"Mumei!"
"It's her! What's going on?"
"She's escaped!"
When Hane Genma began to move in Mumei's guise, he instantly drew the attention of the surrounding Uchiha shinobi. Logically, they immediately gave chase.
At the same time, two Uchiha shinobi doubled back to the prison cell, preparing to confirm the situation inside.
This was a case of learning from their mistakes. The Uchiha's memory was certainly better than a fish's; they had just dealt with someone impersonating Mumei. What if this was the same?
They feared falling for a feint to lure the tiger from the mountain. They then discovered the spot in the cell where Mumei had been bound was empty. She truly had escaped. Perhaps the previous incident was just a rehearsal, but this time was real.
One could only say their cleverness backfired. They had still fallen for the diversion.
Now, there was no need to guard this place at all; the target was already far away.
Only after the majority of the guards were drawn away did Nanami begin to move Mumei quietly. Next, she just had to follow the pre-planned evacuation route to leave the village.
There was no need to worry about Genma's safety; he was the true expert when it came to infiltration and escape. In contrast, Nanami and Mumei would only be a burden to him.
The more chaotic the place, the easier it was to move. Nanami was very familiar with the environment, moved cautiously, and had planned the route in advance. In short, her escape began very smoothly.
However, as she moved away from the battle area and gradually approached the village outskirts, where the surroundings grew darker and quieter, Nanami felt a growing sense of unease.
This anxiety seemed to come from nowhere. She was already halfway along the escape route, and the area ahead was unguarded. What was there to worry about?
Nanami's faint footsteps blended into the chirping of birds and insects in the night, making them incredibly difficult to detect. However...
Swoosh!
The sound of something cutting the air shot past. Nanami dodged instinctively, but a kunai still grazed the corner of the cloak behind her, pulling it open and revealing Mumei's face.
Nanami became extremely vigilant. Then, a voice came from a slightly elevated position nearby:
"Big sister, you still favor this path. Don't the surrounding buildings look familiar? When we were children, you brought me through here countless times—we ran, fought, and played. How many years has it been? In the blink of an eye, I'm already past fifty."
Nanami looked up, the moonlight illuminating the face of her younger brother, the current Uchiha clan head, Uchiha Tajima.
"Indeed. Time passes in a flash. Even these familiar sights feel like a lifetime ago... Tajima, even your face has become strange to me."
Her words clearly had a deeper meaning, as if saying that people's hearts change easily and are unfathomable, that even the closest person can become unrecognizable.
"Big sister, did you really think you could return to the village undetected? In any case, your willingness to come back is, at least, a good thing."
Uchiha Tajima ignored the hidden barb in her words; the faint sarcasm wasn't worth addressing. He was already old, his skin long since tempered to be as thick as a castle wall.
The one responsible for tipping Nanami off, Uchiha Oribe, had already been tied up in the ancestral home. The little brat, in the end, was no match for the old fox.
But Nanami believed Oribe would never reveal her movements. Theoretically, Oribe would pull a knife on Tajima for her sake. Besides, Oribe didn't even know her specific evacuation route.
Therefore, Nanami felt her brother's sudden appearance here was suspicious. But there was no way this information could have been leaked. Surely Genma hadn't betrayed her? That would be too ridiculous.
Was it really just a coincidence? Tajima just happened to be here tonight?
"Return to the village? No, I am only taking her away from the village." Nanami shook her head, then held Mumei, who was on her back, even tighter.
"Big sister, you are still so naive. Allowing you to move freely is already a privilege among privileges. You cannot take anyone else away... Even I cannot act against the interests of the entire Uchiha clan."
Uchiha Tajima spoke with an air of righteousness. From his standpoint, his words were one hundred percent the truth.
Yet Nanami only felt this brother of hers was utterly hypocritical, always spouting the gains and losses of the clan while ignoring that every Uchiha shinobi was a living person of flesh, blood, and feelings.
"We have nothing to discuss. Tajima, what if I insist on leaving?"
Uchiha Tajima shook his head, his expression helpless, as if to say, "Sister, are you going through a rebellious phase?"
He tilted his head, motioning with his chin to a ninja beside him, who immediately understood. The ninja pulled a signal flare from his robes, aimed it at the sky, and fired it.
Following a sharp whistle, a red light shot vertically into the night sky.
Meanwhile, on the chaotic main battlefield, Uchiha shinobi and the intruders were locked in fierce combat.
Genma had just dropped his "Mumei" disguise, casually transforming into a harmless-looking, ordinary Uchiha shinobi. As he retreated, he was even in the mood to take out one or two White Zetsu.
