"Uchiha?!" Sasuke abruptly looked up, his emotions instantly surging. "What did you say?! Explain yourself!!!" Looking at the Three-Tomoe Sharingan in Uchiha Gen's eyes, Sasuke could not help finding his earlier thoughts laughable.
However, after deciding not to take Sasuke's eyes, Uchiha Gen had no interest in dealing with him for the time being. He could have pretended to be a surviving clansman and earned Sasuke's trust, but—he still had his bottom line.
But if he did not use the Sharingan's abilities this time, he probably would not be able to get away. He might as well admit it openly.
"Uchiha?" Jiraiya's expression turned grave. It was not that he feared Uchiha Gen, but rather the awkward position that surname held in Konoha, along with the vague things he knew about the power struggles and dirty dealings among Konoha's higher-ups.
They were surrounded from both sides. Unless Uchiha Gen could fly, escaping was nearly impossible.
"Since you're a member of the Uchiha Clan, why did you take Sasuke?" Kakashi asked.
Jiraiya instinctively looked at Kakashi, then at the eye hidden beneath his covering. Thinking of Kakashi's connection to the Uchiha Clan, he asked, "Do you know him?"
Kakashi shook his head, all the while thinking. The Uchiha Clan had already been wiped out. Was he a survivor?
He had never held anything back in teaching Sasuke, partly because of the guilt he felt toward Obito and the Uchiha Clan, for no one having been able to help them. Looking at Uchiha Gen before him, much of Kakashi's fighting spirit faded. "Wasn't Jiya the one who kidnapped Sasuke?"
Jiraiya nodded.
"This..." Kakashi had a hard time reconciling the Uchiha Gen before him, smiling with narrowed eyes, with the goofy Jiya from earlier. Well, it was not completely impossible to accept.
Uchiha Gen slowly backed away to the side, though his tone remained light. "I'll leave Sasuke to you. How about you let me go?"
Naruto and Sakura finally arrived late. Seeing Uchiha Gen's eyes, Naruto thought of the way Sasuke's eyes had changed and was momentarily startled. "Kakashi-sensei, is he Sasuke's relative?"
"Perhaps." Kakashi frowned. After Uchiha Gen expressed his willingness to release Sasuke, his fighting spirit had completely vanished.
But because of their positions, from Konoha's perspective, the best course would be to capture Uchiha Gen and take him back. And based on what Uchiha Gen had just said, whatever he had meant, every sign showed that this little fanboy was no harmless person.
"But why did he take Sasuke..."
Kakashi shook his head at Naruto. "We'll talk about it later."
Not fully understanding the situation, Naruto saw Sasuke standing nearby in an unstable state and waved his arms as he shouted, "Sasuke, get over here! That guy may have the same eyes as you, but if he had even a little kindness, he wouldn't have tied you up and taken you away." Having been tricked once, Naruto was now extremely wary of Uchiha Gen.
Sakura shouted with both joy and worry, "Yeah, Sasuke, come over here!"
However, Sasuke had no mood to pay attention to their shouts. He fired question after question at Uchiha Gen. "You escaped that night? What do you mean by a returning avenger? Were you the only one who escaped? Why didn't you notify anyone else? Itachi, you, the clan—what exactly are you hiding from me?!"
Uchiha Gen was busy thinking about how to slip away, but Sasuke kept making noise beside him, forcibly interrupting his train of thought. His smile became somewhat strained as he slowly turned to Sasuke. "Let's discuss something. Look, I'm not your guardian, and I have no obligation to answer those questions. If you have questions, go ask Kakashi. He's your teacher, after all."
Sasuke was clearly dissatisfied with that answer. He had a feeling that Uchiha Gen might know the truth about what happened back then. "Then I'll go with you—" Before Sasuke could finish, Uchiha Gen punched him directly in the face. He did not hold back, and Sasuke was knocked straight to the ground. (Dosu Kinata used this friendship-breaking face punch and gave it glowing reviews.)
Uchiha Gen had no interest in carrying around a little burden that tested his morals. Some things could not be exposed unless one possessed enough strength, and Sasuke was clearly far too weak right now.
