First Arrival at Uchiha

"Where exactly is the residential district of the Uchiha Clan?"

On the streets of Konoha, Kaguya Qi followed the information he had gathered along the way, searching for his destination.

Realizing his own inappropriate behavior, he certainly wouldn't actually wait for Uchiha Xiu to "deliver to his door"—that wasn't the way to put on airs.

No one in Konoha failed to recognize the Uchiha Clan, and naturally, everyone knew where their residential district was; it didn't take long for Kaguya Qi to find it.

Just as the information he had gleaned from the manga suggested, the Uchiha Clan lived on the outskirts of the village, and this position as the Police Force had effectively turned the Uchiha into little more than the gatekeepers of Konoha.

Thinking about how the three generations of Hokage from the Senju lineage had spent decades whittling down a clan that once dominated the ninja world from a fierce tiger into a mere house cat, Kaguya Qi felt a chill in his heart.

It was no wonder the Uchiha were eventually wiped out; when it came to political maneuvering, the Uchiha were far behind the Senju.

Raw power was certainly useful, but once one reached a certain level, it seemed that even a ninja had to play the game of politics.

"Halt!"

At the street corner leading to the Uchiha territory, two Uchiha clansmen in black uniforms saw Kaguya Qi walking toward their district and immediately stopped him.

Whether it was the Uchiha or the Hyuga, both had their own independent territories; even if the Hokage wished to enter, they would provide notice beforehand.

"Who are you? From this point on, this is the territory of the Uchiha Clan. Without permission, no one is allowed to enter or leave as they please."

The older of the two Uchiha clansmen stared at Kaguya Qi with a sharp, piercing gaze.

"I must ask you to stop immediately!"

"My apologies. This Humble One is Kaguya Qi, here to visit Uchiha Xiu. I would appreciate it if you two could announce my arrival."

Kaguya Qi was sensible enough to stop at a distance the two could tolerate.

"Kaguya? Never heard of them..."

The Uchiha clansman frowned; he truly had never heard of the Kaguya surname.

The history of the Uchiha Clan was almost as long as the ninja world itself, and they held deep-seated clan prejudices; when dealing with outsiders, they often prioritized checking the other person's surname rather than evaluating the person themselves.

"What is your relationship with Young Master Xiu? To address him so casually by his name?"

The Uchiha clansman had finally concluded that he didn't recognize the Kaguya name, but the fact that the stranger addressed Uchiha Xiu by his given name made him cautious.

Young Master? It seems that Xiu fellow has quite the status...

The way the clansman referred to Xiu made Kaguya Qi pause for a moment, though he didn't pay it much mind; to be honest, Xiu didn't look like an ordinary Uchiha clansman.

Muttering a soft word to himself, he then smiled.

"This Humble One is his teammate for our recent mission. There is no special relationship; I am simply here for a visit."

He didn't mind being turned away; if they refused him, he would simply turn around and leave. Knowing the eventual fate of this clan, he hadn't intended to build a deep relationship with them anyway.

He had come here purely because of Uchiha Xiu, a comrade-in-arms who was a decent person.

"A teammate?"

The two Uchiha clansmen exchanged glances. To Kaguya Qi's surprise, their expressions softened.

"So you are Young Master Xiu's comrade. Then please wait a moment while we go and announce you."

"I will..."

Although he was a bit confused, Kaguya Qi said this out of politeness.

In truth, he had underestimated the teammate system in the ninja world; it was common for ninjas who were once strangers to become best friends through their bonds as teammates.

Ninja squads were long-term assignments; unless someone died, the roster rarely changed. Since they lived and died together, and familiarity bred closeness, it was perfectly normal for teammates to become inseparable.

When the Konoha high command coordinated conflicts between various clans, they often assigned the younger generation of these clans to the same squad, using those emotional bonds to mitigate disputes over interests.

"What a coincidence! I was just about to head to your place."

Before long, Uchiha Xiu was brought over by the clansman who had gone to deliver the message, looking quite surprised.

"Well... I thought about it, and since you were going to give me something, I figured it would be better if I came to get it myself."

Kaguya Qi gave a dry laugh.

"Well said! If you had started putting on airs the moment you returned to the village, I would have truly looked down on you."

Uchiha Xiu looked at Kaguya Qi with a grin.

"But since you're here, I don't mind. As it happens, come on in and sit for a while."

"That wouldn't be appropriate..."

Kaguya Qi felt a rare moment of awkwardness.

"I wouldn't want to disturb your family."

Of course, what he was really thinking was: You Uchiha are so arrogant and proud; what if I offer a warm face only to be met with a cold shoulder? That would be humiliating...

"Since when are you so shy?"

