Bloodstain lifted its tail and pointed in two directions, hissing through its forked tongue. To the east, it said, there was a cave occupied by a black serpent called Jiawu. To the north lurked an armored python. Both, in Bloodstain's opinion, were enemies Uchiha Gen could defeat.
Gen nodded at once. "All right. I'll head east first. And tomorrow, I'll bring you a sheep as compensation for beating you up like that."
Bloodstain immediately sagged to the ground in relief, nodding gratefully like a criminal who had just received a pardon. It was still nursing the humiliation of being cut to pieces and subdued, but between pride and survival, survival was obviously the wiser choice.
Not long after, Gen—his chakra fully recovered—set off again in the direction Bloodstain had indicated. The caves of Ryuchi Cave were far larger than they looked from the outside, branching in all directions like the veins of some living monster. The deeper he went, the colder the air became, and the more the smell of scales, damp earth, and old blood thickened around him.
When he finally arrived at the eastern cave and laid eyes on the snake inside, he realized he probably wouldn't need to fight at all.
Because the black snake before him was familiar.
It was Jiawu—the very same black-scaled serpent he had driven back to Ryuchi Cave in the Forest of Death a month earlier.
The moment the snake saw him, its pupils contracted. That memory had clearly left a deep enough scar that even before Gen drew his sword, Jiawu's body tensed in reflexive fear.
Back then, Gen had only barely managed to force it back through a combination of traps, timing, smoke bombs, wire manipulation, and boosted fire release. It hadn't been a clean victory in terms of raw power. But a win was a win, and for a creature like Jiawu, the result mattered more than the explanation.
Though still not as strong as Bloodstain, Jiawu was absolutely not weak. Against an ordinary genin, it would have been a nightmare. It had speed, a heavy body, durable scales, and enough ferocity to drag a careless opponent into a long, miserable death.
For Gen, though, the problem was no longer whether he could beat it. The problem was whether he had any reason to bother wasting time proving that fact again.
In the end, his trip into Ryuchi Cave concluded with only two worthwhile captures: Bloodstain and Jiawu.
He did not continue chasing after stronger summoned beasts. There was no point. Summoning beasts were assets, not decorations, and maintaining them consumed both time and resources. Even with the chakra boost from Young Madara's character card, Gen was nowhere near Naruto's absurd level of reserves. Being able to summon two powerful snakes in battle already counted as excellent for someone his age.
As for monsters on the level of Manda or Aoda, even if he found them, he had no intention of walking up and asking for trouble. Against something that powerful, he wouldn't be negotiating a contract. He'd be volunteering as dinner.
By the time the three of them left Ryuchi Cave through reverse summoning and reappeared at their old training ground, the place was empty. Orochimaru was gone. The sun had already dipped westward, staining the horizon crimson. Only then did they realize they had spent nearly an entire day inside the snakes' domain.
Sarutobi Enjun stretched and clicked his tongue. "Tch. What a waste. I never found that two-headed snake that chased me around last time."
Uzuki Ruri brushed dust from her sleeves, looking faintly annoyed. "I had even worse luck. I barely managed to contract with a few ordinary pythons before I wandered into the territory of a red serpent gone half-crazy. I had to cancel the reverse summon and flee on the spot."
Even so, she wasn't truly disappointed. She had at least secured several usable summoning contracts, and that alone was enough to count this trip as a success. More importantly, she still had the qualifications to return to Ryuchi Cave later. Compared to failing the tests and ending up as snake food, that was more than good enough.
Gen gave a small shrug. "I did all right. I contracted with two strong serpents. Flame Falcon, Ruri, it's getting late. I'll be heading back first. There's a clan assembly tonight."
"All right. See you tomorrow, Gen," Ruri said softly, giving him a neat little nod.
Sarutobi Enjun also tried to look solemn, though his eyes kept drifting toward Ruri. "Yeah, don't be late. It's your first time attending, isn't it? Better not make a bad impression."
The moment he finished speaking, the corners of his mouth twitched upward in barely concealed delight.
Gen looked at him and almost laughed. Once he was gone, Sarutobi Enjun would obviously get a rare chance to enjoy some "alone time" with the girl he liked.