But just then, he saw the signal flare rising into the sky.
"That seems to be Nanami's pre-set evacuation route."
Genma didn't know the meaning of an Uchiha red flare, but he knew this very likely meant Nanami was in trouble.
"Get out of the way!"
He kicked a ninja in front of him aside—not caring if they were an invader or an Uchiha—and dashed directly toward the flare's location.
This action wasn't surprising, because aside from a portion of Uchiha continuing the mission to clear out intruders, the rest of the shinobi were all rushing in that same direction.
Back with Nanami, although she found her brother repulsive, she wasn't impulsive enough to fight him.
Upon seeing the signal flare, she immediately tried to escape.
However, a large number of Uchiha shinobi were already surrounding them from all directions. Where could she possibly flee?
An Uchiha elder quickly arrived at Uchiha Tajima's side. Upon seeing Nanami and Mumei on her back, he immediately shouted:
"Uchiha Nanami! Put down Mumei! We have been lenient enough with you. Now is the time for you to return to the Uchiha clan... Your eyes are not your private property; they are a power that must be used for the Uchiha! Abandon your resistance at once, or you will face the consequences!"
He didn't know that another elder, just as arrogant as he, had already honorably sacrificed himself for his beloved Uchiha clan in some dark, forgotten corner of the night.
Uchiha Tajima squinted, glaring at this old fool. Damn you, what consequences could my sister possibly face?
Genma had just arrived. He blended into the crowd, looking at the surrounded Nanami, and felt the situation had become troublesome. It seemed it was time to execute Plan B.
They were outnumbered. How to break the encirclement?
Obviously, by taking a hostage.
And it had to be the highest-ranking one, otherwise, shinobi were very adept at "Russian-style rescues."
As for who the clan head was? Fortunately, he was easy to recognize. Barring any surprises, the Uchiha shinobi carrying the giant Uchiwa on his back was the one.
Genma began to inch his way toward the Uchiha clan head's position without attracting attention. He had to be extremely cautious, because for some reason, the number of White Zetsu hiding here was exceptionally high.
Were the White Zetsu also drawn by the signal flare, or was it...
Well, now wasn't the time to consider that. Genma focused, preparing to get behind the clan head, stab him a few times to make him bleed and lower his resistance, while simultaneously intimidating the surrounding Uchiha.
"Control Uchiha Nanami, but do not harm her... I mean, try not to harm her," Uchiha Tajima gave the order.
This ambiguous command made the surrounding shinobi curse him in their hearts. Why can't any of you speak plainly?
What did "try not to harm" even mean? With an order like that, who would dare to go all out?
But just as the shinobi prepared to close in, Mumei, who had been silent, suddenly spoke:
"Wait."
"Sister Nanami, please put me down first."
"You... alright."
Nanami didn't know what Mumei planned to do, but she could feel her resolute attitude.
Mumei slowly placed her feet on the ground. She gestured for Nanami to let go, then managed to stand in place, albeit with difficulty.
Many Uchiha shinobi sensed that this Mumei was different from the one earlier. The one before had been lively and agile, while this one looked extremely weak. The sealing jutsu over her eyes indicated that the vast majority of her power was still sealed.
However, it was precisely this frail state that proved she was the real Mumei, and thus this small figure brought immense deterrence to those in the know.
A significant portion of the surrounding shinobi didn't even know Mumei's origins, but seeing the others trembling and breaking out in cold sweats, their own actions were unconsciously inhibited.
Today, she might not be able to leave. But having regained her freedom, Mumei still prepared to resist in her own way.
Or rather, she was preparing to sever herself from the so-called "proud Uchiha."
"Perhaps you will not allow me to leave. But in the few moments of freedom I have left, I have decided to leave the Uchiha clan in my own way... permanently."
Her voice was soft and weak; it was unclear if this was her normal tone or just due to her current condition.
As she spoke, she raised her right hand, pressed the back of it against her cheek, and extended her index and middle fingers together. Then, the two fingers probed upward, inserting themselves between her facial skin and the sealing jutsu.
A few people instantly understood what she was about to do.
She was so weak, it seemed she could be easily stopped. Yet at this moment, the Uchiha shinobi were so utterly stunned, the sheer absurdity of the scene making their mouths go dry, that not a single person could rush forward to stop her.
"The Uchiha have never known light, nor have they ever known glory. Your hypocritical self-aggrandizement holds no value. So... take these eyes back."
Violent chakra erupted from her fingertips. The sealing jutsu was forcefully torn apart, but at the last moment, it faithfully completed the one mission it never should have—it destroyed the pair of Mangekyo Sharingan that represented power, hope, and even the ideal of ending this chaotic era.
