Chapter 216: Izanagi

Chapter 216: Chapter 216: Izanagi

Inside the secret prison.

Before Hyuga Kagami could even inject Uchiha Ryota with an anesthetic, Ryota regained consciousness.

Contrary to Kagami’s expectations, he didn’t start shouting or raging. Instead, he calmly surveyed his surroundings before saying coldly, "How ironic. Who would’ve thought that the so-called ’Kamigami’ was actually made up of shinobi from the village?"

Leaning against the stone wall with his arms crossed, Kagami merely smiled.

Ryota stared at him and asked, "That person just now was Shisui, wasn’t it?"

Kagami was somewhat curious. "How did you figure it out?"

"That guy Kusauomaru spends more than half of every day sitting beside the pond in the Land of Cats fishing for grass carp. Even among the Uchiha Clan, there aren’t many people who could recognize him at a glance. And someone who possesses the Mangekyo Sharingan and could recognize Kusauomaru instantly... Hmph. Other than Shisui, I can’t think of anyone else..."

After a brief pause, Ryota sneered again. "I never thought Shisui would ultimately choose to betray the clan and side with the village. But once the Uchiha Clan falls, do you really think the village will spare him? I may have fallen into his hands, but I believe it won’t be long before he joins me in the afterlife!"

Clearly, after figuring out Shisui’s identity, Uchiha Ryota had made the same mistake as Uchiha Hideki before him—he assumed that the true masterminds behind Kamigami were the higher-ups of the village.

Kagami smiled. "No need to try sowing discord. He’s not here."

Ryota curled his lips and gave a light snort.

Although what he’d said just now genuinely reflected his thoughts, there had indeed been an element of provocation behind it. He had hoped to drive a wedge between Shisui and the village’s higher-ups.

Kagami walked over to Ryota. "You’re one of the Uchiha’s elite and a high-ranking commander of the Police Force. I have a few questions for you. I hope you’ll answer them truthfully."

Ryota cast Kagami a contemptuous glance. "What do you want to know?"

Kagami said calmly, "How much do you know about Izanagi?"

The moment he heard the word Izanagi, Ryota’s pupils abruptly contracted.

"How do you know about Izanagi?! Did that traitor Shisui even tell the village about this?"

But Ryota quickly shook his head again.

"No, that’s not right. Shisui shouldn’t know the secret of Izanagi. His loyalties are uncertain. The clan head would never tell him about Izanagi!"

"Looks like you really do know quite a bit." After a brief pause, Kagami continued, "Tell me everything you know. You should understand that at this point, pointless resistance will only make you suffer more."

Ryota laughed. "I suggest you give up. Izanagi is a forbidden technique of the Uchiha Clan. Without Uchiha blood and without the Sharingan, it’s fundamentally impossible to learn."

Kagami said nothing.

He simply stepped back toward the stone wall.

In the original timeline, the only person without Uchiha blood who had mastered the secret technique Izanagi was Danzo, who had transplanted numerous Sharingan and the First Hokage’s cells into his body.

However, the Izanagi used by Danzo could only barely be maintained for one minute, while Obito, a true member of the Uchiha Clan, could maintain Izanagi for at least five minutes.

Therefore, what Uchiha Ryota had just said wasn’t exactly wrong.

It was indeed extremely difficult for someone without Uchiha blood to master the secret technique Izanagi. Even if they somehow managed to learn it, the effect would still be worlds apart from that of a true Uchiha.

After a long silence, Kagami finally asked, "Do you know how to use this forbidden technique?"

"Of course I don’t!" Ryota answered without hesitation. Then, with a self-mocking laugh, he added, "According to the clan’s teachings, Izanagi is regarded as an ominous, cursed technique—a forbidden technique that no one is allowed to learn. And our esteemed clan head is so accustomed to shackling himself with those rigid clan rules that it took me quite a bit of persuasion just to get him to agree to make the forbidden technique Izanagi available to the clansmen on the eve of the rebellion."

Kagami’s gaze sharpened upon hearing this.

If Uchiha Fugaku really made the forbidden technique Izanagi available to the entire clan before the rebellion, then the combat strength of the Uchiha Clan would instantly double!

While pondering something else, Kagami casually asked, "And I’m supposed to believe you?"

Ryota snorted coldly. "Hmph. Believe me or don’t. It’s up to you!"

Kagami smiled. "That’s true. If you really knew how to use Izanagi, this forbidden technique would’ve probably spread throughout the entire Uchiha Clan overnight!"

If a radical like Uchiha Ryota had mastered Izanagi, he would undoubtedly have spread it throughout the clan at the first opportunity, forcing Fugaku, as clan head, to accelerate the rebellion.

And since the Uchiha Clan had yet to make any moves, it meant that Fugaku was still keeping the forbidden technique Izanagi firmly in his own hands and had not allowed it to leak out.

Ryota said bitterly, "The clan head is always waiting for the perfect opportunity to launch the rebellion, but the perfect opportunity isn’t something you can get just by sitting around and waiting for it!"

Kagami had no interest in discussing the Uchiha rebellion with Ryota. He said indifferently, "You don’t even know Izanagi, so I suppose you know even less about Izanami, the technique specifically created to counter Izanagi?"

Ryota frowned. "Izanami!?"

Seeing his reaction, Kagami immediately knew that Ryota had never even heard of Izanami.

But that was perfectly understandable. Even Izanagi had been sealed away by the Uchiha Clan as a forbidden technique, with very few clansmen knowing about it. It was only natural, then, that Izanami, the technique created to counter Izanagi, was even less widely known.

Ryota asked, "Is this Izanami also a forbidden technique of our Uchiha Clan? Even I don’t know about it, so how do you know? Did Shisui leak it to you?"

Kagami didn’t answer.

Since Ryota couldn’t provide him with any more useful information, Kagami naturally had no interest in continuing the discussion.

Realizing that Kagami wasn’t going to say anything more, Ryota stopped pressing him. Instead, he finally asked the question that he had been holding back for a long time.

"My brother... is he dead or alive?"

Kagami smiled. "Does it matter? Don’t tell me you actually think you can still save him."

Ryota replied, "If it doesn’t matter, then there’s no harm in telling me, is there?"

Kagami pondered for a moment, then clapped his hands.

"AAAHHH...!"

Before long, a miserable scream echoed from the neighboring cavern.

Ryota immediately recognized the voice.

That scream had come from his elder brother, Uchiha Hideki.

At once, the composure he had maintained until now completely shattered. He roared viciously,

"I’LL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!"