Exposure and Pretense

Uchiha Clan Compound.

After hearing that Uchiha Tunan had graduated early, the Great Elder came to visit.

At this moment, Uchiha Tunan was sitting under the eaves, carving a piece of wood with a kunai, again and again.

The ground was full of wood shavings, and soon a lifelike wood carving appeared before his eyes.

The subject of the carving was Uchiha Mina.

Some people die, but they still have value that the living can consume.

The Great Elder pushed open the slightly ajar courtyard gate and immediately saw Uchiha Tunan carving a statue of Uchiha Tenyu under the eaves.

"Great Elder, do you have any instructions for me?" Uchiha Tunan put down the wood carving and bowed with his hands on his knees.

The Great Elder smiled slightly, walked up to Uchiha Tunan, and looked him over.

His gaze swept across the furnishings in the room and saw several wood carvings placed on the partition.

They were Uchiha Tunan's parents and Uchiha Mina.

"We're all family, no need to be so formal."

The Great Elder said with a chuckle, sitting down next to Uchiha Tunan like a kindly old grandfather.

Uchiha Tunan paused, then got up and went inside to pour a cup of clear tea for the Great Elder.

He then sat down beside him.

"Tunan, you really like drinking tea."

The Great Elder took a sip of the tea, his eyes narrowing into slits.

Uchiha Tunan nodded faintly, stroking the unfinished wood carving in his hand and saying:

"Yes, I usually expend too much energy reading and studying, so drinking tea is more refreshing."

The Great Elder glanced sideways at the wood carving in Uchiha Tunan's hand and sighed:

"You graduated in the blink of an eye, time really flies."

"Because time flies so fast, we must cherish every minute and every second.

Don't wait until it's too late to regret it."

Uchiha Tunan said this while picking up his kunai and starting to carve the unfinished wood carving in his hand.

The Great Elder squinted at a flock of white pigeons flying in the distance and said leisurely:

"You are different from other Uchiha clansmen. You could say you are the most unique person I have ever met.

I always thought I understood you best, but sometimes I feel like I can't see through you.

You left Tenyu for last, is it out of guilt?"

Uchiha Tunan paused upon hearing this, a look of confusion on his face. "Great Elder, I don't quite understand what you mean."

The Great Elder smiled slightly and met Uchiha Tunan's gaze:

"You understand forbearance, you are very rational, you can even completely separate reason from emotion, and act rationally at critical moments."

Uchiha Tunan's heart skipped a beat. He put on a dejected expression and shook his head:

"What you're saying has nothing to do with me.

I always act on impulse. Last time, I even impulsively attacked a senior from the Torture Department."

The Great Elder calmly drank the tea in his hand and then placed the cup aside.

He took out a yellowed booklet from his embrace and placed it gently between them:

"I've kept this for a long time. I'm returning it to you now."

Uchiha Tunan's pupils contracted slightly as he picked up the booklet.

They sat there quietly.

It was almost winter now, and the cool breeze made Uchiha Tunan's back feel a little cold.

This booklet was the notebook he had given to Uchiha Tenyu back then. The poison on it had long since evaporated.

But Uchiha Tunan found that the place where the poison had been applied had reacted strangely with the paper.

Some parts of the paper were severely yellowed.

Miscalculated.

As expected, the methods I used back then were too naive.

If I hadn't awakened my Sharingan and shown my value far beyond that of ordinary people, I might have been the one executed back then.

Uchiha Tunan thought many things in an instant.

Forget about killing to silence. He could only bully peers and ordinary low-level ninjas.

An veteran elite Jonin like the Great Elder, despite his smiling appearance, could probably crush him with ease.

If you can't win, get close.

The next moment, Uchiha Tunan tossed the booklet in his hand upwards, his eyes snapping open as he activated his Sharingan.

"Swoosh~"

A kunai accurately hit the booklet, pinning it to a tree in the courtyard.

He then leaped into the air, his hands becoming a blur.

"Fire Style, Phoenix Sage Flower Claw Red Technique."