Never mind the psychological shock the Uchiha shinobi suffered; even an outsider like Genma was left dumbfounded by this appalling act... Hmm, dumbfounded, while also continuing to shuffle two steps closer to the clan head.
What was this?
As an Uchiha, you have never known joy?
Or was this the shinobi world's version of "returning bones to the father, flesh to the mother, and eyes to the clan"?
"Stop her..."
Only then did someone manage to shout the words stuck in their throat.
The power the Uchiha worshiped, she discarded like trash. The identity the Uchiha prided themselves on, she abandoned on the spot. This was tantamount to grinding the Uchiha's face into a cesspit.
Wait, are the Uchiha already a cesspit?
So, after the terror, a portion of the Uchiha became consumed by fury. That was the Mangekyo Sharingan! A Mangekyo with such incredible power! How could you treat it like a worthless fish bladder and crush it? If you don't want it, give it to me!
But the hateful part was, Mumei would rather destroy the Sharingan than hand it over to these people.
This is bad!
Seeing some of the enraged Uchiha shinobi charge toward Nanami and Mumei, Genma stopped dithering and lunged directly for the clan head.
But just as he was about to move...
BOOM!
With a loud crash, a figure landed heavily in front of Nanami and Mumei.
"This ends now. Since Mumei has lost her Sharingan, what does it matter if you let her leave..."
"Ultimately, it was the Uchiha clan that wronged her. As for who exactly is staining the clan's name, I think everyone here is perfectly clear on that."
"An Uchiha shinobi who feels zero sense of belonging to the Uchiha. Whose fault is that, exactly?"
The one blocking their path was Uchiha Madara.
"Uchiha Madara, what do you think you're doing? She destroyed those eyes!"
It was that same elder, still clamoring. He was practically hopping in rage. The scene was... a buffoon dancing on the rafters, grieving as if his parents had died.
But Madara didn't even deign to look at him.
He controlled the situation the moment he arrived, instantly forcing back the Uchiha shinobi who were trying to advance.
"Madara, you..."
Uchiha Tajima started to speak, but before he could finish, he suddenly felt his back lighten.
It wasn't Genma who had finally stabbed him. It was Uchiha Izuna. Izuna had arrived at almost the same time as Genma, but had been playing the part of an invisible man behind Tajima. Yet, after his older brother appeared, he made his move. It wasn't a dramatic scene of "fatherly love and filial piety"; Izuna simply swiped his father's Uchiwa and handed it to Madara.
"You elders. You think you are above everyone else. How many times have you used clan members for experiments? Did you truly believe you would never have to pay a price for that?"
"Step down from your positions. You are incompetent and corrupt. You are unfit to bear the heavy responsibility of guiding the Uchiha's future."
Some things could be done in the dark, but once pointed out in the open, the truth of right and wrong becomes clear in people's hearts.
Uchiha Madara casually slung the Uchiwa onto his back. At the same time, one young ninja after another began to gather by his side. Of course, he couldn't strip his own father of the clan head position, nor did he need to take things that far all at once.
But the rest of the rotten fish and shrimp? Those that needed to be swept into the trash bin must be swept into the trash bin.
Genma, having blended back into the crowd, seized the opportunity and shouted loudly:
"Those who agree with Madara and approve letting Mumei leave, move to the right!"
In his excitement, he almost yelled something like "Those who approve of Uchiha Madara, bare your right shoulder!" but he caught himself just in time. The change in tone would have been too jarring.
Madara didn't know who had shouted, but the timing was perfect. He was the first to step to the right.
One by one, Uchiha shinobi followed his lead. Soon, a clear path was formed.
"Go. Nanami, Mumei. Leave here quickly," Madara said.
Blood was streaming from beneath Mumei's eyelids; she was on the verge of collapse. Nanami merely nodded at Madara, saying nothing more. She lifted Mumei onto her back again, preparing to leave the village quickly.
Before she left, her gaze toward Madara was filled with relief. Madara had not disappointed her. He truly was the one who could bring change and hope to the clan.
At this moment, Uchiha Tajima's emotions were incredibly complex. The younger generation had taken control of the situation, and he himself had been largely ignored. This infuriated him, yet deep down, he also felt a trace of relief.
His sister was now like a stranger to him, and Mumei's Sharingan had been destroyed. Both events caused him immense pain. However, Madara's growth allowed him to glimpse a sliver of a bright future.
Perhaps he really was getting old. Perhaps the era that was coming belonged to the young.
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