Naruto: I, Uchiha, Just Want to Die

Chapter 94: Seijiro, I Really Have to Thank You!

The midday sun hung high in the sky.

A warm breeze brushed across his face, accompanied by the clamor of voices and the clattering sound of carriages on cobbled roads.

Uchiha Ci felt a slight itch on his eyelids.

For a moment, he thought he had returned to the real world, reliving the moment when a dump truck sliced through him like a sword, smashing him into the ground. Blood gushed from his seven orifices, leaving him in a state between life and death.

The bustling noise around him, so different from the silence of the cave, jolted him awake.

"Could it be... have I resurrected?"

"Resurrected at the moment of my death? Could it be that I'm already back in the real world?"

Yet something felt off. Why hadn't the option screen popped up this time?

He had already made up his mind: if it appeared again, he would decisively choose the Great Wilderness Prison Finger technique and snag the 500 million reward right off the bat!

With such thoughts in mind, Uchiha Ci quietly opened his eyes.

What he saw shocked him: sitting in front of him was Uchiha Seijiro, leaning against a massive scroll. His head bobbed up and down, drool nearly reaching his collar as he muttered strange dreams aloud:

"Heh heh, now I have three tomoe too. Don't run, brat—listen carefully to your senior's instructions!"

Hearing Seijiro's voice, Uchiha Ci's expression immediately collapsed into one of bewilderment.

What the hell is going on?

Wasn't he already burned to a crisp? How had they managed to save him?

And more importantly—who could have possibly pulled this off? Did they find some modern-day Hua Tuo?

He scanned his surroundings. He was currently lying in a spacious loft-like house. A sliding wooden door opened onto a balcony facing the bustling street below.

Sunlight poured through open wooden windows, warming the tatami mat and blanket where he lay.

Through potted plants—oleanders and cacti—set between the wooden windows and the balcony, he could see a lively street outside.

It was bustling with people, lined with unique shops, and brimming with activity. Merchants driving horse-drawn carriages came and went in droves.

Izakayas, dango shops, green tea cake stalls, general stores, seafood restaurants, even hot spring bathhouses...

At this moment, Uchiha Ci finally realized: he wasn't dead.

And this place? It was their mission destination, the city the Uchiha Elder Uchiha Setsuna had sent their team to investigate.

A city nestled between three great nations—the largest metropolis in the Land of Hot Water:

Hot Spring Smoke City.

Judging by appearances, Uchiha Seijiro had not only successfully completed his mission but had gone above and beyond to pull Ci out of the clutches of the Jashin Cult.

But Ci still couldn't comprehend how.

Given the state of his injuries back then, even the best medic in the ninja world, Tsunade, would have declared it hopeless.

At this point, his movements stirred Seijiro from his feigned sleep.

"Oh? Ci, you're awake? How are you feeling? Better?"

As soon as Seijiro spoke, he leaned forward enthusiastically.

Ci immediately scooted back expressionlessly, thinking to himself:

What's with this guy? Why is he suddenly acting so friendly?

In all their interactions, they'd barely exchanged twenty sentences. He much preferred the rebellious Seijiro who used to constantly try to "discipline" juniors.

"Seijiro-senpai?" Ci frowned, pointing to their surroundings. "What is going on here?"

"Oh, this place?" Seijiro scratched his head. "This is the Uchiha clan's temporary base in Hot Spring Smoke City. It used to belong to the Ninja Cat clan, but Captain Fugaku bought it outright."

"On the surface, it's an izakaya, but in reality, it's the largest ninja tool shop in the city and also serves as an entrance to the underground black market."

Ci raised an eyebrow. While he'd heard about the financial power of the great ninja clans, hearing that Uchiha Fugaku casually purchased such a property still surprised him.

This kind of neutral business, involving not only merchants but ninja visitors to the black market, held immense value—not for the goods sold, but for the intelligence flowing through its doors daily.

This hinted at an even deeper relationship between the Uchiha and the Ninja Cat clan than was described in the original narrative.

Recognizing his current location, Ci shifted his focus to the critical questions.

"How long was I unconscious? And what happened during that time?"

"You were out for three days. Fortunately, Lord Orochimaru was here. He truly lives up to the reputation of the Legendary Sannin—his healing skills are miraculous!"

"What?"

Ci's eyes widened. "What did you say? Orochimaru saved me?"

Orochimaru, a battlefield medic capable of miraculous healing?

Wasn't Tsunade supposed to be the healer among the Sannin? What kind of world was this?

Seijiro perked up at the mention, launching into a dramatic retelling of events from three days prior.

Amidst the exaggerated claims and countless logical inconsistencies, Ci managed to piece together the truth.

Fugaku standing by with seven Uchiha watching helplessly, low-level lackeys publicly berating the heir, chunin pointing at Orochimaru's nose and making threats... it sounded like a bad novel plot!

Ci sighed and pulled up his trusty menu screen for clarity.

The subtitles read:

"Orochimaru deemed you beyond saving and planned to take your corpse for dissection and research."

"Orochimaru used a taijutsu technique: Bite."

"You acquired: Heaven's Curse Mark (A-, Incomplete, Extremely Dangerous)."

Seeing the text, Ci blinked. He quickly pieced everything together and turned his stunned gaze toward Seijiro.

So... he wasn't lying?!

Seijiro, noting Ci's shocked expression, felt an electrifying thrill that shot from his toes to his scalp. Unable to contain his excitement, he coughed theatrically:

"Ahem, that's how it went down."

Then, he suddenly adopted an arrogant demeanor, tilting his chin up and snorting dismissively:

"Anyway, the time you saved my life—we're even now."

The sudden shift to Uchiha's trademark tsundere behavior almost made Ci pass out from sheer frustration.

In the end, all he could do was mutter through clenched teeth:

"Damn it, this is karma…"

"What was that?" Seijiro asked, squinting.

"Nothing," Ci replied flatly, his jaw tight. "I said... thank you, Seijiro-senpai."

"Hmph. Save your flattery," Seijiro scoffed, turning away to hide his smug grin. "Don't expect me to help you for something like this."

Ci sighed heavily, utterly despondent.

What now?

With immortality, a Zero-Tail embryo, dark chakra, the Heaven's Curse Mark, and the forbidden Body Revival Jutsu—his body had become ridiculously overpowered.

Could he even convincingly fake weakness at this point?

At that moment, Seijiro stood up and slid open the wooden door, frowning.

"Since you're awake, come with me. There are some things you need to—"

Before he could finish, a loud voice erupted from outside:

"You red-eyed bastards! Kill me if you've got the guts!"

"What's the deal with tying me up and starving me?!"

"Three days! Three whole days!"

"Uchiha Ci, you damned bastard—when are you waking up?! I'm starving to death here!"