Naruto: I, Uchiha, Just Want to Die

Chapter 24: Interlude, Setsuna

---

Forty-five years ago,

On the eve of Clan Leader Uchiha Madara's departure from the village, a young Uchiha Setsuna asked him:

How can a person attain the power of a god?

Uchiha Madara glanced at him coldly and replied:

Do you also wish to dance?

---

Golden flames tore through the air.

The writhing dome ignited, and burning molten rubber fell with the fire.

This scene was reflected in Uchiha Ci's eyes, as if the heavens were flickering and the stars were falling.

Yet he had no strength left to move.

He could only watch as the flaming meteor grew larger above him, his eyes widening slightly.

Suddenly—

A shadow swooped down, grabbed Uchiha Ci by the neck, and threw him onto a protruding rock ledge.

Sizzle—

The fireball crashed into the boiling spring, sending a spray of sparks everywhere.

Uchiha Ci stared in shock at the elder standing before him, Uchiha Setsuna.

Uchiha Setsuna said nothing, his gaze scanning the surroundings.

At this moment,

The volcano formed by Dodai's Earth Release: Opening Earth Excavation technique was continuously drawing boiling springs from underground.

The water level surged, the air compressed, and a massive explosion seemed imminent.

He raised his head, squinting at the burning dome above, then began forming a series of hand seals, casting several jutsu in succession.

Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique, Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.

A few fire jutsu shot upwards, striking the dome, causing the interior of the volcano to shake violently.

Uchiha Setsuna frowned slightly, halting his actions.

Uchiha Ci stared at him in astonishment, as if he had just seen a polar bear in the Antarctic.

"Elder, what are you doing here??"

Before the barrier was thrown into the volcano, Ci clearly saw that Uchiha Setsuna was outside the range of Dodai's technique.

Now that the Cloud ninjas had lost their barrier ninja, a tool that restrained Uchiha Setsuna, he should have easily escaped the scene.

Uchiha Setsuna snorted coldly and said indifferently:

"Isn't it obvious? I came to save you."

Hearing this, Uchiha Ci was dumbfounded, "Wait, Elder, you should..."

Uchiha Setsuna shook his head and replied calmly:

"According to what you said, I should retreat."

"I should fulfill my duties, head to Hell Valley to hold the fort, and prevent the Cloud Village from causing trouble, sparing the clan from significant losses."

He glanced at Uchiha Ci, covered in slashes, burns, with a dislocated arm limp on the ground,

This level of damage was even scarier than that of a ninja returning from the battlefield in the Land of Rain.

Uchiha Setsuna's gaze wavered slightly as he let out a long sigh,

"But—"

"What about you?"

"Me?" Uchiha Ci was taken aback, then shook his head with a wry smile,

"Elder, stop joking, compared to the clan, what value is there in saving me?"

"No." Uchiha Setsuna's eyes sharpened, and he said solemnly:

"I believe, you have value!"

"At least, compared to me, compared to someone as ordinary and useless as I am—"

"Your will is steadfast, your vision long-reaching, and you hold hope of reaching a shore that I will never be able to touch,"

"You, more than I, should live on!"

The smile on Uchiha Ci's face froze.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Setsuna closed his eyes, took a deep breath,

He placed his hand on Ci's head, ruffling his hair that had become frizzy from the electricity.

When he opened his eyes again, a pair of scarlet Sharingan lit up.

His gaze was calm, yet resolute.

"Ci, as you have seen—" Uchiha Setsuna let go of his hand, stepped forward, and gripped the hilt of his sword.

"From the Warring States period until now, this old body of mine should have long since walked the path of fate."

"Aging fades, stepping towards death."

"However,"

"I have been mired in the filthy quagmire of power all my life, unable to extricate myself."

"But I have never, as my name suggests, experienced the brief yet brilliant moment of life."

Uchiha Setsuna's eyes grew stern,

"Until you appeared—"

"I knew, this is the guidance given to me by the former clan leader, Uchiha Madara."

"I firmly believe, this moment is that moment!"

Uchiha Ci looked at Uchiha Setsuna in bewilderment, panic rising in his heart.

"No, wait, please, Elder, what are you talking about?"

"What you understand, and what I understand, are those the same?"

"I'm not as noble as you think I am, I..."

Just as Uchiha Ci was about to say something,

Uchiha Setsuna suddenly turned his head slightly and smiled knowingly,

Then, his tone changed, coldly and indifferently, as he said:

"I know—"

"You want to die."

"Having lost your parents at a young age, bullied by the clan, living in a cesspool of despair, you have long found no joy in this world."

"You have wanted to die for a long time."

Uchiha Setsuna squinted, a sly and sinister smile playing on his lips:

"But, you don't want to die in a laughable way."

"You want to wash away your shame, to die gloriously, to die as a member of the Uchiha clan!"

"So—"

"I refuse to let you die."

Uchiha Ci opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but then he suddenly remembered.

His body's background was indeed just as Uchiha Setsuna had said, but the motive was completely different from what Uchiha Setsuna was assuming!

I was the one who wanted to die!

"Wait, you must have misunderstood something, Elder, let me explain..."

"Hmph." Uchiha Setsuna snorted coldly, a proud and obstinate look on his face: "I have my own judgment."

"And next..."

Uchiha Setsuna looked indifferently at the boiling spring about to erupt beneath his feet, slowly drawing his long sword, and said coldly:

"Brat, watch closely."

"I will use the Uchiha clan's secret S-rank forbidden sword technique—"

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Ci couldn't help but freeze,

He thought, besides Fire Release, shuriken techniques, and the Susanoo, do we have something like this?

An S-rank sword technique? Even in Konoha, there aren't many of those, right?

While Uchiha Ci was still in a daze,

No one expected,

Uchiha Setsuna suddenly leaped backward, reversing his grip on the hilt and smashing it down on the back of Uchiha Ci's head.

This blow was like a heavy hammer, causing Uchiha Ci to see stars and collapse to the ground.

"What the hell, you... you damn old man, pulling a sneak attack!"

Uchiha Ci couldn't help but curse in pain, and his vision turned black as he sank into unconsciousness.

But, vaguely, he heard Uchiha Setsuna's final, cold laugh:

"That's right, hate me! Resent me! And then, live on in your ugly way..."

Then, with a leap!

In his daze, Uchiha Ci seemed to see a blaze of flames suddenly light up the entire volcano.

A vague figure wielded a massive, flaming sword that could pierce the heavens,

With a gentle swing, the volcano collapsed and shattered.

Like a god!

Then, there was a splash, as if something had fallen into the boiling sea about to erupt.

And then, his consciousness plunged into a haze of darkness.

At that moment, a voice echoed in his mind.

Ding!

For your courageous counterattack against the enemy who mocked you, the opponent has died and is unable to retaliate.

The force of your counterattack was significant, triggering a critical reward.

You have acquired a random skill from your opponent: Death Battle Barrier (Proficient, A)

The skill has critically enhanced, and the current attribute is: Super Death Battle Barrier (Master, S)

The layers of your Heartsteel have increased.

(Support me and gain access to extra chapters by visiting my Patreon: patreon.com/craxxtranslation. Be sure to check out my other translations as well. Thank you for your support!)