The sense of surveillance from above had still not faded.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze continued to linger here.
Uchiha Yuan's eyes slowly swept over Uchiha Kawa and the others. His sword-like brows drew together slightly as he asked,
"What happened? Did you lay hands on Gen?"
Seeing this, Senju Gen hurriedly laughed.
"Yuan, don't misunderstand. Uchiha Kawa and the others and I only had a few sparring matches."
Yuan's expression relaxed.
Then he asked calmly,
"Gen. How many rounds did you lose?"
At once, Gen flared up in indignation.
"Yuan! I'm sorry to disappoint you—but I won every single match!"
"Heh."
Yuan merely chuckled softly.
Night fell.
The crescent moon hung like a hook in the sky.
Night winds stirred the shadows of trees. A chubby orange cat padded lightly across a rooftop, while several crows flapped through the darkened sky.
Deep underground, in a vast and empty chamber—
Two massive flames burned high above, illuminating the entire space.
Sharp shouts echoed endlessly.
A group of Uchiha boys stood in formation, holding their stances and repeatedly throwing straight punches.
Beneath one of the blazing flames stood a raised stone platform.
Upon it, Uchiha Yuan sat on a stone seat.
Uchiha Daishi and Uchiha Takuno—captains of the two units serving as Yuan's personal guard—stood solemnly at either side.
Before Yuan, Uchiha Kawa and the others knelt on one knee, faces grave.
"Leader, we disobeyed your orders. Please punish us."
Kawa bowed his head deeply.
Daishi glared angrily at him.
"Kawa! Your actions could have drawn unwanted attention and exposed us!"
Kawa looked urgently at Yuan.
"Leader, we were unwilling to accept it! Why does Senju Gen deserve your favor?!"
Daishi snapped,
"Insolence! Does the leader need a reason to value someone?!"
Yuan raised one hand slightly.
Daishi immediately fell silent and stepped back.
"Kawa," Yuan said calmly, eyes still on the trainees ahead,
"when you sparred with Gen—how much strength did you use?"
"Five tenths," Kawa answered at once.
"Though we challenged him without permission, we remembered your teachings. We did not go all out."
"How many exchanges before defeat?"
Kawa hesitated, then said,
"I lasted thirty-five moves."
"Thirty-one," Uchiha Feng added.
"Twenty-eight."
"Twenty-three."
Yuan finally turned his gaze toward them.
"Kawa—if you went all out, could you defeat Gen?"
Kawa frowned in thought before answering carefully,
"If I used my full strength… I could probably fight him for about a hundred exchanges."
Yuan smiled approvingly.
"Gen's chakra has already reached jōnin standards.
Kawa, being able to last a hundred exchanges against him is impressive."
His gaze swept across the kneeling youths.
"Since you still remembered my instructions and did not expose your true strength, I won't punish you."
"Thank you, Leader!"
They answered in unison.
"Kawa," Yuan continued,
"I won't forbid you from sparring with Gen. But remember—your displayed strength must remain at five tenths for now."
"After each interval, you may gradually reveal more, creating the illusion of steady growth."
"But in the end, you are only allowed to show eight tenths of your true strength to the outside world."
"Leader—what about us?" Daishi asked quickly.
"You remain in the shadows," Yuan replied.
Then he added,
"Daishi, your position is different from theirs. Kawa and the others come from recognized ninja families within the clan."
"When the clan head returns, I'll apply to formally join the Police Force, lead a unit of my own, and make Kawa and the others my public subordinates."
"We understand."
Daishi and Kawa answered together.
Senju Clan Compound
After finishing his final training session of the day, Senju Gen soaked luxuriously in the family estate's hot spring before changing into a white yukata and heading toward his room.
As he passed through the inner courtyard, he spotted his sister, Senju Yuki, sitting quietly on the veranda. A cup of hot tea rested before her as she gazed at the night sky.
"Big sister," Gen asked, sitting down beside her,
"what are you thinking about?"
Yuki withdrew her gaze and looked at him, her expression complicated.
"Today, at the Uchiha compound… seeing how lively and prosperous their clan is made me think of us."
"The Senju Clan now has only 117 members—mostly the elderly, the weak, and the wounded."
Gen's smile faded.
"Our elders sacrificed themselves for the village."
"Yes," Yuki said softly.
"All for the village."
Silence followed.
Gen scratched his head and forced a grin.
"I really didn't expect you to go to the Uchiha compound."
Yuki lifted her tea and took a gentle sip.
"Today, the Third Hokage summoned Uchiha Yuan."
"I know," Gen replied.
"That's why my match with him was interrupted."
"Do you know why he was summoned?"
"I didn't ask. Yuan didn't say."
Yuki sneered.
"The Hokage offered to recruit him into ANBU. Unfortunately, that foolish man refused."
"What?!"
Gen shot to his feet, face full of regret.
"He refused?! What a waste! Joining ANBU means becoming the Hokage's direct subordinate!"
"In front of ANBU, even other elite ninja stand one rank lower!"
Yuki's expression turned mocking.
"Honestly, I'm not surprised."
"How could an Uchiha join a village institution? Of course he would choose the Police Force."
She glanced coldly at Gen.
"Gen, you've always praised Uchiha Yuan. I thought he was some extraordinary hero."
"But now I see—he's no different from the rest of the Uchiha."
"A short-sighted fool."
"Big sister," Gen frowned,
"why would you say that about Yuan?"
Yuki sighed and spoke solemnly.
"Gen, from now on, you need to distance yourself from Uchiha Yuan."
"Why?!"
Gen stood abruptly, staring straight at her.
"Because conflict between the village and the Uchiha is very likely," Yuki said calmly.
"I don't want you dragged into it because of him."
Gen froze, then recalled something.
"…Is it because of the Sharingan seen in the Nine-Tails' eyes that night?"
"Yes," Yuki replied.
"Right now, it's the Third Great Ninja War. The village has no time to deal with the Uchiha."
"But with Sand surrendering and Stone negotiating peace, the war is nearing its end."
"As the prime suspects of the Nine-Tails incident, the Uchiha will inevitably be suppressed."
She snorted coldly.
"With the feat of driving off the Fourth Raikage, Uchiha Yuan's strength cannot be ignored."
"If he had entered ANBU, his power might have helped ease tensions between the village and the Uchiha."
"That may well have been the Hokage's intent."
"But unfortunately—he refused."
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