Naruto: The Thirty-Year-Old Uchiha Can't Get Motivated"

Under the dark night sky, the pale moonlight shone down on the face of the Uchiha clansman who had captured him.

That sinister smile paired with his features made him look terrifying, so much so that the already timid Senju Itama couldn't stop trembling. With something stuffed in his mouth, he could only let out muffled whimpers of fear.

"Little brat from the Senju clan, if I were you, I'd hurry up and eat that now."

The Uchiha "demon" in front of him said, rolling his lifeless, fish-like eyes.

Upon hearing this, Senju Itama instinctively licked what was in his mouth. The tip of his tongue was met with a salty, savory taste.

Then he bit down and found that the object was chewable. After a few careful chews, he realized—it was dried meat.

Having gone two days without food or water, Itama no longer cared whether the enemy's offering was poisoned. He devoured it in big mouthfuls, scarfing down the large piece of jerky in just a few bites.

When he was done, he even licked his lips and asked, still unsatisfied,

"Got any more?"

Seeing the prisoner act so shamelessly, a vein popped on Uchiha Gin's forehead. He immediately gave the boy's black-and-white head a solid knock.

"You little brat, do you even understand the situation you're in?"

"The Senju clan will never be slaves! If you've got the guts, kill me now! My father and brother will avenge me!" Senju Itama barked back, still full of spirit.

Looking at the little brat's face, filled with the resolve to die, Uchiha Gin, who had originally intended to toy with him more, suddenly lost interest.

In his past life, he too had siblings. Boys Itama's age would normally be watching cartoons, eating snacks, and enjoying a carefree childhood. But in this era, kids this young were already either killing or being killed on the battlefield.

"What a truly hateful era,"

Uchiha Gin muttered to himself with a heavy heart.

Uchiha Gin, feeling a bit heavy-hearted, sighed with emotion.

After all, just a few days ago, he had still been a modern person with a normal moral compass. There was no way he could be instantly assimilated into the values of this era. Those protagonists who could adapt to new rules the moment they transmigrated were just too bizarre!

"Ah? What did you say? I'm telling you now—I won't reveal a single word about my clan's secrets!"

Senju Itama, assuming his capture was meant to extract information about the Senju clan, remained defiant. His young face displayed a level of maturity far beyond his age.

"You really are a self-important little brat."

Uchiha Gin suddenly looked down at him from above, his gaze exuding a cold, intimidating aura. Being stared at made Senju Itama feel uneasy, but the pride running in his Senju blood made him stubbornly lock eyes with the Uchiha in front of him.

"Good eyes. We won't take your life for now. But don't even think about escaping."

"..."

"And definitely don't think about suicide. Because if you die, we'll have no choice but to go after your brother next."

"!!!"

Seeing the rage in the boy's eyes, Uchiha Gin slowly crouched down, leaned closer, and whispered in his ear,

"Brat… you wouldn't want your brother to be caught because of you, would you?"

Like an ancient god whispering in the dark, the words plunged Senju Itama into chaos. The rebellious spirit he had just managed to summon instantly crumbled.

"I hope you cooperate. The mighty Uchiha clan has always treated captives well. Who knows—maybe we'll even let you live in the end," Uchiha Gin continued to coax, his loose tongue slipping again.

"Can you promise that?"

After a moment of silence, Senju Itama raised his head, his small face filled with determination.

"I swear on the honor of the Uchiha ancestors."

(After all, those ancestors were now hiding inside that guy Madara's body—swearing on them didn't burden Gin one bit.)

"Achoo—!"

Somewhere by a riverbank, a spiky-haired boy suddenly felt a chill down his spine and let out a violent sneeze.

Beside him, a bowl-cut boy was teaching him how to throw stones across the river. Seeing his friend sneeze, he asked with concern,

"Are you okay? Don't rush if you can't throw it over. You just need to find that feeling of upward lift..."

"It's your fault for standing behind me, you weirdo! I'm super sensitive—I can't even pee if someone's behind me!"

"S-Sorry…"

The scolded bowl-cut boy sat down on the ground, dejected.

[Two entangled fates. A destined encounter. Thus begins the tale of the ninja era.]

Senju Itama had compromised. Now that the other side held his weakness, he—still so young—couldn't analyze their words and judge truth from lies like his sharp and insightful second brother, Senju Tobirama.

Uchiha Gin's pupils trembled violently—this mysterious figure had silently appeared inside their camp, and even the three-tomoe Sharingan wielder Uchiha Fuhō hadn't noticed a thing.

His first instinct was to shout a warning and call for the nearby Uchiha, but just then, a beam of moonlight shone down, and the figure's silhouette was gradually revealed.

As the stranger slowly pulled away the veil of darkness, Uchiha Gin's words froze in his throat.

The person before him sent a shock through Uchiha Gin unlike anything since his transmigration—as if struck by divine thunder. A cold chill surged from his heels all the way to his skull. As the moonlight fully illuminated the black figure, Uchiha Gin's dry lips finally uttered the truth:

"Uchiha... One versus Seven is impossible... You shouldn't exist in this era… could it be the Dragon Vein?"

The black-haired youth stood silently, clad in a cloak patterned with red clouds on a black background. His face was pale and handsome, marked by deep nasolabial lines. On his forehead was a forehead protector that didn't belong to this era—its center marred by a clearly visible slash.

Uchiha Gin, who had read Naruto thoroughly for years, recognized him at a glance. This was none other than the man who was essential to the heroine Sasuke's life in the original story—Uchiha Itachi.

Even in his shock, Uchiha Gin couldn't help imagining: Could it be that the Akatsuki also discovered the Dragon Vein buried deep within Rōran, and Itachi was sent back to this era because of it?

Seeing that Uchiha Itachi didn't speak or move, Uchiha Gin was about to call for Uchiha Fuhō and the others.

But at that moment, the young man standing on the wooden post slowly opened his eyes—his Sharingan, shaped like shuriken, began to glow faintly.

Then, an eerie scene unfolded around Uchiha Gin. The bright white moon above them seemed to vanish.

A crimson full moon rose in the sky, and the entire space around him was drenched in a blood-red hue. A suffocating pressure rushed toward him.

In that brief moment of distraction, Uchiha Gin felt as if he had been hoisted high into the air. In the blink of an eye, he found himself bound to a crucifix.

"Blood moon... a cross... could this be—?!"

Realization struck him like lightning. Uchiha Gin could no longer speak out of shock. He had read about all of this in the manga, but to experience it in person was a different story altogether.

[Genjutsu: Tsukuyomi]

Uchiha Gin looked up. Around him, countless versions of Uchiha Itachi began to appear, each holding a katana. One expressionless Itachi stepped forward and said coldly:

"In the world of Tsukuyomi, time, space, and matter are all under my control. For the next seventy-two hours... I will continue to stab you with this blade."

As the sound of blades piercing flesh echoed again and again, the Tsukuyomi world was filled with Uchiha Gin's helpless, miserable screams.

In his past life, even a scratch would've made him cry for help—now he was on the verge of mental collapse.

He knew it was genjutsu, but every stab felt painfully real. Each cut sent his entire body convulsing in agony.

The nature of the illusion prevented him from passing out, so he could only watch in horror as a freshly healed wound was stabbed open again and again.

Uchiha Gin cried so hard that his tears and snot flowed freely. He even lost control of his bladder and bowels. Who knew how long this torture lasted—just when he thought the time must be up, a ghostly voice whispered in his ear:

"There are still seventy-one hours left."

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Uchiha Gin's tortured screams continued to echo through the crimson illusion.