. I'm having them stay in the training hall for a while to properly temper their temperaments."

Their eldest son, Uchiha Madara, and second son, Uchiha Izuna, were already capable of going to the battlefield to participate in small-scale skirmishes. Uchiha Tajima wanted them to endure more hardship under his guidance so they would suffer fewer injuries on the battlefield.

"Oh my, I haven't even recovered yet!"

Hearing that both of her sensible children had been chased away by her husband, the woman lying on the tatami mat wore a charming and shy expression, her voice growing increasingly clinging as she spoke.

"What do you take me, Uchiha Tajima, for!"

The Clan Head raised a hand to firmly hold down his impulsive brother, scolding with righteous severity.

The Uchiha clan grounds in the dead of night were peaceful and serene, with patrol squads conscientiously inspecting the perimeter of the clan grounds along their assigned routes.

The pitch-black night could not affect the Uchiha clan, who possessed kinetic vision. As their route neared its end, several patrol members also relaxed their vigilance.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

A series of extremely rapid whistling sounds cut through the jungle, and the patrol member walking at the very front collapsed instantly, a bursting splash of blood blooming upon his body.

"Enemy attack!!!"

An alarm was raised as a streak of fire soared high into the air and then burst apart. The remaining members swiftly drew their weapons, opened their crimson eyes, and charged forward without a shred of hesitation, attempting to buy time for the clansmen behind them.

In the blink of an eye, hundreds of figures emerged from the darkness. With ferocious expressions and emitting bloodthirsty auras, the Kaguya clan pounced toward them like starving wolves. Upon the very first exchange, the small patrol squad vanished into the surging human tide, leaving behind a ground littered with mutilated limbs.

The aura of death, like an invisible hand, slowly closed in around the quiet and peaceful Uchiha clan grounds.

Bored out of his mind, Uchiha Gin lay on the bed in the research facility, counting the countless stars twinkling outside the window.

Suddenly, the boy saw a streak of fire light up in the distant darkness—the exclusive alarm signal of the Uchiha clan.

Looking in disbelief at the pillar of fire that symbolized an enemy attack, the boy did not hesitate, flipping over and bolting out of the lounge.

By this time, the research facility was already in complete chaos. Guards were assembling, while researchers without combat capabilities were busy packing up documents. Having no time to worry about such matters, the boy ran up to a door and hammered on it forcefully,

"Thump, thump, thump..."

Under the boy's heavy hammering, the door swung open. A sleep-eyed young girl emerged, clutching a pillow while rubbing her eyes and yawning,

"What is it this time?"

"Quickly find a place to hide. Someone is attacking the clan grounds."

Having no time to worry about the traditional boundaries between men and women, the boy grabbed the girl and bolted outward.

"Where are you taking me?"

Still in a daze, the young girl was dragged along by the boy as he sprinted wildly.

Running all the way to the main entrance of the research facility, they found a roundly plump figure directing the assembly of the guards. Seeing the boy and girl running out, he shouted hastily,

"Why are you two running out? Go back quickly; the research facility is much safer than the outside."

Uchiha焱 had just received word from outer clansmen that a group of unidentified individuals was advancing toward the clan grounds at an extremely fast pace, precisely ambushing all patrol squads and sentry posts along the way, catching them completely off guard.

"Let Hikari go to a safe place! I'm going to face the enemy too!"

Uchiha Gin shielded the girl behind him, patted his chest toward Uchiha焱, and looked at him with crimson eyes devoid of the slightest fear,

"I can fight too!"

"You don't need to get involved in the current situation. Stay aside."

Uchiha焱 was almost so angry he laughed. Although these enemies came aggressively, this was not a matter of life and death for the Uchiha clan.

Their clan had existed for a millennium; if an attack like this could wipe out the entire clan, they would have ceased to exist long ago.