Is Your Art Above Mine?

Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Fine. That child is resistant toward the village and doesn't think much of me as the Hokage. Perhaps if you go, you'll be able to have a proper talk with him."

After all, he possessed the Mangekyō. Even if he was an Uchiha, from the Hokage's perspective, he was still a source of strength for the village.

If the relationship between the village and the Uchiha Clan had not been so strained, Hiruzen Sarutobi might have approached him personally.

Unfortunately, after several past encounters, Hiruzen Sarutobi had accepted reality. That child had no desire to grow close to either the village or him, the Hokage.

That made things difficult.

Jiraiya rubbed his chin, the corner of his mouth curling upward.

"A kid with that much personality is rare. And he's an Uchiha too."

His eyes lit up.

"Now I'm even more curious."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and said nothing more.

His gaze fell upon the village outside the window, a trace of worry hidden in his eyes.

Seeing that, Jiraiya did not ask any further questions. After saying goodbye, he turned and left the Hokage Office.

"Let's make this clear first. I'm only staying in the village until you return from your report. Don't even think about assigning me anything else."

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched his departing back with helplessness.

All three of his students practically covered the entire Three Ninja Taboos. Thinking about it now, he really had committed quite a sin.

At the edge of the Forest of Death.

After Kakashi Hatake left, Genkawa Uchiha did not hurry back to the village.

He circled the clearing and found a relatively flat area.

The ground was hard-packed dirt, with several large rocks around it that could serve as simple obstacles. It was not as good as the previous training ground, but it was quiet, and no one would come disturb him.

He drew a clear boundary around the edge of the clearing, marking out an area for himself.

And so, a simple training ground was complete.

Then he began practicing.

First came basic sword swings, then footwork, followed by hand signs and ninjutsu. They were all basic exercises.

He had already moved beyond simply learning. Gradually, he was entering the stage of incorporating his own understanding into every aspect of his training.

This was the inevitable path to becoming strong. The cheat only provided him with a foundation; true strength required him to master everything himself.

Otherwise, he would be nothing more than trash inflated by a cheat.

In this way, most of the morning passed.

The sun climbed overhead, and the sunlight grew scorching. Genkawa Uchiha sheathed his sword and raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

It was time to eat.

His life had always been this regular. He did whatever needed to be done when it was time to do it.

He headed toward the village.

Konoha.

When Genkawa Uchiha entered the village, the atmosphere around him had clearly changed.

Some people on the streets visibly paused when they saw him. Some lowered their heads and hurried past him. Others stopped in the distance, watched him, and whispered to the people beside them.

Their voices were low, too low for ordinary people to hear. But Genkawa Uchiha was clearly not ordinary, and every word of their murmurs reached his ears.

"That's him... that golden monster from that day..."

"I heard that was the Uchiha Clan's Susanoo Armor, the legendary power of the gods."

"The Uchiha must be thrilled now. Those people are truly disgusting."

"Even the Hokage Advisor was suspended because he offended him."

"Shh, keep your voice down. Don't let him hear you."

"He's gone far enough. It's fine. Tell me, is having someone like that in the village a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Who knows? Either way, staying far away from him can't be wrong."

Sometimes, people's malice was just that direct and obvious.

Genkawa Uchiha had never actively done anything to harm Konoha, but perhaps because he was from the Uchiha Clan, all that malice fell upon him.

Could an ordinary person remain unchanged under such circumstances?

Perhaps the villagers in this environment had also contributed to the awakening of many Uchiha's eyes.

To put it loosely, the village and the Uchiha could be said to complement each other.

Genkawa Uchiha did not slow his steps, and his face remained expressionless.

He had long since grown used to it.

He casually flicked his fingers several times, followed by a string of pained cries.

Those gossiping behind his back each felt as though some part of their body had been pierced by a sharp weapon. The pain brought tears to their eyes, yet there were no visible wounds, and their entire bodies went weak.

After returning home, these people would be bedridden for at least ten days or half a month.

This was a little trick Genkawa Uchiha had developed over the past two days. It had evolved from the Chakra Scalpel used in medical ninjutsu and incorporated some traits of the Rasengan, allowing him to injure enemies without leaving a trace.

