The Great Elder's Grudges and Entanglements with Tobirama Senju

The second one cost forty-six thousand ryo. It felt average, much heavier than the previous one, and didn't suit him.

The third one...

A few minutes later, all five Ninja Swords had passed through Uchiha Yuan's hands in turn.

Overall, there wasn't much difference between the five Ninja Swords, aside from one that was slightly too heavy.

Considering that the Ninja Sword he bought this time would inevitably be phased out in the future, Uchiha Yuan wasn't overly picky. He simply chose the one that felt relatively best in his hand.

The balance in his wallet immediately dropped by forty-seven thousand ryo.

With his newly acquired Ninja Sword, Uchiha Yuan visited several other shops and spent three thousand ryo on some premium tobacco and two inexpensive yet rather exquisite bracelets, bringing the total to fifty thousand ryo.

These were gifts he had prepared for the Great Elder, Mikoto, and Mika.

Though they had long said there was no need for gifts, and he had only just become a ninja and didn't have much money, while their family certainly didn't lack such things, when a leader said gifts weren't necessary, could you really show up empty-handed?

He might not want them, but you couldn't simply not give them, because it conveyed the most basic signal to your leader.

I truly keep you in my thoughts. You carry weight in my heart.

Only then would a leader be more likely to regard you as one of their own.

"Big Sister Mikoto, Aunt Mika, this is just a small token. It isn't worth much."

At the entrance, Uchiha Yuan handed the gift boxes in his hands to Mika.

"Oh, you child. It's enough that you came—why bring gifts?"

Uchiha Mika greeted him at the door with a beaming smile.

"Alright, accept the child's kindness. But next time, there really is no need to bring anything. Come in."

Great Elder Uchiha Gen walked to the door with his hands behind his back.

Uchiha Mikoto naturally set several cups of hot tea on the table to entertain their guest.

However, the Great Elder clearly had no intention of exchanging pleasantries with Uchiha Yuan. After taking a sip of tea, he spoke directly.

"Tell me. What brings you to see this old man today?"

"Great Elder, I've awakened the Sharingan."

Uchiha Yuan spoke gently.

The Great Elder paused, then nodded in satisfaction.

"Awakening your eyes at this age isn't late. To awaken the Sharingan only one month after officially becoming a ninja proves that this old man did not misjudge you. Your talent is indeed outstanding. Now, show this old man your eyes."

At his words, Uchiha Yuan closed and opened his eyes, revealing a pair of One-Tomoe Sharingan.

"Mikoto."

The Great Elder spoke flatly.

"Yuan, look over here."

Uchiha Mikoto set down the teapot and called softly to Uchiha Yuan.

The moment he turned his head and their gazes met, Uchiha Mikoto activated her own Sharingan.

Fifteen-year-old Uchiha Mikoto possessed Two-Tomoe Sharingan.

"Genjutsu: Sharingan!"

Uchiha Yuan immediately felt a wave of Dojutsu Power far stronger than his own rushing toward his brain.

"Mm—!"

With a muffled groan, the tomoe in Uchiha Yuan's eyes began to spin faster and faster, while his expression gradually relaxed.

Uchiha Mikoto bore no ill intent. Rather, she was using genjutsu as a medium to help Uchiha Yuan quickly temper and familiarize himself with his own Dojutsu Power.

Thus, Uchiha Yuan made no deliberate attempt to break the genjutsu. Instead, he fully mobilized the Dojutsu Power in his eyes to resist it, using the opportunity to learn how to draw upon it.

The young man and young woman simply stared at each other across the tea table with two pairs of red eyes, creating a somewhat eerie sight.

The Great Elder sat nearby, quietly drinking tea as he waited.

One minute later.

Uchiha Mikoto released the genjutsu and blinked her dry eyes several times, while Uchiha Yuan simply rubbed his eyes.

After staring for so long, even with the Sharingan, their eyes had become terribly dry.

"Hmm. You held on for a minute, so it seems you adapted quickly. Your talent for using the Sharingan is decent, but you still need training. We'll go to the Training Ground first. This old man will teach you some knowledge about the Sharingan, then we'll head to the Clan Vault to choose ninjutsu. Do you need to rest for a while first?"

Uchiha Gen set down his teacup. His aged yet sharp eyes rested on Uchiha Yuan, carrying a rare hint of gentleness.

As a ninja who had lived through the Warring States Period, at his age, he was riddled with injuries and illness. Even with his high status and access to medical resources unavailable to ordinary ninjas, he still only had a few years left to live.

To him, there was nothing more valuable than spending the last years of his life personally nurturing and witnessing talented Uchiha grow one after another, allowing the clan to hope for a return to its peak.

"Let's go now, Great Elder."

Uchiha Yuan said to the Great Elder.

With Orochimaru—a top-tier powerhouse proficient in every field—guiding his training in ninjutsu and other areas, his future cultivation path was basically not a concern. But in specialized fields of the Uchiha Clan, such as the Sharingan, he still had to rely on the elders within the clan.

As a contemporary of Madara and Izuna, although Uchiha Gen had not awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and was not as powerful as those two, he was still a veteran Uchiha with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, rich in experience and keen in judgment.

In the current Uchiha Clan, no one more suitable than him could be found to guide him.

Following the Great Elder, the group arrived at a training ground within the Uchiha Clan Grounds.

"This old man bears old wounds and cannot move about conveniently. Let Mikoto spar with you instead."

The Great Elder stood upright as he spoke to Uchiha Gen.

"Hidden injuries?"

"Old wounds?"

The Great Elder slowly nodded and lifted his loose trouser leg.

A large chunk of flesh was missing from his calf, replaced by an intricate wooden mechanism containing several springs.

"This happened during the First Ninja World War. When this old man fought Kumogakure shinobi, I was wounded by the Third Raikage, who had yet to take office. Had that old ghost Tobirama Senju not arrived in time to support me, I would have been no match for him. I likely would have died beneath Kumogakure's secret Hell Stab."

The Great Elder lowered his trouser leg again and poked at his chest.

"But thirty-five years ago, the year before the village was founded, when I accompanied Izuna to escort supplies, I encountered Tobirama Senju again and was cut by his Lightning God Sword. That scheming white-haired old ghost used Water Release Chakra mixed with Lightning Release to seep into my body. I could only survive by cutting away part of my lung."

As Uchiha Gen spoke of the past, his eyes were full of wistfulness. Yet when he mentioned Tobirama Senju, his tone was so complicated that it defied description.

He had once hated Tobirama Senju to the bone, but after the Uchiha and Senju reconciled, Tobirama Senju had saved him despite their past enmity.

Having part of a lung removed would undoubtedly have a considerable impact on one's physical ability, especially one's endurance in battle. And with a section of his calf missing, it would also undoubtedly have an enormous effect on his explosive power and mobility.