Inside the training ground, Shin'yu clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention back to himself.
"Of course, you can completely ignore my words, just treat them as the ravings of a madman."
He drawled, "But, just in case someone really does find the Treasure, latecomers won't count, you know."
Orochimaru subconsciously glanced at Hiruko, and before he could evade, their eyes met.
"What's all this about? Hey, Orochimaru, you're not serious, are you?"
Tong Ren stepped forward, anxiously advising, "You're already very strong, there's no need to go down that path, right?"
He completely couldn't understand Shin'yu's sudden mention of a "Treasure" and a "Trial."
"That's... defecting the village!"
The thought of drawing his sword against his own sister tore at his heart.
"Being weak is called 'defecting the village'; being strong is called 'leaving'," Shin'yu's expression revealed a hint of disdain. "Hidden Leaf Village is nothing much. I left Hidden Leaf Village when I was seven."
He spread his hands. "I won't say anything bad about Hidden Leaf Village. What kind of place it is, whether it has what you're looking for, hehe, you'll slowly come to realize."
As expected, he was once a member of Hidden Leaf Village? No wonder he's so familiar with the village, Orochimaru mused.
At this moment, Nian, who had been silent all along, spoke, "Tong Ren, people have different pursuits. Perhaps becoming stronger isn't necessary for you, but you have no right to block others' paths."
"I..." Tong Ren was at a loss for words; he indeed had no desire for strength.
For him, it was enough to do his best in everything. He always liked to leave things beyond his efforts to fate. If all else failed, his sister would help him solve it.
"Da, da, da."
Nian stepped forward, standing in front of Tong Ren. He looked up at Shin'yu, his gaze showing no timidity. "The Trial Big Brother mentioned, is it only for Orochimaru and this Hiruko-kun?"
"Call me Senior." Shin'yu smiled.
"Uh, Senior."
Shin'yu nodded in satisfaction. "Well, you and Tong Ren are Bloodline Limits yourselves, and not ordinary Bloodline Limits. Compared to them, your starting line is much closer to the finish line."
"Then, what is the path to becoming stronger for us?" Nian asked softly.
"Don't misunderstand. The theory I mentioned applies to everyone. Even if you have the Bloodline Limit with the strongest Eye Technique, the difference is only in the quality of your Innate Potential," Shin'yu said. "Your path is destined to be cruel and lonely."
"But... my sister clearly said that as long as we awaken the Sharingan, our strength will naturally increase dramatically... Do we still need to seize the power of others?" Tong Ren was somewhat agitated.
Being kind by nature, he felt guilty even thinking about those gruesome methods.
"Silly child, opening your eyes is just taking the first step," Shin'yu chuckled.
Nian's eyes flickered, and after a long while, he mustered his courage and asked, "Senior, did you also gain such great strength through these means?"
"Well... more or less," Shin'yu thought for a moment, adding, "Also, I am also Uchiha."
He raised his hand and gently pulled off the Jet Black ribbon. Instantly, a handsome and radiant face came into everyone's view.
He opened his eyes, revealing a pair of bright, mirror-like pupils, their color scarlet. Three Jet Black, perfectly round tomoe were gently rotating around the pupils, with a deep purple light within, beautiful and hazy.
"This is... Sharingan!"
Seeing these eyes, the others were immediately stunned.
"Senior... is Senior actually a member of the Uchiha Clan?"
Shin'yu chuckled, his eyes blooming with crystalline light, tomoe swirling, patterns changing, instantly transforming into Mangekyo, like a shamrock blooming in a magic circle, beautiful and extraordinary.
"These eyes are called Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, and the reason they are eternal..." Shin'yu said nonchalantly, "is because I took someone else's eyes and fused them with my own Eye Power, thus achieving what I am now."
Orochimaru looked at Shin'yu's eyes with some awe, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.
Even though the other party had restrained all his aura, he still felt cold to the bone, as if he had fallen into an ice cave, every cell soaked in the cold river water.
"Even someone as strong as Senior needs to do this..."
Tong Ren's pupils trembled. What he had seen today had completely shattered the worldview he had built up over the past decade.
