Chapter 22: The Visit to the Kurama Clan

The next morning, Hyujin walked through the dense forest, his steps steady and his eyes vigilantly scanning his surroundings. Although this place was not unfamiliar to him, the memories of the incident that occurred eight months ago lingered in his mind. At that time, while walking outside the clan's area in the village, he had been attacked suddenly by Danzo's men, and he might have lost his life had it not been for a stroke of luck at the last moment.

He recalled the Fourth Hokage's warning to Danzo: "If you attack him again, I will stop funding the Root Division."

Although that threat had forced Danzo to retreat within the village's boundaries, Hyujin knew the danger still loomed. Outside the village boundaries, evidence could be easily forged, and anything could happen without leaving a trace. This was why he had taken additional precautions this time, leaving the clan quickly after creating a shadow clone as a precautionary measure.

After half an hour of walking, a massive gate appeared before him, surrounded by tall stone walls with the Kurama clan's symbol in the center. "This is the place!" Hyujin thought as he approached the gate.

Before he could reach it, two Konoha ninjas appeared out of nowhere, as if stepping out of the shadows.

"Stop! What is your purpose here?" one of them asked in a cautious tone.

Hyujin replied respectfully, "I am Uchiha Hyujin. I came to meet the esteemed leader of the Kurama clan."

The guards exchanged quick glances before one of them said hesitantly, "Wait here. I will inform the clan leader, but I cannot guarantee he will meet with you."

Hyujin nodded, understanding. Being just a child, he knew that his name alone had granted him this level of respect.

Ten minutes later, the guard returned. "The clan leader has agreed to meet with you. Follow me."

The guard led Hyujin into the village. The buildings were of an old, traditional design, but many appeared abandoned. It was clear that the clan had seen better days.

"So this is what the clan leader meant when he said their clan has been in decline recently," Hyujin thought as he observed the area.

They finally stopped in front of a large house in the center of the village. The house was simply but elegantly decorated, and it was clear it belonged to Murakumo Kurama, the clan leader.

In the outer courtyard, Murakumo was reading documents. He looked up when they approached.

"Sir, we have brought the visitor," said the guard before quickly disappearing.

Murakumo stared at Hyujin with calm eyes. "It's strange for someone from the Uchiha clan to visit us. Did your clan leader send you?"

"No, sir. I came on my own and would like to ask you about something."

Murakumo raised an eyebrow slightly, then gestured for him to speak.

"I've heard that your clan has a unique bloodline, but those who awaken it suffer from weakness due to the imbalance of Yin and Yang. I have similar symptoms, so I wanted to know if you have a cure for this condition."

Suddenly, Murakumo's gaze became sharper, but he quickly hid his annoyance.

"If we had a cure, such conditions wouldn't exist within our clan," he said coldly, then added, "You may leave now."

But Hyujin didn't give up so easily. He raised his hand, pointing to the ring on his finger. "Also, I want to know the origin of this ring."

Murakumo's expression changed immediately upon seeing the ring. His face froze for a moment before returning to its usual composure.

He gestured for Hyujin to follow him inside the house. He led him to the living room and left for a while before returning with an old book. He sat across from Hyujin and placed the book on the table.

"Tell me, where did you get this ring?"

"From my father. He said he inherited it from his mother, my grandmother."

Murakumo nodded and began to tell the story: "This ring belonged to my uncle, who received it from the former clan leader, my grandfather."

I wasn't too surprised by his words, as I had already suspected that my grandfather was from the Kurama clan. But what surprised me was his marriage to a woman from the Uchiha clan, and even stranger was the fact that no one knew anything about his identity. I looked at Murakumo, waiting for him to continue.

"At the time, my eldest uncle was exceptionally talented and was considered the heir to the clan leader. When he was five years old, he awakened the bloodline limit of the Kurama clan, making him the clan's treasure at the time. But unfortunately, symptoms started to appear gradually... just like what's happening with you."

