Chapter 28: The Leek Field and the Kaguya Battle Assistance

Inside the archives, there was a map of the dungeon. In addition to the office and rest areas, it also marked the numbers of the prisoner containment zones.

There were three zones in total, labeled One, Two, and Three, but the design of the dungeon seemed somewhat eccentric, making Uchiha Gin—who was naturally accustomed to symmetry—feel quite uneasy.

After quickly locating the area marked "Two," Uchiha Gin took the scroll and headed out.

Cell Block Two was relatively close to the archives. After a few minutes of walking, Uchiha Gin arrived before an iron gate, where two members of the Uchiha clan stood guard.

"Who goes there?"

Hearing a familiar voice, Uchiha Gin found the two Uchiha guards looking increasingly recognizable.

"Aren't you two on patrol? Why are you at the dungeon again?"

Having recognized them, Uchiha Gin asked curiously. These two were the same patrolling clan members he had encountered just as he returned to the clan grounds; he hadn't expected to run into them here.

"I'm finished!"

Uchiha Tiedan's heart was filled with despair. Uchiha Gin had actually chased him all the way to the dungeon just to get revenge.

Yesterday, not knowing who Uchiha Gin was, he had heard from his teammate that the person he had nearly provoked was none other than the "wicked" Uchiha Gin.

Terrified of retaliation, he had submitted a formal request that very night, hoping to be transferred to some godforsaken post. He never expected that on his very first day on the job, this "demon" would come knocking at his door.

"Cuihua, I have failed you. I hope you don't spend your life mourning me; please, be happy."

Closing his eyes, Uchiha Tiedan wore a tragic expression, looking like a man ready to be slaughtered.

"What are you standing there for? Open the door. I need to verify the prisoners."

Uchiha Gin watched as one of the Uchiha guards closed his eyes, muttering something under his breath.

The other had a wandering gaze, acting as if he hadn't seen him at all. Unsure of what they were imagining, an impatient Uchiha Gin spoke up.

"Huh? You're not here to see me?"

Hearing Uchiha Gin's words, Uchiha Tiedan, who had been closing his eyes to await death, opened them in confusion.

"Why would we look for you? We're busy. Move it."

"Tiedan, quickly, open the door for Lord Uchiha Gin."

The other Uchiha guard nudged Tiedan, who was leaning close to the lock. Snapping out of his trance, Tiedan hurriedly pulled out the keys and opened the door to let Uchiha Gin in.

"How bizarre."

Uchiha Gin was completely baffled by the behavior of this clan member named Tiedan.

"Which cell is Kaguya Jousuke in?"

"My Lord, I will lead you there."

Giving the wooden-headed Tiedan a reassuring look, the other Uchiha guard took the initiative to guide him.

Following this clansman, Uchiha Gin entered the prisoner containment area for the first time.

On both sides were rows of wooden fences. They looked fragile, but every single one was inscribed with the Uchiha clan's unique fire seals.

Without the corresponding technique to deactivate them, anyone who dared touch them would be instantly engulfed in flames—resulting in anything from minor burns to being reduced to ash.

As the two walked, the prisoners confined on both sides began to grow restless.

"Evil Uchiha! If you have the guts, let me out! I'll beat you into mincemeat!"

The volatile type.

"Oh, this one looks so delicate and fair... I really want to pin him beneath me..."

The pervert type.

"Kill me! Just kill me already!!!"

The mentally broken type.

For a moment, the cells were like a boiling pot, with all sorts of voices rising and falling. But for Uchiha Gin, it wasn't just the shouting and cursing of these people.

"Combat detected. Heartsteel Chest is accumulating..."

"Combat detected..."

"Combat detected..."

The notifications for Heartsteel had not stopped since he entered the cell block, repeating in his mind like an infinite loop.

Everyone here was filled with a desire to fight this Uchiha; wasn't this place just a lush field of ripe leeks waiting to be harvested?

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he followed the clansman to the innermost cell. Inside was a middle-aged man, his limbs bound tightly, looking skin and bones.

His bound limbs were bent at irregular angles. He had grayish-white hair, and above his eyebrows were the two classic red "maru" eyebrows characteristic of the Kaguya clan.

"That is Kaguya Jousuke. Lord Gin, be careful. Although his chakra is sealed, we cannot suppress his taijutsu. We can only keep him starved and break his limbs," the clansman explained from the side.

