Returning to the Village

Huh? Konoha? Female ninja? There were actually a few, weren't there? Tsunade? Kurenai? Anko? Ino? Hinata? Tenten? (Yugao really wasn't pretty. I don't get why so many fanfic authors insist on beautifying her, just like those who fawn over Resident Evil's Alice. Their taste is completely warped. Alice was clearly a big, burly woman who looked like a flower-faced beauty, yet they kept praising her in every way...)

"Um, since you've so kindly offered to introduce someone, I choose Kurenai Yuhi!" Uchiha Gen said, looking at Kushina without a shred of politeness.

"What? Kurenai Yuhi?" Kushina stared at him, eyes wide.

"Um, as far as I know, someone's already pursuing Kurenai Yuhi," Minato said tactfully.

"Ah, I know. Asuma Sarutobi, right? But Kurenai hasn't agreed to go out with him, has she? Just set it up, Big Sis Kushina!" Uchiha Gen said, completely unconcerned.

"Um, I'm afraid I can't arrange that. If I introduce her to you when I know Asuma is pursuing her, what will Asuma think? And what will Lord Third think?" Kushina declined awkwardly.

"Oh, never mind, then. I can handle it myself." Uchiha Gen waved a hand indifferently.

Minato and Kushina exchanged glances at his words...

Konoha...

"Welcome back, Minato!"

"Thank you for your hard work, Fourth Hokage!"

So this was Uchiha Gen? He was so young!

As the Konoha F4 scrutinized him, Uchiha Gen couldn't be bothered to pay them any mind. No matter what they did, the outcome couldn't be worse than the Uchiha massacre in the original story. So why should he indulge their sour faces?

"Uchiha Gen, don't you intend to explain your strength? As a member of Konoha, what exactly are you hiding your power for?" Danzo, the pot-king, glared at Uchiha Gen menacingly.

"What's it to you? You telling me what to do now?" Uchiha Gen gave him no respect whatsoever.

"Outrageous! Is that how you speak to a Konoha elder?" Mitokado Homura snapped.

"This is rebellion, plain and simple!" Utatane Koharu exclaimed.

"Arrogant!" Shimura Danzo barked.

"Elders, my ass. You only count as elders because people humor you. As far as I'm concerned, you're nothing. If you want a fight, bring it on. One-on-one or all of you at once, you choose. Let's see if your old man here can beat you to a pulp!" Uchiha Gen acted like he owned the place.

Was this really the Uchiha I knew? Hiruzen Sarutobi wondered. Well, the Uchiha had been like this in the past. But hadn't they all mended their ways for decades? Why had another arrogant troublemaker appeared?

Just as expected, not one of the Uchiha is any good. Evil Uchiha brat. Danzo and the others exchanged glances.

"Now, now, we're all working for Konoha's sake. Gen, don't get so worked up. Elder Danzo is a respected senior, so you should show him a little respect," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, stepping in to play peacemaker while taking sides.

"Give me a break. I know what you're all like. 'For Konoha's sake,' my ass. Anyone can come up with an excuse. Didn't the White Fang work for Konoha's sake? You ignored all the times he succeeded, then forced him to kill himself over one failure? That brain-dead way of doing things is nothing special. Stop acting like you're so clever!" Uchiha Gen ruthlessly called them out.

Huh?

What?

How?

How did he know? He was still young when the White Fang's incident happened! The Konoha F4 exchanged glances, each thinking of the mysterious information Uchiha Gen had revealed before. They'd been investigating his background for days, and based on what they knew, he had no way to get hold of any of that information! He'd also identified the mysterious man Obito earlier...

Huh? Could it be...

Was it the unique Mangekyo ability in Uchiha Gen's eyes? They shuddered.

What could it be? Precognition? Or mind reading? Terrifying!

Uchiha Gen is an idiot! Uchiha Gen is an idiot! Uchiha Gen is an idiot! Hiruzen Sarutobi silently repeated to himself.

Huh? No reaction? So it isn't mind reading? Wait! If he'd seen my earlier thoughts, he'd know I was testing him... Hiruzen shuddered. I'm doomed. There's no way out!

Ignoring Hiruzen Sarutobi's private battle with thin air, Danzo looked at Uchiha Gen with burning eyes. The power of the Mangekyo? The hundred-meter-tall giant standing in the night sky on the night of the Nine-Tails attack must have been the Susanoo Teacher Tobirama mentioned, right? How can the evil Uchiha control such power? For Konoha's peace, I have to bring it under my control!

"If there's nothing else, I'm heading home to catch up on sleep!" Uchiha Gen took off without giving the gloomy-looking old men in front of him the slightest respect.

"Minato, during this trip to Sunagakure, did he say how he learned of the One's Own Life Reincarnation technique?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, watching Uchiha Gen leave with a headache. Until they understood Uchiha Gen's Mangekyo ability, it was best not to act rashly.

"Gen said he heard about it from Sasori of the Red Sands. Elder Chiyo of Sunagakure seems to accept that explanation, too, so it's probably true," Minato explained helplessly, aware of how badly Uchiha Gen had clashed with the elders.

"Sasori of the Red Sands? That genius puppeteer from Sunagakure? How did Uchiha Gen get mixed up with him?" Danzo frowned.

"They probably met on the battlefield. Based on the information we've gathered recently, that's the only possibility," Mitokado Homura mused.

"No, there's another possibility. The records left behind by the Senju Clan state that every Mangekyo has a unique ability. Uchiha Gen has only shown us the Susanoo so far. His other abilities are still a mystery. My guess is that one of them has something to do with precognition," Hiruzen Sarutobi boldly speculated. During their conversation, he'd mentally cursed out every friend and relative Uchiha Gen had. If Gen really could read minds, with his arrogant nature, he wouldn't have held back. So, for now, they could rule out mind reading.

"What?"

"What?"

"No way!"

He could actually see the future? Danzo's eyes flashed with deep apprehension. If that was true, he'd have to reconsider his plans. At least he hadn't rushed into action.

Meanwhile, Gen returned to the Uchiha Clan Compound. Seeing the shocked, admiring looks his clansmen sent his way, he realized his life wouldn't be peaceful from now on.

"Lord Gen, please wait!"

Huh? Was that Uchiha Dihuo? What did he want? They weren't close, as far as he could remember. And now he was even calling him "Lord"?

"What is it?"

"Clan Head Fugaku said to have you come see him after you returned," Uchiha Dihuo said respectfully.

Oh? Uchiha Fugaku? What a pain.

"Okay, got it. I'll go after I get home and change." Uchiha Gen walked off without looking back. As a homebody, he'd been wearing these clothes for almost a week, and they were starting to stink. Kushina had even been going out of her way to avoid him! Ugh, what a hassle! The clothes he'd left soaking still hadn't been washed, and it'd been nearly half a month, hadn't it?