"Get lost, get lost! This is a legitimate establishment, and minors are not allowed in!"

Amid the harsh shouts, Uchiha Shi was thrown out the door by two burly men. He picked himself up, his face filled with indignation, muttering curses under his breath. "Damn it, how can a place that won’t even let minors in call itself legitimate?"

"He~tui!"

Hearing the commotion, the villagers inside turned to look at him with strange expressions.

"You think we wouldn’t notice you sneaking in with a transformation jutsu?" The guard scoffed, looking down at him with disdain.

"Get lost, or I'll call your clan’s elders to come pick you up!"

This immediately made Uchiha Shi shrink back. He shot a fierce glare at the two gatekeepers. If it weren’t for the fact that public embarrassment wasn’t covered by his insurance...

"Still daring to peek inside? Do you want me to shout for help?" The guard wrinkled his nose and was about to yell inside.

Uchiha Shi quickly dismissed the lewd thoughts in his mind, covering his face as he hurriedly fled down the alley.

As he returned to the street, he noticed that the road was already sparsely populated. The full moon quietly observed the world.

A chilly breeze of early spring brushed against his face, causing Uchiha Shi to shiver and his mind to clear.

At that moment, Uchiha Seiichiro, a fellow clan member and teammate, stumbled out of the alley, holding a bottle of alcohol.

Seeing Uchiha Shi, Seiichiro looked him up and down and couldn’t help but smirk when he noticed the gray smudges on Uchiha Shi's clothes.

"Hey, isn’t that the pride of our Uchiha clan?"

"What’s wrong? Thrown out?"

Uchiha Shi's face tightened. "No, I just happened to walk down the road and got stepped on by an elephant."

"Hehe, who hasn’t been young and reckless at some point?" Seiichiro’s cheeks were flushed, the smell of alcohol wafting toward Uchiha Shi as he chuckled mischievously. "I understand, I really do."

"After all, we’re about to undertake a mission like this..."

Seiichiro's tone grew slightly heavier as he looked at Uchiha Shi, his gaze shifting as if he were thinking of something hard to accept.

He suddenly frowned impatiently. "Your name is Shi, right? Listen carefully—"

Seiichiro paused, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Don’t expect me to help you on this mission."

【Uchiha Seiichiro has developed resentment towards you.】

Uchiha Shi glanced at the sudden subtitle that appeared before him, raising an eyebrow before replying lightly, "Don’t worry, Seiichiro-senpai. I won’t hold you back."

"Hehe, it seems you still don’t understand what kind of trouble you’ve caused!" Seiichiro’s expression darkened at Uchiha Shi’s nonchalant response.

"I don’t know why the elder chose to let you take part in this mission."

"But this mission was originally planned to be carried out by three jōnin-level clan members."

"Now, thanks to your ninja games, the elder changed his mind and forced me, a chūnin, to participate in such a dangerous affair!"

Uchiha Seiichiro's gaze gradually turned cold, and he snorted disdainfully.

"You have no idea what kind of lunatics you will be facing on this mission!"

"Without the Sharingan, you will be no different from a plaything in front of those maniacs!"

Uchiha Shi raised an eyebrow slightly; how could he not know what awaited him in the Land of Hot Water?

The destination of this mission was the Blood Pool Clan in the Hell Valley of the Land of Hot Water.

Their Blood Dragon Eyes reflected the hatred for the Uchiha clan that has lasted since the Warring States period!

Uchiha Seiichiro was not wrong; without the Sharingan, he had no advantage against the Blood Dragon Eyes, which were also a dōjutsu bloodline limit.

The Blood Dragon Eyes, much like the Sharingan, required intense emotional stimulation to activate.

However, unlike the Sharingan, once activated, the Blood Dragon Eyes possessed capabilities such as hypnosis, illusion amplification, blood release ninjutsu, and human bombs, comparable to the two-tomoe Sharingan.

