Naruto: I, Uchiha, Just Want to Die

Chapter 33: Pyrrhic Victory, Resentment, and the Girl Under the Moonlight

Heaven have mercy, Uchiha Ci had only just awakened his Sharingan not long ago.

No one had ever taught him how to properly use these eyes.

Forget genjutsu, the only ability he could use was the observation function of his single-tomoe Sharingan. He couldn't even copy ninjutsu, only mimicking taijutsu moves he'd seen before.

In that critical moment, Uchiha Ci was truly gambling with his life.

If his opponent had insisted on slashing with the spear, given that his leg was crippled, and considering he didn't know the Body Flicker Technique, genjutsu, or even have pre-set logs for a Substitution Technique...

Uchiha Ci would have had no way to dodge.

Life and death hung by a thread.

Yet, ironically, despite not knowing genjutsu, he succeeded in making his opponent believe that he had mastered it.

He had won the gamble.

Dragging his right leg slowly, Uchiha Ci moved toward the Jashin Cult leader, his face darkening with each step.

Gritting his teeth, his expression showed a mixture of anger and disappointment.

These idiots—three against one, and they still got counter-killed. Do they even know how to fight?

You used the Curse Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood and couldn't even stab me in the heart?

All they talk about is Jashin and suffering—then why didn't they just make a sacrifice?

Would it kill them to stab a few more times?

At this moment, the Jashin Cult leader looked terrified.

As he watched Uchiha Ci approach, radiating a chilling aura, cold sweat soaked through his back.

Unlike Hidan in the future, this cult leader didn't have the 'immortality' created through the cult's bizarre sacrifices. When he stabbed Uchiha Ci's leg, it had been a real attack.

And, to limit Uchiha Ci's movements, he hadn't even bothered with blood loss prevention.

Now, from excessive bleeding, Uchiha Ci's dark face had turned unnervingly pale.

Even the experts of this world would praise such precision in restricting both Uchiha Ci and himself.

The result?

Uchiha Ci took a few more crawling steps forward, a twisted smile forming on his face.

He yanked the pitch-black spear from the ground!

Then, assuming a stance like a bow, he swung his arm as if drawing a full moon in the sky.

Whoosh!

The black spear tore through the air, carving out a crescent-shaped arc of light!

With a single strike, the Jashin Cult leader was knocked out of the ritual circle, breaking his Curse Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood.

Next,

A beam of black light shot out, piercing his throat, pinning him dead to the ground.

The Jashin Cult leader, dead!

At that moment, the system notification echoed in response.

[Ding!]

[You have bravely retaliated against the enemy who mocked you. The enemy has perished, unable to refute.]

[Due to the powerful nature of your counterattack, a critical hit bonus has been applied.]

[You have acquired a random skill from the enemy: Wind Style: Air-Cutting Wave (Proficient, C).]

[The skill has critically upgraded: Wind Style: Extreme Air-Cutting Wave (Master, B).]

[You have acquired a random skill from the enemy: Rope Escape Technique (E).]

[Your Heartsteel has gained another layer.]

The pale red barrier that had stretched toward the sky dissipated, and Uchiha Ci gasped for breath, collapsing heavily to the ground.

His body was soaked in sweat and dust, and the gaping wound in his right leg was a horrifying sight.

Around him,

Everything was silent.

The villagers in the square stood in a daze, staring at Uchiha Ci, who had fought three enemies alone and killed each member of the Jashin Cult.

But, there were no cheers, no flowers, no praise.

A woman holding a little girl, Yuko, stared in shock at the lifeless bodies of the Jashin Cult members. The next moment, her face twisted into pure terror.

Driven by fear, the woman suddenly stepped forward, pointing at Uchiha Ci, her voice shrill and frantic as she cursed:

"You beast, what have you done?!"

"You actually killed the lord of the Jashin Cult!"

"Do you know what kind of disaster you've brought upon us?"

The woman, as if her strength had drained away, slumped against a wall, laughing and crying hysterically, her face contorted.

"It's over, it's all over."

"We're all going to die here, haha, die here."

As if struck by a sudden realization, her face twisted further, and she shoved Yuko aside, rushing madly toward Uchiha Ci, wanting to claw his face apart in her rage.

At that moment, the hooded girl leaped in front of Uchiha Ci, blocking the woman. With a single hand, she formed a seal, a spinning water blade materializing in her palm.

"Back off!"

Uchiha Ci, meanwhile, had no time to pay attention to the situation around him. From the excessive blood loss, he was feeling dizzy, short of breath, pale-faced, and his limbs were cold.

Looking down at his wounds, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

With injuries like this and no medical-nin around, he was surely dead!

He shook his head, trying to stand up, but his vision darkened, and he collapsed forward.

Just before closing his eyes, he suddenly saw Hidan dragging Shinno toward him.

The smile on Uchiha Ci's face froze, a flicker of terror flashing in his eyes.

Wait, damn it, don't come near me!

He suddenly remembered—

Shinno was a medical-nin!

Moreover, he was one of the most advanced medical-nin in the current ninja world, second only to Tsunade of the Legendary Sannin, even capable of using the Mystical Palm Technique.

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

Outside the Capital City, in the underground area of a large refugee camp,

A sea of blood stretched endlessly, with skeletal remains forming a forest, and from the depths of a dark wind tunnel came faint, agonizing wails.

Standing by the edge of the blood pool was the pale-faced chief priest of the Jashin Cult, dressed in black robes. He suddenly turned his head to look downward.

A similarly pale-faced Jashin Cult ninja landed swiftly, kneeling before him.

"Master, we've found it."

"What did you find?" The chief priest frowned, gazing coldly.

The black-robed subordinate nodded, a sickly grin spreading across his face:

"We've found the child with the special constitution you mentioned."

"Just moments ago, I sent three elites to that village to retrieve the child. Soon, they will bring the child back."

"If all goes well, we may truly create a monster with 'immortality'!"

The chief priest's eyes narrowed, his lips curling into a slow smile.

"Good. Very good."

"Lord Jashin will be pleased with this offering!"

Unbeknownst to them, a small white-scaled snake lay silently in the corner of the blood pool, observing everything.

Its tongue flicked in and out, hissing quietly.

As night fell,

The sky was clear, the full moon casting its gentle light.

The campfire burned brightly, illuminating the night sky.

Uchiha Ci slowly opened his eyes.

On a tree stump nearby, the girl, deep in thought, stood facing the wind, gazing at the distant, dark horizon.

Her reddish-brown hair danced in the breeze, and she seemed to have heard the movement behind her, quickly turning her head.

Uchiha Ci saw the same girl with bright green eyes from earlier that day.

Now, her hood was down,

Revealing a delicate, adorable face.

Her reddish-brown fringe curled against her glowing white ear, with the rest of her hair pulled back into a bun, curving softly like a crescent moon.

She was like a fairy descending from the moonlight.

"You're awake?"

"Where am I?" Uchiha Ci struggled to sit up, noticing that he had been bandaged once again.

He tried moving his right leg and, with a blank expression, realized—

Of course, it had been healed. Although still aching, it no longer hindered his movement.

"You killed the members of the Jashin Cult. The people of that village weren't happy about it, and we were all driven out."

The girl squatted beside him, curiously studying his face as she asked:

"Tell me..."

"Aren't you even a little afraid of dying?"

Under her clear, emerald gaze, Uchiha Ci suddenly felt his face flush.

He coughed awkwardly, changing the topic:

"Did you see Hidan anywhere?"

As soon as the words left his mouth,

A voice full of resentment echoed from nearby—

"Ci, you bastard, I'm going to kill you!"