Natural Energy Stopped

Genkawa Uchiha no longer paid those people any attention and walked toward his home.

Only after he had left did the discussions start up again.

"Damn it, look at that guy's attitude!"

"That bastard—one day, I'll make him pay!"

"What a disgrace to the Uchiha."

Genkawa Uchiha ignored every one of those voices.

He had heard too much of it since childhood. It could no longer stir any emotion in him; he only found it amusing.

To expect him to feel attached to an Uchiha like this was, frankly, asking a bit much.

If it had not been for Shimura Danzō tonight, he would not have wanted to concern himself with this mess at all. That was why he had left so decisively earlier.

Accompanied by strange looks all the way, Genkawa Uchiha returned to his residence.

"Thankfully, there's no real problem."

His home was a courtyard, neither large nor small—a standard Japanese-style residence with a touch of elegance.

The courtyard itself was not large. Three sides were enclosed by black-lacquered stone walls, while the northern side had a low hedge surrounding several withered bamboo stalks.

A stone lantern leaned crookedly in the corner, half its shade cracked and filled with fallen leaves.

The bluestone path had been worn smooth by footsteps. It led directly from the courtyard gate to a low tea room, and there was still a groove on the doorframe that he had carved with a kunai when he was four.

There was a pond in the courtyard, only a dozen or so paces across. The water was shallow, with several white stones spread across the bottom like chess pieces tossed there carelessly.

There were no flowers, no koi, and no decorations.

A string of faded wind chimes hung beneath the eaves, silent for a long time now.

Everything looked old and weathered, and tonight's Nine-Tails incident had caused some minor damage as well.

Fortunately, it was nothing serious. A little tidying and repair would be enough.

Let alone in Konoha, this courtyard was considered quite good even within the Uchiha Clan. Most ordinary Uchiha clan members lived in standard two-story wooden houses or simple one-story homes.

There were only around a dozen courtyards like this in the entire Uchiha Clan compound.

That was thanks to the family background of his father in this life.

To put it simply, he and Fugaku Uchiha were related. They were cousins within five generations; their great-grandfathers had been biological brothers, making them fifth-degree collateral relatives.

Strictly speaking, he should have called Fugaku Uchiha his cousin.

Of course, he was a distant cousin, belonging to the Clan Head's branch of the family.

Genkawa Uchiha's father in this life had also been a fairly talented ninja—a jōnin in his twenties who had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan and was considered one of the clan's elites.

That was why he had left Genkawa Uchiha this courtyard, along with a considerable inheritance.

As a result, after Genkawa Uchiha became an orphan, he had enough money to support himself and did not need the Uchiha Clan—or even the village—to provide for him.

After returning to his room, setting down his bag, and doing a bit of tidying up, Genkawa Uchiha began making himself a late-night meal.

No matter what had happened earlier, since he was in the mood, he would keep cooking.

It had been his habit for a long time. Genkawa Uchiha quickly calmed down and focused on what he was doing, as if his battle with the Nine-Tails and the incident of gouging out Shimura Danzō's eye had never happened.

It was still somewhat noisy outside, but that did not affect him either.

About half an hour later, his late-night meal was ready.

Two small dishes and a small bottle of sake—that was his meal.

The dishes were simple, one meat dish and one vegetable dish.

The sake, however, was not something someone his age should have been drinking. But he was an orphan, so there was no one who could stop him.

Besides, it had been a habit from his previous life, one he had picked up again after turning twelve.

After all, being alone could be rather lonely sometimes. A little alcohol helped him sleep more soundly.

Just as he poured himself a cup of sake, he heard a knock at the door. Genkawa Uchiha frowned slightly, but still got up to open it.

As expected, Fugaku Uchiha was standing outside.

Compared to when Genkawa Uchiha had seen him earlier, Fugaku Uchiha now had his brows tightly furrowed and a grave expression. Who knew whether Hiruzen Sarutobi had given him trouble.

"Something wrong?"

Genkawa Uchiha asked directly.

Fugaku Uchiha had long grown used to his attitude and did not waste words.

"Yes, there is something I need to discuss with you."

No one was on the street outside, but Genkawa Uchiha still stepped aside.

The two entered the courtyard one after the other without speaking. Once Fugaku Uchiha was led into the room, he saw the two small dishes and the sake on the low table.

"You're still young. You shouldn't be drinking, and besides, the three ninja prohibitions—"

Fugaku Uchiha was cut off directly.

"Did you come here to tell me that?"

Genkawa Uchiha took out another pair of chopsticks and a small sake cup, placing them in front of Fugaku Uchiha.

