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Kagaya's words were met with silence—deathly silence.
After a while, the woman drew a deep breath, ignored everything Kagaya had just said, and asked her original question once more.
"Who are you?"
Kagaya walked over to a large rock nearby, brushed off the dust, and sat down.
"You're curious about me? And your reason? Although my name isn't something unspeakable, I have no intention of getting involved with you. So I have no reason to tell you my name. Stop asking. If you want information about me, you'll have to trade with more information about yourself first."
The woman immediately shot back using Kagaya's own words.
"Trade with my own information? You're curious about me?"
Kagaya corrected her.
"No. Not you. As I just said, I'm curious about the fact that you possess a Mangekyo despite not being a member of the Uchiha clan. As for you as a person... to be honest, I'm not particularly interested."
"My name is Shiina Momoko."
"That's all? Didn't I say I'm not interested in you as a person? You'd be better off revealing a bit more about your eyes. Then maybe I'll tell you who I am."
"My eyes? My eyes came from my daughter."
"Oh? Well, that's really—"
Kagaya spoke with a curled lip, assuming this was yet another cruel drama of a parent harming their own child. But very quickly, Kagaya realized something. He immediately cut off what he had been about to say.
"Wait! You couldn't be—"
Momoko smiled faintly.
"You've figured it out? Then, can you tell me your name now?"
Kagaya fell silent for a moment, then spoke.
"Uchiha Kagaya."
"Uchiha? I don't recall hearing about someone like you in the clan. But no matter. There's one more thing I wanted to ask—what is your purpose in getting close to her?"
"I do have a purpose. But I have no need to tell you. For the sake of your identity, I can only tell you this: my purpose is not harmful to her."
"How can you guarantee that?"
"Guarantee? Do you need me to demonstrate my strength? With my power, if I wanted to harm a little girl, would it be difficult?"
"I can't rest easy."
"Then that's your problem!"
Kagaya spoke coldly. What he intended to do was, indeed, not harmful to Yuki. If the person before him didn't believe it, then so be it! Was Kagaya supposed to agonize over how to give her a guarantee?
Momoko fell silent for a second time. She had felt Kagaya's terrifying chakra at the gate. She knew she was no match for him. Attacking Kagaya would only doom herself. Yet, she couldn't die yet—there were still things she had to do.
Kagaya spoke at that moment.
"Also, the person you should be seeing isn't me—it's Yuki. If you have something to say, just go see her directly. Why come looking for me? Don't tell me you thought I would stop you two from meeting?"
"No, that's not it. I cannot meet with Yuki."
Momoko immediately rejected Kagaya's suggestion.
Kagaya raised an eyebrow.
"What's this? Was I mistaken? You said your Mangekyo came from your daughter. Although I don't know much about Yuki's past, she told me that her Sharingan was exchanged for ordinary eyes with her mother—which perfectly matches what you just said. So I guessed you were Yuki's mother. But now, you can't even meet her? Did I guess wrong?"
"If she sees me, she'll have attachments. I don't want her staying in this clan. She cannot have any lingering feelings for this clan. She must leave!"
"Then why don't you just leave with her?"
"I still have unfinished business. I need to stay. If you truly mean no harm to that child, then please, by all means, take her far away from this clan. I've stayed here long enough. I need to leave."
With that, Momoko vanished immediately. She had come here seemingly just to confirm whether Kagaya harbored any ill intent toward Yuki.
Kagaya watched the spot where Momoko had disappeared and said nothing. He stood up and walked back the way he had come.
It was beside a river. Two simple wooden huts had already been built. For a shinobi, building something like this wasn't much trouble.
Yuki wasn't inside the huts. She was sitting quietly by the river, practicing the Impure World Reincarnation that Kagaya had taught her.
Kagaya walked over to Yuki and asked.
"How is it? Is there anything you don't understand?"
Yuki shook her head.
"Not for now."
"Is that so? By the way—I just met your mother."
Kagaya casually revealed Momoko's existence.
Although Momoko apparently didn't want Yuki to know of her existence, Kagaya had no need to consider Shiina Momoko's wishes.
