28. Kaguya Sosuke

Inside the archive room, there was a map of the dungeon.

Apart from the office and resting areas, it also marked the numbered sections where prisoners were held.

There were three sections in total, labeled one, two, and three.

However, the design of the dungeon seemed a bit odd, making the naturally symmetry-loving Uchiha Gin feel uncomfortable.

After quickly locating the section labeled two, Uchiha Gin grabbed the scroll and left.

The second section was quite close to the archive room. After a few minutes of walking, Uchiha Gin arrived in front of an iron-barred door guarded by two Uchiha clan members.

"Who goes there?"

Hearing a familiar voice, Uchiha Gin recognized the two Uchiha guards.

"Aren't you on patrol? How come you're here in the dungeon?"

Recognizing them, Uchiha Gin asked out of curiosity.

These were the same Uchiha clan members he had encountered upon returning to the village. He hadn't expected to run into them again here.

"It's over!"

Uchiha Tanaka was filled with despair, thinking Uchiha Gin had come to the dungeon just to get revenge on him.

Yesterday, after learning from his teammates that the person he had nearly offended was the infamous "Uchiha Gin," who was known for all kinds of evil deeds, he had panicked.

Fearing retaliation, he had immediately submitted a request to be transferred to a remote post. But on his first day, the "devil" had already found him.

"Hitomi, I'm sorry. I hope you don't become a widow and find happiness."

Uchiha Tanaka closed his eyes with a tragic expression, ready to accept his fate.

"What are you dawdling for? Open the door. I'm here to check on the prisoners."

Not understanding what the Uchiha guards were imagining, Uchiha Gin grew impatient when one of them closed his eyes and started muttering, while the other stared blankly, pretending not to see him.

"Huh? You're not here for me?"

Hearing Uchiha Gin's words, the previously despairing Uchiha Tanaka opened his eyes in confusion.

"Why would I be here for you? I'm busy. Hurry up."

"Tanaka, open the door for Lord Uchiha Gin!"

The other Uchiha guard nudged Tanaka, who quickly woke from his stupor, took out the keys, and opened the door for Uchiha Gin.

"This is ridiculous," Uchiha Gin muttered, puzzled by Tanaka's behavior.

"Which cell is Kaguya Sosuke in?"

"My lord, I'll lead you there."

The other Uchiha, giving a reassuring look to the nervous Tiedan, offered to lead the way.

Following him, Uchiha Gin entered the prisoner section of the dungeon for the first time.

Wooden bars lined both sides, appearing fragile, but each one was covered with the Uchiha clan's unique fire talismans.

Without the right technique to disable them, anyone who touched them would be instantly engulfed in flames—at best, they'd be burned, and at worst, reduced to ashes.

As they walked, the prisoners began to stir.

"Filthy Uchiha, let me out and I'll crush you into pulp!"

– The angry, violent type.

"Wow, this guy has such smooth skin. I just want to pin him down."

– The perverted Geh type.

"Kill me! Just kill me now!"

– The mentally broken type.

The dungeon erupted with various voices, but to Uchiha Gin, this was more than just the usual clamor.

"Host is entering combat. Steel Heart chest is accumulating…"

"Host is entering combat…"

"Host is…"

The notification from the Steel Heart system had been playing in a loop ever since he entered the prison area, endlessly repeating in his mind.

Everyone here seemed eager to fight him, a Uchiha. Wasn't this a fertile field of "wheat" for him to harvest?

Suppressing his excitement, he followed the clan member to the innermost cell, where a middle-aged man, bound tightly, lay thin and frail.

His limbs were twisted at odd angles, and his gray-white hair framed two signature red marks of the Kaguya clan on his eyebrows.

"That's Kaguya Sosuke. Be careful, Lord Gin. Although his chakra is sealed, we can't suppress his taijutsu. We've had to keep him starved and break his limbs," the clan member explained.

"It's fine. Open the door; I need to question him."

Hearing that his chakra was sealed and his limbs broken, Uchiha Gin felt relieved and urged the guard to open the cell.

"Yes, my lord."

Though it was against protocol to open the cell door, the guard, knowing he couldn't argue with Uchiha Gin, obediently unlocked it.

"What's your name?"

"Uchiha Mitsu, my lord."

The clan member quickly introduced himself.

"Alright, Uchiha Mitsu, go outside. I need to question the prisoner alone."

"But..."

Uchiha Mitsu hesitated, fearing the risk. If anything happened to Uchiha Gin, his head would surely roll.

"Don't worry. The guy inside can barely move. I'm just going to ask him a few questions from the door."

Uchiha Gin reassured him.

"Alright, but please be careful. If anything happens, call for me immediately."

Understanding the situation, Uchiha Mitsu left.

Uchiha Gin entered Kaguya Josuke's cell. The middle-aged man, seated on a straw mat, slowly lifted his head at the sound of movement. His dull eyes were lifeless, like those of a puppet.

"Kaguya Sosuke?"

Frowning at the unresponsive man, Uchiha Gin tried to initiate the conversation.

"…"

The man ignored him, as if oblivious to the question.

"According to the records, you were captured six years ago for brutally murdering Uchiha members on a mission."

Flipping through the scroll in his hand, Uchiha Gin continued.

"So, do you know anything about the Kaguya clan's attack on our Uchiha clan six years ago?"

Not giving up, Uchiha Gin pressed on with his question, hoping for a response.

Suddenly, something snapped within Kaguya Sosuke.

His expression twisted, first into a strange laugh, then into sheer terror, as if he had seen a ghost.

A brief flicker of clarity appeared in his eyes as he slowly raised his bound hands toward Uchiha Gin.

The system's voice echoed once more in Uchiha Gin's mind.

"Host is entering combat. Steel Heart chest is accumulating…"

Without hesitation, Uchiha Gin stepped back just as small bone spikes shot out from Kaguya Josuke's fingertips, embedding themselves into the spot where he had just been standing.

"He still has a bloodline ability?"

Shaken, Uchiha Gin stared at the spikes, which had lodged deeply into the stone, realizing that Kaguya Josuke had hidden his bloodline ability, perhaps as a secret weapon.

But why reveal it so easily now, against a Uchiha he had never met?

Seeing his attack fail, Kaguya Sosuke once again pointed his hands at Uchiha Gin, preparing for another strike.

But this time, Uchiha Gin didn't plan to dodge.

Channeling chakra into his fist, he launched it straight at Kaguya Sosuke's chest as more bone spikes shot toward him.

Shikotsumyaku: Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets

Faced with the incoming bone spikes, Uchiha Gin focused more chakra into his fist. With a loud crash, the spikes were shattered by his iron fist, which then connected with Kaguya Josuke's emaciated chest.

Kaguya Sosuke's frail body caved under the punch, his chest collapsing as Uchiha Gin's fist became lodged in his bones.

Just as Uchiha Gin wondered why the hit had landed so easily, Kaguya Josuke raised his head, a maniacal grin on his blood-soaked face.

"Got you."

Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Larch

Uchiha Gin's expression changed as he realized the bones from Kaguya Sosuke's chest were growing into a massive, sharp bone flower, its ribs extending towards his face.

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