Dispelling Negative Emotions

Land of Fire.

On a hidden path, Goenji led the team toward Konoha.

Their hearts raced with anticipation of returning home.

Though not his own—it was the Konoha ninja behind him who felt that way.

Aside from loners like Goenji, who had yet to become rogue ninja, everyone felt a strong sense of belonging toward Konoha.

So they were all excited about returning to Konoha.

Their steps were especially brisk.

But no matter how fast they moved, they could not return to Konoha in a single day. So, when they were nearly halfway there, they stopped.

They set up camp in one spot.

Tekka Uchiha said, "We can finally go home. I wonder how the clan is doing now."

"What could have changed? It's probably still the same as always."

Goenji replied indifferently.

He had no such attachment to the Uchiha clan.

Still, he had been born in a place where clan ties ran deep in his previous life, so he actually approved of the idea of clans banding together. It was just that he had no family left, so his ties were not that strong.

Tekka Uchiha said arrogantly, "That's true. Even the Hyūga clan has to rank beneath our Uchiha clan."

In his eyes, the Uchiha clan was the strongest clan in the Shinobi World. Of course nothing would happen to them.

Even the Hyūga clan was no match for the Uchiha clan.

"If you can't speak properly, then say less! The Hyūga clan are our companions too. Don't compare them like that."

Goenji rolled his eyes. There were Hyūga clan members in the team.

If they heard that, they might start fighting again.

He might be strong, but he was not a Jonin and did not command that much respect.

Tekka Uchiha curled his lips. "You... why have you changed? You weren't like this before. You even said you wanted to crush the Hyūga."

"Nonsense. We're not children anymore. Can't you weigh the pros and cons more instead of letting your temper control you?

"The Hyūga clan are our companions, Konoha's strongest sensory ninja. If we coordinate well, who knows how much power we could bring out against enemies from other villages.

"Which clan is Konoha's strongest is an internal matter. Don't let it damage our harmony."

Goenji said this because that was what he truly thought.

At present, although the Uchiha clan had not received any important positions beyond the Uchiha Police Force, things had not yet reached the point of open confrontation with Konoha after the Nine-Tails' attack.

Right now, the Uchiha were merely dissatisfied with the village's arrangements.

If the Hyūga and Uchiha clans could truly cooperate, he felt they would be no weaker than Ino–Shika–Chō.

They could display even greater strength against enemies.

But...

Tekka Uchiha found this even stranger. "What kind of thinking is that? You're actually telling me not to compete with the Hyūga? How bizarre. Did the war knock your brain loose?"

Of course he knew that cooperation between the Uchiha and Hyūga would produce greater power.

Everyone knew it. Even the Hokage knew it.

But... the Uchiha would never stand on equal footing with another clan. They had to stand above them.

He did not care whether cooperation could bring greater benefits.

He simply wanted the title of strongest clan.

"...Forget it. I'm not talking about this with you. What are you going to do when we get back? Eat something good, soak in a hot spring, or train?"

Goenji knew that the Uchiha mindset was deeply ingrained.

Not only that, the Hyūga clan thought the same way in this regard.

The Hyūga were simply a little gentler than the Uchiha.

But there was no less pride in their hearts.

These were matters for the Hokage to consider, so he directly changed the subject and asked about everyday things.

Tekka Uchiha's lips curled into a lecherous grin. "I'm already in my teens, and my body has grown up. I heard from the clan elders that there's a red-light district in Konoha's western district. I'm going to try it when I get back. Hehe!"

"..."

Goenji regretted asking.

What a vulgar Uchiha. And he talked about pride and competing with the Hyūga? The Hyūga would absolutely never allow something like visiting a red-light district.

Compared to the Uchiha, the Hyūga were more like nobles.

They had strict rules and harsh clan regulations.

The Uchiha, on the other hand, were much more casual. Strength ruled above all.

It made the Uchiha seem like nouveau riche.

But the red-light district... forget it. He was not interested in such things.

He had plans for himself.

The Uchiha archives and Konoha's library were his goals.

His peerless mind needed to be filled with abundant knowledge.

Goenji was already eager to get there.

It was still wartime. If he did not use his rest time to enrich himself and read more books, he might not return once he went back to the battlefield.

If he read more books now and developed the ninjutsu he wanted to create, his chances of survival would be much higher.

He could still tell which was more important.

He had not yet finished experiencing the sights of the Shinobi World, nor had he met all the characters he once liked.

So he did not want to die yet.

Or rather, even without those things, he still would not want to die.

And if he did not want to die, he had to become stronger.

Seeing that he remained silent, Tekka said, "Do you want to try it too? We can go together. I'll treat you."

His face was full of anticipation.

It was hard to imagine such an expression appearing in an Uchiha's eyes.

Goenji's image of the Uchiha had completely shattered.

People like the Madara Uchiha-type were simply too rare. People like Tekka were normal.

Goenji knew that this was simply the custom of the Shinobi World. Red-light districts were not something taboo; they were quite common.

It was only because he had brought his views from his previous life with him that he had a bias against such places.

In truth, it was nothing unusual in the Shinobi World.

The girls inside were also engaged in proper "work."

Yes, it was proper work. In the Shinobi World, it was not considered "dirty."

"Forget it. It's the middle of a Shinobi World war. Improving our strength is more important," Goenji refused.

He would not go even if Tekka was paying.

He was a man with strict self-discipline.

Tekka said, "Tch! Putting on an act now, huh? I don't believe you won't go later."

If he had not been too young before, he would have gone long ago.

"Besides, ninja need their own ways to vent negative emotions. This is the simplest way for ninja. Are you sure you don't want to? If you develop mental problems later, don't blame me for not warning you."

In the end, he still offered the warning.

Goenji said, "My hobbies are reading and training. Those are already enough to help me vent negative emotions."

The clan had already taught him about this.

He understood what Tekka meant as well.

In a war like this, if people did not vent their emotions, they either went mad or defected. There were far too many such cases.

Might Guy trained, Kakashi read Make-Out Paradise, Killer B rapped, Jiraiya peeped, Orochimaru researched, Tsunade gambled...

Those were all their unique ways of relieving stress.

Every ninja who stood at the peak had their own method.

To release negative emotions.

When Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha were young, the pressure of war had been immense, yet they would also relieve it by skipping stones or competing to see who could pee farther.

[Wow~ She took hours to reply to my message today. She wasn't chatting with some other guy, was she? So annoying~]