Rin nodded and handed over the scroll, no longer paying Shisui any mind. His gaze lifted toward the eastern sky, where the first light of dawn crept across the horizon.
A new day had begun.
At that moment, the system acknowledged the evolution points he'd earned the day before.
"Huh? Two extra points? Was it from killing that Mist-nin… and the ANBU?"
Rin speculated briefly.
"Blood Phantom. Level up."
He funneled all his accumulated evolution points into Blood Phantom.
Instantly, his blood surged violently within.
A hot flush spread across his face, and chakra flared uncontrollably.
It exploded upward—he'd just broken through to Jōnin level.
A system prompt echoed in his ears:
Blood Phantom has evolved to Level 5. Genetic ability acquired: Bloodthirst Frenzy.
Bloodthirst Frenzy
Consume 30% of total blood volume. Boost all stats by 500% for 30 seconds. Can be deactivated early.
Afterward, enter a weakened state for 1 hour and develop acute bloodlust.
Recover by consuming fresh blood.
Passive: Bloodthirst — Your body can assimilate any blood without rejection.
The redness drained from Rin's face, replaced by a monstrous aura.
From every pore, crimson mist began to rise.
BOOM!
In a single instant, his body swelled past visible limits, flesh expanding—
—and then snapping back to normal.
But the fury he'd suppressed… erupted.
"Blood Phantom: Bloodthirst!"
BOOM!
The blood within the two remaining ANBU corpses surged violently, concentrating at the heart and condensing into massive crimson spheres.
Rin raised his hand.
The spheres detonated.
Like scarlet Higanbana, the blood bloomed in midair, a grotesque beauty.
Sprays of red painted the sky, spattering across Shisui's once-pristine clothes.
Anyone who threatens the Uchiha… dies.
Now at level five, Blood Phantom's control radius had increased to five meters.
The precision and force—
He could now control the blood within others.
"Absorb."
At Rin's command, the finest droplets—vital essence—flew toward him, engulfing his body in a crimson veil.
They sank through his pores, replenishing his blood and—
—delivering perfect, unfiltered memories.
He skimmed them.
Then sealed them.
His mental state was already on edge.
He couldn't afford to lose himself to fractured thoughts.
But as he studied the way Blood Phantom absorbed memory…
A new idea formed.
Use the Sharingan.
Store the stolen memories as genjutsu, sealed behind the tomoe.
This would isolate them—preventing contamination.
And elevate his illusion skills to new heights.
Double reward.
It was grueling, though—
Discerning foreign thoughts from his own required extraordinary willpower.
But if done right, the benefits were incalculable.
"…Heh. Danzo."
Rin's smirk twisted cruelly.
The massacre of the Uchiha unit—it was Danzo Shimura all along.
The treachery confirmed.
As the sun rose and painted the sky gold, Rin and Shisui walked toward Konoha.
Rin's face was unreadable.
Shisui, however, was a storm of emotion.
When he learned he'd been labeled a rogue, a traitor, the pain was overwhelming.
His gaze darkened, betrayal etched into every line of his face.
The sun dipped into late afternoon.
A fireball barely clinging to the edge of the world.
Its dying light shrouded Konoha in a faded orange, casting long, bleeding shadows.
The Forest of Death was no longer vibrant.
It was quiet, brittle, filled with wind-blown weeds pushing through cracked cobblestones.
Once Konoha's heartbeat, now…
A ghost town.
From the mountain's base, the silhouette of trees looked like a dying barrier, shielding a broken world.
Leaves fluttered down.
Even the wind felt weary.
This… was the Uchiha District.
Once, after the founding of the village, it had been at the heart of it all.
It was called East Street, the first street of Konoha.
But after the Uchiha established the Konoha Military Police Force,
they began to fade from public favor.
The Senju clan's West Street rose in prominence.
Then the Hokage Tower was relocated—
pushing the Uchiha to the outskirts.
What was once the village's pride… was now its shadow.
The compound sat silent.
Chimneys cold.
Doors sealed tight.
A self-imposed wall surrounded their homes, isolating them from the rest of Konoha.
Time had scarred the stone.
The streets that once echoed with laughter now echoed with wind.
Only memories wandered here.
The war had reached them.
News from the front lines broke hearts.
The Uchiha were tight-knit.
But their emotions—intense, private—only came out among kin.
To outsiders, they wore masks of ice.
To each other, they wept.
"Grandfather… do you think Brother Rin is really… dead?"
A girl sat quietly in the courtyard of her home.
Her voice trembled with hope.
She was delicate, small—looked barely seven.
In truth, she was twelve.
In a world where twenty was old age,
she was already a woman.
In any other family, she would've already been wed off.
But she was Uchiha.
That meant she could become a shinobi.
And die on the battlefield, like a true Uchiha.
"Izumi, Rin's a lucky one. He won't die that easily."
"Go home now. Don't worry your parents."
The old man's voice was calm, but he saw her truth.
He didn't say it aloud—
but her parents had planned everything.
They had sent Rin to war…
instead of their daughter.
She had been chosen for the battlefield.
Until her mother intervened—
and told Rin.
He volunteered to go in her place.
"...If Mom hadn't told Rin, I'd be out there now…"
"…It should've been me."
Izumi whispered.
The old man sighed.
"This may be a blessing in disguise."
"You're alive."
"And thanks to him… your Sharingan awakened."
"This… this was your trial."
"Every Uchiha must face it.
And survive.
To become something greater."
He understood his daughter-in-law's choice.
Even if it was selfish.
Even if it sacrificed Rin.
Rin had no one.
His parents died in the last war.
He had nothing to lose.
It only took a little affection—
and he'd offer everything.
As they spoke, a ninja appeared behind the old man.
He wore the Uchiha crest proudly.
He knelt respectfully.
"Setsuna-sama.
The Clan Head has summoned a council.
Your presence is requested."