He was testing them!
Testing what they truly thought of the village and peace, deep down!
Or rather, exposing the essence of the Uchiha Clan's current predicament.
What kind of future were we Uchiha really pursuing?
And what differing understandings of "peace" and "the meaning of the village" lay at the root of our conflict with the village?
Uchiha Itachi's pupils contracted.
He had not expected this absurdly young clansman, whom he was formally meeting for the first time, to skip all the usual questions.
Was he going to be this direct right from the start?
Peace? The meaning of the village?
Weren't these very questions the nightmares that tormented him day and night?
He remained silent, offering no immediate answer, but his eyes grew even more inscrutable beneath his mask.
Shisui Uchiha's body stiffened for a moment.
He studied the black-clad boy whose clear eyes seemed capable of seeing straight through people.
Genya's questions seemed simple, yet they struck directly at the root of his painful struggle to find a way forward between his clan and the village.
What was peace?
Superficial stability, or genuine mutual understanding and acceptance?
Was the village meant to protect all its people, including the Uchiha, or to preserve an established order and... certain people's power?
The argument was temporarily quelled by these two unexpected, deeply philosophical questions.
Everyone waited to hear how Uchiha Itachi and Shisui Uchiha, these two exceptional prodigies, would answer.
Genya stood where he was, looking like nothing more than a junior humbly seeking guidance.
Clearly,
for these clansmen mired in conflicts of interest and emotional confrontations,
questions like "peace" and "the meaning of the village" were far too remote and abstract.
This silence, especially that of Itachi and Shisui, the two people Genya considered crucial.
The elders of the Hardline Faction had long since had enough of this sudden "philosophical atmosphere."
Uchiha Yashiro was the first to lose patience. He sprang to his feet and roared.
"Genya Uchiha! Stop playing mysterious and changing the subject!"
"You trespassed on Hyuga grounds today, provoked their clan head, alerted the Hokage, and brought enormous trouble and danger upon our clan! How do you explain yourself? Unless you can give us a proper explanation, you will face the full punishment of our clan rules!"
With him taking the lead, several other core members of the radical faction began clamoring as well.
"That's right! He must be severely punished!"
"He's already this defiant and disrespectful at his age! What will he be like when he grows up?!"
"Sosuke, is this the fine son you've raised?!"
Faced with this familiar barrage of aggression and shortsightedness,
Genya suddenly smiled, his smile holding nothing but mockery and a weary sense of "just as I thought."
He no longer looked at the silent Itachi and Shisui.
"Itachi, Shisui..."
He shook his head.
"I think I'm starting to understand why you two are always like this."
"Listening to this pack bark here every day... all they do is stir up hatred, push for confrontation, and complain about unfair treatment. They can't offer a single constructive suggestion or solve a single real problem..."
His gaze swept over the enraged members of the Hardline Faction, the mockery in his voice utterly undisguised.
"This atmosphere, these meetings, day after day, year after year... and you still haven't been driven insane? All I can say is, everyone here is seriously... fucking impressive."
"How dare you!"
"Insolent!"
"Arrogant brat!"
"What did you say?"
Genya's merciless, insulting assessment was like a fuse igniting a powder keg!
The Hardline Faction, led by Uchiha Yashiro, erupted in fury. Several slammed their hands on the table and rose, chakra surging through their bodies as scarlet light flared in their eyes.
Two-tomoe and Three Tomoe Sharingan activated one after another!
Terrifying ocular pressure, mingled with rage, bore down on Genya!
Faced with this murderous display, Genya did not retreat. Instead, he took a step forward!
His voice abruptly rose, crashing like thunder.
"Shut-the fuck-up!!!"
Genya pointed a finger like a blade at the furious elders and Jonin, every word cutting to the bone.
"You useless cowards who only act tough against your own! Other than goading our clansmen like rabid dogs into fighting Konoha and staging some bullshit coup, what else can you do?"
"Strength? Do you have any? Other than throwing your age and seniority around and roaring here, how many of you can actually fight?"
"Brains? Do you have any? Other than driving the Uchiha into a dead end, have you ever proposed even one workable strategy that could truly get our clan out of this mess?!"
"Other than flapping those stupid mouths, what can you do?! Huh?!"
This was no longer an argument. It was outright humiliation and a declaration of war!
"Sosuke! Izumi! Look at him! This is your son! Rebellion! Utter rebellion!!"
Uchiha Yashiro trembled with rage, his aged face flushed red and his Sharingan spinning wildly.
"If we don't enforce clan discipline today, what rules will the Uchiha Clan have left? Attack together! Seize this defiant, unfilial little bastard who's throwing our clan into chaos!"
"Genya!"
Seeing several elite clansmen with activated Sharingan lock their killing intent onto her son, Uchiha Izumi could no longer remain calm.
She rose in terror, activating her Sharingan as tears spilled from her eyes, one hand closing around the sword hilt at her waist.
Her other hand gripped her husband's arm tightly, her voice breaking with tears.
"Sosuke! Sosuke! We can't let them hurt Genya!"
Sosuke Uchiha's face was livid, his body taut as a drawn bow, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
But he did not move immediately, because as the Hardline Faction clamored to rush him all at once, Genya suddenly turned to look at him and his mother.
Genya paused briefly when he saw the tear tracks on his mother's face, then gave her a bright, unclouded smile.
"Mother, don't worry. Everything's fine."
"Father, please trust me. Stay where you are."
With that, he turned back toward the Hardline Faction, whose members had already taken their fighting stances, killing intent boiling in their eyes. An unrestrained, defiant sneer spread across his face.
He loosened his wrists and neck, producing faint cracks.
"Why waste so much breath!"
Genya gave a derisive laugh.
Perfect. Time to test the pinnacle of taijutsu I unlocked from the reward pack on the way here!
He curled his finger with utter contempt at the dozen or so members of the Hardline Faction, all at least Chunin, with several even at Jonin level.
"Why don't I test you myself and see if you're anything more than talk?"
He grinned, baring gleaming white teeth as Three Tomoe appeared in his eyes and spun wildly.
Ocular power far purer, more concentrated, and more terrifying than anyone else's present erupted with overwhelming fighting spirit!
"You-"
"Come at me together, you useless bastards!"
Before you continue