Chapter 7: Seiichiro, Blood Pond Clan, and Glory
"Get lost, kid! This is a proper establishment—no minors allowed!"
Amid rough shouts, Uchiha Takanotsume was tossed out the door by two burly men.
Fuming, Takanotsume scrambled to his feet, muttering curses.
"What the hell? A 'proper establishment' that doesn't even let minors in?"
"Pfft!"
The commotion drew odd looks from the villagers inside.
"You thought you could sneak in with a Transformation Jutsu? Think we wouldn't notice?" One of the bouncers sneered, his face dripping with disdain.
"Scram, or I'll call your clan to drag you back!"
That shut Takanotsume up fast. He shrank back, glaring at the two "guard dogs."
If social suicide counted for insurance…
"Still peeking? Wanna make me shout for real?" The bouncer wrinkled his nose, ready to yell inside.
Takanotsume quickly banished his fleeting fantasies, covering his face and slinking out of the alley.
Back on the main street, the crowd had thinned.
The full moon gazed quietly down on the world.
A chilly early spring breeze slapped his face, snapping Takanotsume back to clarity.
Just then, Uchiha Seiichiro, a fellow clansman and teammate for the upcoming mission, staggered out of the alley, a sake bottle dangling from his hand.
Spotting Takanotsume, Seiichiro gave him a once-over, noticing the dirt smudged on his clothes. A sly grin spread across his face.
"Well, well, if it isn't the Uchiha clan's pride?"
"What's this? Got kicked out?"
Takanotsume's face tightened. "Nah, just got stepped on by an elephant on my way here."
"Heh, who hasn't been young and dumb?" Seiichiro's face was flushed, reeking of alcohol as he chuckled mischievously. "I get it. I get it."
"After all, with a mission like this coming up…"
His tone darkened, his gaze flickering over Takanotsume as if recalling something unbearable.
Suddenly, he frowned, snapping irritably: "You're Takanotsume, right? Listen up—"
Seiichiro paused, his eyes narrowing. "Don't expect me to babysit you on this mission."
[Uchiha Seiichiro feels animosity toward you.]
Takanotsume glanced at the text that popped up before his eyes, his brow twitching. He replied calmly, "Don't worry, Seiichiro-senpai."
"I won't hold you back."
"Heh, seems you still don't get what you've done!" Seiichiro's face darkened at Takanotsume's nonchalant response.
"I don't know why the Great Elder picked you for this mission."
"But this task was supposed to be handled by three jōnin-level clansmen, per our faction's plan."
"Because of your little ninja game, the Great Elder changed his mind, dragging a chūnin like me into this dangerous mess for no reason!"
Seiichiro's gaze grew icy, and he let out a cold snort.
"You have no idea what kind of lunatics you're about to face!"
"Without a Sharingan, you're nothing but a toy to those freaks!"
Takanotsume raised an eyebrow. Having read the original story, how could he not know what awaited in the Land of Hot Springs?
The mission's destination—
Hell Valley in the Land of Hot Springs, home to the Blood Pond Clan.
Their Blood Dragon Eyes burned with a hatred for the Uchiha that stretched back to the Warring States era!
Seiichiro wasn't wrong.
Without a Sharingan, Takanotsume had no edge against the Blood Dragon Eye, another dojutsu kekkei genkai.
The Blood Dragon Eye was eerily similar to the Sharingan, requiring intense emotional triggers to awaken.
But unlike the Sharingan, an awakened Blood Dragon Eye granted hypnosis, enhanced genjutsu, blood-based ninjutsu, and even human bomb techniques—rivaling a two-tomoe Sharingan.
As its power grew, it could unlock even more terrifying abilities.
An Uchiha who hadn't awakened their Sharingan—or had only just done so—would be utterly outclassed by the Blood Pond Clan's kekkei genkai, making them easy prey.
Plus, the Blood Pond Clan, surviving in the desolate Hell Valley, had honed their taijutsu to perfection just to hunt birds for food.
Their throwing skills were at least at an expert level.
Regular ninjutsu, in the boiling, blood-filled pools of their environment, were countered by the Blood Dragon's water-natured blood techniques.
Ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu—all crushed.
This was a hellish difficulty level. Even with Takanotsume's mastered Uchiha Style Wire-Threaded Shuriken Technique, he'd be helpless.
Absolutely perfect.
Ahem—Takanotsume meant, what a formidable enemy.
I shall strive with all my might to overcome them!
"Forget it. What would a brat like you understand?" Seiichiro took a swig from his bottle, his expression dazed as he muttered, "I just awakened my two-tomoe… Why me…?"
He clutched his head in agony, crouching on the ground, his face full of fear.
Takanotsume looked at the trembling Seiichiro, pursed his lips, and sighed. He stepped forward, patted his shoulder, and fell silent.
His fears had come true.
Because of him, the plot had shifted, dragging this poor guy into the mess.
Though they weren't close, Takanotsume felt a twinge of guilt.
He shook his head and said earnestly, "Seiichiro-senpai, don't worry. I'll say it again."
"If someone has to die, it'll definitely be me."
Takanotsume's voice was heavy. "You just focus on protecting yourself. I've already prepared to face death."
"You… what did you say?" Seiichiro looked up, stunned.
Then his face darkened, and he sighed.
To him, Takanotsume was just naive, speaking without thinking.
Only when the kid faced death would he understand true fear.
As a fellow clansman, Seiichiro had already crossed a line by saying so much. Being too harsh felt wrong.
After all, Takanotsume was still just a kid.
"Forget it. This is my fate."
As if accepting his doom, Seiichiro grabbed his bottle, stumbled past Takanotsume, and staggered toward home.
Under the moonlight's glow, his disheveled figure looked like a lost dog searching for the way back.
Suddenly, Seiichiro turned his head slightly and asked in a low voice, "Kid, tell me… what's driving you to go this far?"
Takanotsume blinked, scratching his head, a bit embarrassed.
He couldn't exactly say it was for the insurance scam, could he?
After a moment—
Takanotsume stood in the biting spring breeze, under the cold, unfeeling moonlight, in the shadow cast by the towering Hokage Rock.
He slowly clenched his fist, pressing it to his heart.
"The reason?"
His expression was unreadable, but his voice grew firm, like a blade piercing through human weakness.
"I often wonder what a mediocre ninja like me can even do."
"What's the point of the village, or the Uchiha?"
"But after all my thinking, I've come to one truth."
"Without power, you can't do anything."
"So, I'm willing to throw myself into the flames of war, to burn in their blaze, to seek my path—the path of these eyes—between life and death!"
"And with these eyes, I'll illuminate the world!"
"To reforge the glory of the Uchiha!"
Seiichiro stared at Takanotsume, standing tall and unyielding like a statue in the wind.
"Is that so?"
He nodded slightly, his expression softening. He recalled words spoken earlier by the dovish faction's prized heir, Shisui, when he'd sought him out.
"I understand."
After a pause, Seiichiro left with those words and walked away.
Takanotsume, utterly confused, scratched his head, eyes darting around.
"Hold up, what the hell did you understand?"