CHAPTER 282: CHAPTER 282: ON AWAKENING THE EYE, PEOPLE ARE NOT ALL THE SAME

Done!

Kakuzu fought back, but with only one heart left and his chakra nearly spent, even his resistance couldn’t amount to much—just a few Fire Release techniques.

But...

With the Ice Armor wrapped around him, such flames couldn’t harm Kanda Kyoichi in the slightest.

Defense buff maxed out—who could possibly hurt me?

Kakuzu was livid.

Once again, he was forced to taste the bitterness of facing an opponent whose defense was impenetrable. And to make matters worse...

This opponent’s offensive ability was just as overwhelming.

No—

To be precise—

There wasn’t a single field in which Kanda Kyoichi wasn’t strong.

Ninjutsu, kenjutsu, genjutsu, defensive arts...

Why did such a man exist?

Kakuzu couldn’t understand, and he couldn’t accept it.

How could there be someone like this in the world?

And yet...

At this point, Kakuzu was in no position to protest. His chakra had been sealed, his body wrapped tight in countless paper sheets, reduced to a bundle—not much different from the fate that had befallen Sasori.

Looks like...

They could truly be comrades now.

Once Kakuzu was dealt with, Kyoichi extended his chakra perception.

Within the range of the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave, quite a few enemies were still trapped—just enough to take care of all at once.

With his current mastery over Water Release, he could manipulate another person’s water techniques at will—so controlling his own to drag them in was no challenge.

Currents began to churn within the Water Prison.

Before long, several who had made it toward the edges suddenly found themselves swept up by the surge, pushed step by step toward the prison’s depths.

The despair was palpable.

Kyoichi’s water techniques might not yet be unrivaled in the world, but they were close. He simply preferred not to act unless necessary.

One by one, the current delivered them before him.

Not every shinobi could hold their breath for so long.

Some had already gulped down enough water to faint, and only a small number remained conscious when they reached him. But...

Those who saw Kanda Kyoichi promptly blacked out as well.

They had met him before.

For a simple reason—

They were Uchiha.

But...

They were not the chosen ones among the clan. Not everyone had the privilege of serving under Madara. Some were missing one eye; others were completely blind.

The blind, of course, did not faint—they couldn’t see him at all.

Kyoichi paused in silence for a moment, then dispelled the water in the area, leaving a dry space.

"Seems life hasn’t treated you well. Tell me—after betraying your village and clan, what happened to you here?"

His tone was casual, almost like idle chatter.

These were all subordinates of Uchiha Ki, their names on the missing persons list.

Silence hung in the air.

Finally, one of the blind spoke.

"Are you Kanda Kyoichi-sama? We... sigh... after leaving the Land of Fire, we were brought here to the Land of Water. At first they treated us well, but later... they began using us for endless experiments."

His voice was detached, as though speaking about someone else’s suffering, void of any emotion.

Not because he had come to terms with it—

But because despair had long since numbed him.

"If I recall, your name is Uchiha Kazuya, and you had a younger brother, Uchiha Kyūsaku... So, where is he?"

Kyoichi studied him, the memory resurfacing.

"I don’t know. He was ordered to dig out my eyes, and after that, I never saw him again. I don’t know where he is, but I don’t think he’s here."

Uchiha Kazuya’s voice was flat.

Kyoichi nodded faintly, understanding now what Madara was up to—

Breaking them, to see if greater Sharingan could be born.

The method was cruel.

Apart from these captives, the rest seemed to be Kirigakure researchers—likely brainwashed by the Third Mizukage into believing they were serving their village.

They had no idea the true mastermind behind their work was Uchiha Madara.

Kyoichi sighed inwardly.

It was clear Madara no longer saw these people as kin. In his eyes, his clan had died the day he left Konoha and no one followed him.

If it were Kyoichi himself...

He would have felt the same.

These were fickle people. Back then they refused to leave with Madara; now, mistreated by Konoha, they betrayed the village to run.

Fair-weather allies—no one likes them.

Especially ones with no self-awareness.

Madara wasn’t after the Uchiha clan as a whole—he wanted a genius with Mangekyō Sharingan. Kyoichi wasn’t sure if such experiments could succeed, but...

Madara’s actions only heightened his sense of urgency.

He had to move faster.

Otherwise, if Madara truly managed to create one or two Mangekyō wielders, killing them would be nearly impossible.

Madara with the Mangekyō was a completely different opponent from Madara without it.

Kyoichi drew in a deep breath.

"Kyoichi-sama..."

"I’ll take you back to Konoha. What happens after that isn’t for me to decide."

"Yes... Thank you, Kyoichi-sama."

They did not hope for forgiveness—

Only to end the torment, the dehumanizing experiments, the utter lack of dignity. Even death among their own clan would have been more honorable than this.

Just then—

Minato’s Flying Thunder God arrived.

It was only a clone, here to check on Kyoichi’s situation.

But when he saw the Uchiha in their pitiful state, he opened his mouth yet couldn’t speak.

This...

"Madara is trying to manufacture Sharingan. These aren’t all of them—I suspect another base holds other Uchiha, undergoing different experiments toward the same goal."

"Wait! Did you just say... Madara?"

Uchiha Kazuya’s voice shook with disbelief.

The others turned sharply toward him.

Kyoichi had no interest in mocking them; he only nodded.

"Yes. Based on our intel, the one behind this is likely Uchiha Madara—who appeared to have died at the Valley of the End."

"That’s... impossible!"

Kazuya’s voice cracked. His belief was shattering, emotions spiraling into chaos. Kyoichi almost suspected that—

If he still had eyes—

He might have awakened the Mangekyō right then.

Of course...

That was only a guess.

Some people, after all, had such absurdly high thresholds that even a clan massacre could only push them to one tomoe.

Not everyone was the same.

The gathered Uchiha went mad at the news.

The Uchiha of Ki’s line revered Madara like a god.

And now...

This was their god’s gift to them—

Torture, pain.

"You may not believe it, but the intel points that way. In any case, the rest is beyond your clearance, and I have no need to explain further."

Kyoichi’s voice was cold.

Minato’s feelings were complicated as he looked on—these people were both hateful and pitiful.

Quietly, Kyoichi observed them. Indeed, one or two had advanced—their lone remaining eyes had gone from two tomoe to three.

As for others...

Clearly, they hadn’t reached that point.

Minato’s mind turned over Kyoichi’s words. Different plans, different torments, all toward the same aim. From the hints—

Could it be...?

He recalled an old Uchiha legend.

The Mangekyō Sharingan.

"Kyoichi..."

"Mm. Yes—that kind of eye. Even if Madara created them artificially, no matter how weak their powers, they’d still be a major problem for us."

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