Naruto: I, Uchiha, Just Want to Die

Chapter 25: Clever Hidan, S-Rank Forbidden Technique!

Half a day later.

Land of Hot Water, at the site of Uchiha Ci's previous battle.

A young man with short black hair, dressed in a tight black combat suit and a Konoha jōnin vest, leaped down from the sky.

This person was none other than Uchiha Fugaku.

When he saw the scene before him, he couldn't help but feel a wave of shock.

The village that once stood here had completely vanished, replaced by a giant, shattered volcano.

It looked as if someone had wielded a 40-meter-long sword, recklessly hacking away until the land was left in this state.

Scalding underground water gushed out, forming a small river that flowed down from the mountain's opening.

"Great Elder, what exactly did they encounter here?" Fugaku frowned slightly, standing on the volcano, picking up a handful of sandy dust from the ground, and activating his Sharingan.

"Such devastation can only mean two possibilities."

"Either Elder Setsuna finally awakened that forbidden power at the last moment."

"Or... he used that forbidden technique."

Fugaku's tone grew heavier as his Sharingan quickly scanned the ruins.

"Hmm?"

He suddenly furrowed his brow, noticing a relatively intact circular area exposed at the riverbed of boiling water.

It was littered with shuriken and kunai, as well as dull, spent explosive tags.

Crisscrossing gouges spread across the ground, with countless pits left from intense taijutsu combat.

"There was someone else fighting here. The precision of these shuriken techniques... Seijiro? No, he doesn't have that skill. Then it must have been Uchiha Ci."

"Uchiha Ci."

"Judging from the aftermath, it's clear how fierce the battle must have been."

"Is he really just a genin?"

Fugaku couldn't help but feel a sense of doubt. Even the Uchiha clan's most gifted prodigy, Shisui, wouldn't have had the experience at that age to achieve something like this.

"Regardless of which scenario it was, for the Great Elder to use such power, it must have been driven by strong emotions."

"So, what was he trying to do?"

Fugaku squinted slightly, following the trail left by the massive sword slashes and calculating.

Finally, his gaze fell on a rock platform with a noticeable notch on the volcano's wall.

"They might still be alive."

"At least, Uchiha Ci... there's a good chance he's still alive!"

Fugaku took a deep breath, and Shisui's words to him echoed in his mind:

'Uchiha Ci will definitely become the bridge between the clan and the village, Fugaku-senpai!'

And now,

The Great Elder Uchiha Setsuna, the leader of the hawks, had even burned his life to pave the way for this child.

Uchiha Ci...

What kind of charm does he possess to make both the hawks and doves, two factions that are utterly opposed, go to such lengths for him?

"Find him!" Fugaku exhaled deeply.

"We must find him!"

"Perhaps this is the last message the Great Elder left behind."

"And... his final will!"

Land of Hot Water,

In a deserted village near the capital, Tōen City.

Uchiha Ci opened his eyes.

What greeted him was an unfamiliar ceiling, cracked and barely holding together.

"Yo, you're awake?"

A gray-haired boy with a slicked-back hairstyle, gnawing on a pork chop, sat by the bedside, glancing over at him.

"Where am I?" Uchiha Ci asked in confusion.

His last memory was of being in the volcano, attacked from behind by that old fox Uchiha Setsuna, getting knocked out after hitting the back of his head.

And this wasn't even the first time!

Uchiha Ci gritted his teeth in frustration, still remembering how, just before the battle, he'd tried to help set up traps for an ambush.

At that time, the old man had slapped him on the head and knocked him out cold.

Damn it! Doesn't he know hitting someone like that could make their head flat?

"Yesterday, some underground water erupted from somewhere and formed a hot spring river."

"I found you floating on the river and pulled you out."

"Tsk tsk, you're a ninja, aren't you?" The slicked-back boy spun around on his chair, propping one foot on the bed, hands behind his head as he raised an eyebrow.

