Genius: Uchiha Madara

"Every successive leader of the Fuma Clan changes their name to Fuma Kotaro!"

Yao explained this to Mingye once more, allowing Mingye to gain a slight understanding of the situation. Mingye took a deep breath; this had been his plan all along, yet as he stood on the verge of acting, he still felt a sense of oppression. After all, it involved the lives of hundreds of people. He immediately issued an order to Yao.

"Since that is the case, I understand. Very well, you should withdraw from here as well. In three days, have Uncle Shimizu bring the clansmen in to clean up. Also, prepare to seal the mountain during this time. Anyone who tries to leave this mountain after three days, leave them to you to eliminate!"

"Understood! Then, Third Young Master, I shall take my leave!"

Yao nodded. Seeing that Mingye did not want him to discuss the plan further, he wisely refrained from asking questions. He gave a slight nod and then vanished into the woods using the Body Flicker Technique.

"Why have I become so cold-blooded?"

Gazing up at the sky, Mingye widened his eyes, trying to see if any moonlight appeared within that darkness, before letting out a self-deprecating, bitter laugh.

"Hey! Mingye, so you're here. It's been a tiring few days, hasn't it?"

On a mountain path, Mingye was resting when the voice of Shangguan Yingjie suddenly rang in his ears. He smiled and looked toward the source of the sound, replying to him.

"It's nothing. At least now I don't have to beg for food or live a life of hunger anymore!"

Leaping down from a tree, Shangguan Yingjie sat beside Mingye and teased him with a laugh.

"That's true. You know, there has been an abundance of food in the clan these past few days. I'll cut some meat for you later to help you build up your strength!"

"Then I shall thank you in advance!"

Mingye smiled slightly and nodded in gratitude. Shangguan Yingjie, looking quite magnanimous, patted Mingye on the shoulder and boasted with a grin.

"Small matter. I've been too busy lately, but once this period is over, I'll go into the mountains and hunt a wild boar for you to taste. You have no idea, there's a group of wild boars in these mountains, and their meat is incomparably delicious!"

"Stop, if you keep talking, I'll start drooling!"

"Hahahaha!"

Watching Shangguan Yingjie laugh without a shred of guile, Mingye felt a sharp pain in his heart. He no longer had the heart to continue chatting, but he didn't show it, instead smiling at Shangguan Yingjie.

"I've rested enough, I'll be going now! After all, there are still three bundles of firewood left to carry down the mountain!"

The warm-hearted Shangguan Yingjie looked at Mingye and said, "Oh! Are they still at the old spot? I have nothing to do right now, let me help you carry them down!"

"Then thank you!"

Mingye nodded, and Shangguan Yingjie turned and ran toward the mountain. Not long after Shangguan Yingjie left, Mingye's sleeve stirred, and a small snake coiled around his arm.

"Your heart is wavering, boy!"

"I can't bear it!"

The small snake was Mingye's guide, Ara. Seeing Mingye lost in thought, Ara questioned him, and Mingye lowered his head, answering with a heavy voice.

"Hmph! He is also a ninja, a ninja of the Fuma Clan. Do you really think having a soft heart will do you any good?"

Ara looked at Mingye with disdain and retorted. Mingye pondered for a long time before sighing.

"Perhaps I could spare a few of them."

"You are too naive!"

Ara offered no further guidance, as if everything here was of no consequence, and then retreated back into Mingye's sleeve. Mingye looked up once more, sighing endlessly in his heart, seeking some small comfort for his conscience.

"Doing this will make me feel a little better."

Three days is neither short nor long. The entire Fuma ninja camp was filled with laughter, the sound of drums and gongs never ceasing until it finally faded late into the night.

As the lights in the ninja living quarters gradually flickered out, Mingye approached slowly, step by step. The ninjas lying on the ground around him, whether drunk or dead, offered no obstruction whatsoever. Thus, Mingye reached the residence of the Fuma Clan leader without hindrance.

Bang.

A kunai shot out from the door just as Mingye stood before it. Mingye tilted his body slightly to dodge the weapon. Pushing the door open, he saw an elderly man with a white beard and a shaved head, gasping for air as he knelt on the wooden floor, staring fixedly at Mingye.

"Who are you!"

"This poison is colorless and odorless. It can remain in a person's body for six hours. When the poison takes effect, the victim enters a dreamland and dies without ever knowing it. I didn't expect you to still be able to keep yourself conscious."

Looking calmly at Fuma Kotaro, Mingye was surprised. Ara had told him that this snake venom could only be resisted by someone with an extremely vast amount of chakra, and there wasn't a single ninja in the Fuma Clan with such power.

Fuma Kotaro trembled as he forced himself to stand, glaring at Mingye and shouting, "I never expected someone like you, who possesses not a shred of chakra, to have such methods. Who exactly are you!"

