Inside the Uchiha camp, Yashiro walked into Hachitsutsu's tent with a dark expression.
The tent was dimly lit, the shadows casting an eerie pallor over Hachitsutsu's face.
"That abandoned campsite, and that Chinoike traitor... what exactly are you planning?" Yashiro got straight to the point, the three tomoe in his Sharingan spinning slowly.
Hachitsutsu unhurriedly put down the scroll in his hand and looked up at Yashiro. "In terms of seniority, I became a Jonin nearly ten years before you. In terms of clan hierarchy, I am your uncle. Why do I need to explain anything to you?"
"You're playing with fire! If the Cloud finds out..."
"The Cloud?"
Hachitsutsu chuckled. "That brute was sent away by me long ago. Now, the Chinoike continue to be obedient prisoners, daring not to make a move.
All I need to do is periodically provide them with supplies on behalf of the Cloud, keeping them docile prisoners."
He stood up and paced in front of Yashiro. "This aligns with the village's interests and upholds the Uchiha's stance. What more are you dissatisfied with?"
Yashiro fell silent for a long moment. Indeed, he couldn't refute it.
Looking at the outcome, the Chinoike remained imprisoned, and the Cloud gained nothing. On the surface, this was indeed the best result.
"And about that Night Namikaze."
Hachitsutsu suddenly changed the subject. "Make him leave as soon as possible. Matters here are concluded; we don't need an outsider getting in the way."
Yashiro frowned. "He was sent by the village, after all..."
"Just a brat from a civilian background."
Hachitsutsu interrupted disdainfully. "So what if he has some talent? Kekkei Genkai is the eternal power.
Commoners like him will never make it to the big stage."
Yashiro opened his mouth but swallowed his words. He knew arguing with Hachitsutsu about this now was pointless.
---
When Yashiro Uchiha found Night, the latter was standing on a cliff, gazing at the Chinoike settlement from afar.
"The mission is complete. You can go back now."
Yashiro added flatly, "We will report the situation here to the village ourselves."
Unexpectedly, Night just smiled strangely upon hearing this.
"Alright."
His answer was so crisp that Yashiro was stunned.
Yashiro had prepared many arguments and was even ready for a confrontation—after all, if Hachitsutsu came personally, things might get ugly—but he hadn't expected Night to agree so easily.
However, as Night turned to leave, the meaningful smile on his lips made Yashiro feel strange. But he didn't ask further, only watching as the figure disappeared from Hell Valley.
Yashiro noticed a figure trailing Night from a distance, but Night seemed unaware.
This was undoubtedly Hachitsutsu's arrangement to confirm Night had truly left.
Half a day later, the tracking ninja returned to report that Night was gone. Only then did Hachitsutsu pretend to patrol Hell Valley.
In the dead of night, he went to the abandoned campsite alone.
He hoisted the unconscious Chinoike ninja and the body bag. After confirming with his Sharingan that no one was around, he stopped in front of a large patch of withered bushes.
Pushing the bushes aside revealed a hidden entrance—a long tunnel sloping downward into the earth.
Passing through the tunnel, a massive underground cavern appeared. It was a secret laboratory hidden deep beneath the rock strata of Hell Valley.
The scene inside the laboratory was horrifying: several bodies of Chinoike clansmen were casually laid out. On the walls, jars filled with special liquid displayed about ten pairs of Ketsuryūgan, emitting an eerie glow in the gloom.
Hachitsutsu stroked these collections obsessively, a fanatical light in his eyes.
He went to a hidden compartment and took out a pair of scarlet Sharingan, the two tomoe floating slowly within the liquid.
Just as he prepared to extract the eyes of the living Chinoike clansman, he found the man had woken up and was staring at him with a strange gaze.
"Oh? Waking up just in time."
Hachitsutsu paused and actually began to boast incessantly. "Do you know? For years, I have been conducting a great research."
Perhaps due to hiding it for too long with no one to share, or perhaps certain the victim couldn't escape, he bragged about his experiments without stopping.
"The Ketsuryūgan and the Sharingan... these two dojutsu Kekkei Genkai should complement each other."
His voice trembled with excitement. "As long as I find the correct fusion method, I believe I can break the limits of the three-tomoe Sharingan..."
As he spoke, he took out a pair of three-tomoe Sharingan from another compartment, holding them carefully in his palm like a supreme treasure.
"Look, what perfect eyes! Just give me a little more time, and I can..."
The Sharingan in his own eyes actually revealed a hint of Ketsuryūgan-like crimson, indicating he had already achieved preliminary results in his self-experimentation.
Suddenly, Hachitsutsu's expression hardened. He sensed abnormal fluctuations in the outer barrier.
"Ignorant junior."
He spoke coldly, hastily putting down the items in his hand, and sped toward the laboratory entrance.
At the end of the tunnel, Yashiro was focusing his senses. He had long suspected Hachitsutsu was hiding something here and had followed him specifically tonight.
Seeing Hachitsutsu coming from the tunnel, Yashiro's three tomoe spun rapidly. "As expected! Tell me, what exactly is hidden in there?"
Hachitsutsu looked grim. "There are some secrets better left unknown."
"Then let me see for myself!"
Confident in his strength, Yashiro moved to force his way in. This action thoroughly enraged Hachitsutsu. The three tomoe in his eyes emitted an unprecedented pressure, and the unnatural crimson color alarmed Yashiro.
"This is..."
Yashiro's pupils constricted violently. Hachitsutsu's Sharingan exuded a pressure he had never felt before, surpassing even the clan's Great Elder, Setsuna Uchiha.
"Since you insist on prying..."
With his greatest secret exposed, Hachitsutsu's voice was bone-chillingly cold. "Then don't blame me for disregarding clan ties."
A thunderous offensive erupted abruptly. Before those eerie Sharingan, Yashiro felt his body go limp, unable to exert strength.
After several exchanges, Yashiro's ninja sword ended up strangely positioned against his opponent's neck.
Although he sensed something was wrong, just as he was about to speak, the scene before him shattered like a mirror. He had been under a genjutsu all along.
"When did..."
By this time, Hachitsutsu Uchiha was already standing behind him, slamming the hilt of his sword hard against the back of Yashiro's neck.
Yashiro fell heavily to the ground. Before his consciousness plunged into darkness, the last thing he saw was the fanatical light flickering in Hachitsutsu's eerie Sharingan.
Hachitsutsu was pondering how to deal with his kinsman when he heard a pained howl coming from the laboratory below.
His expression changed drastically. Without time to think, he abandoned Yashiro and rushed back into the laboratory with lightning speed.