Although he acted indifferent toward many things, even toward the Uchiha Clan, it did not mean he had no manners at all. He still knew how to treat people properly.

After all, Fugaku Uchiha was a guest.

Fugaku Uchiha, meanwhile, did not mind Genkawa Uchiha's attitude.

There was quite a large age gap between them, yet they were of the same generation and somewhat related. So after Genkawa Uchiha's talent had been revealed, Fugaku Uchiha had long wanted to nurture him properly.

However, after dealing with him over the years, Fugaku Uchiha had already learned Genkawa Uchiha's temperament. He had long since gotten angry over it, but there was nothing he could do about him.

This was more or less how the two of them got along now.

Fugaku Uchiha sat cross-legged, poured himself a cup of sake, drained it in one gulp, and then looked at Genkawa Uchiha.

"The Third Hokage agreed to me that once tonight's matter is over and the village settles down, Shimura Danzō will be punished."

Genkawa Uchiha glanced at him, silently eating his food.

"Also, you came into contact with the Nine-Tails tonight. I need you to tell me—was the Nine-Tails really controlled by the Sharingan?"

Genkawa Uchiha set down his chopsticks, looked at the solemn Fugaku Uchiha, and replied evenly, "The Nine-Tails was indeed controlled by Sharingan genjutsu. I confirmed it."

"Damn it!"

Fugaku Uchiha slammed his fist onto the low table, making everything on it tremble.

"Easy. You'll pay for it if you break it. This is made of Black Gold Branch."

Genkawa Uchiha wiped the spot Fugaku Uchiha had struck, his face full of disgust.

Fugaku Uchiha took a deep breath and ignored the remark, though anger was already showing on his face.

"To control the Nine-Tails, the Sharingan's ocular power must have been extraordinary. To accomplish that..."

He did not finish, but he already had an answer in mind.

Mangekyō Sharingan!

Genkawa Uchiha pretended not to understand. "So? Who do you think it was?"

Fugaku Uchiha fell silent.

"It couldn't have been Madara Uchiha. He's been dead for years." Genkawa Uchiha chuckled.

Fugaku Uchiha's expression turned even uglier. He let out a long breath, poured himself another cup of sake and drank it, then looked at Genkawa Uchiha.

"After this, the Uchiha Clan's position will become extremely passive. Compared to the matter with Shimura Danzō, the fact that the Nine-Tails appeared tonight and was controlled by the Sharingan is far more serious."

He stared intently at Genkawa Uchiha.

"You should understand what this means."

Genkawa Uchiha leisurely drank a cup of sake before looking at Fugaku Uchiha.

"So, what are you trying to say?"

"Genkawa, stop being so willful. Your talent should not be buried. If you grow stronger, you can definitely give the Uchiha Clan greater confidence."

The corner of Genkawa Uchiha's mouth curled up. "And then fight the village?"

Fugaku Uchiha's expression shifted slightly. "It hasn't reached that point."

"So you mean that once I become strong enough, I'll become the Uchiha's weapon against the village?"

Fugaku Uchiha fell silent.

"Boring."

Genkawa Uchiha curled his lip. "You're like this, and so is the Uchiha Clan. Arrogant without realizing it, wanting to change the situation but too afraid to act, hesitating over every step. It's laughable."

"Genkawa..."

"Stop!"

Genkawa Uchiha raised a hand. "Finish your drink and leave. No one gets to decide what I do—not you, and not the village."

"As for whether the Nine-Tails incident will affect the clan, that is something you, the Clan Head, should consider. I'm just an ordinary clan member. It's not my place to decide such things, and I have no interest in them."

The atmosphere suddenly fell silent.

Looking at Genkawa Uchiha, Fugaku Uchiha seemed to have much he wanted to say, but in the end, he could not say anything.

Ultimately, Fugaku Uchiha still left, carrying the scent of alcohol with him.

After all these years, he understood Genkawa Uchiha's personality well. Even if he issued an order as Clan Head, Genkawa Uchiha would simply ignore it.

It was not as if such things had never happened before, but every time, it left him thoroughly embarrassed.

So although Fugaku Uchiha had much to say before coming here, once he saw Genkawa Uchiha's attitude, he knew that saying more would be useless.

"Heh, the Uchiha really are quite speechless."

With a soft laugh, Genkawa Uchiha put Fugaku Uchiha out of his mind. After finishing his food and sake, he washed up and went to sleep contentedly.

At some point in his sleep, Genkawa Uchiha's brow twitched slightly. He seemed to sense some kind of change in his body, but he did not wake up.

If anyone could see natural energy, they would have discovered that at some point in the latter half of the night, the natural energy that had always been flowing into his body abruptly stopped.