Earth-shaking commotions continued to erupt from the distance.
One moment the horizon was dyed white, the next blue, and before long, it shifted to a brilliant yellow. It looked as if someone were putting on a grand fireworks display.
However, the joys and sorrows of men are not shared; some only find the noise bothersome.
In a corner of the Uchiha clan's camp, in front of a wooden shack used for storing sundries, a tall man sat alone, his hands and feet bound by heavy iron chains, leaning against a wooden post. He wore the forehead protector of a rogue ninja from the Hidden Waterfall Village and a black mask. Dressed in a body-concealing black robe, he gazed silently toward the horizon. His eerie green pupils seemed slightly dazed, as if lost in deep, contemplative thought.
At that moment, a man with a calm expression walked over from the other side of the camp.
He had a broad, gentle face and wore the standard robe of the Uchiha clan with a long blade strapped to his waist. Notably, his right arm was encased in plaster, suspended from his neck by a bandage. This man was Uchiha Hikari, who had recently served as Ren Uchiha's swordsmanship instructor.
(Note: Hikari is the son of Uchiha Hikaku; they are designed to look identical.)
Kakuzu glanced at the newcomer and let out a cold snort, his voice detached. "How rare. Instead of going to help that brat, you've come here to guard this old man?"
Uchiha Hikari shook his head, his expression remaining placid. "With my strength, I shouldn't be able to keep you here, sir."
"A master swordsman has his own perceptions. I can sense that, whether in power or skill, you are far beyond me."
Kakuzu's brow furrowed. "Then why are you here? To mock me?"
"No."
Hikari looked at him directly, his three-tomoe Sharingan quietly spinning to life. He stared deeply at Kakuzu and said, "I simply have some doubts, and I wish to find the answers from you."
He stepped forward, standing before the seated S-rank rogue ninja, and glanced at the shackles on the man's wrists.
"These chains shouldn't be able to hold you. During my time recuperating from my injury, I had nothing to do, so I decided to investigate some past events."
"After my research, I discovered that you possess a hardening technique called Earth Style: Earth Spear. It can strengthen your body to be as hard as diamond, capable of repelling all attacks. Breaking these restraints should be easy for you."
Kakuzu frowned slightly and snorted. "In front of the Sharingan, the Bloodline Limit that can see through all ninjutsu, what use are such techniques? In the end, it's all in vain."
"Heh." Hikari smiled faintly. "I've been watching you lately, and you've been watching us. More accurately, you've been watching that boy—Ren Uchiha."
"Absurd!" Kakuzu didn't even lift his head, offering only a disdainful grunt.
"Is it?" Hikari asked with a light laugh. "Both you and I know that the conditions here in the Valley of Hell cannot restrict you. We never truly intended to imprison you; capturing you was mostly a way to use the achievement to pressure the Bounty Office. To us, a bounty hunter who works for money is just a tool—a masterless weapon. Perhaps one day, we will have a use for you."
"At first, I thought you stayed because you were wary of Ren and the Great Elder. Until I found some interesting things..."
Hikari reached into his robe with his functional left hand and pulled something out.
It was a strand of thread.
Unlike standard ninja wire, this thread was pitch black. In the fading twilight as night fell, it seemed to blend perfectly into the darkness, appearing hazy and ethereal.
The moment Kakuzu saw that thread, his gaze shifted sharply.
"I noticed in the reports regarding the Land of Hot Springs incident," Hikari continued, "that while Ren was at the Jashin Cult, he used a ninjutsu identical to yours: Earth Style: Earth Spear."
"According to our clan's records, that specific jutsu was only passed down in the Hidden Waterfall Village during the era when the various hidden villages were being founded. Later, after you killed all your superiors, the only person left who possessed that jutsu was you—the strongest bounty hunter, the S-rank rogue ninja, Mr. Kakuzu."
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes, glancing warily at Hikari. "And what does that prove?"
"Because of its hardening nature and its unique hand-seal-less activation, that jutsu is difficult to copy with the Sharingan—even with three tomoe. Yet, Ren Uchiha learned it."
Hikari spoke calmly. "Mr. Kakuzu, the heart that was pierced and destroyed in Ren Uchiha's chest back at the Jashin Cult's cavern... it was yours, wasn't it?"
Kakuzu closed his eyes and snorted, but he did not deny it.
Seeing this, Hikari felt his suspicions confirmed. He spoke with absolute certainty: "Even for someone like you, who achieves immortality by constantly replacing hearts, that Earth-attribute heart was special. If I'm not mistaken, it was your original heart."
Reflected in the brilliant white light suddenly exploding from the northern side of the valley, Hikari held up the black thread and stared at Kakuzu.
"That is why Ren Uchiha was able to learn Earth Spear through that heart, and—"
"Learn the one technique that should be impossible for anyone else to learn!"
"The Secret Art: Earth Grudge Fear!"
As those words left his mouth, Kakuzu's body—initially sitting calmly cross-legged on the ground—gave an imperceptible tremor. His gaze instantly sharpened, and a faint hint of killing intent began to leak out.
Observing that subtle reaction through his Sharingan, Hikari let out a small chuckle and pressed on without pause.
"You've wandered the ninja world for a duration most people can't even fathom. You've endured a loneliness that is unimaginable."
"And then, through a series of accidents, you indirectly found a successor capable of inheriting all your ninjutsu and your philosophy. This child just happens to be an orphan, ignored by his great clan. Much like you back then, he was sent out of the village on what was essentially a suicide mission."
"The result was a Genin facing a formidable enemy like you—an enemy he should have had no hope of defeating."
The white light from the distant explosion faded into silence.
Half of Hikari's face was hidden in the shadows of the moonless night. His tone was playful, yet the shadows made it impossible to tell if he was smiling. Only his crimson eyes, seemingly capable of peering into one's soul, remained visible in the dark.
The three tomoe spun silently as he watched the silent Kakuzu.
"Ren Uchiha."
"That boy is the real reason you've stayed with the Uchiha clan, the reason you've stayed here in the Valley of Hell. Am I right, Mr. Kakuzu?"
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