"Have you already forgotten why our parents took on that ridiculous mission two years ago?"
As soon as Shin said this, Jūzō's whole body trembled.
How could he forget?
The thought that his brother was about to continue made him shake uncontrollably. Sure enough, he continued, "Wasn't it because you kept whining about wanting to replicate Kubikiribōchō? We didn't have any money, but you wouldn't let it go. Our parents had no choice but to take on that high-risk mission, and they died because of it. You forgot, didn't you? Then let me remind you properly. It was you. You got them killed. But you couldn't face it, so you blamed it all on me. You've spent the last two years yelling about wanting to kill me. I've had enough. Say one more word like that, and I'll kill you."
By the time he finished, Shin's eyes were full of cold, murderous intent.
"You hate me? Who do you think you are to hate me? If anything, I should be the one who hates you. For two years I've put up with you. Even when you tried to kill me again and again, I didn't retaliate at first. I thought you'd come around eventually. But what did you do? You just got more and more convinced it was all my fault. Why should I have to keep enduring this? Let me make it clear. Before the mission, our parents left a will behind without telling anyone. They knew they might not return and asked me to take care of you. If not for the promise I made to honor their memory, I would've killed you long ago. You're the one who got them killed, and now you have the nerve to give me that attitude? Get out of my sight."
Jūzō's body shook so violently now he couldn't control it. One by one, all the memories he had tried so hard to forget came rushing back, and the guilt he'd buried deep inside exploded like a volcano. He couldn't argue with a single word Shin said. Because it was all true.
He was the one who caused their parents' deaths. But he didn't have the courage to admit it, so he pushed the blame onto his brother. At first, he told himself his brother was pretending to be okay, just so he wouldn't have to feel guilty. But over time, as he kept repeating the lie to himself, even he started to believe it.
Especially since his brother never fought back, never stopped caring. That only made him more certain that he was right, that it had never been his fault. He convinced himself it was Tsukishima who failed to save their parents. It had to be him.
But now, with everything laid bare in front of everyone, he felt like he'd hit rock bottom. Lying to yourself becomes a habit. But once that illusion shatters, all the pain and guilt come crashing down, and it becomes unbearable.
Then came the anger.
Why didn't you just keep taking it? Why did you have to tear open the one wound I couldn't face?
I hate you!
But the hatred didn't last long. Shin's voice rang out again. "What now? Realizing you can't keep using the same excuse, so you're making up new ones in your head? Pathetic. How did I end up with such a stupid brother? Listen to me, Jūzō. From this day on, we're done. I'm not your brother anymore. And you're no longer my brother. If you still want to come after me, go ahead. But remember this. The next time you try, I won't hold back. I'll kill you without hesitation. And since you're the one who keeps attacking me first, even if I do kill you, I won't face any punishment for it. Hah. You still dream of joining the Seven Ninja Swordsmen? Keep dreaming. Kubikiribōchō is mine. As long as I'm alive, you'll always be the one trailing behind."
He declared his desire for Kubikiribōchō right then and there, making it clear in front of everyone that he intended to claim it openly and without hiding anything.
The only question now was how people would feel when he used the blade in battle under a different name. Well, nothing he could do about that. After all, he already gave Samehada to Minato.
As the older brother, he had to settle for the next best thing. Of course, the sword itself, even if made from chakra metal, didn't mean much to him. What really mattered to him was how Kiri forged chakra weapons, and more importantly, where they got their chakra metal. Everyone knew how rare chakra metal was. Its price was measured by the gram, and even then, it was often impossible to buy at any cost.
Take Sakumo's family blade, for example. That short sword made of chakra metal nearly drained the entire wealth of the Hatake clan. And then Kakashi, without learning the true skill of his father, treated it like a regular weapon and ended up breaking it.
But Kiri had a supply of chakra metal that far exceeded the other four great villages. Their skill in forging chakra weapons was second to none. They also had more ninja equipped with chakra weapons than any other village. The most well-known, of course, were the six chakra weapons used by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
Six, not seven, because Samehada wasn't technically a chakra weapon.
Beyond those six, the number of secondary chakra weapons in Kiri was also surprisingly high.
He wasn't going to leave empty-handed. He was already here, so he intended to make the most of it.
He wanted the chakra weapons.
He wanted the chakra metal.
He wanted the intel on where the chakra metal came from.
After all, chakra metal wasn't just for making weapons. Even in scientific research, replacing regular parts with chakra metal could significantly enhance the performance of devices. However, Shin wasn't planning to act openly. He intended to stay hidden for now.
After over a year of studying White Zetsu, he had developed a unique ability to sense their presence. The good news was that there weren't many of them, just over a thousand.
The bad news was they were spread throughout every corner of Kiri. They weren't just hiding; they were watching everything. And it wasn't just them. Many people weren't White Zetsu themselves, but carried traces of Zetsu's chakra inside their bodies. Clearly, they had been infected by Zetsu's spore technique, and they were also being used to monitor the village.
In other words, to Madara, Kiri had no secrets at all. Because all White Zetsu shared their vision, and therefore shared it, with the original body, Shin's movements were severely restricted.
Fortunately, the elders, led by Genji, had already begun organizing a response and had successfully cleared out some of the Zetsu. What confused him was that Madara hadn't reacted at all. He simply let Zetsu continue hiding, and that made Shin suspicious.
People often said the Uchiha clan was extreme, but that usually referred to their mindset, not their behavior. In reality, the more extreme an Uchiha was in thought, the more patient they tended to be in action. Waiting ten or even twenty years to achieve a goal wasn't unusual. Both Madara and Obito were like that.
Based on what Shin knew about Madara, the man had only two ways of operating. Either he struck quickly and ruthlessly, giving his enemies no time to react, or he played the long game, hiding his hand until the exact right moment.
But right now, it didn't feel like either.
So what exactly was this guy planning? Why was everything he did getting harder and harder to understand?