The most troublesome are the thirteen or fourteen-year-old brats

Jiraiya's expression turned serious.

"As ninjas, harming villagers is absolutely forbidden. This is the foundation of the village's existence, and the meaning of ninjas. No matter the reason, attacking ordinary people is—"

"I already said."

Genkawa Uchiha waved his hand, directly interrupting him, his expression strange.

"I'm not a ninja."

He picked up the wine pot, poured himself another cup, and took a sip, leisurely continuing, "These rules don't apply to me. I punished them, and at most, it was just them talking trash, and me, a mere ordinary villager, getting a little revenge."

"This kind of thing doesn't even require the attention of the police force. See, this is called a minor conflict between villagers, understand?"

The logic was sound, and Jiraiya's mouth opened, unsure how to refute him.

Because he also realized that the young man before him was indeed not a ninja. He wasn't registered, hadn't taken any missions, and hadn't received any mission rewards from the village.

In fact, strictly speaking, the young man hadn't even attended the Ninja Academy.

The rules of ninjas truly didn't apply to him.

Jiraiya fell silent for a moment, then sat down opposite Genkawa Uchiha.

He felt that such a young man needed to be properly guided.

If it were anyone else, he would never have had such thoughts or patience, but the person before him was an Uchiha, and one who had awakened the Mangekyō, and he was still a youth.

His mindset had to be changed.

"So, you do care about what others think of you, don't you?"

Genkawa Uchiha shook his head, "You're mistaken, I don't care."

Jiraiya looked at him, saying nothing.

The meaning in his eyes was clear—if you don't care, then why did you take action to punish them?

Genkawa Uchiha read the question in his gaze and smiled.

"You don't think I attacked those villagers because I cared about their opinions, do you?"

Jiraiya countered, "Isn't that the case?"

"Of course not."

Genkawa Uchiha put down his wine cup, leaned back slightly in his chair.

"I acted against them because they were talking trash about me, and that's all. As for their opinions of me, I don't care."

He paused, as if organizing his thoughts.

"These are two different things. They can say what they want, and I can't be bothered. But if they make me hear it, that's another matter. If they dare to say it in front of you, I'll dare to act in front of you. Those people don't dare to say it to my face, they only dare to gossip behind my back."

He let out a laugh, a hint of disdain in it.

"If they truly had the guts to say it to my face, I would actually admire them."

Jiraiya stared at him for several seconds.

He realized that the young man he was facing was far more complex than he had imagined. Calm, cold, and possessing his own logic for doing things.

This was troublesome.

The old man hadn't mentioned that this brat was so difficult to deal with.

How could a thirteen or fourteen-year-old brat have his own logic, and be so insistent?

Shouldn't other brats at this age be dreaming of becoming Hokage?

Why didn't this brat?

Oh, he was an Uchiha who had awakened the Mangekyō.

Never mind then.

Thinking this, Jiraiya also gleaned another layer of meaning from these words.

This young man did indeed have a resistance towards the village, not intense, and not openly displayed.

But that calm, matter-of-fact detachment was genuine.

It was a bit of a headache, he shouldn't have come.

Jiraiya thought to himself that he shouldn't have come. The Uchiha's affairs should be left to the old man, he shouldn't have been curious.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to try again and asked, "Then what if they said those things to your face? How would you respond?"

Genkawa Uchiha didn't even think.

"Simple, I'd break their legs."

Jiraiya opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Genkawa Uchiha interrupted him.

"Don't argue, I have money, I can afford to pay."

Jiraiya's mouth twitched at the words. He wanted to say something, but felt that nothing he said would be appropriate.

The answer was too straightforward, so straightforward that he felt the other party wasn't speaking out of anger, but stating a fact.

Because Jiraiya truly felt that the boy before him meant exactly what he said.

It was bizarre.

The atmosphere remained silent for a few seconds.

Then Genkawa Uchiha moved; he reached out, took a clean cup from the table, placed it in front of Jiraiya, picked up the wine pot, and poured a full cup.

The wine was clear, its aroma overflowing.

