Naruto: Blazing Eyes in the Eternal Night

After several experiments, Tajima gradually figured out the properties of the sunflower.

It thrives in sunlight—after 15 minutes of direct exposure, it produces a patch, which retains its shape for 1 hour and 30 minutes, with its effects lasting 30 minutes.

(If applied to the skin, the patch dissipates after 30 minutes. If left untouched, it lasts the full 1.5 hours before vanishing.)

It works through fabric, but effectiveness is greatly reduced when covered by three or more layers; a single layer is best.

Its effects do not penetrate dense, seamless solid layers like metal or wood.

It can grow indoors in places without direct sunlight but will not produce patches.

At night, it enters a dormant state.

As for how one observes a plant's dormancy—well, sunflowers are a bit special. When they sleep, they stop moving.

Once summoned, the sunflower no longer requires energy from Kyojuro; it only needs water and sunlight to sustain itself.

After two days of careful consideration, Tajima secretly gathered a few elders from the clan and held a small meeting in a secluded chamber.

The final decision was that the Fifth Elder, who managed the medicine hall and rarely left the clan grounds, would take charge of the sunflower. A sunroom would be built at the medicine hall.

During use, the Fifth Elder would wear thick gloves to insert the patches into eyepieces, officially claiming that they were specially designed medicinal goggles for treating the aftereffects of the Sharingan.

Due to their scarcity, the goggles would only be provided to those with severe symptoms and had to be used inside the medicine hall, with the patches being recovered immediately after use.

Kyojuro accompanied Tajima to observe the effects of the patch-goggles over the next few days.

The Fifth Elder, Uchiha Shin, busied himself while sneakily watching Kyojuro from the corner of his eye.

(It's Uchiha Shin! Not Uchiha Shinichi!)

So this was Uchiha's "Child of the Sun"?

Honestly, when he smiled, he really did resemble a little sun.

But that smile… it didn't look like it belonged to an Uchiha at all.

The little Uchiha brats were notoriously grim-faced, rarely smiling. Even his own grandson, Honoka, only ever wore a mischievous smirk—nothing as bright and innocent as Kyojuro's.

Yes, truly adorable.

…

"Kyojuro, have some sweets."

As the sun set and the last patient left, the Fifth Elder finally emerged from the sunroom. Without a word, he pulled out a wagashi treat from who-knows-where and handed it to Kyojuro.

He even reached out and ruffled the little boy's head as Kyojuro obediently thanked him.

So well-behaved.

Now, he's one of us Uchiha.

Keh keh keh keh keh keh…

Tajima caught the Fifth Elder's sinister expression and quickly shot him a look.

Uncle Shin, watch yourself. Don't scare Kyojuro.

I know, I know, you're too uptight, Clan Leader. No fun at all.

The Fifth Elder squinted his eyes, and just before Kyojuro could look up, he resumed his usual kindly old-man expression.

Tajima silently averted his gaze. The elder was great in every way, except for that unsettling grin when he got too excited…

"Kyojuro, does it taste good?"

"Mm! It's delicious!"

"Then come visit the medicine hall often, okay?"

Kyojuro glanced at Tajima, who gave a nod of approval before he agreed.

"Okay, Elder Grandpa."

Seeing Kyojuro's trust and reliance on Tajima, the Fifth Elder's eyes squinted further.

"Hahaha, I'm not just 'Grandpa,' you know—you should call me Great-Grandpa."

"Great-Grandpa."

"Mm, that's settled then."

…

Sigh.

The medicinal goggles became an instant hit, with demand far exceeding supply. To escape the constant requests, the Fifth Elder shifted responsibility for the patches' source onto the Clan Leader.

After spending the entire day dealing with clan members—some even offering money from their private stashes to buy more—Tajima let out a weary sigh.

"Kyojuro, do you think we should revise the rules for using the patches?"

The sunlight patches were undeniably effective—so much so that they were in short supply.

On sunny days, production was fine. The Land of Fire had long daylight hours, allowing them to generate about sixty patches daily.

But on cloudy days? No production at all.

And the patches had to be used immediately; they couldn't be stored long-term, making them unavailable to clan members stationed elsewhere.

During these days of constant meetings and interactions, Kyojuro encountered many high-ranking Uchiha for the first time. Some were elegant, others proud, some were cold, and others warm.

But all of them carried the scent of blood.

For the first time, Kyojuro realized what it truly meant to be a ninja.

It wasn't just about mastering special techniques.

It wasn't just about refining chakra, as Uncle Madara had said.

It was about having taken countless lives.

Did he really want to be a ninja?

His power was meant to protect the weak, wasn't it?

How could he convince his great-uncle, uncle, and father to let him take a different path?

