"Heh—vodka still tastes the best!"
Kurenai Yuhi drained the water flask in one go, wiped the leftover droplets from her lips with her hand, and, with a bold expression, tossed the flask back to Izumi.
That seductive scene from earlier had only been seen by Yu and Izumi, who were seated next to her.
Izumi's beautiful eyes widened as she caught the flask. She tilted it and saw not a single drop remained. Her lips instantly pouted in frustration as she wiped the mouthpiece with the corner of her clothes.
It wasn't clean anymore.
That woman was too much—
Drinking someone else's water, defiling the flask, and then having the nerve to say it didn't taste good.
The rest of the Uchiha—including Mikoto and Nonoyu—were too focused on listening to Yu and didn't notice the little side drama. Their attention was entirely on his words.
So those monsters had a proper name.
Everyone furrowed their brows in thought.
Yu patiently explained:
"You only need to understand the three basic jutsu of these monsters for now."
"The first is called 'Spore Technique.'
It allows a White Zetsu to parasitize any ninja it touches, absorbing that person's chakra.
The second is 'Impersonation Technique.'
By absorbing a ninja's chakra, a White Zetsu can transform into that person so perfectly that not even Byakugan or ninken can tell the difference.
The third is 'Mayfly Technique.'
Using this, they can merge their bodies with the earth and vegetation, allowing them to move underground at high speed.
The land beneath us right now—
might already be crawling with countless White Zetsu."
Yu glanced at the nearby grass as he spoke, completely unbothered.
The other Uchiha, however, looked terrified. They didn't know where to look and began scanning the ground around them anxiously.
Izumi suddenly caught the most important detail. A flash of fear passed through her beautiful eyes as she asked nervously:
"Then… Captain, we've all come into contact with them. Is it possible that one of us has already been parasitized—or replaced?"
At her words, the expressions of the Uchiha group froze. Their bodies stiffened as they exchanged wary glances, suspicion flickering in their eyes.
Yu's expression remained unchanged as he shook his head.
Everyone instantly breathed a sigh of relief.
Before they could ask anything else—
Yu explained, "You've all been affected by my Mangekyō ability. If there's any abnormality in your chakra or mental state, I'll sense it immediately."
That was the reason for his confidence.
The Yasakani ability indirectly substituted as sensory perception, leaving White Zetsu—or even more skilled impersonators—no gaps to exploit.
The Uchiha suddenly remembered—
On the night of the massacre,
They'd chased after Yu, but after only a brief encounter, they had all ended up as his captives.
Thinking of that, everyone blushed in shame.
Izumi's expression turned serious. She raised her hand and pointed to Kurenai, who was next to Yu, and Nonoyu, who was beside Mikoto.
"What about them?" she asked.
Yu glanced sidelong at the two women, the corners of his mouth lifting faintly.
"They were branded the moment we met."
Upon hearing that, Kurenai and Nonoyu's beautiful eyes widened in surprise.
When did that happen?
Why did it sound so mysterious?
Uchiha Minami seemed thoughtful. The reflection of the flames danced in the square lenses of his glasses. After a moment of hesitation, he finally asked honestly:
"Captain Yu, may I ask… how do you know all this about those monsters?"
Everyone finally realized just how much Yu seemed to know about those humanoid monsters.
All the Uchiha turned their eyes toward him in unison.
The firelight bathed Yu's handsome face in a warm red glow, tinting the edges of his black hair with orange, adding a layer of mystery to his presence.
A sudden voice broke the short silence.
"Heh. This is what happens when you don't read enough books. My brother always carried a book around in the Police Force. What, you think he was just pretending to read?"
Tamao snorted proudly, his tone dripping with arrogance.
Uchiha Minami was once again left speechless, his expression twisting in irritation from dealing with this lunatic.
The rest of the Uchiha immediately recalled the past.
One of them sighed nostalgically:
"Captain Yu really did enjoy spending his downtime in the garden behind his office at the Police Department. Every afternoon, just him, a chair, a book, and a cup of tea, sitting there reading in the sun."
"It's because of that laid-back personality that guys like Inaho, Tekka, and Yashiro didn't like him."
Someone else chimed in:
"That's just those higher-ups being narrow-minded. Everyone knew Captain Yu kept his assigned district in perfect order. Patrols were done in the morning, and by afternoon there was never any trouble—no need for constant dispatch."
All of these traits and hobbies only added to Yu's gentle and elegant image. His love of reading was something everyone knew about.
As Kurenai listened to the Uchiha recount Yu's past, her mature and alluring face took on a dreamy, captivated look. After all, this was the man she had set her sights on.
His excellence was something she felt proud of.
But no one could have imagined—
That this graceful, refined, and warm captain was the same man who had become a devil that night… trading lives for lives.
These Uchiha survivors—
Had lived because Yu exchanged their lives for the lives of their clansmen.
Suddenly, all their thoughts returned to the night of the massacre. Their expressions turned mournful, their hearts aching.
The emotion hit hard and fast.
A few of the younger Uchiha couldn't hold back anymore. Tears streamed down their faces as they sobbed and choked with grief.
Their sorrow erupted like a volcano.
"Why did it have to end !"
"Why didn't they even spare the civilians!"
One Uchiha dropped to his knees on the grass, choking back sobs, pounding the earth with his fists.
At the edge of the campfire, Mikoto hung her head in silence. Her eyes were red, and tears slipped quietly down her cheeks.
Had truly been a mistake.
Itachi's decision had only made things worse.
Mikoto bit down hard on her lip until blood seeped out. Her fingers dug into the grass beneath her. She felt the Uchiha should never have ended up .
For a while, sorrow hung heavily in the air around the campfire.
Even outsiders like Nonoyu and Kurenai couldn't help but feel a sense of resonance and sympathy for the Uchiha beside them.
The mountain wind howled, fanning the flames of the campfire, as if the very land and sky were trying to shelter this group of the displaced—offering a sliver of warmth in the dark night.
Yu said nothing as he reached out and turned the boar that had long gone unattended over the fire. He wasn't someone who knew how to offer comfort.
Coming to the ninja world…
Was he not also someone with no home?
Back in that other timeline…
He too had a younger brother, a younger sister, a mother and father, a grandfather and grandmother, and even maternal grandparents…
So how could he allow himself to die here?!
Yu's brows suddenly twitched.
Through the his Mangekyō's spiritual awareness, he could feel it clearly—after enduring yet another wave of grief and trauma, the Uchiha he had brought with him had once again experienced a noticeable growth in their ocular power.
As for whether any of them could awaken the Mangekyō—
That still remained to be seen.
The Sharingan, the eye that reflects the soul, didn't necessarily awaken only through extreme pain. It could also manifest through intense joy or longing.
But even the deepest hate or sorrow—or the greatest joy or rage—might not lead to its awakening.
From the Warring States Period to the present, in modern times, only three exceptional prodigies besides Fugaku had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan:
Shisui, Itachi, and Sasuke.
All three shared a common trait: even without the Mangekyō, they were outstanding talents—brilliant and gifted beyond compare.
The group Yu had brought with him were all good people, trustworthy.
But none of them had that level of genius. And frankly, neither did the rest of the Uchiha anymore.
Mangekyō users were incredibly rare in recent generations of the Uchiha.
The reasons were undoubtedly complex.
But few had ever truly delved into that question.
As the others sat in silence, mourning, Yu summoned his black blade—Dark Moon. Space rippled like disturbed water, and the pitch-black, razor-sharp blade materialized before him.
He gripped Dark Moon tightly.
He wanted to test what would happen if he infused this blade with other chakra nature transformations.
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