Jiraiya looked at the cup of wine, somewhat surprised; he had not expected this boy to take the initiative to pour him a drink.

He looked up at Genkawa Uchiha, but the other party's face held no particular expression, as if he were simply doing something mundane.

Jiraiya did not ask why; he picked up the cup and took a sip.

"Good wine."

He praised it sincerely.

Genkawa Uchiha chuckled: "Of course, this bottle is worth one hundred thousand ryō."

He then picked up his chopsticks and continued to grill the meat.

The meat slices sizzled on the grill, the scent of fat mingling with the aroma of the wine, making one's mouth water.

After a moment, Genkawa Uchiha spoke.

"You've traveled north and south for so many years; you must have been to many places, right?"

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued.

"Of course."

He set down his wine cup and puffed out his chest.

"I've been to all five great nations of the ninja world. The vast deserts of the Land of Wind, the Cloud Mountain of the Land of Lightning, the Rock Wall of the Land of Earth, the Sea of Mist of the Land of Water, and the mountains and forests of the Land of Fire. Every place has its own characteristics, and every place has its own stories."

Genkawa Uchiha listened, picked up a piece of grilled meat, put it into his mouth, and chewed slowly.

"I've heard that the Land of Wind is arid year-round, with endless deserts?"

"That's right."

Speaking of these things, Jiraiya's floodgates opened.

"In the Land of Wind, it barely rains a few times a year. When the wind blows the sand in the desert, it covers the sky and the earth, blocking out even the sun. Sunagakure is built in such a place; I have to say, those people are truly capable of enduring."

"And the Land of Lightning?"

"The Land of Lightning is different; it's full of high mountains, and the clouds hang so low you feel like you can reach out and touch them. Kumogakure is built on the mountain peaks; the view of the sea of clouds from there is spectacular."

Jiraiya spoke with increasing enthusiasm, clearly possessing a desire to confide.

Of course, there was also the motive of using this to interact more with Genkawa Uchiha.

"Iwagakure in the Land of Earth is even more interesting; the entire village is hidden within the rocky mountain ranges. Kirigakure in the Land of Water is hidden in thick fog; I almost got lost the first time I went there, wandering in the mist for half a day before I found the entrance to the village."

Genkawa Uchiha listened quietly, asking a question or two from time to time.

"What are the people like over there?"

"All kinds."

Jiraiya took another sip of wine. "There are good people, bad people, some who are hospitable, and others who draw their blades the moment they see an outsider. But generally speaking, ordinary people are the majority; everyone just wants to live a stable life."

"What about the rules for ninjas? They must be different in every village, right?"

"The rules are much the same, but the execution varies greatly. Kumogakure is more rugged, Kirigakure is more severe, Iwagakure is more closed-off, and Sunagakure is more..."

As Jiraiya spoke, he suddenly felt that something was not quite right.

He looked at Genkawa Uchiha.

The boy was holding his wine cup, head slightly bowed, wearing a thoughtful expression.

That expression didn't look like he was listening to a story, but rather like he was gathering information.

Jiraiya's tipsiness cleared up a bit instantly.

"You aren't thinking of leaving the village, are you?"

His voice carried a hint of wariness.

Genkawa Uchiha looked up at him and smiled.

Jiraiya grinned, regretting that he had said so much, and hurriedly tried to make amends: "You really shouldn't. You're still young; it's too dangerous to go out there."

Genkawa Uchiha said softly: "Are you saying it would be dangerous for them to face me?"

"Uh..."

Jiraiya began to get a headache.

What to do?

If the old man finds out it was my fault that this brat got the idea to leave the village, will he come after me?

An Uchiha with a Mangekyō Sharingan wanting to leave the village—Jiraiya knew, even without thinking, that if this really happened, it would be a massive shock to the village.

It was only because the youth before him was truly too special, and the things entangled with him were far too many.

"Heh, no need to worry, I was just asking casually," Genkawa Uchiha said.

Jiraiya managed a strained smile.

You had better be.

He truly regretted coming here.