Clocking in for work, Uchiha Gin returned to the dungeon, feeling oddly at ease. The original owner seemed unusually suited to this grim environment.
At his post, the chaotic archive room was unchanged, giving him a headache. Uchiha Ryuei had said no assistants were available, so, sighing, he got to work.
The room's layout was simple: wall-to-wall bookshelves, with a desk in the center. Uchiha Gin checked the shelves for labels.
Cell Block One: Scrolls in green, Crime Level: High.
Relieved by the brief instructions, he found it would save time. He soon located shelves for Cell Blocks Two and Three, marked by blue and purple scrolls for medium and low crimes, respectively.
Yesterday's scroll, for Kaguya Josuke, was blue—a medium-level criminal.
Recalling Josuke's file—"Rogue ninja, mentally unstable"—Uchiha Gin realized the captors likely didn't connect him to the Uchiha clan grounds massacre six years ago. Josuke was arrested merely for attacking a patrol, killing two Uchiha.
Having "conversed" with Josuke, Uchiha Gin knew his mind was broken. Interrogations after his capture likely yielded nothing, explaining his placement in the lenient Cell Block Two, untouched for years.
"Josuke's lead is dead. If I can find who captured him, maybe there's a clue in the arrest," Uchiha Gin mused.
Picking up Josuke's file again, he read: "Kaguya Josuke: Rogue ninja, killed two Uchiha clansmen, suspected mental instability, immune to genjutsu interrogation, details unknown… Currently held in Cell Block Two."
Flipping further, he found a note: "Prisoner Kaguya Josuke captured by a team led by Uchiha Ryuei."
Him! The chilling man who guided him yesterday flashed in his mind.
Uchiha Ryuei had captured Josuke six years ago, but his cold demeanor didn't invite questions. Uchiha Gin frowned, pondering how to broach the topic.
The archive door creaked open.
Speak of the devil—Uchiha Ryuei, gaunt and radiating cold, stepped in.
Seeing Uchiha Gin diligently studying a scroll, Ryuei was mildly surprised. The notorious slacker was actually working.
Surprise aside, Elder Yan had tasked him with investigating yesterday's prisoner death, part of his duties as the dungeon's acting manager. While Elder Yan oversaw the dungeon, his many responsibilities left daily operations to Ryuei.
"You killed a prisoner yesterday?" Ryuei asked, his voice icy.
"No! It was self-defense!" Uchiha Gin protested, then explained, "I was just verifying info. The guy attacked me. Lucky for me, he was weak—his Shikotsumyaku was brittle. A few counterstrikes, and he collapsed."
"Shikotsumyaku?" Ryuei's interest piqued at the mention, frowning. "What was his name?"
"Kaguya Josuke. No idea who caught him, putting a dangerous guy like that in Cell Block Two. What a…" Uchiha Gin baited, feigning criticism of Josuke's captor.
"I caught him," Ryuei admitted, his face darkening at the jab.
"Brilliant choice! Shows our clan's humane management," Uchiha Gin backpedaled, easing Ryuei's scowl.
Seizing the moment, he pressed, "Impressive work, sir, capturing such a fierce criminal. How'd you do it?"
Ryuei's brow smoothed, searching his memory. Uchiha Gin waited silently, not interrupting.
Minutes later, Ryuei recounted the story.
Six years ago, shortly after becoming clan leader, Uchiha Tajima led the clan's young fighters to the front to build his authority.
Unforeseen, the clan grounds suffered a catastrophic attack. The leader's residence was leveled, with only one survivor.
Wracked with guilt, Tajima bolstered patrol teams and expanded their range.
A month after the massacre, a patrol encountered a strange figure. Initially, the man didn't engage, merely wandering dazed near Uchiha territory. The patrol assumed he was a harmless drifter.
Tensions rose when a cautious Uchiha sensed chakra and used Sharingan genjutsu. The man snapped, attacking like a switch had flipped.
His brutal taijutsu pierced two weaker Uchiha's chests, killing them instantly.
Outmatched, the survivors called for backup. Tajima sent Uchiha Ryuei, then at his peak, to apprehend the attacker.
"Was Josuke mentally stable back then?" Uchiha Gin interjected.
Ryuei, unbothered, continued.
By midnight, Ryuei's team tracked the fugitive using patrol clues, finally seeing the culprit.
"He was a wreck," Ryuei said. "Filthy, clothes in tatters, stumbling like a fool. At first glance, you'd think him a mad vagrant, not a murderer."
"Any injuries?" Uchiha Gin asked.
"His back was scorched, like burned by fire, oozing pus," Ryuei replied.
Scorched? Mentally broken? The details swirled in Uchiha Gin's mind, a spark of insight just out of reach.
"How'd you catch him?" he pressed.
Ryuei resumed.
Upon meeting, Ryuei tested Josuke, felling him with one blow. As a teammate approached, activating Sharingan, Josuke surged up again.
Fortunately, Ryuei's team was strong; one lost an arm but survived.
A fierce taijutsu battle ensued. Josuke's speed dodged most ninjutsu, and his madness made him immune to genjutsu. They wore him down physically.
The fight was even until Josuke repeatedly paused, hiding in tree shadows, giving Ryuei an opening to break his limbs and capture him.
"Hiding in shadows?" Uchiha Gin frowned, baffled.
"I didn't understand it then," Ryuei said. "But after capturing him, I heard him mutter."
"What?" Uchiha Gin's curiosity spiked.
"'Run! Don't let the moonlight touch you!'" Ryuei's cold voice echoed.
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