Feng shui and human hearts

Konoha Year Seven, spring.

The spring chill had yet to pass.

Deep within the Uchiha Clan Compound, Kagami had shut himself in his room for three days.

Thick planks had been nailed over the window, leaving only a crack for light. He sat beneath that crack, his back against the cold wall, staring at a shifting patch of light on the floor, his eyes barely moving for ages.

He could hear the voices outside.

"Elder Xuan was attacked. It was Elder Yuanguang..."

"Colluding with outsiders, plotting against his own clansmen..."

"Temporarily stripped of his authority, confined to reflect on his actions..."

Every word was like a poisoned needle, stabbing his ears, stabbing his heart.

He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms, thick traces of blood seeping out.

"Nonsense." He shouted through gritted teeth, but his voice was frighteningly hoarse. "My father did nothing wrong."

They were the ones in the wrong.

Those stubborn old fools clinging to the Uchiha's former glory, living off their little scrap of Sharingan pride, unable to see the situation clearly. Father wanted to lead the clan forward, to give everyone better lives. Was that wrong?

And then there was that Uchiha Yinglang.

That face surfaced before Kagami's eyes again. Not even six, yet he looked like an adolescent, his gaze cold enough to freeze someone to death. In the council hall, that bastard had pointed right in his father's face and called him a "turncoat lackey," a "lapdog"...

The fire in Kagami's chest flared, burning until his vision turned red.

What gave him the right?

He had awakened his one-tomoe at six and his two-tomoe at seven. He was a genius acknowledged throughout the clan. He worked hard, followed the rules, obeyed his father, and walked the bright path his father had chosen for him.

Yet that Uchiha Yinglang, an orphan from a branch family, had relied on some sinister forbidden technique that traded lifespan for power, picked up from who knew what forgotten corner, to trample everything his father had built over decades into the dirt in just two days.

All because of that lousy forbidden technique?

Kagami sprang to his feet and paced the dim room. His footsteps were heavy and hurried, like a trapped beast.

He refused to accept it.

Father's path wasn't wrong. Those people were too shortsighted, too small-minded to tolerate anything "new." They could see only the Uchiha crest, not Konoha's Hokage Rock.

The Will of Fire...

Kagami stopped and looked at the gloomy sky beyond the crack in the window.

The First had founded Konoha to end the wars, so children would no longer have to go to battle. Wasn't that also why Father wanted to bring the Uchiha into Konoha? So Uchiha children could grow up in the sunlight too, instead of fighting from childhood under the burden of blood feuds and the Sharingan's curse.

What was wrong with that?

The ones in the wrong were those who stood in the way, and Uchiha Yinglang, who had stolen authority through sinister arts.

Kagami took a deep breath and slowly sat back down on the floor. The fire in his chest still burned, but as it burned, it seemed to kindle something else.

He had to do something.

He couldn't just accept this. Father had fallen, but he was still here. He had to prove his father's path was right. He had to show those people what kind of Uchiha deserved Konoha's future.

He raised a hand and touched his eyes. His two-tomoe felt faintly hot in the gloom.

Then... get stronger.

Get stronger fair and square! Then stand before them, before that Uchiha Yinglang, and tell him-you won't get far with those sinister arts bought with your lifespan. The Uchiha's future lies in Konoha, where the Will of Fire shines.

Kagami closed his eyes and began molding chakra.

But what you did not know was that the sinister arts in his eyes were a treasure in the eyes of others.

In the Hokage Office, the door was shut tight.

Hashirama Senju stood before the window, his back to his younger brother. His usually straight back looked slightly slumped now, his shoulders heavy.

"Tobirama," he began, his voice low, carrying a weariness rarely heard from him, "that business with Tsuchigumo... did you arrange it?"

The room was so quiet that only their breathing remained.

Tobirama Senju stood behind the desk, holding a scroll that had just arrived, without looking up. "Brother, now isn't the time for infighting and baseless suspicions."

"I asked you," Hashirama Senju turned around and stared at him, "did you?"

Tobirama Senju finally raised his head. His eyes behind his lenses were undisturbed, so calm they sent a chill through the heart. "Does it matter?"

"It matters!" Hashirama Senju strode forward and pressed a hand against the edge of the desk. The wood groaned under the strain. "If it really was you... that was the Uchiha's Disciplinary Elder! A comrade of Konoha! Tobirama, why did we build this village? So you could stab our own people in the back?!"

"Our own people?" Tobirama Senju sneered and tossed the scroll onto the desk with a sharp smack. "Brother, wake up. Ever since Madara Uchiha left, the Uchiha have never truly considered themselves 'one of Konoha's own'! They're wary of us, and we're wary of them. That's reality!"

He rounded the desk and walked up to his older brother. His voice dropped, but every word landed hard. "Now reality has become even more troublesome. The Uchiha have produced a 'Dragon-Slaying Breathing Technique'-a forbidden technique that trades lifespan for power! Brother, think about what that means."