"It's fine. Open the door. I'll go in and question him."

Hearing that the man's chakra was not only sealed but his limbs had also been broken, Uchiha Gin felt at ease and urged the clansman to open the door.

"Understood."

Although regulations forbade opening cell doors, the man was Uchiha Gin. Knowing he couldn't win against such authority, the guard obediently opened the door.

"What is your name?"

"This lowly one is Uchiha Ryosha."

The clansman named Uchiha Ryosha hurriedly introduced himself.

"Alright, Uchiha Ryosha. Go outside for a moment. I will interrogate this prisoner alone."

"But..."

Uchiha Ryosha hesitated. The risk was too high; if anything happened to Uchiha Gin, his own head would surely be lost.

"Don't worry. This guy can barely move. I'll just ask a few questions from a distance at the doorway," Uchiha Gin reassured him.

"Very well. Then please be careful, Lord Gin. If the target makes any suspicious movements, please call out immediately."

Uchiha Ryosha tactfully departed.

Uchiha Gin entered Kaguya Jousuke's cell. The middle-aged man sitting on the straw mat heard the movement and slowly raised his head. His cloudy eyes held no life, looking like a wooden puppet.

"Kaguya Jousuke?"

Frowning at the呆若木鸡 (stunned/wooden) member of the Kaguya clan, Uchiha Gin attempted to ask a question.

"..."

The man seemed completely deaf to his inquiry.

"According to the archives, you were captured because you slaughtered Uchiha clan members during an external mission six years ago."

Flipping through the scroll in his hand, Uchiha Gin continued.

"So, do you know about the incident six years ago when your Kaguya clan launched a sneak attack on our Uchiha clan territory?"

Noticing the man seemed to be in a state of self-imposed isolation, an undeterred Uchiha Gin pressed with his question.

"Ah? Heh... hahaha... AAAAAAH!"

As if a keyword had been triggered, Kaguya Jousuke's vacant expression suddenly turned strange. First came a few eerie laughs, followed by a look of absolute terror, as if he had seen a ghost.

A flicker of clarity flashed through his dull eyes. Looking at Uchiha Gin standing in the distance, he slowly raised his bound hands.

In the next instant, the system notification rang in Uchiha Gin's mind again.

"Combat detected. Heartsteel Chest is accumulating..."

Without a second of hesitation, Uchiha Gin immediately took a step back. Simultaneously, tiny bone spikes erupted from Kaguya Jousuke's fingertips, all of them pinning themselves into the exact spot where Uchiha Gin had just been standing.

"He actually hid a Bloodline Limit."

Having narrowly escaped, Uchiha Gin looked at the bone spikes embedded deep in the masonry with lingering fear.

Kaguya Jousuke's files had not mentioned him possessing a Bloodline Limit; it was likely a trump card he had hidden after being captured.

Strangely, why had he kept it hidden for so long, only to expose it so easily to an ordinary Uchiha he was meeting for the first time?

Seeing his first strike fail, Kaguya Jousuke attempted the same trick, pointing both hands at Uchiha Gin again.

But it wouldn't be that easy this time. As Uchiha Gin exerted force from his feet, a fist imbued with monstrous strength swung directly toward Kaguya Jousuke, who was still preparing the next wave of bone spikes.

[Shikotsumyaku: Ten Finger Bullet]

Facing another volley of incoming bone spikes, Uchiha Gin did not choose to dodge; instead, he concentrated even more chakra into his fist.

With a dull thud, Kaguya Jousuke's bone spikes were actually knocked away by his iron fist, and the punch landed, without fail, squarely on the man's chest.

Kaguya Jousuke, already emaciated from torture, had his chest cavity caved in by the blow, and Uchiha Gin's fist became lodged against the man's bones.

Just as Uchiha Gin wondered why his strike had landed so easily, Kaguya Jousuke, his face twisted in bloodthirsty madness, lifted his head. He gave a creepy smile, and a raspy voice emerged from his blood-stained mouth

"Caught you."

[Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Tangsong]

Uchiha Gin's expression changed drastically as he found himself trapped by the broken bones in the man's chest. He realized that a massive, pale bone flower was blooming from the man's sunken chest, and countless rapidly growing ribs were thrusting toward his face.

(End of Chapter)