A sigh echoed through the silent bedroom.
Ruofeng’s grandfather sighed softly.
His usually kindly gaze became serious.
“Pursuing strength… Is this your destiny? But, Ruofeng, do you know what becoming a shinobi means?”
Ruofeng’s eyes were filled with thought as he nodded.
“I know. Shinobi represent strength, but they also represent life and death. Once you become a shinobi, you walk on the edge between life and death. Especially now, during a time of war, that is even more true.”
There was no doubt that being a shinobi was an extremely dangerous profession.
Unfortunately, in this world without a proper legal system, only those with sufficient strength could survive.
No matter how much wealth one possessed, money could not guarantee one’s life.
If several shinobi become displeased with you, your wealth could become the very reason they killed you.
“Alas…”
His grandfather sighed repeatedly before finally speaking.
“Very well. Since you’ve made your decision and your resolve is firm, I can finally give you what your grandfather left behind.”
With that, his grandfather stood up and walked toward a corner of Ruofeng’s bedroom.
Ruofeng’s eyes widened in shock.
“Grandfather… What do you mean by something my grandfather left behind?”
Ruofeng was astonished.
Ever since he was born, he had never even met his parents, let alone his grandfather.
His grandfather said nothing.
He walked to the corner of the bedroom and formed a series of hand seals.
“Release!”
“What… Grandfather, you have chakra?!”
Ruofeng cried out in shock.
For a brief moment, chakra erupted from his grandfather’s body.
Ruofeng had never imagined that his seemingly kindly grandfather was actually a shinobi.
And judging from the chakra he had just sensed, he was clearly no weak shinobi.
But that was not all.
Under Ruofeng’s stunned gaze, strange markings appeared on the wall in the corner.
A pitch-black opening gradually emerged.
“A hidden chamber!”
The moment he saw the opening, Ruofeng could not help but marvel.
He had searched his home countless times over the years, trying to determine whether there was a hidden room somewhere.
He had spent years searching without finding the slightest trace.
Who would have thought that the hidden chamber had been right before his eyes all along?
It was in his own bedroom.
Ruofeng immediately followed him into the passage.
The moment they stepped into the dark passage, candlelight suddenly appeared all around them.
The flickering flames illuminated the tunnel, allowing Ruofeng to finally see it clearly.
The passage was ancient, built from old bricks.
It clearly had existed for many years.
It was not particularly long, only about a hundred meters.
Before long, they entered a spacious room.
His grandfather stopped and spoke calmly.
“This is it. This is the secret you’ve been searching for all these years. It is also the secret of our family… and the secret of your grandfather.”
He sighed deeply once more.
Only now did Ruofeng clearly see what was in front of him.
It was a hidden chamber.
Although the chamber was quite large, there were not many things inside.
Several cabinets held scrolls.
There were also several ancient sets of armor and some weapons.
But none of those things attracted Ruofeng’s attention as much as a pair of eyes.
Ruofeng stared at them.
“The Sharingan!”
His grandfather nodded.
“That’s right… Those are the Sharingan. They belonged to your grandfather.”
His voice was filled with sorrow, and a trace of melancholy could be heard in it.
Ruofeng asked, “Then does that mean I’m also a member of the Uchiha clan?”
His grandfather paused, his expression filled with memories.
“You could say that. But you could also say that you aren’t.”
“Although you are an Uchiha, you do not belong to the Uchiha clan.”
“As for why… that brings us to your grandfather.”
“Your grandfather was once a shinobi. He was an elite member of the Uchiha clan and even served as a combat squad leader. In other words, your grandfather was once among the top ten strongest members of the Uchiha clan.”
“And the person your grandfather followed throughout his life was the man known as the taboo of the Uchiha clan… Uchiha Madara.”
The moment Uchiha Madara was mentioned, Ruofeng’s grandfather could not help but tremble slightly.
He then looked at Ruofeng.
“Ruofeng… perhaps you don’t know who Uchiha Madara is, but remember this.”
“Never approach that man.”
Ruofeng nodded.
He naturally knew exactly who Uchiha Madara was.
What he could never have imagined was that his own grandfather had actually been connected to Madara.
“That night, Uchiha Madara, who had been wandering outside, returned.”
“He informed the Uchiha clan that he intended to rebel. He wanted to create a peaceful world.”
“Unfortunately, the Uchiha clan had already become accustomed to their peaceful lives. No one was willing to follow Uchiha Madara.”
“But your grandfather was different.”
“He worshiped Uchiha Madara deeply and swore to follow him to the death.”
“Your grandfather wasn’t the only one. Several other Uchiha clan members also chose to follow Madara.”
“Unfortunately, before this plan could even begin, the First Hokage had already found Uchiha Madara.”
“I still remember that night.”
“Uchiha Madara sent an order to your grandfather, telling him to take away the things that belonged to him within the Uchiha clan.”
“He was going to fight a great battle—a battle that would determine the future.”
“That night passed, and Uchiha Madara fought Senju Hashirama.”
“The battle shook the heavens and earth.”
“In the end, Uchiha Madara lost.”
“When your grandfather heard the news, he simply could not believe it.”
“He refused to believe that Madara could lose, and he refused to believe that Madara had died.”
“Therefore, your grandfather and the companions who had followed Madara chose to conceal their identities and wait for Madara to appear again.”
“Later, your grandfather’s persistence actually became reality.”
“Uchiha Madara was resurrected and appeared before your grandfather.”
“But Uchiha Madara did not choose to continue his rebellion.”
“Instead, he chose to remain hidden.”
“He ordered your grandfather to continue concealing his identity. He then killed the clan members who had betrayed him, arranged a stable identity for your grandfather, took some of his belongings, and left Konoha.”
“Your grandfather, meanwhile, chose to remain hidden and sealed these things away.”
“Originally, your grandfather intended to pass these things on to your father.”
“Unfortunately, although your father was still young, your grandmother died because of Uchiha Madara.”
“As a result, your father developed an intense hatred for Madara.”
“He even came to hate your grandfather.”
“Therefore, your father refused to inherit these things. He did not even want to become a shinobi.”
“After your grandfather died, your father sealed away everything that had been left behind.”
By the time he finished speaking, Ruofeng no longer knew how to describe what he was feeling.
Learning that he was connected to the Uchiha clan was already shocking enough.
He had never expected to receive an even more astonishing revelation.
His grandfather had been one of Uchiha Madara’s followers.
His grandmother had died because of Madara’s rebellion.
His father hated Madara, hated Ruofeng’s grandfather, and had even sealed away the things that originally belonged to Madara.
After learning all of this, Ruofeng felt that the entire situation was almost unbelievable.
Yet he also understood something.
Given Uchiha Madara’s extraordinary charisma and influence, it was only natural that there had been people willing to follow him.