Jiraiya's expression turned serious.
"As a ninja, harming villagers is absolutely forbidden. This is the foundation of the village's existence, and the meaning of a ninja's existence. No matter the reason, laying hands on ordinary people is—"
"I already told you."
Genkawa Uchiha waved a hand, cutting him off directly, his expression strange.
"I'm not a ninja."
He picked up the sake flask, poured himself another cup, took a sip, and continued leisurely, "Those rules don't apply to me. At most, punishing them was just a little retaliation from an ordinary villager because they had foul mouths."
"This isn't even serious enough for the Military Police Force to handle. This is called a minor conflict between villagers, understand?"
That made so much sense that Jiraiya opened his mouth, only to find himself unable to refute it.
Because he had realized it too. The boy before him truly was not a ninja. He was not registered, had never accepted missions, and had never received mission pay from the village.
Strictly speaking, the boy before him had not even attended the Ninja Academy.
The rules for ninjas truly did not apply to him.
Jiraiya fell silent for a moment, then sat down across from Genkawa Uchiha.
He felt that a boy like this needed proper guidance.
If it had been someone else, he definitely would not have had such thoughts or patience. But this one was an Uchiha, an Uchiha who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, and still just a boy.
His mindset had to be corrected.
"So, you still care about how others judge you, don't you?"
Genkawa Uchiha shook his head. "You're wrong. I don't care."
Jiraiya looked at him without speaking.
The meaning in his eyes was obvious—if you didn't care, then why did you punish them?
Genkawa Uchiha read the question in his gaze and smiled.
"You don't think I attacked those villagers because I cared about what they thought of me, do you?"
Jiraiya asked in return, "Wasn't that the case?"
"Of course not."
Genkawa Uchiha set down his cup, leaned back slightly, and rested against the back of his chair.
"I attacked them because they had foul mouths and talked shit about me. That's all. As for what they think of me, I don't care."
He paused, as though organizing his words.
"These are two different things. They can say whatever they want, and I can't be bothered to care. But if I hear it, that becomes another matter. If they dare say it to your face, then I dare hit them to your face. Those people don't dare say it in front of me. They only dare wag their tongues behind my back."
He gave a laugh, and there was a hint of disdain in it.
"If any of them truly had the guts to say it to my face, I'd actually respect them."
Jiraiya stared at him for several seconds.
He discovered that the boy before him was far more complicated than he had imagined. Calm, cold, and possessed of his own logic for doing things.
This was troublesome.
The old man hadn't said this brat would be so hard to handle before he came.
How could a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old brat already have his own way of doing things, and cling to it so stubbornly?
At this age, shouldn't other brats be dreaming of becoming Hokage?
Why didn't this brat have such dreams?
Oh, he was an Uchiha who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Then never mind.
As he thought that, Jiraiya also read another layer of meaning from those words.
This boy truly harbored resistance toward the village. It was not especially intense, and he had not shown it openly.
But the calm, matter-of-fact detachment within him was impossible to fake.
This was giving him a headache. He shouldn't have come.
I shouldn't have come. Shouldn't I have left Uchiha matters to the old man? I shouldn't have let my curiosity get the better of me.
After thinking it over, he still decided to try once more and asked, "Then what if they said those things to your face? How would you deal with it?"
Genkawa Uchiha did not even need to think.
"Simple. 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 the compensation."
Jiraiya's mouth twitched. He wanted to say something, but felt that nothing he said would be appropriate.
The answer had come too readily, so readily that he felt the other party was not speaking in anger, but merely stating a fact.
Because Jiraiya genuinely felt that the boy before him truly intended to do exactly that.
It was just bizarre.
The atmosphere fell silent for several seconds.
Then Genkawa Uchiha moved. He took a clean cup from the table, placed it in front of Jiraiya, picked up the sake flask, and filled it to the brim.
The sake was clear, its fragrance rich and overflowing.
Jiraiya looked at the cup of sake, somewhat surprised. He had not expected the boy to pour him a drink on his own initiative.
He raised his head and glanced at Genkawa Uchiha. There was no particular expression on the other's face, as though he were doing something entirely ordinary.
Jiraiya did not ask why. He picked up the cup and took a sip.
"Good sake."
He praised it sincerely.
Genkawa Uchiha chuckled. "Of course. This bottle is worth one hundred thousand ryō."
Then he picked up his chopsticks and continued grilling the meat.
The slices of meat sizzled on the grill, the aroma of fat mixing with the fragrance of sake and making one's mouth water.
After a while, Genkawa Uchiha spoke.
"You've traveled all over for so many years. You must have been to many places, right?"
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, becoming interested.
"Of course."
He put down his cup and puffed out his chest.
"I've been to all five great nations of the Ninja World. The 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 in the Land of Water, and the 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 slice of grilled meat, put it into his mouth, and chewed slowly.
"I heard the Land of Wind suffers drought year-round, with endless deserts?"
"That's right."
Once Jiraiya began talking about such things, he could not stop.
"The Land of Wind barely gets any rain in a year. When the wind blows through the desert, the sand fills the sky and even blocks out the sun. Sunagakure was built in a place like that. I have to say, those people are really tough."
"What about the Land of Lightning?"
"The Land of Lightning is different. It's full of high mountains, and the clouds hang so low that it feels like you could reach out and touch them. Kumogakure was built on mountaintops. The sea of clouds looks spectacular from there."
The more Jiraiya spoke, the more animated he became. He clearly had a desire to talk.
Naturally, part of it was also because he wanted to communicate more with Genkawa Uchiha.
"Iwagakure in the Land of Earth is even more interesting. The entire village is hidden among rocky mountain ranges. Kirigakure in the Land of Water is hidden in thick mist. The first time I went there, I nearly got lost. I wandered through the fog for most of the day before finding the village entrance."
Genkawa Uchiha listened quietly, asking a question or two from time to time.
"What are the people there like?"
"All kinds."
Jiraiya took another sip of sake. "There are good people, bad people, warm and hospitable people, and people who draw their swords the moment they see someone from another village. But overall, ordinary people make up the majority. Everyone wants a peaceful life."
"What about ninja rules? They differ from village to village, right?"
"The rules are mostly similar, but the way they're enforced differs greatly. Kumogakure is rather rough, Kirigakure is rather strict, Iwagakure is rather closed-off, and Sunagakure is rather..."
As Jiraiya spoke, he suddenly felt that something was off.
He looked at Genkawa Uchiha.
The boy was holding his sake cup, his head slightly lowered, with a thoughtful expression on his face.
That expression did not look like he was listening to stories. It looked more like he was gathering information.
Jiraiya's buzz from the alcohol instantly faded somewhat.
"You aren't thinking of leaving the village, are you?"
There was a trace of wariness in his voice.
Genkawa Uchiha raised his head, looked at him, and smiled.
Jiraiya grinned, somewhat regretting having said so much. He hurriedly tried to patch things up. "You'd better not. You're still young, and it would be too dangerous for you to go out there."
Genkawa Uchiha said faintly, "You mean they'd be in danger if they faced me?"
"Uh..."
Jiraiya's head began to ache.
What should I do? If the old man finds out that I'm the reason this brat started thinking about leaving the village, will he attack me?
An Uchiha with the Mangekyō Sharingan wanting to leave the village—Jiraiya did not need to use his brain to know that if it truly happened, it would definitely cause no small disturbance for the village.
It was simply because the boy before him was too special, and too many things were tied to him.
"Hehe, don't worry. I was just asking casually," Genkawa Uchiha said.
Jiraiya forced a smile.
You'd better be.
He truly regretted coming.
Before you continue