Seeing Uchiha Tajima's somber expression, seemingly genuine, Uchiha Gin felt a pang of guilt for reopening old wounds. The massacre six years ago had cost Tajima his beloved wife and children, and revisiting it was like salting his scars.
"Sorry, Uncle, I shouldn't have…" Uchiha Gin apologized quickly.
"It's fine. It's been years, and I've moved on. Seeing you pull through brings me comfort," Tajima said, patting his shoulder encouragingly.
"I'll take my leave then," Uchiha Gin said, realizing Tajima had no more useful answers.
"Wait," Tajima called.
"Anything else, Uncle?" Uchiha Gin asked, turning.
"Soon, I may need you for a mission. I'll notify you," Tajima said.
"Got it," Uchiha Gin replied. His memories recalled similar tasks—negotiations or trades, low-risk, good for building reputation.
As Uchiha Gin left, Tajima's mournful expression vanished, replaced by a frosty glare. "Traces of that man still linger. Elder Yan's getting sloppy," he muttered. "Looks like Gin will have to reunite with his family."
His words were colder than his gaze.
Back home, Uchiha Gin ignored Senju Itama's attempts to talk, collapsing onto the sofa to sleep.
Itama watched Uchiha Gin's turned back, eyes complex, then silently returned to the bedroom.
On the sofa, Uchiha Gin opened his eyes, reflecting on the day.
Morning brought the eerie old guard in the dungeon, who seemed to know the truth about six years ago and hinted the abandoned cell block held answers.
At the medical center, a sensed malice made him wary of Tajima, far less simple than memories suggested.
The photo from Itama's shattered frame revealed two strangers, one possibly his grandfather. Yet Tajima claimed they were estranged, despite the photo showing closeness, suggesting Tajima was hiding something.
Sorting these clues, Uchiha Gin drifted off, his left hand glowing faintly red in the dark.
The next morning, he woke from another strange dream: playing with a girl when a group approached, whispering something that made her collapse in tears. They then spoke to him, led by a young Tajima. Though unclear, he fainted, glimpsing a red moon with a familiar, eerie pattern.
The dream, featuring Tajima, wasn't mere fantasy. It likely reflected the original owner's past. The girl matched the photo's—Uchiha Light?
Setting her aside, Uchiha Gin headed to the dungeon for clues.
In the dungeon corridor, the old guard's hints pointed to the abandoned cell block. Uchiha Rusa had said it lay between Cell Blocks One and Two. At a Y-shaped junction—left to One, right to Two—the facing wall bore signs of past excavation, hinting at a sealed passage.
Probing the wall's protrusions for a mechanism, Uchiha Gin found nothing.
As he considered giving up, he spotted Elder Yan's rotund figure with the grim Uchiha Ryuei.
Keeping his distance, Uchiha Gin activated his Sharingan, reading their lip movements to eavesdrop.
Yan: "Ryuei, has the Sarutobi prisoner talked?"
Ryuei: "Lord Yan, give me time. I'll extract answers without damaging his brain."
Yan: "Hurry. If needed, force-read his memories."
Ryuei: "That risks brain death. If we don't get the info…"
Yan: "Last resort. Is the prisoner in Cell Block Zero behaving?"
Ryuei: "No issues. I oversee it personally. Rest assured, Lord Yan."
Yan: "Keep him alive. We need his answers."
Ryuei: "Yes, I'll check on him soon."
Uchiha Gin deduced Cell Block Zero was the abandoned block, still holding a living prisoner under Ryuei's watch, raising the infiltration stakes.
If Ryuei was heading there, tailing him could reveal the entrance.
With a plan, Uchiha Gin trailed Ryuei from afar, cautious of his strength. Getting caught would be hard to explain.
After a while, Ryuei didn't head to the abandoned block, instead lingering in a Cell Block One cell.
Finally, Ryuei emerged, hands bloodied, and returned to his office.
Fearing he'd lose the trail, Uchiha Gin knocked on Ryuei's door. No response. Sensing something off, he entered.
The large office was grimly toned, oppressive. Scanning, Uchiha Gin found no sign of Ryuei.
"Where'd he go?" he wondered. "There's a hidden passage."
Years of story tropes suggested a mechanism in a bookcase or ornament. Ryuei's office was sparse, but a flowerless vase on his desk stood out suspiciously.
As he reached for it, his Uzumaki-enhanced senses detected Ryuei's chakra approaching fast. With no hiding spots and Ryuei meters away, a wall shadow rippled.
Resigned to trouble, Uchiha Gin saw his shadow shimmer, a familiar face appearing within it.
His body sank, swallowed by his own shadow.
As a lock turned, Uchiha Gin, unable to resist, merged into his shadow just before Ryuei opened a hidden door.
Ryuei entered, frowning, sensing something amiss. His Sharingan scanned repeatedly but found nothing. Exhausted from interrogations, he dismissed it as a hallucination.
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