Chapter 62: The Same Beginning, a Different Ending

"Uchiha Jin."

Upon hearing Uchiha Gin's question, Uchiha Fuo's mind conjured up the image of a gentle and warm-hearted man.

He also had a head of curly hair, slender phoenix eyes, and always wore a smiling expression, but the feeling he gave off was worlds apart from the Uchiha Gin standing right before him.

"I know him."

Uchiha Fuo did not bother to hide it, as there was no need; anyone familiar with Uchiha Jin naturally knew Uchiha Gin's identity.

"What kind of person was he?"

Knowing virtually nothing about his own father, Uchiha Gin could not help but ask.

"This is not a place to talk. Come with me to somewhere we can chat slowly."

Sighing, Uchiha Fuo suppressed an inexplicable wave of disgust in his heart and invited Uchiha Gin to find a private spot to talk.

Uchiha Gin raised no objections and followed Uchiha Fuo to a tavern. Pushing the door open, Fuo familiarly led Gin into a small private booth, ordered a bottle of sake, and slid the door shut behind them.

The two sat cross-legged opposite each other, observing one another.

When the wine was served, Uchiha Fuo poured a cup for each of them and then began to drink alone in silence.

"You really look like your father, especially your features—they are an exact match."

After downing a cup of wine, Uchiha Fuo's expression warmed slightly as he stared into Uchiha Gin's face and spoke slowly.

"You knew my father?"

Judging by Uchiha Fuo's tone, his relationship with his old man must have been quite close.

"More than just knowing him. Your father was once my team leader, and in a way, half a teacher to me."

Tipping his head back to finish another cup of sake, Uchiha Fuo let out a long breath and spoke with a nostalgic expression, "Brother Jin was the strongest genius of that era, without exception. He awakened his Sharingan at eight, mastered the three tomoe by twelve, excelled in all five basic nature transformations and sealing techniques... He completed various high-difficulty missions entirely on his own and rendered outstanding service in battle time and time again."

Uchiha Fuo rattled off Uchiha Jin's various feats with endless enthusiasm, looking thoroughly exhilarated as he spoke, but his expression suddenly darkened midway through.

"What a pity..."

"What a pity, what?"

Uchiha Gin, who had been listening with rapt attention, quickly asked.

"What a pity that he died young. Otherwise, who the clan head position would have ultimately gone to is hard to say."

Uchiha Fuo shook his head with melancholy, a look of profound regret on his face.

*Well, well. My old man actually almost became the clan head?* When he heard Uchiha Yao bragging about it in the dungeon, he had thought the guy was just talking nonsense. He never expected it to be the absolute truth.

"Can you tell me the details of what happened?"

Eager to uncover the truth, Uchiha Gin could not hold back his curiosity.

Regarding the details of Uchiha Jin's sacrifice, Uchiha Yao had given him one version of the story. Since Uchiha Fuo had been well-acquainted with Uchiha Jin, did his account match Uchiha Yao's?

Outside the private booth, the sound of Uchiha clansmen clinking cups and chatting endlessly created a lively atmosphere. Rubbing the rim of his wine cup, Uchiha Fuo wore a rare expression of deep remembrance on his steady face.

"Your parents, along with Clan Head Tajima, were once members of the same squad. Your father served as our captain."

Uchiha Fuo shook the empty cup in his hand, signaling Uchiha Gin to pour. Once the cup was filled with clear sake, Fuo didn't hesitate to throw it back, seemingly trying to drown his sorrows in alcohol.

"That was our squad's final mission. The preliminary preparations went off without a hitch. To protect me, since my strength was relatively lacking, your father assigned me to a post as a hidden sentry. The mission was proceeding very smoothly until the very last moment, when an unexpected disaster struck."

Uchiha Fuo's voice was low and sorrowful. When he uttered the word "disaster," the hand gripping his wine cup clenched so tightly that the veins bulged, his entire demeanor growing intensely unstable. His eyes widened to the point of splitting, completely stripping away his usual composure.

"There was a traitor! Someone secretly leaked our mission route, and an enemy force several times our size ambushed us at a mandatory choke point. There were three squads participating in that mission, and every single one of them was wiped out. Your father fought with everything he had to break through the encirclement with his squad members."

"Were you there at the time?"

Uchiha Gin asked, noting that the plot sounded identical to what Uchiha Yao had described.