He paused for a moment, as if recalling a painful memory, then continued: "He lost his physical strength over time, but my uncle refused to give up. He continued to train his body to overcome the weakness, which helped alleviate the symptoms, but he couldn't fully cure it. As his condition worsened, my grandfather sealed his power and sought help from the Uzumaki clan."

He expected me to interrupt when he started talking about the Uzumaki clan, as few people from the newer generations remember them. But to his surprise, he found me listening intently. He probably assumed I had studied them, so he continued, saying, "When he turned eighteen, he fell in love with a girl from the Uchiha clan."

At that point, I began to understand things.

"But as you know, both clans rejected this union. The Kurama clan didn't want to lose their talented heir with the bloodline limit, and the Uchiha clan wasn't willing to give up their bloodline to outsiders."

He paused briefly, then continued: "Nevertheless, both refused to give up. When things were about to escalate into a conflict between the two clans, your grandfather proposed a bold idea to the leader of the Uchiha clan: the merging of the Kurama bloodline and the Uchiha Sharingan could produce an extraordinary ninja. The Sharingan could focus spiritual power into the eyes, which might alleviate the effects of the Kurama bloodline curse, while the Sharingan would be strengthened by the immense spiritual power of our clan."

When I heard this part, I was stunned. I hadn't expected my grandfather's life to be filled with such drama.

"At first, the Uchiha clan leader hesitated, but in the end, he agreed, on the condition that the son would bear the Uchiha name. Although your grandfather objected, he eventually agreed out of respect for his son's wishes and didn't want to see him sad again, especially since he had already lost his power and feared his anger might break the seal."

I interrupted him finally: "But why didn't the current Uchiha clan leader know about this? And why was my grandfather's identity kept secret, even from my father?"

Murakumo fell silent for a moment, then replied calmly: "It was a secret agreement between the leaders of the two clans to avoid trouble and opposition, especially since Konoha might become wary of the possibility of the two clans merging and the emergence of a new, powerful bloodline. They feared Konoha might focus on them or even resort to dirty tricks to ensure no new threat arose. Therefore, it was hidden from everyone. Only a few of the senior elders knew, and they've likely all passed away by now. As for me, I learned the story from my father's memoirs... I don't know why he left them, maybe he forgot to burn them, or maybe he was preparing for a day like this."

He looked at me directly and then asked: "Now that you know the story, what will you do?"

I remained silent for a moment, thinking about his words, before asking him: "How did my grandfather die? I heard from my father that he never saw him."

He didn't answer me directly but handed me the book he had brought earlier. "Everything you need to know is here. As for your condition, as I said, I don't have a cure, but perhaps when you awaken the Sharingan, the problem will resolve itself as per your grandfather's theory."

I bowed to him in gratitude, and then his wife, Uroko Kurama, entered, holding their infant daughter, Yakumo, in her arms.

She smiled when she realized I was close to her husband and offered me a cup of tea. They didn't let me leave before dinner, which I agreed to, as they were, after all, my relatives.

After several hours, when I was about to leave, Uroko asked me with concern: "Are you sure you want to travel at night?"

I replied with a reassuring smile: "Don't worry, I'm a ninja after all. Besides, I can't stay away for too long."

I paused for a moment, then took off the ring from my finger and tied it with a string, before walking towards Yakumo. I placed the ring around her neck, and the child smiled and began clapping happily.

Murakumo looked at me seriously: "Are you sure you want to leave this ring behind?"

Uroko understood from her husband's gaze that the ring wasn't ordinary. "If it's precious, you don't need to give it away."

I smiled calmly and said, "Since I gave it to her, it's natural not to take it back."

The reason I gave it to her was that, although Murakumo Kurama didn't explicitly say it, I now understood that the ring represented the leader of the Kurama clan. As someone from the Uchiha clan, I realized I didn't deserve to wear it. Additionally, there was another reason. I believed my father would understand my decision.

I waved them goodbye, thinking about my father's reaction. But he would understand my decision... After all, this was the best place for the ring, especially since Yakumo would awaken the Kurama clan's bloodline in the future. But as her relative, I wouldn't let what happened to her in the future happen again.