The moment that thought flashed through the Grand Elder's mind, he dismissed it just as quickly.
Could this child really become a second Madara?
Impossible.
Across the long, bloody history of the Warring States era, how many monsters of that level had ever appeared? Even someone like the Grand Elder, who held tremendous hopes for Uchiha Gen, only believed the boy had the potential to grow into one of the great ninjas of the age—someone capable of lifting the Uchiha clan back toward its former glory.
But even that was already enough.
And Gen's performance today only made him surer of it.
A dozen minutes later, the spar finally came to an end.
"Mikoto-nee, you're incredible. Fighting you puts me under a ton of pressure."
Breathing hard, Uchiha Gen lowered his sword and smiled.
Across from him, Mikoto brushed aside a few damp strands of hair stuck to her temple. Her smile was still as gentle as ever, but there was a bright, unconcealed delight in her eyes now.
"You're the one who's incredible, Gen. If it were some ordinary recent graduate fighting you, they probably wouldn't last even a minute."
This had only been a spar. Neither of them had fought with killing intent, and neither had any reason to drag it out after everything that needed to be shown had already been shown.
Even so, Mikoto was still shaken.
Only now did she truly understand what a real genius looked like.
"That's enough. Mikoto, Gen, come over."
At some point, the Grand Elder had already smoothed away the turbulence in his expression. Once again, he looked like that same calm, ancient tree that had weathered the rise and fall of generations.
He led the two of them toward the clan storehouse while explaining the finer points of using the Sharingan.
Once an Uchiha awakened the one-tomoe Sharingan, they were qualified to access the third level of the clan's archives. Some secret techniques connected to the Sharingan could also be cultivated from that point onward.
Just over an hour later, Uchiha Gen returned home carrying several new scrolls.
"Uchiha Style Swordsmanship - Part Two." "Daily Training and Care for the Sharingan." "Sharingan: Windmill Manipulation - Third Blade."
Looking at the pile in his arms, he could not help clicking his tongue.
"I just finished reading those soul-crushing medical ninjutsu books, and now a whole new stack is waiting for me."
He sighed, feeling both helpless and resigned.
Ever since graduating from the Ninja Academy, his days had been unbelievably full. His progress had been fast—faster than ever before—but the price of that progress was a life so busy he barely had time to breathe, much less rest.
Still, in this era, every little bit of strength mattered.
Every improvement, every extra ounce of power, every insight, every technique—those things were what bought a person the right to survive.
No matter how bitter or exhausting it was, if he wanted to stay alive in this damned ninja world, then all he could do was grit his teeth and keep moving forward.
No matter what, before he became truly strong, he had to survive the two longest and fiercest wars this era still had in store.
***
That night, after a barbecue feast paid for by the Akimichi clan, Orochimaru's team announced a temporary break.
The next morning, at dawn, the delegation from Kumogakure finally arrived outside Konoha.
It was a fairly large diplomatic escort, accompanied by Konoha ANBU all the way from the border. Hokage advisor Homura Mitokado personally came to receive them, along with the jonin commander Orochimaru and members of the political affairs department.
The Third Hokage himself did not appear.
The status between the two sides was not equal.
If Hiruzen Sarutobi were to come out in person, then the Third Raikage should have been the one arriving on behalf of Kumogakure. Otherwise, it would make Konoha look too eager, too weak, too ready to bend.
A moment like that had to be handled with care.
Far from the gate, Uchiha Gen and his two teammates were all staring at the tall, white-haired man in front of them with unconcealed suspicion.
"Heeeey! What's with those looks on your faces?"
Jiraiya threw up his hands, embarrassment and annoyance written all over him.
Ruri Uzuki let out a long sigh.
"It's not that we want to look at you like that."
Gen looked at him with dead fish eyes.
"It's just that when we arrived for training, you were still sneaking around outside the bathhouse."
Sarutobi Enjun covered his face with one hand.
"If word of this gets out, it'll be way too embarrassing. Honestly, maybe we should just leave Jiraiya-senpai here and go train by ourselves."
"Haha! No need to worry. I'm always extremely careful." Jiraiya puffed out his chest and laughed loudly. "With my superb infiltration skills, I usually never get caught. After all, if something like this were to spread, it would seriously damage my brilliant reputation and heroic image in the village."
While speaking, though, he could not help glancing sideways at Uchiha Gen.
He really had not been bragging.
When it came to infiltration and snooping around, Jiraiya genuinely was excellent. Even though he had relaxed a bit because he was inside Konoha, he still had not expected this brat to catch him.
An Uchiha who had already awakened the Sharingan—and who also knew sensory ninjutsu.
What a ridiculous combination.
"Ahem." Gen's expression instantly changed. A sly, shameless smile spread across his face. "I think so too, Jiraiya-senpai. So... you probably don't want this kind of thing getting out, right?"
Jiraiya froze.
Then his face twitched.
"You little brat. Why does that line sound so familiar? Which playhouse or dirty story did you learn that from? Tell me."
"You're thinking too much, Jiraiya-senpai."
"Tsk. Fine. Looks like if I don't cough up something good today, I won't be getting rid of you." Jiraiya scratched his head irritably. "Orochimaru really knows how to throw me a nasty problem."
Then he bit his thumb, formed hand seals, and slapped his palm against the ground.
