No Internal Ghosts, Tell Some Uchiha Jokes

To make a good impression on his granddaughter's friend, Kaku spent half an hour in front of the mirror, finally settling on what he considered his most amiable smile.

Meanwhile, having spent the entire journey answering endless questions, Genichi finally understood that Mikoto's grandfather was a doting grandparent and a member of the Uchiha dove faction, not nearly as difficult to approach as he had imagined.

Pushing open the gate, Genichi saw an old man standing not far away with a kind smile. He hurried forward and said enthusiastically:

"Grand... Good evening, Elder. I am Chiba Genichi."

Grand... grandfather? You brat, who is your grandfather? Uchiha Kaku's heart tightened, his expression shifted, and he felt as if he were about to lose something of great importance.

"In any case, come inside first." Uchiha Kaku watched Genichi with the wary gaze one might reserve for a thief.

The atmosphere remained stagnant for a while.

"Ahem, I heard from Mikoto that you two are close? Thank you for looking after Mikoto at school." Kaku initiated the conversation.

"Mikoto is very cute and popular on her own; we look out for each other," Genichi said, offering kind words to bridge the distance and ease the tension.

"There are always people in the village who think our Uchiha clan is arrogant, looking down on others with our noses in the air, and difficult to get along with. It is quite impressive that you can interact with Mikoto normally without those stereotypes." Setting aside the earlier hiccup, Kaku was actually quite satisfied with his granddaughter's friend.

"How could that be? The Sharingan triggers genjutsu upon eye contact, so its deterrent power is immense. Looking down on others with one's nose is simply proof of the Uchiha clan's friendliness—it means we aren't launching an attack," Genichi said, striking while the iron was hot.

He had already browsed through the Senju clan's archives; could the Uchiha clan's be far behind?

He never expected that Kaku, who had been an Uchiha for decades and dedicated himself to the harmonious coexistence of the clan and the village, had long since despaired of his clansmen's arrogant attitudes, only to hear such an interpretation.

Could it be... could it be that this kid actually understands the Uchiha?

Not sure yet, let's see more.

"I heard from Mikoto that you have unique insights into the awakening and evolution of the Sharingan. If you don't mind, tell this old man more. If it's truly useful, the Uchiha clan's reward will not disappoint you."

Genichi nodded confidently: "First, the essence of the Sharingan is Yin Release... (Genichi repeated what he had said at the training ground)...

Therefore, it is best to develop the body through means like Yang Release to increase personal potential, while simultaneously practicing genjutsu and Yin Release to increase the quantity and quality of ocular power, and finally using mild emotional stimulation. In this way, the evolution of the Sharingan will come naturally."

Practicing genjutsu helps strengthen one's power? Increases the chances of awakening the eyes? Kaku recalled the state of the clan. The Uchiha were famous for genjutsu, but it seemed only a few truly delved into it. Lord Madara didn't use genjutsu much, and their generation of Uchiha was too deeply influenced by him; most just learned a little something after reaching the Three-Tomoe stage, thinking that with the Sharingan as a genjutsu amplifier, it was enough to deal with jonin.

It did seem that the Uchiha who delved into genjutsu were indeed more outstanding. Kaku thought of the most severe internal strife in the history of the Uchiha clan—didn't it start with genjutsu and end with genjutsu?

Alas, those who play with genjutsu are all monsters.

The more he listened, the more he understood and approved. Kaku couldn't help but nod along as Genichi's views gradually overlapped with his own memories, and he couldn't help but say:

"So this is the true nature of the Sharingan? Do you really have no Uchiha blood? I will send someone to investigate tomorrow; I must get to the bottom of this."

Feeling as though they had met too late, Kaku looked at the child who was really only seven or eight years old and felt the urge to swear an oath of brotherhood on the spot.

He sighed: "I never expected that you, Genichi, would identify so strongly with the power of the Sharingan at such a young age."

"The Sharingan—its greatness needs no words!" Genichi summarized his view on the Sharingan.

The One-Tomoe awakens the ability to perceive all things; the Two-Tomoe can observe chakra and even directly copy an opponent's ninjutsu; the Three-Tomoe greatly enhances genjutsu capabilities.