"Of course I was there, and I witnessed your parents' sacrifice with my own eyes. I'm sorry, but I was truly powerless."

By the end of his sentence, Uchiha Fuo's voice carried a hint of a choke. His bloodshot eyes welled with tears as he continued, "I am a coward. When the captain ordered me to leave, I actually just walked away. I let down the captain for all the care he showed me over so many years."

"Give me the details."

Noticing a few subtle discrepancies, Uchiha Gin pressed further, "What was the exact situation at the very end?"

"Your parents fought their way out in a bloody battle while carrying an unconscious Clan Head Tajima, but the enemy refused to shake them off. As the supporting hidden sentry, I joined the battle as well, but it was of no use. Lacking sufficient strength, I could only become dead weight."

Uchiha Fuo closed his eyes in agony, the words sounding as though they had drained every ounce of strength from his body.

"At the very last moment, your father ordered me to retreat with the wounded and unconscious Clan Head Tajima, while the two of them stayed behind to cover our rear."

"Clan Head Tajima was unconscious the whole time?"

Thinking back to the version Uchiha Yao had told him, this point heavily contradicted what the eyewitness Uchiha Fuo was claiming.

"Yes. Clan Head Tajima had sustained very heavy injuries at the time and only regained consciousness after being brought back and treated for several days."

"Did my parents leave any last words?"

Wanting to know if his parents had uttered anything important before their sacrifice, Uchiha Gin asked aloud.

"No. The situation at the time was extremely tense; nobody had the time to impart any instructions."

Uchiha Fuo shook his head, looking deeply apologetic.

"Thank you, Captain Fuo, for telling me so much about my parents today."

Uchiha Gin straightened up and bowed to Uchiha Fuo.

"I am unworthy of your thanks. I stood by and watched your parents sacrifice themselves while being utterly helpless. I should be apologizing to you."

With that, Uchiha Fuo shifted into a kneeling bow, preparing to kowtow to Uchiha Gin.

"Captain Fuo, there is no need for that. Since my parents chose that path, they had already prepared themselves to lay down their lives at any moment."

Uchiha Gin quickly reached out to support him, offering comforting words.

Having asked all he needed to know, Uchiha Gin rose to take his leave, while Uchiha Fuo remained seated, drinking alone cup after cup.

As he was about to leave, the deep-in-thought Uchiha Gin faintly caught the muttered words of the slightly intoxicated Uchiha Fuo behind him:

"Why didn't you dodge that sword, Brother Jin..."

Because this chance encounter with Uchiha Fuo had revealed so much of the truth regarding his parents' sacrifice, Uchiha Gin's mind was in a whirl, leaving him with no desire to find a carpenter to renovate his backyard.

With his mask slung diagonally across his body and holding the Isobu plushie, Uchiha Gin walked up to his small house.

The shopkeeper had already arranged the customized table, chairs, and training targets, making the previously barren backyard look somewhat decent now.

Touching the freshly manufactured training dummy, Uchiha Gin nodded in satisfaction. Now all that was left was to rebuild the fence. If only he knew Wood Release, things would be much more convenient—what a pity, what a pity.

Having tidied up the backyard, Uchiha Gin paused mid-step just as he was about to enter the house, a strange smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. He reached up to straighten the eerie mask slung over his shoulder and gently pushed the front door open.

At that moment, Senju 板间 (Bankan) was sitting blankly on the sofa, completely unaware of the figure entering from outside. Stealthily creeping up behind Senju Bankan with malicious intent, Uchiha Gin placed one hand on the boy's shoulder and leaned his masked face in close.

Sitting all alone and dazed in the empty room, Senju Bankan was startled out of his wits when a hand suddenly materialized on his shoulder. Jolting around in sheer terror, his gaze locked onto a horrifying, grotesque face.

"Agh! A gho—oh—"

Startled out of his wits, Senju Bankan managed a single shriek before foaming at the mouth and fainting dead away from fright.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Why is this little brat so easily scared?"

Finding that the opponent had passed out cold before he could even put on a proper show, Uchiha Gin disappointedly removed his mask and clicked his tongue in mock complaint.

"Hey, hey, hey. Wake up."

Squatting down, Uchiha Gin patted the unresponsive Senju Bankan, but upon finding no reaction whatsoever, his heart tightened.

"No way. Did he actually get scared to death? If so, wouldn't that mean I just triggered an instant game over?"