As death loomed, Uchiha Gin's eyes blazed crimson.
His right eye's tomoe spun wildly, pupil power pouring in recklessly.
Kaguya Josuke, thinking he'd won, anticipated Uchiha Gin's agony.
Instead of blood and screams, a searing heat erupted from his chest wound.
Amaterasu.
A black lotus bloomed in his chest, suffocating pain overwhelming him. The burning spread from his lungs, consuming his body.
The bones grown by his kekkei genkai shattered under the eerie black flames. Unable to sustain his Shikotsumyaku, the bone flower withered. Uchiha Gin yanked his arm free, flying backward.
Before Josuke could counter, Uchiha Gin half-knelt, one hand "shakily" on the ground, the other wiping blood tears from his right eye. Pale, he gasped, "Worthy of the legendary Shikotsumyaku. Truly formidable. I, Uchiha Gin, concede you're the strongest in taijutsu!"
He "weakly" closed his eyes, extinguishing Amaterasu.
"Host defeated. Gained Heart Energy 12. Two more battles required to unlock Heartsteel Chest reward. (Current Heart Energy: 22)"
The black flames faded. Josuke, barely alive, coughed up blood, his charred chest wound reeking of roasted flesh.
No longer the dazed prisoner, his eyes cleared. Frowning at the disheveled Uchiha Gin, he seemed to ponder something. "You… you're…"
"Did you remember something?" Uchiha Gin asked urgently.
This Kaguya clansman seemed to know about the Uchiha camp massacre six years ago. Uchiha Gin desperately wanted the truth behind the Kaguya attack and the original owner's missing memories.
"No, you're not him. Your eyes…" Josuke, tortured for years, was at his limit. Forcing his kekkei genkai had drained his last vitality; this clarity was a final flicker.
As his voice faded, Uchiha Gin, seeing him slip away, pressed, "Who ordered the attack on our clan grounds? Where are the other Kaguya?"
Josuke's dull eyes surged with terror. Struggling to retreat, he stammered, "Everyone's dead… those touched by moonlight… all dead!!!"
"Who's dead? What moonlight?" New keywords sparked Uchiha Gin's urgency. He lunged, grabbing Josuke's shoulders, his Sharingan boring into the dying man's fading eyes.
"Two tomoe? Haha, you're not… you're not…" Josuke mumbled incoherently, slumping lifelessly.
Damn riddlers! Uchiha Gin cursed, setting down the corpse and storming out, brow furrowed.
A few steps out, he met Uchiha Rusa, who gaped at his bloodied, disheveled state.
Seeing his blood-soaked hands, Rusa shivered, recalling Uchiha Gin's "infamy." Timidly, he asked, "Lord Gin, what happened?"
"Kaguya Josuke attacked me during questioning. Weakened by captivity, he was no match. I killed him. Get someone to clean it up," Uchiha Gin said plainly.
A deranged prisoner's death was trivial—just a report to file.
"Yes, sir!" Rusa, chilled by the casual admission, swallowed hard and obeyed.
Watching Uchiha Gin leave, Rusa exhaled, unnerved by his terrifying presence.
Entering Josuke's cell, Rusa checked the body and gasped. Josuke's already mangled hands, broken and bound, had their finger bones ripped out, dangling like noodles.
Worse, his chest bore a blackened hole, empty inside. His ribs and sternum were shattered, scorched by fire jutsu, the air thick with a nauseating barbecue scent.
Rusa, recalling Uchiha Gin's harmless face, couldn't reconcile it with this brutality. "No wonder the clan whispers about his atrocities. Normal people don't do this," he thought, itching to flee with Ironball, far from Uchiha Gin.
Pushing open the archive room door, Uchiha Gin found someone at his desk. The man rose, smiling. "Gin, just starting here? Any requests, I'll arrange what I can."
It was Elder Yan, from the clan leader's office, his round frame and jovial demeanor hiding his past as a ruthless warrior.
"Elder Yan, you're too kind. Uchiha Ryuei's already set me up," Uchiha Gin said politely. "I'm new here, so please bear with any shortcomings."
"The archive work's tedious but calming. The Clan Leader thinks you've been restless, so he assigned this to ground you and keep you busy," Yan explained Tajima's intent.
"I trust the Clan Leader's judgment," Uchiha Gin said respectfully.
"What were you up to just now? I waited a while," Yan asked casually, still smiling.
"I found a prisoner's file and got curious, so I checked it out," Uchiha Gin answered honestly, knowing he couldn't hide it.
"Such dedication, diving into work right away. Impressive," Yan praised.
"Oh, no, Elder Yan's the one devoted, treating the clan like home," Uchiha Gin deflected, slipping into adult pleasantries.
As they chatted, Rusa burst in, saying, "Lord Gin, the prisoner's body is handled. No traces—oh! Greetings, Elder Yan!"
Unaware of Yan's presence, Rusa blurted out his report. Seeing his superior, he froze, knees buckling as he knelt.
Awkward silence.
"Believe me, the prisoner attacked first," Uchiha Gin said quickly, his face a mask of sincerity and innocence.
"Ahem, these prisoners are brazen, daring to attack. Good thing you're skilled, Gin. If you'd been hurt, how would I face the Clan Leader?" Yan recovered, offering comforting words, feigning concern for a junior.
"Just luck," Uchiha Gin said modestly, waving it off.
"Since all's well, I won't keep you from work. The archive's yours now," Yan said, patting his shoulder encouragingly before leaving.
Rusa, still kneeling, stood sheepishly, bracing for punishment.
"Rusa, you seem sharp. I've got a favor to ask," Uchiha Gin said, unbothered.
"Lord Gin, anything you need, I'll do, even through fire!" Rusa, seizing the chance, thumped his chest loyally.
"Thanks. I need you to check the dungeon records for prisoners locked up six years ago," Uchiha Gin requested.
"Consider it done!"
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