Hashirama Senju frowned. "That child said using the technique shortens your life."

"What does that matter?!" Tobirama Senju cut him off, his agitation undisguised. "How many shinobi live long enough to die of old age? Most die on missions or on the battlefield! Trade a few years, a dozen years of life for the ability to overwhelm your peers in a short time, even fight above your level-tell me, how many shinobi wouldn't be tempted? Especially those with no backing, no resources, who want to get ahead!"

He took a breath, his gaze sharp as a knife. "Worse still, this forbidden technique is in Uchiha hands! They already have the Sharingan, and now they have sinister arts that can rapidly bring their fighting strength to maturity... that means they can turn a group of half-grown children into killing machines loyal to the clan in an extremely short time!"

Hashirama Senju opened his mouth to argue, but the words stuck in his throat.

"And another thing," Tobirama Senju pressed on, giving him no time to think, "how does Konoha keep shinobi in line? Through missions, resources, and paths to promotion! To grow stronger, shinobi need ninjutsu, guidance, equipment-and Konoha can provide those things. That's why they have to obey the village and embrace the Will of Fire. But now? With a forbidden technique that offers a 'shortcut' in their hands, do the Uchiha still need to wait eagerly for the village to allocate resources? Will those people driven mad by their hunger for power keep obediently following village rules, or will they do everything possible to draw close to the Uchiha?"

He stared into his older brother's eyes and spoke each word distinctly. "When that day truly comes, whose Konoha will it be?"

The question forced Hashirama Senju back half a step, some color draining from his face. "We could... we could talk to that child. Have him hand over the forbidden technique for the village to safeguard, so everyone can study it together..."

"Hand it over?" Tobirama Senju felt as though he had heard the greatest joke in the world. "Brother, don't you understand yet? That brat-Uchiha Yinglang-used this forbidden technique to bring down Yuanguang Uchiha in just two days! He's now one of the Uchiha's acting leaders! Would he hand over his lifeline, the foundation of his power? Dream on!"

He walked back behind the desk and tapped the scroll hard. "I'd wager the Uchiha have probably already begun secretly training death-sworn fighters with this forbidden technique! A five- or six-year-old child trades a dozen years of life for an adult's physique and jonin-level combat strength-and their minds are still immature, easy to control. Could there be a more useful blade?"

The office fell deathly silent.

Hashirama Senju stood there as though all his strength had been drained away. He had founded Konoha because he no longer wanted to see children sent to battle. But if... if there were a way to make children "become" adults, to fight, to kill...

How was that any different from what he wanted to stop?

Tobirama Senju watched his older brother's stricken expression, something flickering in his eyes. He turned away to look out the window, his voice dropping as though he were talking to himself, yet also speaking for Hashirama Senju to hear:

"We must find a way to counterbalance them... we need a similar method of our own. Not for personal gain, but for Konoha. Yes, for Konoha."

He spoke those last few words very softly, yet with a cold finality.

Hashirama Senju said nothing. He slowly returned to the window and looked out at Konoha, where green had already begun to emerge, feeling that this year's spring was exceptionally cold.

At the edge of the Uchiha Clan Compound stood Yinglang's new home.

It had originally been a quiet courtyard residence arranged by Elder Xuan, neither too close to nor too far from the central district, convenient for handling affairs while still peaceful enough. After moving in, Yinglang had changed little, only having the study and basement reinforced.

It was late at night.

Yinglang sat cross-legged on the study floor with his eyes closed. His consciousness sank into his mind, where a faintly glowing wheel hovered, visible only to him.

[Ding! Draw cooldown complete. Would you like to perform this week's draw?]

"Draw."

The wheel slowly spun, light and shadows shifting. A moment later, it stopped.

[Congratulations, host. You have obtained "'Book of Shaking the Dragon' feng shui observation insights (fragment, from a low-mysticism world)."]

An unfamiliar stream of information, carrying an ancient, weathered air, poured into Yinglang's mind. It was neither ninjutsu nor taijutsu, but an extensive body of knowledge about "mountains, rivers, and terrain," "the circulation of qi channels," and "omens of fortune and misfortune," mixed with numerous obscure formulas and visualization methods.

Feng shui?

Yinglang opened his eyes, somewhat surprised. Such a thing was unheard of in the Shinobi World. People here believed in chakra, Kekkei Genkai, and ninjutsu, but no one paid attention to things like "sheltering wind and gathering qi" or "dragon veins and geomantic sites."

He carefully digested the knowledge. According to this fragment of the Book of Shaking the Dragon, "qi" flowed through everything in heaven and earth. Mountains had mountain qi, water had water qi, and places where people lived would also form unique "fields" or "configurations" as people gathered or dispersed and circumstances changed. By using special methods to observe the color, shape, and direction of this "qi," one could deduce fortune and misfortune, predict prosperity and decline, and even... faintly glimpse traces of "destiny."

Destiny?

Something stirred within Yinglang. The Shinobi World had no such concept, but in the culture of his previous life, it had been profoundly mysterious. If this feng shui observation could really reveal something...