Yuki immediately turned her head and fixed her gaze on Kagaya's eyes. She didn't cry out, nor did she seem overly surprised. She simply stared intently into Kagaya's eyes.
Kagaya instinctively took a step back.
"Stop, stop, stop. Such a sharp glare isn't a good thing."
"Kagaya-san... is what you just said true?"
"You don't need to stare into my eyes to verify the truth. I have no reason to lie to you. It's true."
"Then—"
"But she's already left. I don't know where she went either."
Yuki drew a deep breath and clenched her hand into a fist. She didn't cry out, nor did she show joy. She looked at Kagaya with an extremely resolute gaze.
"Kagaya-san... if you're not lying to me... then I will definitely find my mother!"
Kagaya smiled faintly.
"Then let's confirm one thing. Momoko—is that name your mother's?"
It was as if a boundless radiance rose from the depths of her eyes. It was a joy unlike anything seen before.
"Yes!"
Momoko was panicking. She had become so flustered by Yuki's appearance that she had even overlooked the basic common sense that her information might be revealed to Yuki by Kagaya.
She didn't want to see Yuki. She didn't want to reunite with her. She only wanted to drive Yuki away.
Not out of fear—but out of guilt.
"I... damn it all."
Trembling words escaped Momoko's lips. Only she knew what she herself had done.
Death Countdown—Day Four.
The day of Kagaya's death was drawing nearer and nearer. Before dying, Kagaya had to ensure that Yuki at least memorized the Impure World Reincarnation technique.
Thus, Kagaya only gave Yuki two days to resolve her own affairs. Beyond that time limit, no matter whether things were resolved or not, they would have to return and spend the final two days focusing solely on learning the Impure World Reincarnation.
This was the agreement between Kagaya and Yuki.
On this day, Kagaya and Yuki once again arrived at the Uchiha clan grounds.
"Kagaya-san... I want to ask you something. What do you think of my father's actions?"
Killing his daughter's friends to make her awaken the Sharingan. Staging his own injury to evolve her Sharingan. And finally, even planning to kill his own wife to help his daughter awaken the Mangekyo. That kind of person...
Kagaya sighed.
"Did you see it with your own eyes? Did you personally witness your father killing your friends? Did you personally confirm that your father's injury was merely an act? Did you personally investigate your father's actions?"
Yuki paused.
"I... I didn't. But—"
"Since you didn't, then don't jump to conclusions too early. Perhaps it's a bit cruel of me to say this. But if you're asking for my personal opinion..."
Kagaya smiled, and the image of his own father surfaced in his mind.
"I still think... perhaps there was a reason."
"Is that so..."
Once again, they leaped over the Uchiha clan gate and entered the clan grounds. This time, perhaps because of the intimidation Kagaya had displayed last time, no one came to block their path.
Kagaya freely extended his perception to search for Momoko.
Without any mishap, Kagaya quickly located her.
"This way!"
Kagaya grabbed Yuki and rushed toward the place he had sensed.
The scenery rushed past rapidly. After a short while, Kagaya brought Yuki to Momoko.
At this moment, Momoko seemed to have completely calmed down. She showed no surprise at Kagaya and Yuki's arrival.
"I thought you two would come."
Yuki looked at that familiar face, her entire body trembling. She couldn't help but open her mouth, wanting to say something. But when the words reached her lips, she didn't know what to say.
Kagaya's black pupils instantly transformed into crimson ones. In the very next second, Kagaya grabbed Yuki and turned around, preparing to leave with her.
"This is only a clone. I sensed wrong. Let's go."
Slap!
But Momoko's clone grabbed Yuki's other hand.
"Wait a moment. I do have some things I want to say. Otherwise, I wouldn't have left a clone here specifically to lure you over."
Kagaya turned his head. Seeing that Yuki wasn't speaking, he had no choice but to speak himself.
"Fine. Say it."
In any case, Kagaya wasn't in a hurry.
Momoko smiled faintly and began her story.
