After several days of march, the Uchiha clan finally entered the territory of the Land of Lightning. However, Uchiha Ryo and his companions didn't immediately leave the clan. Instead, they followed the main group to visit relatives and friends.
Almost a hundred years of separation had turned the two groups of people with Uchiha blood into two different clans. Their living habits had completely diverged. Moreover, many ancestors here had married into local families. Due to family ties in this area, they didn't leave with the others at that time.
Most clansmen who stayed here didn't have the talent to be ninjas. They were destined not to awaken their Sharingan and were even unable to extract chakra, living as ordinary people. After several generations of blood inheritance, the Uchiha bloodline had become increasingly diluted. Most of them no longer used the Uchiha surname and instead changed it to Kagetsu.
Because of the diluted bloodline, there were almost no people in the Kagetsu clan who could awaken the Sharingan. Even if someone occasionally awakened the Sharingan, the leader of the Uchiha clan here would immediately send a message to the Uchiha clan in the Land of Fire, asking them to quickly send someone to take the awakened person and their whole family away.
This kind of action might seem cold - hearted. Just a moment ago, they were still family, but as soon as a clansman awakened the Sharingan, they were immediately driven away.
However, this was undoubtedly the right decision. After all, the Kagetsu clan had kept away from disputes for a long time. In this chaotic era, with their weak strength, they couldn't protect those who awakened the Sharingan. After all, they weren't good at combat and didn't have the Uchiha name to back them up. For them, the Sharingan was not a precious treasure but a death warrant.
However, this method was not safe either. In this era, even if you had no grudges with someone, they might stab you just because they didn't like the way you walked. No matter how powerful the Uchiha clan was, it was difficult to protect every clan member. There were always some clan members who would be attacked by reckless people during the migration. Even if they took revenge later, the dead clan members could never come back to life.
This time, the Uchiha clan came because they had firmly established themselves in the Land of Fire. They wanted to take all the people of the Kagetsu clan back. Firstly, it was to prevent the Uchiha bloodline from being scattered outside. Secondly, it was to solve the problem once and for all, that is, the occasional awakening of the Sharingan here, which required the whole family to move.
However, before leading the clan here, Uchiha Masamitsu never expected that the branch in the Ancestral Land of the Land of Lightning had developed so well. They had actually transformed from an affiliated ninja clan into local minor nobles.
Since the other side had become registered nobles in the Land of Lightning, the matter of relocation naturally fell through. However, it was also a fact that there was still Uchiha blood here. The two sides haggled a lot and set some rules to protect the clan members.
But this process was very long. After the two sides started haggling, Uchiha Ryo and his companions suggested going out for a walk to see the scenery of the Land of Lightning.
After learning about this, the Kagetsu clan – no, it should be called the Kagetsu family now. The head of the Kagetsu family voluntarily recommended some outstanding young members of the family as guides for Uchiha Ryo and his companions.
Uchiha Ryo and his companions naturally had no reason to refuse. They immediately thanked the head and accepted the offer.
"Is it really okay to bring ordinary people?"
Uchiha Masaki followed Uchiha Ryo reluctantly. "If something happens later, then..."
"Hey, don't be so impatient. Even when fishing, not every situation will entice the fish to take the bait," Uchiha Ryo said with a gentle smile. "Before that, it's okay to slow down and wait for the bait to spread."
"Wow... You're such a heartbreaker!"
"Thank you for the compliment."
Madara: …(゜ - ゜)
[Elder brother should stop being so cryptic. What kind of riddle is this?]
Just as Madara was deep in thought about what the two were talking about, a gentle and mellow voice came from the front. "Ah, I presume you are the honored guests the clan head told me to receive.
My name is The Rise of the Radiant Moon. I've been ordered by the clan head to be your guide for some time. Although we're still strangers, let's get along well, shall we?"
Madara looked up at the figure standing at the door, a person with delicate features and a warm smile on the lips, giving an approachable feeling. However, wasn't the look in his eyes a bit too intense when he looked at them?
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Uchiha Ryo. The two beside me are my fellow classmates, Uchiha Masaki, and my younger brother, Madara Uchiha," Uchiha Ryo nodded slightly in the direction of the voice. "Sorry to trouble you these days."
"No, no. It's not trouble at all. Rather, it's my honor to be in the company of such beauties."
Uchiha Ryo: …Huh?
"Haha, don't take it to heart. Everyone loves beauty, and I'm just a bigger sucker for it than most," The Rise of the Radiant Moon stepped aside. "We're about the same age, so I'll take the liberty of calling you by your names."
"Uh, yeah, that's okay." Uchiha Ryo nodded slightly, tapped his staff - sword and stepped forward. "Then we'll trouble you, The Rise of the Radiant Moon, these days."
"You're welcome," The Rise of the Radiant Moon said with a gentle smile, leading the way in front, but his eyes were fixed on the lower half of Uchiha Ryo's face. "Do you guys have any taboos?"
"You're joking, The Rise of the Radiant Moon. We're ninjas. We're always the ones being chosen. How can we have the right to be picky?" Uchiha Ryo seemed oblivious to The Rise of the Radiant Moon's gaze, with a gentle smile on his lips. "But in my free time after missions, I sometimes like to have a drink. If I can sample the fine wines of the Land of Lightning this time, this trip won't have any regrets."
The Rise of the Radiant Moon seemed to think of something and his eyes lit up. "In that case, I do know a quiet and nice place..."
Seeing the two chatting happily (?), Uchiha Masaki slowed down and walked alongside Madara, lowering his voice. "That guy is the same type as your brother. It's quite dangerous. You should be careful."
"... What do you mean by the same type?"
"I mean the type who can smile at you one second and stab you through the next."
Madara averted his gaze. "... It's like you wouldn't do the same thing."
"
"Of course I won't do that," Uchiha Masaki said with a sorrowful expression. "I'm quite compassionate, so I usually choose to put them out of their misery...
Well, it's fun to surround and hunt down the enemy and watch them slowly fall into despair. Also, the screams during interrogation are quite pleasing. The unyielding will of those even when facing a hopeless situation is always moving no matter how many times you see it.
But because they're enemies, I have to do this. Then, after they confess the information, I'll kindly put them out of their misery... Compared with Uchiha Ryo, I'm so kind."
Madara: ...Where do you get the nerve to say you're kind?
"What? You don't believe me?" Seeing Madara's expression, Uchiha Masaki couldn't help but pout. "Your elder brother only cared about his image in front of his family before he went blind and was even crazier when fighting.
You should know that although I was also one of the heir candidates and had enough strength back then, I was also the first one to announce my withdrawal from the heir candidacy."
"…Why?"
"Of course it's because I'm not as cunning as them and can't play the power game!" Uchiha Masaki said excitedly, but his voice was still very soft. "Compared with them, I might as well write 'weak, pathetic, and helpless' on my face. I'm the kindest among my peers."
[This guy is even more troublesome than that Kenji.]
Thinking of this, Madara silently quickened his pace and closely followed behind Uchiha Ryo. At the same time, he reaffirmed a thought -
[There are so many weirdos among my elder brother's peers.]"