Naruto: Uchiha Madara's Cousin

Uchiha Gin, reporting back to work at the dungeon, no longer felt the discomfort he experienced the day before. It seemed the original owner of his body had a high tolerance for this environment.

He smoothly reached his station, and as he looked at the chaotic scene that hadn't changed from yesterday, Uchiha Gin felt a headache coming on.

But Uchiha Ryūei had already mentioned he didn't have any assistants. Sighing, Gin realized he had to do everything himself.

The layout of the archive room was simple. Shelves lined the walls, and in the center stood a desk. Gin began checking each shelf to see if there were any labels.

[Cell No. 1: Archive scroll color - Green, Crime severity - High]

Seeing the brief description on the shelf, Uchiha Gin sighed in relief. This would save him quite a bit of effort.

As he continued, he found the shelves for cells No. 2 and No. 3. The scrolls were colored blue and purple, corresponding to medium and low crime severity.

The scroll he casually opened yesterday was blue, meaning that Kaguya Jōsuke was only a mid-level criminal.

Gin then recalled the details in Jōsuke's file: "Wandering ninja, mentally unstable."

This led Gin to infer that the people who captured Kaguya Jōsuke had no idea of his involvement in the Uchiha clan massacre six years ago.

He was only imprisoned because he had gone mad and attacked an Uchiha patrol team, resulting in the deaths of two clan members.

Uchiha Gin, having "interacted" deeply with Kaguya Jōsuke, knew that the man's mind had long since deteriorated.

After his capture, it was probably impossible to extract any useful information, which explained why he had been kept in the relatively lax Cell No. 2 for so long, without anyone questioning him.

"The trail from Kaguya Jōsuke is lost, but maybe I can find clues from whoever captured him back then," Gin thought, picking up Jōsuke's file again from the desk.

"Kaguya Jōsuke: Wandering ninja, killed two Uchiha clan members, suspected of mental instability, unable to be interrogated through genjutsu. Details unclear. Currently held in Cell No. 2."

As he flipped through the file, he found a note:

"Prisoner Kaguya Jōsuke was captured by Uchiha Ryūei's team."

Gin was stunned. The man who had guided him yesterday—Ryūei, the terrifying presence—was the one who captured Jōsuke six years ago!

But Ryūei seemed like a difficult person to approach. Frowning, Gin contemplated how to bring up the topic.

At that moment, the door to the archive room opened.

Speak of the devil—Uchiha Ryūei, with his gaunt face and cold aura, entered.

Expressionless, Ryūei noticed Gin poring over a scroll. Internally, he was surprised to see this notorious troublemaker actually working seriously.

Setting his surprise aside, Ryūei had come under the orders of Elder Hiro to inquire about the prisoner Gin had killed yesterday, something that was technically part of his duty.

Although the dungeon was under Elder Hiro's jurisdiction, the elder had too many departments to manage personally.

Ryūei, as the acting warden, handled all matters within the dungeon.

"Yesterday, you killed a prisoner?" Ryūei asked coldly.

"No, it was self-defense!" Gin quickly protested and explained:

"I was just confirming some information when the guy attacked me! Luckily, he was in terrible shape. His Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse) had deteriorated, and he died after a few counterattacks."

"Shikotsumyaku?"

Hearing mention of the Shikotsumyaku, Ryūei, who had initially lost interest, paused and frowned. "What was that prisoner's name?"

"Kaguya Jōsuke. I don't know who put him in here, but how could such a dangerous criminal be in Cell No. 2? That's really..." Gin trailed off, feigning criticism of whoever captured Jōsuke.

"I was the one who captured him." Ryūei admitted grimly, his expression darkening at Gin's unintentional criticism.

"A brilliant decision, of course! It truly reflects the Uchiha clan's humane management!" Gin quickly corrected himself, trying to appease Ryūei, whose face lightened slightly.

Seeing an opportunity, Gin pressed forward with his own question:

"As expected from Commander Ryūei! Capturing such a dangerous criminal so easily. Could you tell me how you managed to do it?"

Ryūei, seemingly pleased by the flattery, relaxed and recalled the event. Gin waited quietly.

After a few moments, Ryūei began his account of what had happened.

Six years ago, Uchiha Tajima, recently appointed as clan leader, led the young warriors of the clan to the frontlines to assert his authority.

However, the clan lands faced a devastating event while they were away. The clan leader's residence was razed to the ground, and only one survivor remained at the scene.

Tajima was filled with regret and immediately increased the number of patrols, expanding their reach.

A month after the massacre, a Uchiha patrol encountered a strange individual.

At first, the man didn't seem hostile—he simply wandered around near the Uchiha territory, seemingly lost. The patrol assumed he was just a vagrant.

Nothing happened until one cautious member of the patrol noticed traces of chakra and used his Sharingan to cast a genjutsu on the man.

At the sight of the Sharingan, the stranger suddenly snapped and attacked the patrol.

Two weaker members were killed instantly, their chests pierced. The others, realizing they were outmatched, sent for reinforcements.

The clan leader dispatched Uchiha Ryūei, a rising star at the time, to apprehend the attacker.

"Was Kaguya Jōsuke mentally ill back then?" Gin interrupted.

Ryūei didn't seem to mind and continued.

When Ryūei's squad arrived, it was already midnight. They followed the clues left by the surviving patrol and finally encountered the man.

"He was in a pitiful state. His clothes were torn, and he stumbled as he walked. At first glance, you wouldn't think he was the murderer but rather a mad wanderer." Ryūei replied.

"Was he injured?" Gin asked again.

"Yes, his entire back was burnt as if it had been seared by fire, oozing pus."

Burns? Mental collapse? These details gave Gin a spark of insight, but he couldn't quite grasp it yet.

"How did you capture him in the end?" Gin asked, wanting to hear the whole story.

Ryūei continued.

At first, when they met, Ryūei tested Jōsuke with an initial strike, which surprisingly knocked him down.

But as a team member activated the Sharingan to check him, Jōsuke suddenly sprang back to life, attacking again.

Fortunately, Ryūei's team was strong, and though one member lost an arm, no lives were lost.

A fierce battle ensued, primarily a contest of taijutsu. Jōsuke's speed made ninjutsu ineffective, and his crazed mind rendered him immune to genjutsu.

Ryūei's team had to wear him down through sheer physical force.

The fight was evenly matched until Ryūei noticed Jōsuke repeatedly retreating into the shadows of trees during the battle.

Exploiting this, Ryūei found an opening and managed to break Jōsuke's limbs, securing his capture.

"Retreating into the shadows?" Gin muttered, puzzled by the strange behavior.

"I didn't understand it either at the time, but after his capture, I overheard him muttering something." Ryūei recalled.

"What did he say?" Gin asked, intrigued.

"Run fast! Don't let the moonlight touch you!" Ryūei's cold voice echoed in Gin's ears.

-

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