Embrace What Comes

The bustling streets were a mix of classical architecture interspersed with various modern facilities. Looking at the four statues carved into the distant mountain, Cheng Xuyuan wore a look of utter dejection.

"Sigh! Perhaps this is what it feels like to be Lord Ye who loved dragons. I always fantasized about what it would be like to transmigrate, and now that I actually have, I'm stuck with the identity of an Uchiha." According to the original owner's memories, it was September 2nd, the 48th year of Konoha. The original body was born in the 32nd year, making him sixteen years old. He had survived the Third Shinobi World War at the cost of a body full of scars and the death of a teammate, while his parents had also perished toward the end of the war.

The war had brought Uchiha Gen endless pain; his only gains were decent combat skills and a pair of three-tomoe Sharingan. Feeling the ocular power in his eyes, which far exceeded that of a standard three-tomoe Sharingan, Gen felt slightly more at ease.

"Gen, what are you spacing out for? Hurry up and report to the Police Force, or the squad leader won't be happy if he sees you're late!" Uchiha Zaohuo, standing nearby, urged him as he saw Gen staring blankly at the Hokage Rock in the distance.

What's the rush? The real Uchiha Gen is already dead. This guy lost his teammates and parents, had no hope for the future, and combined with the psychological trauma of the war, he committed suicide by overdose on a quiet autumn night! Otherwise, how would it have been my turn to possess his body? Gen grumbled inwardly, though he feigned compliance on the surface. "Alright, alright, I know. I've timed it perfectly; I've got it under control. Besides, why are we making this so complicated? Wouldn't it be easier to just send a Shadow Clone to work?"

"Ha, do you think this is school? After reporting to the Police Force, we have to go on patrol. If a dispute breaks out, can your Shadow Clone handle it? What if someone finds a loophole? These civilians already have a massive grudge against our Uchiha Police Force," Zaohuo said, looking indignant.

"Then why are we taking on such a thankless job? It offends people and wastes our youth. Look at the other great clans in Konoha—which of them is out patrolling the streets or guarding gates?" Gen sighed helplessly.

"It's not guarding gates! It's patrol and surveillance! Besides, we don't guard the main gate of Konoha; we're responsible for preventing intruders from entering elsewhere!" Zaohuo retorted loudly.

"Isn't that basically the same thing? Maybe the ones guarding the gate have it easier, since no idiot intruder is going to storm the main gate of Konoha directly!" Gen muttered, speechless.

"Sigh, what can we do? We don't have a seat among the higher-ups, so we have to take what we can get. Otherwise, what would be left of the Uchiha in Konoha?" Zaohuo was also helpless. The Police Force wasn't a great job, but it was better than nothing.

There were many in the Uchiha clan who held such thoughts. Everyone understood the logic and the situation, but unless the Konoha leadership changed, the Uchiha clan had no choice but to either become Hokage or rebel to change the status quo.

The two chatted all the way to the Police Force.

"Zaohuo, Gen, why are you always arriving right at the deadline? Can't you have some sense of time?" Squad Leader Uchiha Kudai roared at the two of them.

"Since we arrived right at the deadline, doesn't that mean my sense of time is quite steady?" Gen muttered under his breath.

"You're actually proud of that? Do you want a medal? You're only a few minutes away from being like Obito!" Kudai raged.

"Is that the same thing? Obito being a few minutes late is tardiness; us hitting the deadline is punctuality! Besides, Obito has already sacrificed himself. Captain Kudai, please don't make jokes about him!" Zaohuo interjected in his defense.

"I was using a metaphor!" Kudai coughed twice to explain.

If you knew that guy Obito not only didn't die but is planning to come to Konoha in a month to dance with a Tailed Beast Bomb, I wonder what you'd think! Sigh, it's tough!

Watching the two stop arguing, Gen began his day's work.

Clock in! Change uniform! Patrol the streets! Eat lunch! File reports! Clock out!

On the way home, he stopped for a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen. After all, the Police Force didn't provide breakfast or dinner, and since there were no women at home, he had to rely on ramen to sustain his life. At least he had the means for that!

At night, a crimson moon hung high in the sky, soon obscured by a few dark clouds. All of Konoha felt as if a storm were brewing.

Just as Gen returned home and took off his coat, a heavy rain began to fall outside, accompanied by rolls of thunder.

"Phew, good thing I got back in time, or I would've been a drowned rat! Being a drowned rat wouldn't matter, but doing laundry is such a hassle. Last week's clothes are still soaking in the basin!" Gen muttered to himself with a shrewd look.

After a quick wash, Gen stood in front of the mirror, admiring his own magnificent face. The world of Naruto had almost no entertainment; technological development was completely distorted. There were communication devices and computers, but no smartphones or games. If he wanted to play games, he'd have to wait for the Boruto era—and whether he'd even live that long was a question!

Looking at himself in the mirror, why did he look more and more familiar? Hmm? There is only one truth? The grim reaper elementary schooler? Isn't this just a grown-up Conan? Uchiha Conan? He took a closer look and realized there were some differences; he was clearly much more handsome than Conan!

Ignoring the resemblance, Gen secretly circulated his ocular power. The pitch-black pupils in his eyes slowly shifted from one tomoe to three. Hmm, even more handsome!

He continued to output ocular power, and the blood-red three-tomoe in his eyes spun rapidly... finally transforming into a Mangekyou!!!

Hmm? This... are my eyes sparkling?

A pentagram Mangekyou???

Fine, Itachi has three points, Shisui has four, I have five, and Sasuke has six. That completes the set!

This was a Mangekyou Sharingan awakened by the combination of the original owner's dying will and his own spirit. At least he finally had a trump card for self-preservation; otherwise, he really wouldn't be able to survive. After all, he couldn't expect himself, an ordinary 996-working-class shut-in, to face the bloody ninja world with the composure of a true shinobi. Fortunately, he had started with a "Golden Legend" for survival. In the original work, every pair of Mangekyou Sharingan came with three divine techniques. Susanoo was common to everyone, but the ocular techniques of the two eyes were always unique. His left eye's technique was Tsukuyomi, just like Itachi's, but his right eye was a support technique called Divine Grace, which allowed for the transfer of ocular power! Holy crap! The tactical possibilities for this technique are huge!

With this technique, he wouldn't have to worry about going blind. With so many people in the Uchiha clan, if he ran out of ocular power, he could just siphon it from them. He wondered if he could use the "fuel" of three-tomoe Sharingan to drive the "car" of the Mangekyou! He didn't know if his clansmen would agree, but it should be fine, right? After all, there was no such thing as going blind from using three-tomoe Sharingan, and their power could recover. As long as he appealed to their emotions and reasoned with them, they had no reason to refuse, right?

That was the plan. In one month, that guy Uchiha Obito would be coming to dance with the Nine-Tails. Although his own dual Mangekyou were definitely stronger than that one-eyed man's, the other guy had Wood Release and the Nine-Tails, and he didn't fear consumption—something he couldn't compete with at all! So, he had to plan early and hoard as much ocular power as he could!

That night... at 2:30 AM, after resting for a few hours, Gen got up, put on a pre-prepared night-suit, and quietly slipped out of the house!