Shisui's face was serious, and he looked entirely earnest.
He was genuinely curious!
Because of his interest in Uchiha Jin, he naturally paid close attention to Uchiha Jin's whereabouts ever since the latter returned to the village.
Under his observation, this lasted for a full month.
Aside from training with him, Uchiha Jin frequently went to the village to hang out with Nara Shikaichi and Kakashi, and even got along quite pleasantly with Takada Fujiwara, that commoner jounin.
There were also Nohara Rin and Might Guy, who came from commoner backgrounds, along with many of Uchiha Jin's classmates.
Shisui could tell that whenever Uchiha Jin interacted with others, nobody held any hostility toward him, nor did Uchiha Jin act arrogantly toward them; they got along very naturally and harmoniously with each other.
Therefore.
He was truly, deeply curious about Uchiha Jin's inner thoughts.
And on the other side.
Uchiha Jin let out a sigh.
He just knew that as his contact with Shisui continued, this fellow would inevitably end up asking about these things.
After pondering for a long time, he asked in confusion, "Why don't you go ask Obito? He gets along quite pleasantly with others too!"
"You and Obito are different." Shisui was slightly taken aback, but still shook his head. "Obito is genuinely foolish and naive."
"The only reason he can interact with others in the village is simply because he likes Nohara Rin, and he doesn't notice the rift between the clan and the village at all."
"Jin, you're different!"
"I can sense that you are a deep-thinking person. You can see the rift between the clan and the village, yet you can still remain indifferent to these things, and you even faintly seem to look down on the Uchiha."
"Don't deny it, I can sense it."
"You even somewhat look down on me; right from the very beginning, you didn't really want to have contact with me."
"If my strength hadn't conquered you, you definitely would have kept me at a respectful distance."
"In the past, I didn't ask about these things because I figured that even if I did, you would most likely just brush me off with some perfunctory remarks."
"Now, I can sense that you've started treating me as a friend."
Shisui narrated calmly, his expression remaining gentle.
Yet the confusion in his eyes was undisguised, because he genuinely couldn't quite figure it out. After all, he naturally knew he was different from other Uchiha; he treated everyone very gently and didn't have any arrogant intentions at all.
Yet, at the same time.
He simply couldn't fit in with the other people in the village. No matter how gentle he appeared, others still avoided him and were unwilling to become friends with him.
Even though he had graduated long ago, try as hard as he might, his peers could never manage to be like Uchiha Jin.
This left him somewhat puzzled and genuinely unable to figure it out in his heart.
Now, as the two of them were getting along quite well, he finally voiced the doubts in his heart.
Uchiha Jin: "..."
Watching Shisui's sincere face, the corners of his mouth twitched even more severely.
No wonder!
Ever since this month began, he had been unable to figure this out.
According to common sense, Shisui should have opened his heart to him long ago, yet Shisui hadn't brought it up for so long.
Now, he understood.
Shisui's powers of observation were indeed meticulous; his thoughts, hidden so deeply, had actually still been keenly perceived by him.
What to do?
Indeed, just as Shisui said, had Shisui asked about it earlier, he most likely would have glossed over it.
Right now, however, it was different!
Shisui's help to him was truly significant, and he could also sense that Shisui's feelings for him were genuine—he truly wanted to become friends with him.
Not to mention...
He had even taken the other person's katana, worth over ninety million ryo. As the old saying goes, "He who eats another's food is soft-mouthed; he who takes another's gifts is short-handed."
So.
After a helpless sigh, Uchiha Jin spoke up with resignation, "The matters of the village and the clan are very complicated. Even if I explained them to you, you wouldn't understand. Let's just start with smaller things instead."
"As for why you feel you can't become friends with other people in the village, in my view, the reason is actually quite simple."
"Shisui, you are too arrogant!"
"Although you seem very gentle, the truth is I can tell that you are more arrogant than any other Uchiha."
Hearing this, Shisui froze instantly.
Me—arrogant?
He found it somewhat impossible to understand, and even impossible to accept this conclusion.
Even though he couldn't form friendships with others in the village, everyone's evaluation of him was always the same.
A gentle Uchiha, just like his grandfather, Kagami Uchiha.
The only one who evaluated him as arrogant was the Uchiha Jin right before his eyes.
He couldn't help opening his mouth to explain, "Jin, you must have got it wrong, I..."
"Shisui, don't rush to refute me." Uchiha Jin spoke, directly interrupting him. "Answer me one question: how do you view the other Uchiha clansmen?"
Shisui's expression turned somewhat ugly, but after taking a deep breath, he still spoke directly, "Arrogant, condescending, not putting anyone in their eyes. Jin, surely you don't think otherwise?"
Uchiha Jin nodded. "I do, and I disagree!"
"Your standards are too high, and you are simply unwilling to lower your head. Take Uchiha Tesho and Geng for example—they are merely Uchiha commoners, what qualifications do they have to look down on others?"
"On the contrary, because of the relationship between the clan and the village, people like them don't even dare to go to the village."
"There are actually many people like this, and my parents are the same way."
"And so am I!"
"Perhaps you find it hard to believe, but it wasn't until our squad was formed and we had a dinner gathering that I went to the village to eat for the very first time."
"Could it be because I'm arrogant and look down on the village restaurants?"
"No, it's because I couldn't!"
"Because the Uchiha's reputation is too rotten. Even if others wouldn't dare chase me away, eating in the village makes me feel stuffy and distressed."
"There are definitely Uchiha who are genuinely arrogant and condescending, but ordinary Uchiha are far more numerous. People just don't dare show it on ordinary days."
"Because once you show it, you're treated as an outlier within the clan!"
"Obito is one such person!"
"Just because he is different from traditional Uchiha, look at whether he frequently faces discrimination and ridicule within the clan."
Shisui froze.
What Uchiha Jin just said was something he truly had never paid attention to before.
However, hearing Uchiha Jin put it this way now and thinking about it carefully, it seemed to really be the case—that kid Obito frequently suffered discrimination and mockery.
Therefore, he fell silent!
Seeing this, Uchiha Jin slowly continued, "This is why I say you're arrogant. Other Uchiha are arrogant on the surface, while your arrogance is hidden deep within your bones. To me, it looks more like a form of proud isolation."
"You look down on all Uchiha equally, believing that you alone are the most clear-headed and the most special."
"You think everyone is drunk while you alone are sober, but that precisely proves just how arrogant you are."
"During my time at the Ninja Academy, I was also frequently dragged by Nohara Rin to play with Kakashi and the others. Why didn't you pay attention to me back then and come to me to discuss these issues?"
"Why are you paying attention to me now?"
"Isn't it because I first earned the reputation of a genius, making you willing to lower your head to take a look at me, and only then did you perceive my difference, ultimately choosing to discuss this with me?"
"Shisui, I'll leave you with these words!"
"In this world, stupidity and ignorance are not the obstacles to survival; arrogance is!"
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