As the ocular power increased, it might even give birth to more terrifying abilities.

Before opening his eyes or just having opened them, Uchiha, facing the overwhelming bloodline abilities, would practically be handing himself over to the Blood Pool Clan's ninjas.

Moreover, the Blood Pool Clan had long survived in the barren Hell Valley, with each member honing their exceptional taijutsu to catch birds for food.

Their throwing skills were at least at a mastery level.

Regular ninjutsu would also be countered by the Blood Dragon ninjutsu, which completed the transformation of the water attribute in the boiling blood pool environment.

In terms of ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu, they would be utterly overwhelmed.

With this hellish level of difficulty, even if Uchiha Shi possessed the extraordinary Uchiha-style Kunai technique, he could only stare helplessly.

It couldn’t be more perfect.

Ahem, what Uchiha Shi meant was, what an impressive enemy this is.

I will do my utmost to defeat it!

"Forget it, what do I expect from a kid like you...?" Uchiha Seiichiro took a swig from the bottle, looking somewhat dazed as he murmured, "I just opened my two-tomoe, why is it me...?"

He crouched down, clutching his head in pain, his face filled with fear.

Uchiha Shi watched as Uchiha Seiichiro crouched down, pursed his lips slightly, sighed, and stepped forward to pat his shoulder, falling silent.

His worries had indeed come to pass, as his involvement altered the plot, dragging this poor person into it.

Though the two were not well-acquainted, Uchiha Shi still felt a bit of pressure.

He shook his head and finally spoke seriously: "Seiichiro-senpai, don’t worry, I’ll say it again."

"If someone has to die, it will definitely be me."

Uchiha Shi said heavily, "You just need to protect yourself, and I’m already mentally prepared to face death!"

"You... what did you say?" Uchiha Seiichiro looked up, shock evident in his tone.

Then, his expression slightly darkened, and he sighed.

In his view, Uchiha Shi was still too naive, speaking without thinking.

Only when this kid truly faced death would he understand what fear really is.

Being of the same clan, saying such things today was already excessive; he felt a bit guilty for being too harsh.

After all, Uchiha Shi was still just a child.

"Forget it, forget it, this is my fate."

In an instant, as if accepting his fate, Uchiha Seiichiro swayed past Uchiha Shi, staggering toward the way home.

Under the clear moonlight, his disheveled figure resembled a dog that had lost its way home.

Suddenly, Seiichiro tilted his head slightly and asked in a low voice, "Kid, can you tell me why you’ve gone to such lengths...?"

Uchiha Shi was slightly taken aback, scratching his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.

He couldn’t just say it was to scam insurance, could he...?

After a moment,

Uchiha Shi stood in the cold wind, under the cold and merciless moonlight, in the shadow of the towering Hokage Rock.

He slowly clenched his fist, resting it over his heart.

"The reason...? "

Uchiha Shi's expression was dark and ambiguous, but his tone was as resolute as a knife piercing the soft heart of weakness.

"I often wonder, what can an ordinary ninja like me do...?"

"What is the meaning of the village and the Uchiha clan?"

"But after thinking it over, the only thing I can confirm is this."

"Without power, nothing can be accomplished."

"So, I willingly devote myself to the flames of war, offering it to the flames, seeking my insurance in life and death... the path for these eyes to exist!"

"And then, use these eyes to illuminate the world!"

"Reforge the glory that belongs to my Uchiha!"

Looking at Uchiha Shi standing straight in the cold wind, as hard as a statue.

"Is that so?"

Uchiha Seiichiro looked at Uchiha Shi and nodded slightly, his expression easing a bit as he recalled the words of Shisui, a member of the same faction but of extremely noble status, who had approached him earlier...

"I understand now..."

After a moment of silence, Uchiha Seiichiro left behind this statement and walked away.

Leaving Uchiha Shi scratching his head in confusion, his eyes evasive, and his expression blank.

"What the hell do you mean you understand?"