Generally, ninjas who are not skilled in genjutsu, even jonin, will fall into the Sharingan's genjutsu upon eye contact. On the ever-changing and intense battlefield, that split second of distraction often means death follows like a shadow.

In duels between ninjas of this level, a truth has long circulated: if you face an Uchiha ninja one-on-one, you must flee.

In Konoha, jonin are already the elite class capable of participating in jonin meetings and voting for the Hokage; the deterrent power of the Sharingan is self-evident.

Going further up, there is the Mangekyo form of the Sharingan, known as the "Eye that Reflects the Heart."

Once the Mangekyo is awakened, it is often accompanied by ocular power driving a qualitative change in chakra, followed by the awakening of two unique ocular techniques based on the individual's strengths and their deepest desires.

If both eyes possess only one technique, it is even more invincible; such cases usually involve an overpowered mechanism where one technique is stronger than two.

If there is uncertainty in ocular techniques, there is still the ultimate power that resides within every Mangekyo Sharingan—the Susanoo.

All matter in this world has its flaws—hard things are brittle, flexible things are soft—nothing is perfect. Thus, by using ocular power to materialize massive amounts of chakra, one forms a hulking god of war.

This is the ultimate ocular technique, integrating both offense and defense, and it grows in stages as the user's ocular power strengthens. There are even subsequent combinations involving wood golems, senjutsu, and Tailed Beasts; there is nothing you can't do, only things you can't imagine.

As for what lies beyond, it is better left unsaid. Only an Indra chakra reincarnate can ultimately awaken the Rinnegan by transplanting the body or cells of an Asura chakra reincarnate to channel the power of the Sage of Six Paths. Ordinary Uchiha clansmen are unlikely to reach that step.

"Haha, excellent!" Kaku laughed heartily, not hiding his inner thoughts:

"Even if the relationship between the village and the clan is becoming increasingly tense, I can rest easy knowing Mikoto has a friend like you, Genichi."

Is the relationship between the village and the clan tense? Genichi pondered inwardly: The Uchiha clan's reputation in the village has never been very good.

But compared to being driven to a corner by the village decades later, with Anbu monitoring them day and night, the current stage should be fine.

It's just that Uchiha Madara brought the Nine-Tails back to the village, indirectly causing the First Hokage's early death; Uchiha Setsuna is trying to rebuild the glory of the Uchiha and rebelling against the elegant Second Hokage; and the Police Force enforces the law strictly without human touch, offending many civilians with their poor attitude.

Coupled with the fact that the village's upper echelons are now strictly guarding against the Uchiha clan, and a certain bandaged man who refuses to reveal his name has likely made countless efforts in the shadows, a chasm that is difficult to heal has already formed between the clan and the village.

Come to think of it, it's truly hopeless. Just wait for death.

Mikoto listened blankly from the side. The two talked about everything, from the Sharingan to the Byakugan, from the Uchiha to the Senju, from the Warring States period to the founding of Konoha.

Listening to the old man share various anecdotes from the Warring States period and feeling his admiration and regret for the previous clan leader, Uchiha Madara, Genichi couldn't help but ask: "When the village was first founded, Uchiha Madara's prestige must have been very high. Why did I hear that he eventually left Konoha alone, with no clansmen following him?"

Kaku sighed: "In the first year of Konoha, it was Lord Madara who took the initiative to persuade the clansmen to put down their hatred and build Konoha together for the sake of the future. In the second year, Lord Madara suddenly said the village was not the future of the clan and told us to leave with him. At that time, everyone had just settled down and realized the beauty of a peaceful life. Plus, the clan leader didn't explain further, and that was that."

"Also, let me tell you a secret: it's not that no one was willing to follow Lord Madara. I saw that day that Setsuna packed his things and waited at the back gate of Konoha for a whole night, only to find out the next day that the clan leader had left through the front gate."

"Haha, I've been laughing at him for that for decades."

The night grew deep, and Genichi had to take his leave.

"Kid Genichi, come play often. Returning to the Uchiha clan is just like returning to your own home."