Dense fireballs spewed from Uchiha Tunan's mouth, smashing into the large tree.

Boom~

The entire tree was instantly engulfed in flames. As the cold wind blew, fire points like stars drifted with the wind.

Uchiha Tunan stood with his back to the Great Elder, silent for a long time.

The Great Elder gazed at the burning tree with admiration, then shifted his gaze to Uchiha Tunan's back.

He uttered two words: "A genius."

He then slowly got up and walked towards the courtyard gate.

As he passed by Uchiha Tunan, he reached out and gently patted his shoulder.

Just as the Great Elder was about to leave the courtyard, Uchiha Tunan suddenly spoke:

"Great Elder, please believe me.

I will always be a member of the Uchiha Clan.

But for now, I can only be half."

The Great Elder's footsteps abruptly stopped. A hint of joy appeared on his face, and he turned around to meet Uchiha Tunan's gaze.

"I have always believed in you. Come to the clan shrine in a few days.

I'll take you somewhere to choose your new ninjutsu."

After speaking, he gave Uchiha Tunan an encouraging look, then turned and left.

"Farewell, Great Elder."

Uchiha Tunan placed his hands on his knees and bowed deeply.

"Ding, gained the approval of Uchiha Tenzou."

Dealing with such an old fox, you can't say too much.

Say three parts, and let him fill in the rest himself.

After the Great Elder left, Uchiha Tunan straightened up and let out a light sigh, a flicker of thought flashing in his eyes.

Suddenly, Uchiha Tunan's pupils constricted. He saw two yellow handprints on his pants.

His face immediately turned extremely ugly. He brought his hand to his nose and sniffed.

He smelled a faint, sweet fragrance.

This old fox actually pranked me.

Uchiha Tunan took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart.

His face returned to its calm and composed expression, and he turned and walked towards the bedroom.

He took out the long-dusty Advanced Spy Camouflage Techniques: Psychological Warfare from the cabinet.

Night.

Naka Shrine.

The Great Elder and Fugaku Uchiha sat kneeling opposite each other.

"Great Elder, what did you call me here for?"

"Tunan is a genius."

"Hmm?"

A flicker of fanaticism flashed in the Great Elder's eyes.

"Do you know, today he performed the Phoenix Sage Flower Claw Red Technique in front of me. His chakra fluctuations are already infinitely close to a Jonin."

Fugaku Uchiha's face was filled with disbelief upon hearing this. "What!"

The Great Elder turned his head to look at the stone monument stored in the shrine, his heart surging with emotion.

"This is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that he has always been devoted to the Uchiha."

Fugaku Uchiha calmed his mind and stroked his chin. "You mean, everything he's shown so far is a lie?"

The Great Elder nodded heavily.

"Not only does he possess talent far beyond ordinary people, but he also has a magnanimity unmatched by anyone in the Uchiha Clan.

Everything he has displayed is to lull the Konoha higher-ups into a false sense of security."

Fugaku Uchiha's eyes immediately lit up, then he frowned again.

"And who poisoned Tenyu back then?"

"It was him. He must have done it to awaken his Sharingan."

"This..."

"He was indeed very close to Tenyu, and he truly loved Mina.

But his reason told him that he had to do this to gain power."

Fugaku Uchiha suddenly had an epiphany and began to imagine the rest:

"So that's why he destroyed his own bonds with his own hands.

No wonder he chose to end Mina's life himself at the last moment.

But didn't he already awaken his Three Tomoe? Why did he still do it?"

"Perhaps he felt he had already reached that level himself."

"Mangekyo..."

"He must have failed, given his age.

But I believe he will definitely be able to awaken the Mangekyo in the future.

Possessing the power of the legendary Asura of the Shinobi World."

"What do you plan to do?"

"Just you and I need to know about this. Let that little guy grow.

What we need to do is keep our distance from him in daily life.

When the Konoha higher-ups are present, we should act like we're trying our best to win him over.

Also, I've decided to give him that technique..."