"But the Third Hokage is trying hard to mend the relationship between the village and our clan."
Rika's face showed some unwillingness.
An elder at Shikora's age should be enjoying his twilight years, not still fighting in the political arena, sacrificing his own life to light the path for the clan.
"They're all the same, nothing but jackals. That brat Hiruzen Sarutobi, he's always either 'thinking of a way' or 'in the process of figuring it out.' You'll never get a definitive answer out of him. Sooner or later, the Uchiha will be ruined by his wishy-washy 'thinking of a way' kind of political stance. He's the Hokage, yet lacks a Hokage's decisiveness and responsibility. Compared to Senju Tobirama, he falls short by miles."
Elder Shikora snorted coldly.
Rika fell silent.
He recalled the conflict between Root and Ruri a few years ago.
He also thought about many things from even earlier.
Every time, the Hokage was maintaining balance, but when it came to matters involving the village's principles, it was obvious some things couldn't be tolerated—they still had to strike a balance.
Just as Elder Shikora had said, you could trust Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's loyalty to Konoha, his love for the whole village, but you couldn't trust his governing ability.
You could even say it was under his indulgence and hesitation that Root became such darkness.
"The Uchiha's future can only be saved by ourselves. Don't place our clan's hopes on outsiders. Uchiha men and women, even if they die, must die on the battlefield. Let's go, Rika."
◎
Night, 7:10 PM.
"You're back? Must've been tough out there on your mission. Come eat quickly, or it'll get cold."
At the dining table, Hakushi had already set out the bowls and chopsticks, waiting for Ruri to come and enjoy dinner together.
Ruri didn't say anything, just sat at the table as usual and ate with Hakushi.
"How was your mission today?"
"Just an ordinary C-Class Mission. Next year I'm taking those three brats to the Chunin Exams. As long as they pass, they can take on A-Class Missions. There's nothing fun about C-Class Missions at all."
Hearing Ruri say that, Hakushi could only silently mourn for the three Genin in Ruri's squad.
C-Class and D-Class Missions don't involve ninja combat, but starting with B-Class Missions, the difficulty undergoes a qualitative leap—you'll encounter battles with other ninja.
And A-Class Missions, you'll end up facing Jonin Level enemies. A single misstep and it's game over—the whole squad could get wiped out.
Chunin are indeed eligible to take on B-Class and A-Class Missions.
Generally speaking, when a Jonin Squad's members just become Chunin, the captain will cautiously pick B-Class Missions to gain experience before taking on A-Class ones.
But knowing Ruri's personality, once the three Genin in the squad become Chunin, she'll probably start throwing them straight into A-Class Missions for experience.
Compared to leading Genin, Ruri prefers to seek her own amusement.
A-Class Missions are definitely much more interesting than B or C-Class ones, though for new Chunin, it could also mean dying at any moment.
Even the weakest Jonin can crush a Chunin in battle.
The gap between each ninja rank is immense.
"By the way, Elder Shikora came to see you today. You weren't home, so he just had a cup of tea here and left."
Hakushi thought of something and told Ruri about Shikora's visit earlier that evening.
"Elder Shikora?"
Ruri paused her eating, then furrowed her brows.
"What's wrong, not happy? I remember he once taught you all sorts of ninja combat techniques. You respect him a lot, right?"
"He's just a decrepit, rotten old man who's almost got one foot in the grave."
Ruri snorted coldly.
"That's awfully rude."
"Did he say anything out of line to you while he was here?"
There was a look of discontent in Ruri's eyes.
Right now, all those holding key positions in the Uchiha clan are part of the Radical Faction; Uchiha Shikora is their leader.
In her eyes, those radical types are all screwed in the head.
They're obsessed with power in the village, like being Hokage is the only way to save the Uchiha Clan.
Drunk on past glory, they're a bunch of muscleheaded fools full of arrogance and strength but utterly lacking in brains.
Although Ruri hadn't officially drawn a line between herself and them, she knew she could never fit into that sort of environment.
Her own power-driven, self-centered thinking just didn't mesh with that world.
Even Elder Shikora—she hadn't gone to see him in ages.
Even if Elder Shikora had mastered the way to unlock the Mangekyo Sharingan, she still had no desire to see someone who made her feel irritated. Same goes for going to the Hokage—it's strictly business, nothing more. Her rejection and displeasure were plain as day on her face.
Moreover, after mastering Sage Mode, the Mangekyo Sharingan didn't seem all that appealing—needed or not, she wasn't so obsessed with that legendary Pupil Technique.
More importantly, after training in Immortal Technique, Ruri felt her mood was often calm, able to think through problems rationally.
Of course, there were moments she simply couldn't be calm.
Thinking of this, Ruri glared at Hakushi with a scowl and stuffed a couple more mouthfuls of rice in her mouth.
Hakushi's face was blank—he had no idea where he'd pissed her off this time.
Could it be he'd hugged her too briefly a couple days ago—short by about thirty seconds?
Maybe he should make up for it tonight?
"Of course not, he just stopped by to check in. I think he's a pretty kind old man, honestly."
Hakushi spoke the truth.
Ayane said that the Hyuga Clan's elders are all old-fashioned and strict, always talking about rules and etiquette, which really gets on her nerves, though she still had to keep a smile on her face.