Uchiha Xiu laughed.

"Stop talking nonsense! You're coming in today whether you like it or not. Are you going to walk in yourself, or do you want me to carry you in?"

As he spoke, Uchiha Xiu let out a sinister chuckle, which made Kaguya Qi break into a cold sweat. This wasn't the battlefield, and he couldn't exactly fight back...

"Then I suppose I'll just walk myself..."

"That's the spirit. Now that we're at my place, stop putting on airs..."

"..."

Resigned, Kagetsu Qi had no choice but to follow Xiu into the territory of the Uchiha Clan.

To be honest, it almost made him feel as if he had arrived in an entirely different village.

Everyone inside belonged to the Uchiha Clan, and even their style of dress was nearly identical. As an outsider, walking down the street made Kagetsu Qi stand out like a sore thumb. The moment he appeared, the Uchiha clansmen on the street all shifted their gazes toward him in unison, making him feel incredibly uncomfortable.

Whether it was the Uchiha or the Hyuga, their paranoid clan-centric ideologies led them to manage their territories like cities within a city. In the ninja world, perhaps it was more like a village within a village... though that was a bit of a mouthful.

Consciousness determines attitude, and attitude determines achievement. Kagetsu Qi finally understood from another perspective why the Senju and Uchiha clans, once on equal footing, had drifted so far apart over the years.

As for the Hyuga... they were even worse than the Uchiha. While he didn't look down on the Byakugan, their system of dividing the family into a Main House and a Branch House based on birth order was a massive ticking time bomb that would inevitably cause trouble.

In comparison, the Uchiha Clan's lineage system was far superior to the Hyuga's. They didn't divide into Main and Branch houses; they only looked at strength. Whoever possessed the greatest strength held the highest status within the clan.

Setting aside the Senju Clan, who kept a low profile, infiltrated every corner, and had long since integrated into the entirety of Konoha Village, the Uchiha Clan was indeed the strongest clan in Konoha on the surface.

Yet, for some reason, Kagetsu Qi could not feel the same vitality in this clan that he had felt in the Yuki Clan.

In terms of strength, the Yuki Clan was far inferior to the Uchiha—one could even say they weren't in the same league—but the Yuki Clan was filled with a longing for the future and absolute self-confidence. Even when they had offended the Daimyo of the Land of Water, they hadn't shown a shred of fear.

The Uchiha Clan, however, failed to give Kagetsu Qi that same feeling. Although the streets were bustling, all he could sense was a lack of vigor.

"Is that your friend?"

As they reached a house, a middle-aged man happened to open the door and step out, looking as if he were about to head out.

"Yes, Uncle."

Xiu said respectfully.

"Not bad, young man. Come by and sit for a while when you have time."

Xiu's uncle looked at Kagetsu Qi and nodded.

"Since Xiu is willing to bring you here, it means you are very good friends. That is rare. Treat this place as your own home."

With that, he patted Xiu on the head and left.

"Why does Uncle always pat my head... I'm an adult now, it's really a headache..."

Rubbing his head, Xiu looked at his uncle's retreating back with great dissatisfaction.

"Keep patting my head and people will get stupid..."

Looking at Xiu, then at his uncle who was walking further and further away, Kagetsu Qi desperately wanted to make a snide remark, but he held it in.

An adult at ten-something? If he counted his age from his previous life, wouldn't that make him an old man?

"Uncle's habit is truly a headache... Forget it, let's go inside."

After grumbling for quite a while, until his uncle was no longer in sight, Xiu reluctantly stopped complaining and led Kagetsu Qi into his home.

"You're back... Is that your friend?"

They hadn't walked more than a few steps when a woman walked toward them. Much like Xiu's uncle, she asked the same question upon seeing Kagetsu Qi.

Kagetsu Qi conservatively estimated that this must be Xiu's mother.

"Yes, Mother."

Xiu pulled Kagetsu Qi forward.

"This is Kagetsu Qi, the one I mentioned to you and Father."

So it really was his mother.

"Hello, Auntie."

After all, he was in someone else's home; Kagetsu Qi didn't dare be impolite.

"Hehe, no need to be so formal."

Xiu's mother smiled. Ignoring Xiu's resentful expression, she walked up, gave his head a vigorous rub, and continued, "Your father is rarely home these days, so take your friend to go pay him a visit. After all, you're a ninja now, and you could be sent on a mission at any time."

"I know, I know... Mother, stop rubbing my head!"

Xiu's expression was that of someone who wanted to beat someone up, but unfortunately, there was no one else around.

"Is this child still shy? Hehe... Alright, I won't tease you anymore. Your father is waiting for you, go on now."

