"But have you really thought this through? Compared to the Uchiha Clan, our situation here… it's fair to say we don't even have enough strength to protect those eyes of yours." After a moment's consideration, Hane Genma posed the question again.
Uchiha Nanami's decision was undoubtedly advantageous to Genma, but he still offered a gentle dissuasion. Her choice seemed somewhat hasty, possibly lacking thorough deliberation.
Moving from the Uchiha Clan to the Firefly Organization was akin to jumping from a top-five global corporation to a small-town startup. No matter how you looked at it, it carried an air of irrationality.
Yes, Genma's group was innovative, but how long would it take for his organization to reach the level of the Uchiha Clan?
"There's nothing unclear about it. I'm perfectly rational," Nanami replied.
"I never had much attachment to the Uchiha name to begin with… The others in the organization just call me 'Nanami' anyway."
"Or rather, shedding some burdens feels like a good thing."
Due to Uchiha Nanami's unique introduction to the group, the shinobi originally from the Hanemiya Clan naturally knew her background. However, for the members of the Fuma Clan, aside from their leader, Fuma Goro, none were aware she hailed from the Uchiha Clan.
Hearing the resolve in Nanami's tone, Genma began to understand her actions. Beyond a certain level of trust in the organization, Uchiha Nanami's choice to make this place her refuge likely stemmed from a desire to escape and live anonymously.
Her eyes met Genma's, and she added, "Shinobi are destined to die, aren't they?"
Those words echoed a conversation she'd had with Uchiha Madara the previous night. The logic was sound, yet her words carried a heavy undertone of sorrow and resignation.
Genma caught a fleeting glimpse of defeat and negativity in her gaze.
Uchiha Nanami's actual age was likely close to her apparent age, but her birth predated her appearance by a significant margin, her life spanning a far greater stretch of time.
Thus, if one were to investigate why she sought to distance herself from the Uchiha Clan, the answers would lie in her past. More precisely, her attitude toward the clan was likely tied to the process of awakening her Mangekyo Sharingan—a process known to every shinobi with those eyes, marked by profound tragedy.
There was no such thing as the most tragic story, only more tragic ones.
However, given Genma's position, he had neither the standing nor the means to probe further. After some thought, he decided to ask another question directly:
"You seem to resist the power of your Mangekyo Sharingan?"
This was a subjective impression he'd had since meeting Uchiha Nanami, based purely on intuition without evidence. No matter how he looked at it, Nanami's development of her Mangekyo Sharingan seemed unusually limited.
Regardless of what her unique ocular jutsu might be, with eyes like those, if she were truly driven to grow stronger, she should theoretically be piloting a metaphorical "Gundam" by now. With absolute defensive capabilities, it was strange that she'd been chased and hacked at by those wretched Senju brats.
Even if she couldn't win, she shouldn't have been so thoroughly defeated.
Yet, whether due to personal reluctance or external constraints, not every pair of Mangekyo Sharingan could manifest Susanoo.
Genma's question sent Uchiha Nanami into a reverie, clearly not a pleasant one. Her expression showed a trace of struggle before she broke free from her memories and spoke:
"My Mangekyo Sharingan's ocular jutsu is called Umasuikashu. This technique allows me to hide within fragments of time…
"It can carry me across timelines, but I cannot choose when to end the jutsu."
"Each time I activate it, when I reappear, days might have passed in reality—or years, even decades."
"Umasuikashu lets me traverse timelines, but it cannot stop my mind. Every time I use this jutsu, I'm plunged into an endless void, like a feather adrift in the river of time, carried along with no control."
"In that endless darkness, emptiness, loneliness, and desolation, I'm stripped of my senses, unable to choose my direction, left only with unending pain…"
Genma hadn't expected Uchiha Nanami to reveal her ability so openly. Her power aligned with his earlier guesses. While her ocular jutsu seemed limited to traveling forward through time, its potential was extraordinary, especially considering her Sharingan hadn't been fully developed.
Yet, it adhered to the principle that all jutsu come with a cost. One could only imagine the excruciating pain Uchiha Nanami endured while using her ability—a sensation akin to being locked in a dark room, enough to drive anyone to madness.
"That… sounds truly painful," Genma said.
But Nanami's response sidestepped the question. Her reluctance to use her Mangekyo Sharingan wasn't solely due to the endless loneliness and void it brought… or at least, that wasn't the primary reason.
Pressing further would be impolite, and Genma sighed inwardly. It seemed everyone carried burdens too heavy to revisit.
Uchiha Nanami was far more complex than she appeared.
"I have one last question. Is it convenient to share your true age and your status within the Uchiha Clan?"
Genma wanted to clarify Nanami's birth era and her specific role within the clan.
Nanami hesitated, her expression conflicted, but she eventually answered:
"I have a younger brother named Uchiha Tajima."
"Tajima? Never heard of him…" Genma replied, puzzled. Was this brother supposed to be famous? The name sounded so ordinary, like some background character.
His ignorance nearly made Nanami laugh in exasperation. Their conversation's purpose had been fulfilled, so she ignored the clueless Genma, turned, and left.
Genma felt a bit wronged. For this era's Uchiha Clan, knowing about Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna—those tragic brothers living in the shadow of the Senju siblings—was already plenty. So who was this Tajima? Could he be more famous than Madara?
Truth be told, Genma was eager to learn Earth-Style chakra manipulation. He figured if his White Zetsu body could help him master one bloodline limit, it could handle a second.
He was fixated on Wood Release.
Not because of its raw power—after all, only the First Hokage's Wood Release was the unrivaled, world-dominating bloodline limit. Others' attempts, like Yamato's Wood Release after being implanted with the First's cells, were decent but hardly overwhelming compared to other bloodline limits.
Even if Genma mastered Wood Release, could he surpass Yamato? Optimism was hard to come by.
His interest in Wood Release stemmed from a specific combination: White Zetsu body + Wood Release + medical chakra. Together, these seemed incredibly promising.
The synergy felt like it could approach the First Hokage's self-healing ability. At the very least, without using sage techniques, Genma believed this "trifecta" wouldn't fall far short of Hashirama's seal-less regeneration.
If he could become an "undying cockroach," the boost to his strength would be immense.
Unfortunately, none of the White Zetsu assigned to monitor Uchiha Madara carried an "Earth-Style experience pack," shattering Genma's development plans.
His imagination had soared, envisioning a "small goal" like achieving a bloodline net in the shinobi world, only for reality to deliver a swift "not so fast."
As expected, things weren't that simple.
With no other choice, he shifted his focus to developing his strength within his current means.
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