He rose, walked to the window, and pushed it open. The cool night breeze poured in, rustling the old tree in the courtyard.

Following the method he had just obtained, he slowly adjusted his breathing, attached a faint thread of mental power to his vision, then raised his eyes toward the Uchiha Clan Compound in the night.

At first glance, everything was normal. Scattered lights, rows of houses, the faint shimmer of the Naka River in the distance.

But when he concentrated and followed the "Qi Observation" method, drawing his attention slightly "away" from the specific scenery to sense the overall "atmosphere" of that space-

It changed.

Beneath the once-dark night sky, an extremely faint, flowing "veil," utterly invisible to ordinary people, seemed to cover the air above the Uchiha Clan Compound.

Across most areas, that "veil" was a somber deep blue, dense and stable, representing the Uchiha Clan's accumulated foundations and its still-formidable overall strength. But in certain places, the colors changed.

In the compound's central district, toward Elder Xuan's residence, the aura was dim and fluctuating, tinged with an ominous gray-black, like a wounded giant beast panting-this corresponded to Elder Xuan's grave injuries.

Elsewhere, roughly near Yuanguang's residence, the aura was even more chaotic. Dull red and black intertwined, churning ceaselessly, filled with resentment, defiance, and venom, like a pot of scorched poisonous porridge, constantly giving off unsettling "turbid qi."

Yinglang shifted his gaze toward the Elite Training Ground, where the younger generation gathered. The aura was mottled, with bright tender green representing new life and potential, and restless orange-red representing ambition and competition, but overall it was fairly vigorous.

Yet when his gaze swept across an unremarkable corner at the edge of the training ground, his brow furrowed slightly.

There was a small cluster of aura there, its color very unusual.

It was neither the Uchiha's deep blue nor any common emotional color. Instead, it was... a faint, almost transparent pale gold, its edges entwined with incongruous threads of blazing white, as though they had been forcibly blended into it.

The aura remained condensed, seemingly peaceful, yet within it lingered a faint sense of "separation" and "scorching heat," like a core of charcoal wrapped in soft wax, mild on the outside but smoldering within. It was also utterly at odds with the surrounding Uchiha "deep-blue foundations," like oil dropped onto water.

Kagami?

The name surfaced in Yinglang's mind. That spot seemed to be the corner where Kagami often trained alone. This aura... did it represent the conflict and struggle between the "Will of Fire" he increasingly identified with-the blazing white-and his Uchiha origins-the pale gold, though no longer pure? Did that "sense of separation" mean he was actively cutting himself off from the clan psychologically?

Interesting.

Yinglang continued observing. He discovered that the resentful "red-black turbid qi" from Yuanguang's residence was not motionless. An extremely faint thread of aura within it, carrying intense fixation and a clear direction, was drifting toward the training ground, slowly spreading toward and winding around that "pale gold edged with white" aura.

Like an invisible thread filled with venom.

The older generation's failure, hatred, and defiance were quietly influencing the younger generation's state of mind.

After watching a while, Yinglang withdrew his gaze and closed his eyes. The "landscape of auras" that ordinary people could not see slowly faded from his vision.

Feng shui observation examined the environment's qi field, yet what it reflected was where people's loyalties lay and the rise and fall of fortune.

He had gained an entirely new tool for understanding the situation. Though it was only a fragment, its qi observation indistinct, time-consuming, mentally draining, and unable to affect combat directly, it might prove unexpectedly useful in judging the bigger picture, gauging people's hearts, and discovering hidden dangers.

For instance, he could now "see" that things probably would not remain peaceful on Kagami's side. Yuanguang's downfall was like a potent poison, catalyzing certain changes within Kagami. And the direction of those changes, combined with that "blazing white" aura... probably suited a certain person's wishes perfectly.

Yinglang walked to his desk and spread out a simple map of the compound. Taking up a brush, he marked several key locations from memory.

Elder Xuan's residence (dim and fluctuating), Yuanguang's residence (source of resentful, turbid qi), Kagami's usual spot (unusual separation in the aura), training ground (vigorous overall, but containing mixed qi)...

This was not chakra sensing, nor intelligence analysis. It was a grasp of the "configuration of forces" from another dimension.

He set down the brush and looked out at the deep darkness of the night.

The Dragon-Slaying Breathing Technique was a blade, a source of strength.

This feng shui observation method might become a new pair of eyes.

To see the undercurrents clearly, to see people's hearts clearly, and to see clearly... the circulation of "destiny" beneath this land, so difficult for ordinary people to perceive.

He had another card in his hand.

He blew out the lamp and lay down fully clothed. Dragon essence circulated slowly within him, nourishing his mind, which was slightly tired from his first attempt at Qi Observation. Yet in his mind, he kept sketching that "landscape of auras" over the Uchiha Clan Compound.

Tomorrow, he would have to visit those places with abnormal auras himself.

Especially Kagami's side.