"You've been here for a while now. Is there any ninjutsu you'd like to learn?"
Fugaku asked.
"I've only just entered the academy. I'm probably not qualified to learn ninjutsu yet."
Seiji replied hesitantly.
"You can learn it later. Choosing a ninjutsu is a privilege every Uchiha has."
Fugaku's gaze settled on Seiji.
His square, stern face carried a natural authority.
Every Uchiha ninja possessed this right.
The clan's ninjutsu library had been built over generations, with members contributing their techniques.
"Then… thank you very much, Lord Fugaku."
Seiji said gratefully.
Seeing Seiji's attitude, Fugaku nodded inwardly with satisfaction.
Exchanging a few ninjutsu techniques for Seiji's recognition of the Uchiha clan was a deal that only brought profit.
According to the chunin instructors at the Ninja Academy, Seiji seemed to have excellent talent.
That made it even more necessary to help him form strong ties within the clan.
If that failed…
He would have to be marginalized.
What the Uchiha clan needed were loyal Uchiha.
"Which elemental style are you interested in?"
Fugaku asked.
In the ninja world, five basic elemental releases were widely known:
Water Release
Fire Release
Wind Release
Lightning Release
Earth Release
Anything beyond those generally fell into the categories of secret techniques or bloodline limits.
"Lightning Release."
Seiji pretended to think for a moment before answering.
"I used chakra paper before. My affinity is Lightning."
Lightning Release.
The Yotsuki clan had exceptional compatibility with Lightning Release taijutsu.
If Seiji obtained such techniques, it would be like adding wings to a tiger.
Among the five elemental releases, any of them had great potential.
However, the ninja world relied too heavily on chakra.
Chakra both advanced civilization and limited it.
Many technologies were simply wrapped in a layer of chakra while ignoring deeper physical principles.
For example, Lightning Release could theoretically lead to magnetism—electricity generating magnetic fields.
With control over magnetic fields, one could even manipulate gravity or electron trajectories.
There were countless possibilities.
This was the unique perspective Seiji possessed as a transmigrator.
Simply using Lightning Release to strengthen the body or summon natural lightning was far too crude.
Even Fire Release had enormous potential.
The essence of developing fire techniques lay in two aspects:
The creation of plasma and the control of temperature.
One could manipulate molecular movement or energy flow.
Speeding up molecular motion increased temperature, while slowing it down cooled it.
It could even lead to techniques involving high-frequency energy.
Ironically, when it came to technological advancement, the seemingly brute-force Kumogakure had actually progressed the furthest.
Orochimaru focused mainly on biological science and genetic engineering.
But in the final Naruto Shippuden movie, The Last, only a few years after the Fourth Great Ninja War…
Kumogakure had already developed a chakra cannon.
Its power was so terrifying that it could destroy the moon with a single shot.
It was the most powerful weapon in the ninja world.
"Lightning Release is fine."
Fugaku nodded.
The Uchiha clan possessed quite a few Lightning Release scrolls.
"I'll have someone bring you to choose one later. Remember—don't aim too high. A D-rank technique is enough."
"Yes. Thank you, Lord Fugaku."
Seiji said gratefully.
"Alright, alright, let's eat."
Mikoto glanced at the dishes.
"If we don't eat soon, the food will get cold."
"Alright."
Seiji filled a bowl with rice.
If he wanted his body to grow stronger, proper nutrition was essential.
As they ate, Fugaku began chatting about other topics with Mikoto.
Occasionally, the normally stern Fugaku would tell small amusing stories that made Mikoto laugh.
Seiji quietly focused on his meal.
About half an hour later, Mikoto walked Seiji back from Fugaku's house.
The two followed the same path through the Uchiha district.
"Mikoto-nee, what's the usual retirement age for ninjas?"
Seiji asked.
There didn't seem to be any official retirement age for ninjas.
And he had never heard of retirement pensions either.
"Retirement… hmm…"
Mikoto thought for a moment.
"Most ninjas don't live long enough to retire. But if someone wants to, they can submit an application. Once it's approved, they can leave the ninja profession."
Mikoto had rarely seen elderly ninjas in their eighties or nineties.
However, she had seen quite a few genin who had just graduated from the academy.
Unable to endure the cruel ninja world, they simply retired.
"I see."
Seiji nodded.
That made sense.
In Itachi Shinden, one of the members of Itachi's Team Two—a female ninja named Shinko—had also become disillusioned with the brutal ninja world.
She gave up being a ninja and later worked in a tea shop inside the village.
Ninjas were tools.
When using tools, did anyone consider the wear and tear of the tool?
This was a world where even children went to war.
With a kunai in hand, they were expected to kill.
And there were no psychological counselors for them.
Seen this way, it wasn't strange that the ninja world produced so many extremists and unstable people.
The system itself quietly twisted them.
"But for me… I might retire soon."
Mikoto's voice softened noticeably when she said this.
"Then congratulations, Mikoto-nee."
Seiji smiled.
But inside, his heart felt cold.
So…
Was Itachi about to be born?
The thought weighed heavily on him.
"If you ever don't want to be a ninja anymore, Seiji, you can retire too."
Mikoto smiled gently.
The two continued walking through the rain.
Seiji looked up at the woman walking ahead of him.
Was there any way…
To prevent Itachi from being born?
A faint red glimmer flickered in Seiji's left eye.
The power of the Sharingan rippled slightly.
He closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, they had returned to normal black.
As for Fugaku…
Seiji only saw him as a weak hypocrite.
Mikoto truly deserved better than ending her life like that.
Fugaku giving him ninjutsu was merely an attempt to gain Seiji's loyalty to the Uchiha clan.
It was essentially the same as Kumogakure trying to recruit him.
In the future, Seiji would be expected to serve the Uchiha.
It was nothing more than a transaction.
If that were all, Seiji could accept it.
But Fugaku had never truly treated the other Uchiha as his people.
The destruction of the Uchiha clan—
Fugaku could not escape responsibility for it.
When Itachi betrayed the clan, he slaughtered countless innocent members.
And he even made his way to the clan head's home.
As the clan leader, could Fugaku really have been completely unaware?
In the anime version, he even possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Yet he never once mentioned the slaughter of the clan.
Instead, he praised Itachi for following his own conviction.
In Itachi Shinden, he even said:
"Even if your ideas differ from ours… you are still our pride."
He willingly allowed both himself and Mikoto to die at Itachi's hands.
The only thing he mentioned…
Was his other son, Sasuke.
Meanwhile, outside their door…
Countless clan members lay dead.
Most members of the Uchiha clan were ordinary civilians.
Not everyone had the talent to become a ninja, just as not everyone awakened the Sharingan.
Yet the clan leader chosen by them had abandoned them.
Seiji had no intention of being buried together with such twisted beliefs.
(End of Chapter)