Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha lacks motivation.

Chapter 22: The Shocking Story of My Awakening of the Sharingan

Although curious about the strange behavior of the two patrolling Uchiha clansmen, Uchiha Gin, who was traveling with the team, did not have time to investigate further.

As the group ahead slowed their pace, a massive fortified village appeared before Uchiha Gin.

Productivity and living conditions were relatively backward during the Warring States period, but even a large clan like the Uchiha had a stronghold built with exquisite giant stones. Although it was not as high as the cement walls of the future Konoha Village, it was still very characteristic of the era.

The guards at the gate simply checked the identities of the visitors and let them pass.

Upon entering the Uchiha clan's territory, one is greeted by Uchiha clan members undergoing training, including both young and old, with some as young as a few years old.

At a very young age, children practice their accuracy with sharpened shuriken, while older children practice the swordsmanship of the Uchiha clan. The sound of retreating soldiers can be heard constantly, and there are also many women among them, making it a true case of the entire nation being mobilized for combat.

Along the way, Uchiha Gin found that the Uchiha clan's genes were truly remarkable. From the old to the young, from men to women, there wasn't a single one who wasn't good-looking. His own face, which he thought was handsome, seemed quite ordinary here.

Despite his感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of mixed emotions, including admiration and regret), Uchiha Silver Hair noticed that along his journey, every Uchiha clansman he encountered subconsciously avoided his gaze.

Furthermore, an Uchiha woman with her daughter noticed Uchiha Gin glancing at them and immediately pulled her daughter back into the house, closing the doors and windows behind her.

"What's going on? Everyone here looks at me like I'm some kind of monster."

Uchiha Gin scratched his curly hair in confusion.

"Was the original owner really that unpopular?"

"Uchiha Gin, when you meet the clan leader later, you will report on your mission."

Finally, Uchiha Feng Huo, who was at the very front, turned around and said.

"Yes, Captain."

Knowing he couldn't avoid it, Uchiha Gin nodded in agreement.

The group arrived at the gate of a magnificent building in the very center of the clan's territory. Uchiha Feng Huo informed the guards that they needed to see the clan leader to report on their mission. The guards went inside to report and returned a moment later to open the gate for them.

After going inside, I walked around a few times and finally arrived at the door of a room.

Pushing open the door, a middle-aged man sat in a high position inside, with two elderly people, one fat and one thin, standing to the side. The three seemed to be discussing something, but stopped talking and looked at the newcomer when they saw someone enter.

This is the "first" time that Uchiha Gin has met the original owner's cousin, the current Uchiha clan leader, Uchiha Tajima.

He had the typical long, spiky hair of the Uchiha clan, and his lean face had two deep nasolabial folds. His dark, deep eyes carried a faint sense of pressure.

Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar middle-aged man in front of them, the members of the Uchiha team knelt down on one knee to greet him.

Uchiha Gin was taken aback when he saw the group's actions. They hadn't told him about this, so what was he supposed to do now? It was too late to kneel, so he could only stand there awkwardly, looking rather embarrassed.

The others kept giving him signals to hurry up, but Uchiha Gin, who wasn't used to this, was momentarily at a loss.

"It's good that you're back alive. Get up."

Sitting in the middle, Uchiha Tajima spoke coldly, not blaming Uchiha Gin, but rather seemingly used to his lack of courtesy.

"Thank you, Clan Chief!"

The group replied respectfully, and then stood up.

"Feng Huo, I've always had confidence in your abilities. It was within my expectations that you were able to complete the mission first this time."

Uchiha Tajima looked at Uchiha Fuuka, who had stood up, and said with a hint of admiration in his tone that the two seemed to have a good relationship.

"It's all thanks to the clan chief's guidance!"

I never would have guessed that this old man could also spout such flattery and utter such nonsense so easily.

"Then tell me about the mission."

Uchiha Tajima continued.

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Feng Huo remained silent, immediately turning his gaze to Uchiha Yin. Prompted by the look, Yin stepped forward, placed the previously unconscious Senju Itama in front of him, and spoke.

