Lord Retsuo, Nice to Meet You

Konohagakure was built against the mountains. Though it was full of modern touches, with countless chimneys, water pipes, and streetlights, there were still quite a few small woods within the village.

Not only were there small woods, there were also places like Bone Corrosion Plain and Jing Temple. Its facilities were exceptionally comprehensive. Whatever one wanted to do, Konohagakure had a suitable setting for it.

In a small wood, Retsuo and Kakashi stood facing each other.

Kakashi's mask covered his face, while one eye was hidden beneath his forehead protector, making his expression quite difficult to read.

Retsuo, meanwhile, looked calm—far calmer than he had been at the dango shop—though that calm was mixed with a trace of pessimism.

"What is it? You can say it now."

Kakashi asked calmly. Retsuo could not have pulled him aside just to tell him how he had defeated a Root Ninja, could he?

Retsuo hesitated for a moment, then ultimately gave up on using Talk no Jutsu.

It was a difficult decision. In the Original Timeline, Kakashi's ability to come to his senses after joining Root had involved a great deal of chance. Retsuo did not even know what path Kakashi would take because of the changes he had caused.

But Kakashi's malice toward him was real. The Yin Release Barrier was a manifestation of Spiritual Energy; pain stabbing into the Barrier was pain stabbing directly into Retsuo's soul.

The fondness he had built up from watching anime in his previous life, and the care Kakashi had shown him before he awakened his past-life memories in this one, could not compare to the reality of that repeated pain.

Still, he could not fall out with Kakashi. At least, not openly.

Thinking this, Retsuo said calmly, "The reason I was able to ambush that Root Ninja was because he was hiding and preparing to ambush me. But on the night the Nine-Tails attacked the village, I awakened a Sensory Secret Technique that lets me sense people who are hostile toward me. So I ambushed him instead. Not even the Third Hokage knows about this."

Even as he said this, Retsuo's feelings remained complicated. "At the dango shop just now, you also showed hostility toward me. More than once. Why?"

Kakashi showed a look of realization that seemed faintly mocking to Retsuo. "Me? Did I? Could your secret technique be inaccurate?"

"Kakashi, I'm being very serious!" Retsuo looked extremely angry. "I'm not a child anymore! Did I do something wrong that made you hate me?"

Kakashi put his hands in his pockets, turned his back, and left. As he walked, he muttered, "Why would I feel hostility toward a brat? Am I that lame? Still, I really don't like your Uchiha Clan. This eye was entrusted to me by your brother Obito. Do you know what the Uchiha did? Teacher Minato had to use both soft and hard tactics just to help me keep it. Heh, did they think I would give the eye back to them?"

His final words carried to Retsuo's ears with perfect clarity. "But if we're talking about dislike, you've been way too cocky lately. You're becoming more and more like a typical Uchiha."

As his voice faded into the distance, Retsuo's emotions grew even more complicated.

After Kakashi disappeared, a series of footsteps sounded behind Retsuo. Two Uchiha approached, seemingly slow but actually swift.

One was Uchiha Sen, a Three Tomoe Jōnin nearing forty. He excelled at genjutsu and Uchiha-Style Swordsmanship, carried a Chakra blade on his back, and could be considered a core member of the clan's combat faction.

The other was around Kakashi's age, just shy of fifteen. His name was Uchiha Kumata. He had only awakened his Three Tomoe Sharingan this year, but his specialty was Fire Release.

In fact, Kumata's ability to awaken Three Tomoe before the age of fifteen had earned him the title of a minor genius within the clan. This was precisely the time for him to diligently train his eyes, so it was unlikely he would have been assigned to protect Retsuo.

But some among the Uchiha wanted to cozy up to Retsuo, and Kumata had actually come to build a relationship with him. Retsuo had gotten along rather well with them these past few days.

The Uchiha Clan claimed that there was no distinction between the Main Family and Branch Family, but in reality, there were many bloodlines within it. Even during the Warring States Era, a great clan with a history of a thousand years would inevitably branch out continuously, let alone after entering the era of ninja villages.

Kumata's branch was relatively close to Obito and Retsuo by blood.

At that moment, both of them looked in the direction Kakashi had left with some anger in their eyes.

Uchiha Sen asked, "Retsuo, what you said was true? A Sensory Secret Technique? That's extremely rare."

"It's true. I told Lord Fugaku about it."