With a furrowed brow and puffed-up cheeks, Kyojuro sat beside a similarly troubled Tajima.

The two of them sighed in unison.

————————

"Great-Great-Grandpa, good morning."

"Good morning, Kyojuro. Why are you here so early today?"

Tajima carried Kyojuro into the medicine hall and greeted the Fifth Elder.

"Uncle Shin, I'll be counting on you today. Someone from the Land of Lightning has arrived."

The fact that the Uchiha clan members who had stayed behind in the Land of Lightning had already come looking for them…

The Fifth Elder calculated his next moves but kept his usual warm smile as he took Kyojuro from Tajima's arms.

"Today, let's study medicinal herbs together, shall we?"

"Okay!"

Kyojuro wouldn't miss a free learning opportunity—he knew next to nothing about this world's plants.

He turned to wave goodbye to Tajima before obediently following the Fifth Elder inside.

…

With the child safely taken care of, it was now Tajima's battlefield.

Kyojuro had said that by next year, he'd be able to summon at least two more sunflowers.

—————

Half a month later.

"Father! Madara-ni! Kyojuro!! I'm back!!!"

Even before he arrived, his voice did.

Having just parted with the other clan members he'd traveled with, Izuna immediately sprinted toward home.

He missed his father's red bean soup! Madara's hugs! And Kyojuro's chubby little cheeks!

Hearing the familiar voice, the three in the living room immediately stood up.

Madara scooped Kyojuro into his arms and rushed outside.

Tajima cleared his throat. "So impatient."

His steps were swift, showing no sign of hesitation.

"Izuna!"

"Uncle Izuna!"

Before Izuna could even put his luggage down, he was immediately surrounded—one person hugging his leg, another clinging to his shoulder.

"Madara, Kyojuro, I've missed you both so much!"

Tajima watched as the three Uchiha huddled together, their closeness evident. The urgency in his steps faded, replaced by a fond smile.

"You're back. That's all that matters. Go get some rest—there's red bean soup for you tonight, your favorite."

"Father!"

"Hmm."

Tajima reached out and ruffled the only part of Izuna's hair still visible beneath the embrace.

Izuna had really grown up.

"Madara, you won't believe this. The client for my last mission spent a ridiculous amount of money just to have us Uchiha escort his wife to a shrine—all because of some silly rumor!"

"And that temple? It's an absolute scam. Over a hundred stone steps, and the pilgrims have to kneel and bow their way up every single one!"

"As if his wife is the only reason they don't have a son. If he really wanted it to work, shouldn't he be crawling up those steps with her?"

"Seriously, I can't believe people actually fall for this nonsense."

Izuna grumbled while carefully picking the bones out of his fish. Madara, half-listening, casually responded.

"Who cares? As long as people believe in it, we get paid."

"Well, yeah, I guess you have a point. Hey, Madara, why do you think no one visits the shrines in the Land of Demons anymore? I remember when I was a kid, their priestesses were really famous. Didn't our clan even order summoning scrolls from there?"

The Land of Demons?

Hearing that name, Kyojuro instinctively looked up, his expression wary. Madara, however, misinterpreted his reaction and assumed he was interested in the topic. Unfortunately, he didn't know much about the Land of Demons himself, so he turned to Tajima for answers.

"Father…?"

"The Land of Demons, huh? The priestesses there are the real deal. They worship the goddess Uzuki. As for the temple Izuna just visited, I can't say if it's legitimate or not."

"But priestesses from the Land of Demons never leave their homeland, so they're not as well-known among common folk."

The real reason was that their abilities weren't centered around granting blessings for children or prosperity.

Instead, they excelled in curses, prophecies, and sealing techniques.

In the past, the wealthy and powerful sought out these priestesses—perhaps out of fear that they themselves might fall victim to a curse.

Nowadays, with temples popping up everywhere and openly competing with the old shrines, there wasn't much the priestesses could do. The rich had simply found new places of worship, places that didn't require them to buy sacred offerings every year.

But such things weren't exactly suitable topics for children.

Hearing about summoning scrolls reminded Izuna of something.

"Father, Father! You promised that once I completed a mission, I'd officially be considered a proper ninja. Hehe, so what about my summoning beast…?"

"I haven't forgotten. Get some rest first—tomorrow, I'll take you to see Granny Cat. Kyojuro, do you want to come too? It's been a while since you've seen Koume."

"Yes!"

Of course Kyojuro wanted to see Koume again. Maybe it would help him remember something new.

He had always found it strange—if he had only just reincarnated into this world and arrived at the Uchiha clan's estate, then why did he already have memories of Koume and Koichi?

Could it be that he hadn't just been reborn…?