But that empathy and anger stemming from the Kekkei Genkai Clan burned like a wildfire in his heart, making his expression turn extremely ugly.
A brief silence fell within the cave, with only the sound of a distant waterfall and the faint glow of fluorites intertwining.
Shine fell silent for a moment, his fingertips lightly tapping the stone wall beside him. The coldness of the rock seeped through his fingertips, gradually calming his chaotic thoughts.
He could understand Xiu's anger and feel that heavy sacrifice—Uzumaki Kyukaku's experience was both a personal tragedy and a microcosm of the Kekkei Genkai Clan's struggle for survival in the cracks of the Ninja World.
"Sigh, forget it." Shine's voice was low and calm, yet it carried a trace of imperceptible heaviness. "Take me to see him."
He knew that saying more now was useless; only by seeing Jiu He with his own eyes could he make subsequent arrangements—whether to extend his life or let him protect those he wanted to protect in his final moments, a clear answer was needed.
Xiu suddenly snapped back to his senses, suppressing the anger and worry in his heart, and nodded respectfully: "Yes, Lord."
He turned and walked toward the depths of the cave, his footsteps much heavier than when he arrived. Shine followed closely behind, with Chi and Yan flanking them, their eyes alertly scanning the stone houses along the way—although this was a secret base, one could not be too careful, especially when it involved survivors of the Uzumaki Clan.
In the stone houses along the way, resting Ninja could occasionally be seen. Upon seeing Shine pass by, they all stood up and bowed, their eyes filled with awe.
Passing through the training grounds and reaching a stone house at the deepest part of the cave, Xiu stopped and lightly knocked on the stone door: "Jiu He-kun, Lord Shine has come to see you."
A slight sound came from inside the stone door, followed by a weak but gentle voice: "Please come in." Shine took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and walked in—
The stone room was simply furnished, with only a stone bed, a stone table, and a few herbs used for conditioning the body in the corner. Uzumaki Kyukaku was leaning against the stone bed, his face so pale it was almost transparent, and his lips were cracked, yet he still managed to squeeze out a peaceful smile.
His wife, Uzumaki Kana, sat by the bed, wiping the thin sweat from his forehead. Seeing Shine and the others, a flash of gratitude and alertness passed through her eyes.
Shine's gaze fell upon Kyukaku. Seeing his state of being on the verge of collapse due to overdrawn vitality, he became even more certain: regardless, this man who spared nothing to protect his family deserved respect.
And the tragedy of the Land of Whirlpools must never be repeated with the Uchiha—this was not just a promise to Jiu He, but a silent declaration of war against all Kekkei Genkai Clan.
The air in the stone room was as stagnant as a piece of water-soaked lead, the bitterness of herbs and a faint scent of blood intertwining, lingering persistently at the tip of the nose.
As soon as Shine stepped into the room, his gaze fell upon Uzumaki Kyukaku on the stone bed—without needing to intentionally activate his Dōjutsu, the Mangekyo of Ōkuninushi had already begun to operate spontaneously, a pale purple glow flashing in his eyes, reflecting the situation inside Jiu He's body clearly.
It was a flame of life so weak it could go out at any moment.
The remaining Chakra in the Meridians was like a trickle in a dried-up riverbed, intermittent and unable to form any momentum;
The life Origin at the Dantian was even more terrifyingly empty, as if it had been pierced by countless fine needles for years, long since riddled with holes.
Shine could even "see" that the medical Chakra injected by Hien was like a stone thrown into a dry well, unable to stir even a single ripple, barely managing to hang onto that last breath.
The situation was even worse than what Xiu had said.
Shine reached a conclusion in his heart—even with daily consumption of top-tier Spirit Medicine, Jiu He's life would not last more than five years, and might even only be three.
He withdrew his gaze, his tone calm without a single ripple, yet like a cold blade, it pierced straight into the heart: "Do you have any regrets left?"
With a "clatter," the ceramic bowl in Uzumaki Kana's hand fell onto the stone table. The warm medicinal juice splashed across the table and dripped down the edge onto the back of her hand, making her flinch violently from the heat, yet she was completely oblivious to it.
Her whole body froze instantly, her back ramrod straight as if all her strength had been drained. In the next moment, she slumped powerlessly onto the stone stool, her hands tightly covering her face as suppressed sobs leaked from between her fingers, her shoulders trembling violently.
Kyukaku looked at his wife's breakdown, a helpless bitter smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, which pulled at the cracks and seeped blood. He coughed lightly twice, a sharp pain coming from his chest, making his face even paler and nearly transparent.
"Lord Shine, is it?" His voice was weak and raspy, yet he still maintained a trace of gentleness. "I am well aware of my own body."
He turned his neck, his gaze falling on Kana's trembling back, then slowly moved to the sleeping Uzumaki Karin in the swaddle by the bed.
The infant's small face was wrinkled, her breathing even, completely unaware that her parents were facing a life-and-death parting.
A layer of mist welled up in Kyukaku's eyes, filled with inseparable guilt and reluctance: "If we're talking about regrets..."
He took a deep breath, as if using all his strength, and looked at Shine with an incredibly earnest gaze: "Could I please ask Lord Shine to take good care of this mother and daughter? Kana... her nature is weak, and Karin is still so small. They cannot be without someone to rely on."
Shine did not hesitate at all, speaking frankly in a tone that showed no hint of hypocrisy: "If nothing goes wrong, I will take Uzumaki Karin as my Disciple. When she grows up, I will have her marry one of my future Disciples."
He made no attempt to hide his intentions—within those Mangekyo Sharingan, a flash of desire for pure Bloodline appeared. He had already predicted the concentration of Uzumaki Karin's Bloodline through intelligence, and it was not at all inferior to that of Uzumaki Kushina, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
Such talent was both an excellent experimental subject and an important bargaining chip for strengthening the Uchiha.
His plan had already taken shape: first, in the future, he could have Orochimaru study the vitality secret techniques of the Uzumaki Clan without harming Karin's life;
Second, by incorporating her into the Uchiha system and binding her completely through marriage, this precious Bloodline would be put to use for the Uchiha.
As for the candidate for the marriage alliance, Shine already had a conclusion in his heart—in the entire Uchiha, and even the entire Ninja World, the only one whose mind was somewhat normal and whose talent could match Karin's was probably that little fellow, Uchiha Sasuke.
After Awakening memories of his past life, he felt more and more that this world was absurd and laughable, a bunch of idiots swept up in hatred and ambition who couldn't even manage basic weighing of pros and cons. If it weren't for the need to use the power of these "fools" to pave the way, he wouldn't even bother dealing with them...
Advance chapter available on pãtrêon Got1808