Uchiha Gen was quite curious about the other young man the Great Elder mentioned.
"Yes, that young man is eight years older than you. He also realized that the clan would eventually clash with the village and that suppression was necessary.
However, his background is better than yours, so I am not surprised he performed that way."
"Then he is..."
"He is Fugaku, the clan leader's son. He is already a branch commander in the Keigu, and his status within the clan is second only to the clan leader and several elders."
Never mind then.
Uchiha Gen lost interest instantly. Fugaku might indeed have some vision, but his capabilities were questionable.
To teach his own sons the way he did and to lead a powerful ninja clan to its destruction, based on his performance in the original timeline, he was neither a competent clan leader nor a qualified father.
The Great Elder continued, "Fugaku believes that while the clan's power is strong, it is far inferior to the village's. If contradictions arise and evolve into conflict, it will likely lead to the clan's decline or even total collapse."
"And you also believe this will lead to disaster."
In short, we both hold a pessimistic view of the clan's future.
I don't know exactly what the future holds, but I know what the Konohagakure higher-ups want. They want to turn the Uchiha into a blade that won't hurt them, a submissive hound.
Because their strength is far below that of the Shodai Hokage, and their caliber and wisdom are far inferior to the Nidaime, they will definitely weaken the Uchiha.
They will suppress us in every way until we eventually fall to the level of the Inuzuka or Aburame.
"But the Uchiha are not people who only know how to accept suppression without resisting. We will not allow the clan's glory to fade during our time.
As a founding clan of Konoha and the strongest ninja clan in the village, we must strive for status and power that match the clan's strength.
This is something the current group of village higher-ups absolutely cannot accept. However... the clan's power is not that great. At least, I don't believe the current clan has the ability to secure those things."
The Great Elder let out a heavy sigh.
He was of the same generation as the Shodai Hokage and Uchiha Madara, only slightly younger, and roughly the same age as Senju Tobirama, who had died in battle long ago.
The wealth of experience he gained from the Sengoku period told him that the clan's future prospects were not optimistic.
Especially after Madara's departure, although the Uchiha still appeared strong, they no longer had top-tier powerhouses who could hold down the fort.
Without the Mangekyō Sharingan and without kage-level experts, the Uchiha's fate was sealed.
And even if such a master appeared, a single individual could not possibly contend with the Konoha higher-up collective, which possessed multiple elite forces.
Therefore, he needed to cultivate as many strong individuals with sufficient strength, vision, and wisdom as possible for the clan to change all this in the future.
Even though he only had a few years left to live and was destined not to see that future.
Uchiha Gen continued to follow the Great Elder's lead. Turning the Uchiha into a ninja clan on the level of the Inuzuka or Aburame?
Perhaps the other higher-ups besides Danzō did think that way, but they overestimated themselves and underestimated the bottomless depravity of certain beasts.
"We're here."
The Great Elder stopped and brought Uchiha Gen to a simple, ancient-looking pavilion. A middle-aged man with a missing arm was sitting on a stone bench in front of the pavilion reading a book. Hearing someone approach, he hurriedly stood up. Seeing it was the Great Elder, he took out a key.
"Geng-sama, bringing another clan genius to pick out ninjutsu? It seems you're quite satisfied with him."
The Great Elder, Uchiha Geng, chuckled. "This child's name is Gen. I believe he, like that boy Fugaku, will bring a future to the clan."
"To receive such praise from you, this young man must have some skill."
The middle-aged Uchiha took a key from his pocket and opened the pavilion door. Uchiha Gen followed the Great Elder inside, while Uchiha Mikoto stayed outside, chatting with the middle-aged man. From their conversation, he could tell the man was one of her second cousins.
This is part of the Clan Treasury.
The first floor contains relatively simple techniques.
The second floor has ninjutsu that don't involve nature transformation.
The third and fourth floors are dedicated to ocular techniques and training methods related to the Sharingan.
Starting from the fifth floor, there are powerful techniques for the triple tomoe and jōnin levels. The clan has a thousand-year heritage and the Sharingan to copy ninjutsu, so the clan has collected almost every mainstream ninjutsu of every attribute in the ninja world.
There are also countless techniques optimized for the Uchiha by our ancestors. There's definitely enough for you to choose from. I can grant you access to all the ninjutsu on the first and second floors.
Once you awaken your Sharingan, the third and fourth floors will be the same. However, I must remind you not to try and learn too many difficult ninjutsu right at the start. What you need to do now is cultivate a basic combat system of your own.
Uchiha Gen asked the Great Elder, "Geng-sama, can you give me some recommendations?"
Although this man was old, he was still a jōnin of the Uchiha with a triple tomoe Sharingan and was very experienced. Rather than picking blindly, it was better to ask for his advice.
"Alright."
A few hours later, Uchiha Gen returned home carrying a small bundle.
This was a five-story house, about a hundred square meters in size.
It was said that at the beginning of Konoha's founding, Senju Hashirama had built it with a clap of his hands, and it was later allocated to his grandfather.
Most of the houses in this area were built this way.
Although the interiors had certainly been renovated according to the original owners' wishes, it was undeniable that the house was built by the Shodai Hokage himself using Mokuton, making it highly historical.
After returning home, Uchiha Gen quickly finished a bowl of ramen he had picked up on the way back, then took a quick shower to wash away his fatigue before sitting at the table with a box.
Inside the cardboard box were several ninjutsu scrolls and training notes, placed next to the ninjutsu he had just selected from the Clan Treasury that afternoon.
"For me right now, ninjutsu isn't a weakness. Although there's room for improvement, just as the Great Elder said, I need to start cultivating a basic combat system to deal with all the problems faced in actual combat. In terms of offensive burst, I'm currently sufficient."
"My proficiency with the Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu has increased, which has also deepened my understanding of katon."
"I've also mastered C-rank katon like Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu and Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu. Although they aren't as powerful as the Gōkakyū, at least I have more options during battle."
"So regarding ninjutsu, I really only need to try learning some Fūton ninjutsu. This will help me avoid being countered, increase my attack range, and can also be used in combination with katon to amplify its power."