If becoming stronger required such a price, then he would rather be an ordinary person for the rest of his life, even if his life was reaped, he would have no regrets.
"Tong Ren, with your personality, it's right that you never awaken your Sharingan in your life," Shin'yu suddenly said, his tone slightly solemn, "Otherwise, you will definitely suffer for the rest of your life."
His gaze turned to Uchiha Nen, "As for you..."
Nen showed a look of anticipation, his breathing quickening.
"That Secret Technique I gave you, have you been practicing it diligently?"
"I study it every day, without interruption."
"Well, that's good enough." Shin'yu came to him in one step, squatted down, trying to look at Nen at eye level, "I'm actually very curious, why exactly do you want to become stronger, or rather... what is the motivation that supports you to become stronger?"
"I..." Nen hesitated for a moment, his eyes darting around, "I..."
Shin'yu smiled slightly, and with a crisp snap of his fingers, a visible ripple spread out from under their feet, water vapor gathering, instantly turning into a transparent Water Shield two meters in diameter, thin and smooth, isolating all sound.
"Speak freely, this is a vacuum shield constructed from a double-layered Water Molecule Barrier, they can't hear it." Shin'yu blinked.
Nen looked out in surprise, and sure enough, the three people outside the shield looked at each other, completely clueless.
"Can you talk now?"
"It's... because of my father." Nen stammered.
Shin'yu's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.
Nen obviously didn't notice, and said to himself: "My parents both died on the battlefield, but my father was a cowardly deserter. He betrayed the village at a critical moment and chose to escape, but he still died... This makes me feel... very humiliated..."
He smiled bitterly: "Because the crimes he committed were too serious, no one is willing to tell me his name..."
"I think that only if I become stronger, become someone that everyone has to rely on and look up to, can I wash away my father's crimes, and let all the grievances and injustices I have suffered in these 8 years be completely dispelled!"
As he spoke, Nen noticed that the young man in front of him was silent, his gaze seemingly gentle, but like the surface of a lake under rolling black clouds, calm but brewing a storm.
Instantly, Nen's breathing stopped.
Seeming to notice his emotions, Shin'yu narrowed his eyes, and all the pressure disappeared, "They told you that?"
"Does Senior know my father?" Nen's eyes lit up.
"I know him. He was indeed an incredibly cowardly deserter, a despicable traitor, but..."
Shin'yu smiled nonchalantly and said softly, "That was only directed at me alone."
"What?" Nen widened his eyes.
"The only thing he could be worthy of was the Hidden Leaf Village."
Nen's face flushed red, and he said anxiously, "Senior, do you know about my father? Please, you must tell me!"
"Hmm... it would be too easy to just tell you like that." Shin'yu's lips curled up, revealing a sly smile. "How about this? You also join the mission to find the laboratory, assisting either Orochimaru or Hiruko. As long as they successfully find the Treasure, I'll consider you to have completed the mission. As a reward, I'll tell you everything about your father."
"This..."
Shin'yu thought for a moment and said, "Seeing how pitiful you are, I'll be merciful and tell you... his name."
Nen widened his eyes and unconsciously swallowed.
"His name is... Uchiha Kagami."
Shin'yu stared into Nen's eyes. "If you ever want to die, you can try saying this name to the Hidden Leaf Village High-Ups."
Nen gave a wry smile. "Senior, you really know how to joke."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shin'yu waved his hand, and the Water Shield collapsed like a bubble, and the air returned to circulation.
"I wish you good luck in the time to come." Shin'yu raised both hands, his gaze slowly sweeping across everyone's faces, his smile revealing a hint of evil charm. "Now then, the Trial begins."
"Clap."
He clapped his hands together, and his entire person disappeared abruptly. This kind of miraculous Body Flicker Technique was like a gazelle hanging its horns, leaving no trace to be found.
Shin'yu was gone, as if he had never been there.
However, everyone's minds were filled with all sorts of thoughts. Tong Ren was suddenly shocked because he discovered three pairs of eyes, flashing with madness.
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