Uchiha Yuan withdrew his gaze from the direction Uchiha Shisui had disappeared in, then turned and continued walking home.
How could one best hide oneself?
The answer—blend in with the surroundings.
Uchiha Yuan didn't want to draw the village's attention, so the image he showed to the outside world had to be the same as the rest of the Uchiha—arrogant, domineering, and proud.
At the same time, he had no intention of appearing weak either. This was a world that worshiped strength—only the strong were respected, only the strong were followed.
Once weakness was shown, what followed would only be more oppression.
Thus, for years, the persona Uchiha Yuan presented was that of an ordinary Uchiha clansman blessed with exceptional talent in taijutsu.
A strong taijutsu user would earn admiration—but not excessive attention.
And as for awakening the Sharingan, Uchiha Yuan had no desire whatsoever.
His Sage training differed from that of ordinary shinobi; his body and mind had already been refined and strengthened through natural energy. His reflexes and perception rivaled—or even surpassed—the capabilities of the Sharingan.
Moreover, not awakening the Sharingan meant the village would pay him even less attention.
Only those who awakened the Sharingan were worth the interest of both clan and village.
He arrived home and pushed the door open.
"I'm back," he called, taking off his shoes.
"Xiao Yuan, dinner's ready! Tonight, Izumi's made honey-glazed roast meat—her first time trying it!"
His mother, Uchiha Rei, poked her head halfway out of the kitchen.
Yuan took a seat in the dining room. Moments later, his mother and younger sister brought out the dishes.
As soon as Izumi saw him, she pouted and turned her face away, her small expression frosty—completely ignoring him.
Rei sighed helplessly. "Izumi, are you still angry with your brother?"
Izumi cast a sideways glance at Yuan and said coldly, "Yes. And unless someone apologizes, I'll stay angry."
Yuan gave a resigned smile, then pulled a pastry box from under the table. With a fond look, he said, "Izumi, look what this is—your brother bought this just for you. It's your favorite—Seven Colors House's Rainbow Dango."
As he opened the box, a sweet and tempting aroma filled the air.
Izumi couldn't help but glance over. Inside, colorful and intricately shaped dumplings were neatly arranged, each one adorable and enticing.
She forced herself to look away and muttered, "Even so, I still won't forgive you."
Yuan sighed dramatically. "Izumi, you're making your brother so sad."
At that, Izumi's expression wavered slightly. She peeked at him and said, "If Brother apologizes, Izumi will forgive you right away."
"Alright," Yuan said with a gentle smile. "Your brother apologizes. I shouldn't have told you to stay away from Uchiha Itachi. I take back what I said. I won't interfere with your friendship anymore."
He knew that since it was impossible to forcefully make his sister avoid Itachi, the only way was to stop resisting. The harder one pushed, the stronger the pushback.
Izumi's face finally brightened into a cheerful smile.
She eagerly picked up a yellow, rabbit-shaped dango and took a bite—the sweetness instantly lighting up her face with happiness.
Then she lifted a piece of roast meat glazed in honey sauce and held it up to Yuan.
"Brother, try this—it's the first roast I've ever made!"
Yuan took a bite and laughed. "It's delicious—this is the best roast I've ever had."
The family ate happily, laughter and warmth filling the small house.
Izumi occasionally pouted and coaxed her brother into helping her pick food from the dishes, acting adorably spoiled.
After dinner, Yuan sat alone in the courtyard, his gaze distant as it rested upon the sky.
The sun was setting, the clouds awash in golden-red light like a layer of shimmering paint.
His thoughts drifted back to earlier that day, when he had left the training grounds and felt a distinct aura of challenge directed his way.
It was from Senju Gen.
As he departed, their eyes had met briefly among the crowd, and Yuan had clearly felt the fighting spirit burning in Xuan's gaze.
Back when he first entered the Academy, Yuan hadn't expected that one of his classmates would be a member of the Senju clan.
He also hadn't understood why Xuan had been placed in Class 9. Given how much the village valued the Senju, Xuan should have been assigned to one of the higher-ranked classes.
After all, before Xuan's enrollment, the Senju clan hadn't produced a single child for the Academy in years.
That alone marked the clan's decline—the Senju bloodline had grown thin, new births were rare, and the once-glorious clan was fading away.
The Senju and Uchiha had once been the two great founding families of Konoha. Now, one was dwindling in numbers, while the other's influence grew ever stronger.
The fall of the Senju clan could be traced back to the two Great Shinobi Wars.
In both wars, the Senju had been at the front lines—charging headlong into battle, sacrificing without hesitation, winning through sheer courage and blood.
Even the clan heir, Senju Nawaki, had perished in the Second Great Shinobi War.
They were reckless and hot-blooded—but undeniably admirable.
The Uchiha clan, on the other hand, remained populous because they hadn't suffered as heavily from the wars.
During the First Great Shinobi War, the long peace maintained by the First Hokage Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara had allowed most clans to recover and prosper. The war's toll was heavy but manageable.
In the Second Great War, though the Uchiha had volunteered to fight, the village kept them stationed as the Konoha Police Force, permitting only half the clan's strength to join the war on various flanks.
To Yuan, it was obvious—the village leadership had deliberately restricted the Uchiha's participation, even at the cost of more Konoha lives, in order to suppress the clan's rise.
In the shinobi world, strength ruled, and merit on the battlefield was the surest path to glory.
Had the Uchiha achieved enough wartime accomplishments, the village would have been forced to grant them positions of power—whether they wanted to or not.
Suppression done in the shadows could never be spoken aloud.
Yuan was certain the village had always kept a close watch on Senju Gen. After all, any Senju could potentially awaken Wood Release—a power the village elders coveted deeply.
Thus, though they had shared a classroom for years, Yuan had always kept his distance from Xuan. They had never exchanged a single word.
Perhaps the reason Xuan had been placed in Class 9 was precisely to avoid conflict. In the upper classes, there were often three to seven Uchiha students.
Given the long-standing feud between the two clans, confrontation would have been inevitable—and it would likely have ended as Uchiha bullying a lone Senju.
A set of light, cheerful footsteps broke through Yuan's thoughts.
Izumi appeared, holding a small box of Rainbow Dango. She sat down beside him.
"Brother, try this red one—I think it's the best."
Yuan accepted the dango she offered and popped it into his mouth, reaching out to gently brush a stray lock of hair from her forehead.
"As long as you're happy," he said softly, "your brother will take care of everything else."
Izumi blinked in confusion, not quite understanding what her brother's words truly meant.
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