"I was still far too flustered yesterday. I should have observed you from the shadows. I shouldn't have shown myself. Now, even Yuki knows I'm still alive. This outcome truly isn't what I had hoped for. I should have died. I shouldn't have survived until now. Yuki... when I made you flee the Uchiha, I asked you—could you listen to Mother one last time? Now, it seems I'll have to turn those words into a lie. Because that wasn't the last time. This time is the last time. Can you listen to Mother one last time? Leave this clan. Go as far away as possible. Don't come back. This truly should be... the last time."
Yuki, looking as if she were about to cry, asked in confusion.
"Ha? Why? I don't understand! Mother... I don't understand!"
Shiina Momoko gently touched Yuki's cheek.
"Because... you are a genius."
In the history of the Uchiha, there was a period when the Mangekyo wielders slaughtered one another.
During that period, once one awakened the Mangekyo, regardless of whether one had ambition or not, one would be dragged into that brutal, inhuman slaughter.
Even trying to flee with the Mangekyo was extremely difficult, because others would covet your Mangekyo!
During this era, the Uchiha clansmen had mastered an extremely powerful and unreasonable ability—Izanagi.
This technique could turn all misfortune within a short period into "nothingness." It could achieve true invincibility. But this technique required a sacrifice—a Mangekyo Sharingan. In truth, the tomoe Sharingan could also be used, but the people of this time hadn't yet achieved that level of mastery. In this era, Uchiha clansmen could only use Izanagi with the Mangekyo.
After all, Izanagi had only just been developed not long ago. It hadn't yet reached the state where the tomoe could be used.
Therefore, in this era, every single Mangekyo was an extremely precious resource. Whether or not one had ambition, everyone would try to obtain more Mangekyo.
Those without ambition used them to preserve their lives. Those with ambition used them to fight.
Under these circumstances, fleeing with a Mangekyo was an act that no one would permit.
Thus, once one was dragged into this slaughter, there was no escape. One could only slowly, inevitably, meet one's own death.
Uchiha Yuki. That was a little girl born into the Uchiha clan.
When she was four or five years old, her parents—Uchiha Kenichi and Shiina Momoko—discovered that Yuki was extremely sensitive to chakra, ninjutsu, and the like. She learned things instantly. Without a doubt, this child was a genius.
And a genius born into a clan where people kept dying—her chances of awakening the Mangekyo in the future were practically guaranteed.
But this was not something worth celebrating. In this era, being a genius was, instead, a kind of tragedy.
The next day, Kenichi and Momoko had an argument. Kenichi wanted to cultivate Yuki into a powerful Mangekyo wielder. But Momoko wanted to find a way to keep Yuki away from ninjutsu entirely, so she could live as an ordinary human.
That was the source of their dispute.
In Momoko's view, awakening the Mangekyo meant death.
But Kenichi, as if suddenly possessed by a demon, insisted on cultivating Yuki into a powerful Mangekyo wielder.
In the end, he even placed Momoko under house arrest.
Then came the story that had been told before. After Yuki awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan, Momoko was granted the right to see Yuki. Seizing that opportunity, at the cost of being stabbed by Kenichi, Shiina Momoko fled with Yuki. She also exchanged her own eyes with Yuki's, to prevent Kenichi from hunting her down.
Momoko held Yuki's hand and lowered her head slightly.
"If only the story could have ended there. How wonderful that would have been. Yuki... do you know? You shouldn't have come back. I shouldn't have seen you. I..."
Kagaya listened quietly from the side. Only now did he finally understand a bit more about the matter between Yuki and her mother. Before this, Kagaya had only known about Yuki and her father.
Blood kept pouring from her abdomen. Momoko's life had reached its final moments.
The three-tomoe in her eyes had unconsciously transformed into the Mangekyo.
But it wasn't Momoko who had awakened it—it was Yuki who had.
At the moment of their final farewell, even though Yuki was unwilling to admit it, deep in her heart, she knew very well—Momoko would not survive.
Thus, by the time those eyes were transplanted into Momoko's sockets, the Mangekyo had already been awakened. Yuki simply hadn't noticed.
Her vision gradually blurred. In her final moments, Momoko saw Kenichi arrive beside her, katana in hand.
Then, the single remaining Mangekyo in Uchiha Kenichi's eye began to slowly turn white.
Izanagi.