Xiu's mother chuckled, and only after she had completely messed up Xiu's hair did she pull her hand away with satisfaction. She greeted Kagetsu Qi once more and left.

Honestly, while it made Kagetsu Qi want to laugh, he also felt a bit envious.

Having parents... it's really nice.

"Sorry about that, Qi..."

Xiu looked annoyed as he gestured forward.

"But don't worry, my father is very 'normal'—he won't be like that."

With a light chuckle, Kagetsu Qi said nothing, simply following Xiu as they continued walking.

The journey was truly "fraught with disaster." In this mansion, it seemed everyone was an elder to Xiu, and every one of those elders loved to ruffle his hair.

Naturally, they would also take the opportunity to ask who Kagetsu Qi was.

By the time the two reached the courtyard, Xiu's face had completely collapsed.

"You went to pick up a friend, and it's this brother?"

Having heard this familiar question so many times on the way here, Kagetsu Qi was nearly sick of it, but he knew that wasn't the point.

The man speaking—Xiu's father—was someone Kagetsu Qi had seen before; he was the very same man he had encountered at the village gate.

Now, he was dressed in a black kimono, sitting on a bamboo chair, sipping tea intermittently.

"Father, this is the Kagetsu Qi I told you about."

Seeing his father, Xiu's expression improved significantly. Kagetsu Qi could tell that Xiu respected, or perhaps even idolized, his father.

Perhaps this had something to do with his father being the only "normal" person in the entire family?

"Since you are Xiu's friend, I shall call you Qi. You don't mind, do you?"

Xiu's father offered a faint smile.

"Of course, Uncle, please feel free to call me by my name."

Kagetsu Qi bowed in greeting.

"No need for such formalities, come, sit."

Xiu's father appeared quite amiable; perhaps this was how he was at home. Kagetsu Qi remembered that when he saw him at the village gate, his face had been almost devoid of expression, cold and icy.

Being a ninja of a great clan is truly exhausting.

Beside the table were two chairs. Kagetsu Qi offered his thanks, and only after Xiu had seated himself did he take his own seat.

Throughout this process, Xiu's father kept his gaze fixed on Kagetsu Qi. In contrast, Xiu was far more casual; he plopped down into his chair and said to his father:

"Father, I want to go to the storehouse and claim two chakra tantō!"

"Oh?"

Xiu's father raised an eyebrow.

"You want to use blades?"

"Of course not, these are for Qi. We made a pact on the battlefield that if we both made it back alive, I would gift him a pair of tantō."

Xiu blinked his eyes.

"Qi is very impressive. Thanks to his bloodline limit, our chances of survival were much higher."

"Bloodline limit?"

Xiu's father's eyes lit up.

The Uchiha Clan was famous for its bloodline limits, so naturally, they would be interested in others.

However, this interest was a matter of competition, not plunder.

This could be considered a result of the Uchiha Clan's proud self-esteem. As far as the Uchiha were concerned, they could admit that their clan's strength was inferior to the Senju Clan, but to suggest that their own bloodline limit was not the strongest? That was absolutely out of the question.

"You are also a bloodline limit user? There isn't a bloodline clan in Konoha that our family doesn't know about. You must have joined Konoha only recently, right? I heard from Xiu that you are a student of Lord Orochimaru?"

Xiu's father looked Kagetsu Qi up and down, his thoughts unreadable.

"You flatter me, Uncle. It is just a minor ability, not worth mentioning."

Kagetsu Qi replied hurriedly.

Although he didn't believe Ice Release was much inferior to Wood Release, he dared not voice that here.

Whether Wood Release was truly a bloodline limit was a separate matter, but it was a formidable ninjutsu capable of rivaling the Sharingan. To the Uchiha, the First Hokage's Wood Release was a nerve-wracking subject; heaven knows what Ice Release might make them associate it with.

"If it were merely a 'minor ability,' how could it earn such high praise from Xiu?"

Xiu's father smiled.

"It is good for a young man to be humble, but if you are too modest, people will think you are easy to bully. You must still possess the pride that is rightfully yours."

He lifted his teacup and took a sip.

"Ice Release, was it? No need to be surprised. Among those who returned with you this time, there was an old friend of mine, though my understanding of your abilities ends there. You need not worry."

He waved his hand, stopping Kagetsu Qi, who looked startled and seemed about to speak.

"Given your background, you should know that members of a clan have too many things they cannot control. I am very happy that you and Xiu have become friends, and that you haven't distanced yourself from him for certain reasons. However..."

He suddenly set his teacup back on the table.

"Regardless of everything, each generation has its own path. As Xiu's father, I only hope that your friendship will not be affected by the grievances of the previous generation. Can you guarantee that?"