"But you shouldn't have told Kakashi." Kumata pondered for a moment before saying, "You shouldn't even have let us hear it. This is an important trump card. If you keep it hidden, it might have unexpected effects."

It has already had an unexpected effect, okay? And besides, what he had told Kakashi was "hostility."

Hostility and malice differed by only one word, but in truth, they were worlds apart.

"Brother Kumata, I can't keep this hidden for long. Rather than wait for the Third Hokage to question me, I might as well reveal it to them first."

Uchiha Sen nodded. As a Jōnin with extremely rich combat experience, he believed that if he were the one analyzing the intelligence, he too would quickly conclude that Retsuo possessed a powerful sensory ability.

In fact, after several days of circulation, the intelligence regarding Retsuo's battle against the Root Ninja was no longer a secret in the village. Quite a few people had taken an interest in it.

Still, he had more to say. "Retsuo, in my view, it's perfectly normal for Kakashi to harbor hostility toward you, because you're a member of our Uchiha Clan."

Nani? What kind of logic is that?

Uchiha Sen continued, "You should know that because of your brother's Sharingan, quite a few people in our Uchiha Clan are hostile toward him. So naturally, he would be hostile toward us as well."

That actually makes so much sense that I don't even know how to refute it!

"Besides, you are an outstanding member of the Uchiha Clan. You should minimize your contact with Kakashi Hatake as much as possible, or the clan may form opinions about you. You must understand that even though he has a Sharingan implanted, he is not one of us. You've performed very well—you possess the spirit our Uchiha Clan should have! Yet he actually dared to slander you as cocky? If that counts as cocky, then every member of the Uchiha Clan is cocky. Tell him to get used to it!"

Uchiha Kumata said, "What our Uchiha Clan lacks right now is exactly the kind of cockiness Retsuo has. Uh, that wasn't me who said that—it was my uncle, Elder Jianshan. So, Retsuo, you need to awaken your eyes as soon as possible. Once you do, saying such things and doing such things will be even more appropriate."

Uchiha Retsuo was completely speechless. "I understand. Let's go back."

"Ah, let's go back." Uchiha Sen sighed as he walked. "The chance of recovering that Sharingan is getting smaller and smaller."

Uchiha Kumata was puzzled. "There's still a chance to recover the Sharingan? Didn't the Esteemed Clan Head already..."

"Heh! Twenty years ago, who knows how many people in the clan would have acted directly. Would Lord Fugaku have needed to be humiliated before that bunch of good-for-nothing village higher-ups? The Sharingan is the bottom line of our Uchiha Clan! Even if we die, we must retrieve any Sharingan that has fallen into outsiders' hands. If we can't retrieve it, then we destroy it! That bunch of good-for-nothings wants to protect Kakashi? Isn't that ridiculous!"

Then what about Uchiha Madara taking countless Three Tomoe Sharingan with him when he defected from both the village and the clan?

Uchiha Sen continued lamenting, "Elder Jianshan was absolutely right. The clan no longer has that resolve to die. Uchiha glory has been thrown away to who knows where."

Uchiha Kumata pondered. "It's true that Kakashi will become harder and harder to deal with in the future. Without that eye, I would still have confidence in defeating him. Now that he has a Sharingan too, it'll be difficult."

Suppressing his laughter, Retsuo asked blankly, "Brother Kumata, if you and Kakashi fought seriously right now, what do you think your chances of winning would be?"

Kumata assessed it carefully, then replied calmly, "Probably fifty-fifty."

Uchiha Sen nodded involuntarily.

It did not seem entirely wrong for them to think so, did it? The problem was that two negatives did not make a positive here!

Still, most Uchiha were confident, especially those who had awakened the Sharingan. But rather than say they had inexplicable confidence in their own strength, it would be more accurate to say they had inexplicable confidence in the Sharingan. That was also the main reason Kakashi was viewed as a thorn in their side—

This man possesses the Sharingan. Doesn't that mean he can stand on equal footing with us?

Unacceptable!

Even Kakashi, who had become a Jōnin at the age of twelve and set a Konoha record, was treated this way. Without the Sharingan, he was considered worthless; with it, he was regarded as a formidable enemy!

However, just as the three were preparing to head back, a hoarse voice came from behind them. "Lord Retsuo, nice to meet you."

I was deeply touched to see so much encouragement in the review section. But why are there no chapter comments...