Besides, the consequences of forcibly taking Sasuke away had already begun to show. Did this count as gaining nothing while getting himself covered in trouble?
Shaking out his hand, Uchiha Gen wore an indifferent expression as he moved away from Sasuke. He spread his hands toward Jiraiya and the others, blinking innocently to indicate that he meant no harm.
This was clearly the closest he had ever come to the truth... Sasuke slowly pushed himself up, gritting his teeth in unwillingness. He truly was unwilling. If only he had strength.
Seeing Uchiha Gen move away, Naruto and Sakura hurried to Sasuke's side. Sakura was just about to help untie him when she discovered that the ropes around his hands would snap with the slightest pull. Hidden in his sleeve was a Kunai, seemingly stained with a trace of dark red.
Sakura asked nervously, "You're hurt?"
Sasuke's mind cleared a little. Lowering his gaze, he perfunctorily replied, "I'm fine." And he truly was fine, apart from the fist mark on his face. As for the blood on the Kunai, it was not his. Uchiha Gen had already taken all of his weapons.
After seeing Uchiha Gen pin that snake to death, Sasuke had secretly pulled this Kunai from the wall by exploiting a blind spot, since Uchiha Gen had not intended to retrieve it. He had kept it hidden ever since. As for why? Originally, he had planned to suddenly put a hole in "Jiya."
Seeing this, Jiraiya suddenly thought of something and laughed heartily. "You say you're an Uchiha, but as far as I know, the Uchiha Clan has already been wiped out. I apologize in advance if this is offensive.
But please prove it to me. Prove that you're still alive. Show me the Sharingan, and once I have confirmation, I can let you go. That is my promise here."
Kakashi turned toward him in surprise. "Lord Jiraiya..."
Jiraiya smiled with narrowed eyes and waved a hand at Kakashi. "This is what Konoha owes the Uchiha Clan. Of course, if he isn't one, or if he's merely a puppet controlled by someone..." At this point, Jiraiya's expression sharpened. "I will personally send him on his way."
Would Orochimaru really be so kind as to give away such major intelligence for free?
With a Three-Tomoe Sharingan like that, why would he even need to capture Sasuke? Or did Orochimaru not know that this guy belonged to the Uchiha Clan? In Jiraiya's eyes, the more likely possibility was that this was a trap, one created by Orochimaru through Impure World Reincarnation. He simply did not know its purpose yet.
As for that clan, while he did not know the specifics of what had happened back then, he could roughly guess. Even if Konoha had nothing to do with it, the Uchiha Clan had been annihilated within his village, and Konoha had failed to save even one clansman. Sasuke had merely been spared.
There was something wrong with that in itself!
This was why he did not want to become Hokage... Not only was it exhausting, but he also had to think through all those people's twists and schemes. What a headache. As for the person before him, he did not know what he truly wanted. But if he really was a living Uchiha, then let him go.
Hearing that, Uchiha Gen relaxed slightly and nodded. "Then, excuse me." The moment he spoke, he drew six Shuriken from his ninja tool pouch with both hands and flung them at Jiraiya!
Too slow! Jiraiya sidestepped the attack and shot toward Uchiha Gen at the same time!
Uchiha Gen did not panic at this. He threw another three Shuriken, then tugged with his left hand. The chakra threads tied to the six Shuriken instantly tightened, abruptly changing their trajectories and greatly increasing their speed as they flew straight at Jiraiya.
Jiraiya's paths to either side were sealed off for the moment. Seeing Uchiha Gen's Great Fireball ready to launch from his mouth, Jiraiya had no intention of trading injuries with him. He instantly leaped up and landed behind Uchiha Gen.
This caused the Shuriken behind them to immediately switch targets to Uchiha Gen, who stood in front of Jiraiya. Uchiha Gen seemed to panic as he prepared to dodge...
At the same time, Jiraiya formed hand seals behind him. Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!
Uchiha Gen's feet sank into the ground at once. Unable to move, he could only face his own attack head-on.
Before you continue