Naruto: I, Uchiha, Just Want to Die

Chapter 168: Eight Trigrams Seal and Parting Gift

When Aburame Ryoma uttered those words, although he and Uchiha Ci were clearly in the camp, it was eerily silent.

The sounds of construction, casual conversations among shinobi, and the bustling movement of supplies seemed to vanish.

It was only long after Ryoma finished speaking that these noises gradually returned to Uchiha Ci's ears.

The clamor pulled Uchiha Ci back to his senses, and he couldn't help but frown.

Orochimaru restarted the Wood Release experiments?

To save him?

But he didn't feel like his condition was that dire.

He clenched his fists, and though a bit weak, he could sense abundant vitality within him.

If he desired, this strength could instantly be converted into vast reserves of chakra, unleashing astonishing power.

Yet he quickly noticed something amiss.

Despite this abundance of chakra, none of it was automatically channeled into the Forbidden Jutsu: Body Revival to repair his weakened body.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed black patterns interwoven across the gaps of his muscles, disrupting the flow of chakra. These intricate patterns formed a large-scale sealing technique.

The seal ultimately manifested into two dense, spiral-like designs: one on his abdomen and another near his heart.

They bore some resemblance to the Eight Trigrams Seal that Naruto would have in the future.

This sealing technique isolated his ability to unconsciously activate Body Revival and sense the Zero-Tails within him.

However, it didn't completely lock these abilities. In Ci's perception, if he wanted to forcibly use the sealed power, it was still possible.

"This is the Eight Trigrams Seal that Orochimaru asked Minato to inscribe on you," Ryoma explained.

"Don't worry too much; this isn't a bad thing."

"On the contrary, it will help you better control the power of the Tailed Beast within you."

Ryoma patted Ci on the shoulder, gesturing for him to follow.

"I know your mind is in turmoil right now, but you'll have plenty of time to figure things out later."

"For now, go say goodbye to your friends."

Soon, the two returned to the medical camp.

Walking ahead, Ryoma lifted the curtain of a tent, revealing the scene inside.

It was a quiet area filled with rows of beds covered in white sheets.

A small figure in an Uchiha uniform stood silently before one of the beds, clutching a wakizashi in hand.

"Shisui?"

Seeing the figure and the rows of covered beds, Ci's heart trembled slightly.

"And these are…?"

The solemn atmosphere caused Ci to instinctively slow his steps and tread lightly.

Sensing his approach, Shisui looked up, sadness evident in his eyes.

The red Sharingan spun slowly, the three tomoe circling his black pupils.

"Ci, you're here."

Shisui, at this moment, had bandages wrapped around his head and one arm in a cast suspended by a sling. The white cloth was stained with traces of blood.

However, compared to the row of lifeless beds covered in white sheets, his injuries seemed trivial.

"Why are you here? And what about these?" Ci asked, swallowing hard and looking at the bed in front of Shisui.

Beds with fully covered white sheets usually meant—

After a brief silence, Shisui lowered his head, his voice heavy and fatigued.

"As you can see."

"The entire Konoha Assault Unit is here."

"What?!"

Ci's head shot up, but his voice caught in his throat.

Before he could say more, Shisui solemnly closed his eyes. With his one good hand, he slowly pulled back the sheet covering the bed before him.

A familiar face appeared.

It was Uchiha Shinichi.

The memory of Shinichi stepping forward to block an attack for him flashed in Ci's mind, making his heart tighten.

His Sharingan flared instinctively, its crimson light glowing brightly.

But the next moment, Shinichi's eyes snapped open—Sharingan and all!

With a mischievous grin, he looked at Ci's shocked and grief-stricken expression.

His face turned cold as he grabbed Ci by the collar, flipped him over, and pinned him onto the bed.

"Kid, you love showing off, huh?"

Suddenly, sheets flew into the air, and one by one, familiar figures from the Konoha Assault Unit sat upright, glaring at Ci.

"And did you ever think about how we feel?!"

Ci froze, realizing this group had conspired with an unsuspecting Shisui to pull a prank on him.

As he met their hostile gazes—especially Shisui's, which was calm yet deep, as though concealing a black hole—Ci swallowed nervously and squirmed in fear.

"Wait, what are you all planning to do?"

"Shinichi, using Shisui to deceive me is so despicable!"

Shinichi smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"What are we planning to do?"

"Well, of course, we're celebrating our commander's promotion to jōnin!"

He then turned to Shisui, who had proposed the idea, and asked with excitement,

"Shisui, how should we proceed? Your call!"

Shisui tilted his head, staring at Ci with a devilish smile.

"Strip him."

---

The Next Day

At the gates of the Konoha camp,

a team preparing to return to the village gathered.

Kakashi, the white-haired young man with a mask, fed grass to the horse pulling their cart, bored.

Frowning, he looked toward the camp and impatiently asked the blond youth sitting on the cart,

"Sensei Minato, Obito's late again!"

"In a camp like this, he can't possibly be helping an old lady cross the road, can he?"

"What an idiot."

Beside him, Rin smiled gently and helplessly.

"I saw Obito delivering letters for the injured. He should be done soon."

"Let's wait a bit longer."

Just then, Obito came running out of the camp, carrying a large sack of letters on his back. From a distance, he waved enthusiastically to the group.

"Sorry I'm late! My bad, my bad!"

Minato smiled faintly as he looked at the sack Obito carried.

"Kakashi, I asked him to do this."

"We're likely the last group in the camp to be granted permission to return. The others will remain stationed here for at least six more months. These letters are for their families back in the village, and I thought we could take them along."

"Apologies," Minato said, scratching the back of his head with an awkward smile.

"No need to apologize, Sensei."

Kakashi shook his head as Obito climbed onto the cart.

But seeing that Minato made no move to depart, Kakashi asked curiously,

"Since Obito's here, why aren't we leaving?"

"Hmm." Minato turned his head toward the camp.

"We're waiting for one more person. Ah, there he is."

The three younger shinobi turned to look.

A tall youth, dressed in a black Uchiha short-sleeved robe and trousers, with a purple sash tied at his waist, walked toward them.

Expressionless, he climbed onto the cart.

Expressionless, he looked at them.

And on his face, neck, and even below his collarbone were childish turtle drawings made with ink, courtesy of the Konoha Assault Unit.

As the trio burst into laughter, Uchiha Ci snapped in exasperation,

"What are you staring at?!"

"This stuff doesn't wash off easily. I've tried my best to clean it!"

"Let's go already!"