There were people who chased after someone only to be ignored forever. Those were called bootlickers. And there were people who chased after someone and gradually got closer and closer until the other side couldn't help but keep them around. Those people were wolves disguised as dogs.
Sarutobi Enjun, at present, was wobbling somewhere between the two states.
And Uzuki Ruri? She was clever. Far cleverer than she looked.
On the surface, she seemed to be slowly drawing closer to Sarutobi Enjun—never too cold, never too warm. In reality, though, she maintained the distance with exquisite precision. Close enough to stir hope. Far enough to preserve value.
She wasn't some grandmaster of emotional manipulation yet. In Gen's eyes, her methods were still green. But against someone like Sarutobi Enjun—talented, privileged, straightforward, and emotionally innocent—they were more than enough.
It was like dangling a carrot just beyond a donkey's nose. The donkey would always believe one more step might be enough.
What people could not easily obtain always seemed the most precious.
Gen, however, wasn't especially worried about the effect this half-formed tension might have on the team. Ruri was too smart to let it interfere with the team's basic operation. She understood better than anyone that her family was small, her position fragile, and her margin for error almost nonexistent.
The Third Hokage. Sarutobi Enjun. Orochimaru. The Uchiha clan behind Gen. Any one of those forces could crush the Uzuki clan without even needing to raise a hand. That meant whatever she did, she had to do it cleanly, carefully, and within limits.
By the time Gen returned to the Uchiha district, it was already a little past five. The clan assembly would begin at seven, which left him just enough time.
He first stopped by a snack shop inside the district and ate something quick. After that, he returned home, bathed, changed clothes, and dressed with unusual care.
He put on the outfit that, to him, best embodied the Uchiha look: a gray-blue high-collared long coat with clean, sharp lines; loose gray trousers bound at the calves; open-toed ninja footwear; and, on the back, the unmistakable red-and-white fan crest of the clan.
Standing before the mirror, he studied himself for a moment.
His spirit was steady. His chakra was full. His mind was clear.
Good enough.
With that, he pushed open the door and headed toward Naka Shrine.
Along the way, more and more Uchiha emerged from side streets and courtyards, all moving in the same direction. Some wore similar formal clan attire. Others came in battle-ready clothing with sword hilts visible at their waists. The evening light caught on the fan crests on their backs, and for a brief moment the whole road seemed covered in flickering fire.
Naka Shrine stood on the banks of the Naka River. Ever since the Uchiha clan had moved from their old homeland into Konoha, the shrine had served as the place where they honored their ancestors and held their internal assemblies. To the outside world it was merely an old clan shrine. To the Uchiha, it was one of the true centers of their identity.
Under the towering golden statue of Indra, the First Elder glanced down at his cane, then looked up. "Gen, come here."
Gen went over at once. "Elder. Sister Mikoto."
Mikoto stood at the First Elder's side as composed as ever, elegant and quiet, though her eyes lingered on him with faint approval. The elder, meanwhile, gave him a few more practical instructions in a low voice.
The seating order in the clan assembly was determined by a combination of Sharingan level, ninja rank, and the order in which one had awakened the Sharingan. Since Gen had only just awakened his one-tomoe Sharingan, he would be seated in the back row.
Gen listened carefully and nodded. There was no need to display ambition at a time like this. Tonight, it was enough to see, to hear, and to remember.
One by one, the remaining clan members entered the shrine. Then, when the bell struck seven, the heavy shrine gates closed with a resonant boom.
Silence settled instantly.
The atmosphere inside the shrine changed at once, becoming solemn and oppressive, as though even the air itself had grown heavier. Beneath the giant statue of Indra, a man with graying hair and beard stepped forward holding a long stick of incense.
That man was Uchiha Hisashi—the current head of the Uchiha clan.
Fugaku stood quietly to one side, expression controlled, posture straight, already carrying the bearing of someone being shaped into a future leader.
Uchiha Hisashi offered incense before the statue of Indra with slow, deliberate movements. Then he bowed deeply. In the next instant, the entire clan followed suit in unison.
Gen reacted half a beat later, then bent together with the others under the subtle prompting of the First Elder's hand.
When the bow ended, Hisashi slowly straightened. Without a word, he reached toward the altar before the statue and pressed a concealed mechanism.