It was not yet a complete technique, merely an ordinary little trick, but it was more than enough to punish foul-mouthed civilians.

Genkawa Uchiha turned onto another street, leaving the groans and screams behind him.

The Akimichi Clan's barbecue restaurant.

The cloth curtain over the entrance was somewhat old, but the signboard had been polished brightly. Genkawa Uchiha lifted the curtain and entered, and the owner recognized him at once.

"Genkawa, you're here. Your usual seat?"

"Mm."

Genkawa Uchiha nodded and walked straight toward the table in the corner.

It was the seat he chose every time he came, against the wall, where he could see both the entrance and the kitchen.

He sat down, and the owner quickly brought over a menu.

"What are you having today?"

"The usual."

"Got it."

The owner asked no further questions and turned toward the kitchen. Before long, plates of meat were brought out.

Pork belly, beef tongue, ribs—enough to fill the entire table.

The owner even brought an extra jug of wine and placed it on the table.

"It just came in. Give it a try."

Genkawa Uchiha glanced at the jug of wine but did not refuse.

He picked up his chopsticks and placed a slice of pork belly onto the grill. The meat sizzled as it touched the scorching iron plate, and the fragrance of rendered fat instantly filled the air.

He poured himself a cup of wine and took a sip.

The wine went down his throat with a faint spicy burn.

He picked up another slice of grilled meat, dipped it in sauce, and put it into his mouth.

The charred aroma of the meat blended with the salty sweetness of the sauce. It tasted excellent.

He ate bite after bite of meat and drank cup after cup of wine, minding his own business and ignoring everyone else.

The other customers in the restaurant occasionally glanced his way, but not one of them came over to speak with him.

The cloth curtain was lifted, and someone entered.

Tall and burly, with long white hair draped over his shoulders and a forehead protector bearing the character for "oil" on his brow.

As soon as he entered, he looked around, then locked onto Genkawa Uchiha in the corner and strode over.

A hand reached toward the jug of wine on the table.

"You should still pay attention to the Three Ninja Taboos. Besides, you're not even an adult yet, so you definitely shouldn't be drinking."

Before that hand could touch the wine jug, it was slapped across the back.

Smack! The sound was crisp and loud.

Genkawa Uchiha looked up at the tall white-haired man before him, raising a brow.

"I'm not even a ninja. Why the hell would I need to pay attention to the Three Ninja Taboos?"

He set down his chopsticks and looked the man over from head to toe.

"You rude old man, who are you?"

The back of Jiraiya's hand had turned red, but he was not angry. Instead, he smiled.

He withdrew his hand, crossed his arms over his chest, and struck what he believed was a handsome pose.

"I am the gallant Jiraiya!"

Genkawa Uchiha looked at him in silence for two seconds.

"The Sannin Jiraiya who writes dirty books?"

Jiraiya staggered, nearly losing his footing. He hurriedly grabbed the table, his voice rising several pitches.

"They aren't dirty books. They are books of great artistic value."

His expression turned serious, utterly solemn.

"You don't understand art. How can art be summed up with the word 'dirty'? That is literature, the sublimation of emotion, it is—"

"Then do you know what 'a spear braced across the beam,' 'scooping the moon from a cup,' 'a wild boar rooting through mud,' and 'a spirit monkey climbing a tree' mean?"

Genkawa Uchiha interrupted him in a calm tone.

Jiraiya's voice came to an abrupt halt.

His mouth hung open, his eyes widened, and his whole body froze in place.

"Am-amazing..."

Even his voice had begun to stammer.

"There's still so much knowledge I don't know? Is your art above mine?"

Genkawa Uchiha smiled without smiling and said nothing, merely looking at him.

Jiraiya met his gaze.

After a moment, Jiraiya conceded defeat.

He had wanted to use this sort of opening to ease the awkwardness of their meeting.

But he ultimately realized that the young man before him was far from ordinary. His expression turned stern, and he said in a low voice, "On my way here, those injured villagers... that was your doing, wasn't it?"

Genkawa Uchiha did not deny it. He nodded. "I punished them. What about it? Was I not allowed to?"