Uchiha Ci's Sharingan flashed briefly,

With its unique perception, he could tell that this arrogant kid didn't have much chakra in his body—not even at the level of a genin.

He frowned slightly. "You knew I was a ninja, yet you still dared to save me?"

"Aren't you afraid I might just cut you down?"  

However, the boy remained calm.

"You've got wounds all over your body, but after flipping you over, I noticed there weren't any injuries on your back."

"A person who doesn't run away,"

"In the Land of Hot Water, that's probably a good guy."

Uchiha Ci's smile instantly froze.

For the first time in his life, he was given a "good guy card," and the one handing it to him was a brat who looked down his nose at everything.

He felt an urge to shove both his fingers up the kid's nose and toss him over his shoulder.

But since the kid did save him, even though he didn't really want to be saved...

In the end, as a "good guy," Uchiha Ci sighed. Thanks to his nine years of compulsory education, he couldn't bring himself to stab his savior in the back.

The path of insurance fraud was long and arduous!

What a headache!

"Hey, let me introduce myself. My name is Hidan." The slicked-back boy grinned, giving himself a thumbs-up.

"You can call me Brother Hidan."

"And you?"

"Genin, Ci," Uchiha Ci said succinctly.

But he quickly realized something, and with a shocked expression, he looked at the boy in front of him.

"Wait, what did you just say?"

"Your name is... Hidan?"

"What's with that look? Of course, I'm Hidan." Hidan snorted, giving himself a thumbs-up again.

"The future savior of the Land of Hot Water, the Hot Water Kage—that's me!"

"I'm going to end the chaos in the Land of Hot Water, drive out all the ninja from the great nations, and become the next 'Demi-God' of the ninja world!"

"That's my ninja way!"

"Wait, Hidan, aren't you supposed to be an idiot?" Uchiha Ci looked at the boy in front of him, stunned, nearly activating his Sharingan to confirm if this Hidan was the real deal.

After all,

Hidan was destined to become a member of the Akatsuki, a devout follower of Jashin, part of the infamous immortal duo, with the terrifying ability to kill upon first contact.

He defeated the Two-Tails' Jinchūriki, killed Chiriku of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, and slaughtered Asuma—his combat record was outstanding, and his abilities were formidable!

His personality was arrogant, boisterous, long-winded, and reckless, not to mention a bit dim-witted.

That was the Hidan everyone knew.

But,

A clever Hidan???

What kind of bizarre version of Hidan is this?

Uchiha Ci's mind was suddenly flooded with memories of old debates with fellow Naruto fans about Hidan's intelligence, imagining absurd ideas like Summoning Mosquito Hidan, Hidan with Tampons, Blood Donation Hidan...

A clever Hidan? That would be as absurd as a healthy Itachi, information-gathering Jiraiya, or peaceful Minato.

Uchiha Ci blinked in disbelief, his pupils practically trembling.

"Why are you insulting me now?" Hidan frowned, noticing the strange look in Uchiha Ci's eyes.

"Oh~! I get it!"

"You must be overwhelmed by my reputation, and now you're spouting nonsense."

"I see, so this is the so-called 'intimidation of a Kage.'"

"Fine, I forgive you."

Hidan laughed loudly, pulling out a scroll and tossing it to Uchiha Ci.

"This floated over with you, but I couldn't open it. It's probably yours."

"Take it, I'll go get a doctor to check if your brain's okay."

Ignoring Hidan's nonsensical comment about needing a brain check,

Uchiha Ci took the scroll and immediately noticed the Uchiha clan emblem on it.

Weighing it in his hands, Uchiha Ci felt a tight connection between himself and the scroll.

He thought he could open it.

So,

Uchiha Ci cautiously unfurled the scroll.

When he saw its contents,

His pupils contracted instantly.

Because,

What he saw were large, bold characters:

"Uchiha Style · Secret S-Rank Forbidden Sword Technique"

"Halo Dance!"