Refuse Mental Self-Consumption

"Alright, it's getting late. Everyone, disperse."

After speaking, Shisui Uchiha came back to his senses, stepped forward, and patted Uchiha Gen on the shoulder.

Uchiha Gen put away his kunai and walked forward. The gathered Uchiha instinctively made way for him.

Shisui Uchiha quietly offered Uchiha Shu a few words of comfort, then quickened his pace to catch up.

Once the two had left, most of the Uchiha dispersed. A small number of particularly curious Uchiha ran over to Uchiha Shu, asking him all sorts of questions.

Uchiha Shu had yet to recover from the blow. He had no mood to deal with his clansmen, so he coldly pushed them aside and left.

"Gen, this is my first time seeing your strength. You're really impressive."

Shisui Uchiha said with a smile.

Shisui was naturally simple and sincere. He was not the sort to envy talent, and his praise came from the heart.

"The clan calls you and me the Twin Stars of the Uchiha. I can't exactly drag you down, can I?"

Uchiha Gen said with a faint smile.

Damn it, using genjutsu against a Sharingan more evolved than mine really burns through Chakra. That took a full third of my Chakra.

If that Chakra had been used on other ninjas, it would have been enough to instantly trap three Jonin in genjutsu with no escape.

"What are you talking about? If your Sharingan evolves into the Three-Tomoe Sharingan one day, I'm afraid I'll be the one holding you back."

"Still, I don't hope your Sharingan evolves into Three-Tomoe, because that would mean you'd have to experience another unforgettable pain."

Shisui raised his right hand and touched his eye socket. He seemed to recall something, and a trace of sorrow appeared on his face.

"Some people call the Sharingan of our Uchiha Clan cursed eyes. It isn't entirely without reason..."

"Awakening them, evolving them—each time means experiencing unforgettable pain, and each time, someone dies."

"Hmph, that's because they're jealous!"

"Don't they suffer when they lose their comrades or the people they love?"

"They suffer just the same, but they can't turn that pain into strength. All they can do is rage helplessly."

"Even if they narrowly survive, they can only regain their footing through long-term, unrelenting training."

"But we Uchiha can inherit our comrades' wills, turn grief and fury into strength on the spot, avenge our fallen comrades, protect our living ones, and turn danger into safety!"

Uchiha Gen said disdainfully.

No one knew how many people throughout the ninja world envied, coveted, and feared the power of the Uchiha.

However, unlike the Byakugan, which was difficult to obtain but not difficult to control once acquired, the Sharingan's power was far more domineering.

Even someone as strong as Kakashi, one of Konoha's greatest geniuses since its founding, became drained after transplanting just one Sharingan. His endurance in prolonged combat had clearly declined.

If he transplanted two Sharingan, Kakashi would probably be spent after using a single ninjutsu.

The Sharingan he could not deactivate constantly consumed Kakashi's Chakra. Anyone else would have an even harder time enduring it.

For ordinary ninjas, transplanting a Sharingan was not a boon at all—it was a burden!

After hearing this, Shisui Uchiha considered his own experiences carefully. His eyes lit up, and he felt that it made a great deal of sense.

He had indeed awakened and evolved his Sharingan because of his comrades' sacrifices. It had been painful every time, but he had also used the Sharingan to protect the comrades who survived, change his circumstances, and turn defeat into victory!

"Gen, your way of thinking is always so novel."

"Shisui, let me give you a saying. It's my motto."

"What saying?"

Shisui looked over expectantly. What kind of words could become the motto of a ninja as profound as Gen?

"Take everything in stride. If you can blame someone else, don't blame yourself!"

"Uh..."

Shisui stared at Uchiha Gen in astonishment. That motto was far too different from what he had expected.

Uchiha Gen stopped walking. "Shisui, now that you've awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, you should be able to feel its influence on you, right?"

"Yes, but it's alright. I've already adapted to it."

The Uchiha Clan was the clan that understood love best. Their emotions were too rich, and once they lost someone they loved, they were more likely than others to become extreme.

The influence of an ordinary Sharingan was not too severe, but the Mangekyo's influence was substantial.

Just look at the Uchiha ninjas in the original story who awakened the Mangekyo. Which one of them was not extreme?

Each had their own brand of extremity, doing things ordinary people generally could not understand.

Yet Chakra was the union of spiritual energy and physical energy. The firmer one's will and the stronger one's spirit, the more powerful one's Chakra.

That was because will was closely tied to the spirit, and the spirit was closely tied to the soul.

An extreme will was usually an exceptionally firm one. This extremity, combined with Uchiha blood, forged the strength of the Uchiha Clan!

Other than the Uchiha Clan, every renowned powerhouse in the ninja world possessed an unwavering will, regardless of whether that will was right or wrong.

Whenever someone cast aside their own will, or their will was not firm enough, the quality of their Chakra weakened and their strength declined.

"Your ability to adapt proves that you have strong self-control. But what about those clansmen whose self-control isn't strong enough?"

"They've already lost someone they loved. Add the Sharingan's influence and insufficient self-control, and it becomes easy for them to go down an extreme path and make mistakes."

"What my motto really means is to refuse mental self-consumption. Don't overthink things. Blame mistakes and tragedies on your enemies as much as possible."

"If you can't blame the enemy, blame something indirectly related to it, and so on."

"Even if you blame the environment, a rock, or a blade of grass by the roadside, the point is that you can't blame yourself."

"When you have someone or somewhere to vent, you won't be so likely to go down an extreme path."

In Uchiha Gen's eyes, Itachi Uchiha was already in the late stages of mental self-consumption. He had begun tormenting himself from childhood, and in the end, he had completely lost his way.

Shisui frowned and pondered for a while before saying, "There's some truth to that, but wouldn't it be too irresponsible?"

"What I'm talking about is merely a way to relax mentally, not a way to dodge all responsibility."

"In short, it means giving the negative emotions in your heart one or several more outlets."

"If you only have one outlet—yourself—then once that outlet gets blocked, something is bound to go wrong!"

"I understand. It really is a good method."

"Of course. I've felt much more relaxed since I started doing it. I'm happy every day."

"Then I'll try it too."

"Mm."

"Gen, what does 'dodging responsibility' mean?"

"Here, responsibility means blame."

"I understand."

"Alright, enough talking. My mouth is about to dry out."

"Let's pay our respects to the clan head, then go eat and rest."

"Alright."

The two walked side by side once more. After half a minute, they arrived at the center of the Uchiha Clan's camp, where a tent clearly twice the size of the others stood before them.

Uchiha ninjas stood guard outside the tent. After writing down their names, the two entered the simple mourning hall, where a Jonin was keeping watch through the night.

This was the final day the Uchiha clan head's body would remain here. Tomorrow, Uchiha ninjas would escort it back to Konoha for the funeral.

Unlike ordinary Konoha Ninjas, who were cremated on the spot, this was one of the privileges of Konoha's ninja clans.

While paying his respects, Shisui Uchiha recalled the clan head's care and teachings, and tears flowed from his eyes.

Uchiha Gen felt nothing in particular. He had interacted little with this clan head, but he still put on a slight performance.

After paying their respects, the two had intended to eat and rest, only to be summoned by an elder. They had no choice but to make another trip...

Mental self-consumption can easily lead to depression. Nowadays, more and more people in our country take their own lives because of depression. Everyone should refuse mental self-consumption. There's no need to compare yourselves to others—just live your own life well. Learn to find joy in life, and be happy, damn it!