"Chieftain, let me report on the mission!"

"Yin, stop fooling around. The seniors are all here. You should step back. I have a mission for you to complete later."

Uchiha Tajima looked at his nephew with some surprise, as he was well aware of his nephew's current strength.

Sending him out on missions was merely to prevent him from causing further trouble within the clan. We didn't expect him to provide any assistance to others in terms of missions; it would be a blessing if he didn't become a burden.

"Clan leader, let Uchiha Gin report."

Uchiha Feng Huo spoke up from the side.

Hearing the squad leader say that piqued Uchiha Tajima's curiosity. Turning to look seriously at his nephew, whom he hadn't paid much attention to before, Uchiha Tajima spoke.

"Then, Yin, you can tell us about your mission."

With Uchiha Tajima's permission, Uchiha Gin began his story from the time "he" stormed the Senju clan's territory. As he recounted how he was wounded and nearly killed by a powerful Senju member, a ruthless glint flashed in Uchiha Tajima's eyes.

Upon hearing that they had encountered a fierce battle between the Hagoromo and Senju clans, and that the Uchiha team had been observing the conflict from the sidelines, they again displayed expressions of admiration.

Then, as they recounted capturing Senju Butsuma's son, a glint flashed in Uchiha Tajima's eyes. His gaze swept over the unconscious child before Uchiha Gin, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Finally, Uchiha Gin recounted how they were pursued by the Uzumaki clan.

"That muscular man is Ashina Uzumaki's son; he's incredibly strong. How did you manage to survive against him?"

The fat, elderly Uchiha, who had been listening with great interest, asked curiously.

Uchiha Gin, who was interrupted, was not annoyed, and Uchiha Tajima, who was still thinking, also looked at him.

"Because I awakened it in dire straits."

As he spoke, he pointed to his eyes, where two tomoe-like eyes were slowly rotating within their scarlet irises.

Logically, Uchiha Gin's awakening of his Sharingan should be a cause for celebration, but when the two tomoe appeared in his eyes, the atmosphere in the arena suddenly froze.

The two older Uchiha, who had been looking perfectly normal, suddenly turned terrifyingly grim, their expressions shifting like a Sichuan opera face-changing act.

Sitting in his seat, Uchiha Tajima activated his three-tomoe Sharingan, staring intently into Uchiha Gin's eyes. The rapidly spinning tomoe seemed to be sucking him in.

The sudden silence left Uchiha Gin speechless, who had been preparing a long speech. After a moment, he cautiously asked...

"I want to continue."

"Uchiha Fuuka, you guys can step back now. This mission is considered a perfect success. You're all getting a few days off to go home and see your families."

Uchiha Tajima interrupted Uchiha Gin's question, forcing him to swallow his words.

Unaware of the situation, Uchiha Feng Huo and the others, upon hearing their clan leader's order, dared not linger any longer and took their leave.

Seeing his teammates had all left, Uchiha Gin prepared to flee as well. Just as he was about to run away with Senju Itama in his arms, Uchiha Tajima's icy voice rang out.

"Yin, you stay here. I have some questions for you."

Seeing that he couldn't leave, Uchiha Gin had no choice but to resign himself to putting down the brat he was holding and staring blankly at his uncle, waiting for his question.

However, Uchiha Tajima ignored him and instead turned to ask the fatter, older Uchiha beside him.

"Elder Yan, what's going on?"

"That shouldn't be possible, that's impossible."

The older Uchiha being questioned was Uchiha En, an elder of the Uchiha clan and one of the oldest members of the clan.

"Elder Miao, explain this to me, what's going on?"

Unable to get a satisfactory answer, Uchiha Tajima turned to ask another lean, older Uchiha, but Uchiha Miao did not answer.

Instead, he stared intently at Uchiha Gin's Sharingan, which was still slightly rotating, with his wrinkled eyes.

Uchiha Gin felt uneasy under that gaze and thought to himself,

"Was the original owner's talent really that bad? He shocked all the high-ups like this just by opening a two-tomoe gem."

(End of this chapter)