"Heh! Old man, you should just sit down and rest. Don't worry, this poison doesn't cause any pain. Just drift off quietly; it saves me the trouble, doesn't it?"

Mingye walked closer, standing five meters from the old man, and teased him. Fuma Kotaro, waiting for an opening, suddenly drew the soft sword at his waist and thrust it toward Mingye with all his might. Mingye stomped on the floor, causing the wooden planks to flip up and block the space between them. The moment the soft sword pierced the wood, Mingye kicked the board, causing it to spin rapidly in mid-air. Fuma Kotaro couldn't maintain his grip on the soft sword and it flew from his hand. Mingye countered by thrusting his palm forward, firing a Wind Spike from his hand.

Bang.

"Who are you! Even if you want to wipe out my entire clan, at least let me die knowing the truth!"

With his body limp and powerless, the dying old man took a deep breath and used his final ounce of strength to question Mingye. Mingye gave a calm smile and replied.

"My name is Mingye! 'Ming' as in the Underworld, and 'Ye' as in the deep of night."

Watching Fuma Kotaro, Mingye listened carefully to the heartbeat growing weaker and weaker until it vanished entirely. Mingye turned to leave, but at that moment, a kunai whistled past his cheek. Mingye frowned slightly and then heard a familiar voice.

"Why! Why is it you!" Shangguan Yingjie looked at Mingye with fury, his hands trembling—the prelude to an impending outburst. In his heart, Shangguan Yingjie truly regarded Mingye as a good friend. Because there were so few people of his age in the clan, and even fewer who were as calm and attentive as Mingye, Shangguan Yingjie had genuinely considered him a confidant and brother. He never imagined that their next meeting three days later would take place under such circumstances.

"You shouldn't have come here!"

Uchiha Mingye Hozuki Gengetsu remained extremely calm. Facing Shangguan Yingjie's interrogation, he felt not a shred of guilt, for he had already satisfied his own conscience. He had not poisoned the servants' living quarters, but had instead targeted only the food and alcohol in the area where the ninjas resided, with the sole purpose of sparing those servants so they might choose a new life for themselves.

Shangguan Yingjie, however, did not take a single word of Mingye's to heart, nor did he wish to. The Fuma Clan was his home; it was his everything. Having lived here since he was small, Shangguan Yingjie had long identified himself as the ghost and soul of the Fuma. He never expected that what was supposed to be a joyous birthday celebration would turn into this in a single night. Without another word, he picked up a kunai from the floor and charged at Mingye.

Mingye let out a long sigh, quickly ducking to dodge Shangguan Yingjie's thrust, then kicked him in the abdomen, sending him crashing into a screen on the side of the room before walking toward the exit.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

A whirlwind burst through the door, rushing straight at Mingye. Mingye dodged the attack with a sidestep, simultaneously tilting his head as a long blade grazed his face. He kicked the ninja who had attacked him in the abdomen, knocking him over, and sighed again.

"I truly do not want to kill you, because I believe you still have a life to live. If you must hate, then hate; perhaps by holding onto that hatred, you will become stronger!"

"Ah!"

Shangguan Yingjie wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and roared at Mingye in fury, as if he hadn't heard a word Mingye said. He swung his blade at Mingye again. As Mingye backflipped away, contemplating how to make Shangguan Yingjie cease his attack, the ground shook and earth spikes erupted, attempting to impale him.

He dodged the attack with another backflip, but Shangguan Yingjie had no intention of letting him go, charging again like a mad dog. Just as Mingye decided to knock him unconscious, the man jammed his weapon into the ground and quickly formed hand seals with his hands before his chest.

"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"

A dragon head emerged from the ground beside Shangguan Yingjie, opening its mouth to spit several earth bullets at Mingye. Mingye retreated to avoid them. At that moment, Ara, who had been sleeping wrapped around his arm, woke up. Seeing the situation, he spoke to Mingye with extreme disdain and sarcasm.

"You used Manda's poison to kill hundreds of people, yet you hold back for the sake of one? Mingye, you really are a hypocrite!"

Mingye's mood grew increasingly stifled, for he truly could not bear it. It might sound laughable to some, but it was the truth: the hundreds of ninjas who had been poisoned did not weigh heavily on his conscience, but the prospect of killing a man with his own hands was a significant psychological barrier. Although Mingye knew it was merely a mental block, he could not overcome it no matter what. Suppressing his inner urge to kill, he tried to preserve that sliver of so-called kindness and warned Shangguan Yingjie in a cold voice.

"Shangguan Yingjie, I do not want to kill you!"

Shangguan Yingjie, already plunged into madness, paid no heed to Mingye's words. No matter what Mingye said, it meant nothing to him. He only knew that Mingye had destroyed his home—the place he relied on for survival, the place where all his joys and sorrows since childhood had resided—turning it into a land of vengeful spirits. He threw his long blade at Mingye with all his might.

"But I want to kill you!"