"Ninja Art: Summoning Technique!"
A summoning formula spread across the earth. White smoke burst forth in a thick plume.
When it cleared, a toad more than twice the height of a man stood before them.
Its body was a vivid green. Its mouth was painted with bright lipstick. Its whole bearing was flamboyant in a way that set off every alarm bell in Gen's mind.
The instant he saw it, Uchiha Gen felt his scalp go numb.
A seductive male voice rang out from the giant toad's mouth.
"Little Jiraiya, what is it this time that you called me all the way over here for?"
Then it winked.
At Jiraiya.
Gen's expression immediately went blank.
This thing...
It really was this thing.
"Toad Power," Jiraiya said, pointing behind the summoned beast, "I called you here today because these little guys need some special training from you."
Toad Power turned around with a heavy, graceful hop and looked at the three freshly graduated genin. Its gaze moved back and forth between Uchiha Gen and Sarutobi Enjun.
Then it licked its lips.
"Don't worry," it said in that sticky, sultry voice. "I'll take very good care of these cute little boys."
Sarutobi Enjun's face turned green on the spot.
Gen silently felt the ominous premonition inside him solidify into reality.
Then Jiraiya coughed.
"Ahem. The Uchiha brat doesn't need this training. He's already awakened the Sharingan, so his resistance to genjutsu doesn't need to be tempered this way. I'll take care of him separately."
"Oh?" Toad Power sounded sincerely disappointed. "What a pity. The Uchiha one is clearly the most handsome."
Only then did Gen breathe out.
Thank heavens.
Having the Sharingan meant being born at least two levels above ordinary ninjas in the field of genjutsu. For a freshly awakened Uchiha, training resistance to illusions was still necessary—but not like this.
At least not with this thing.
For the first time in a while, Gen felt genuine gratitude for Uchiha bloodline inheritance.
And even more gratitude for Madara's Sharingan.
"Well..." Sarutobi Enjun swallowed hard and raised a trembling hand. "Jiraiya-senpai, do we really need this kind of training? Orochimaru-sensei already gave us ninja tools that help improve our resistance to genjutsu, so maybe—"
"Maybe what?" Jiraiya folded his arms. "You think Orochimaru handed you those bells for decoration? Genjutsu resistance isn't something you can improve just by wearing a trinket and hoping for the best."
Ruri narrowed her eyes. "That still doesn't explain why the one doing the training is... this."
Toad Power put a hand to its chest in exaggerated heartbreak.
"Young lady, your words are so cruel. Is this how Konoha treats a toad of exquisite beauty and rare experience?"
"Yes," Ruri said flatly.
"How heartless."
Jiraiya coughed again and forced the conversation forward.
"Listen. For the next few days, Orochimaru will be busy with the Cloud delegation. That means your regular schedule is being adjusted. Since I happened to be free, I was asked to take over one part of your training. Just one part. Survive it, and you're done."
Gen caught the key detail immediately.
"Only one part?"
"Only one part," Jiraiya said. "The rest of your training is still yours to manage. Orochimaru only asked me to handle what he didn't have time for."
Gen instantly relaxed by half.
As long as this did not become a daily nightmare, it was survivable.
Probably.
Sarutobi Enjun, however, looked like his soul was already leaving his body.
"What exactly does this training involve?" he asked weakly.
Jiraiya flashed a grin too bright to be trusted.
"Simple. Toad Power specializes in illusion-based interference, emotional disruption, and chakra instability training. You'll learn how to stay calm, maintain hand seals, stabilize your chakra, and keep your mind clear even when your senses are being messed with."
Ruri's brow twitched. "That sounds suspiciously normal when you say it like that."
"Of course it's normal! I'm one of the Legendary Sannin."
Toad Power leaned down, eyelashes fluttering.
"Relax, little one. It only hurts the first few times."
Sarutobi Enjun made a strangled sound.
Gen turned his face away.
He was absolutely not laughing.
Not even a little.
No matter how funny this was.
Still, once the initial absurdity faded, he had to admit that Jiraiya's arrangement made sense.
Orochimaru's lessons had always focused on survival—battlefield awareness, escape, poison, traps, emergency treatment, tactical thought. If genjutsu resistance was the next phase, then Jiraiya really was the right person to cover it.
Ridiculous as he was, no one could deny his qualifications.
More importantly, if the world really was moving toward the hidden currents Gen suspected, then strength in illusions and resistance to mental interference would matter more and more.
Especially for an Uchiha.
Especially for him.
Jiraiya must have noticed the shift in Gen's expression, because he smirked.
"See? The brat gets it."
"I get that you're useful," Gen said calmly. "That doesn't mean I trust your methods."
Jiraiya clutched his chest in exaggerated injury.
"How cruel. These children really have no respect for their elders."
"Maybe because our elder was peeping at a bathhouse this morning," Ruri said.
Sarutobi Enjun nodded vigorously.
"That's a fair point."
Jiraiya instantly changed the subject.
"Enough! Since the Uchiha brat is exempt, we'll split things up. Sarutobi Enjun, Uzuki Ruri—you two come with Toad Power for specialized resistance drills. Uchiha Gen, you're with me."
Gen's eyes narrowed. "With you for what?"
Jiraiya grinned.
"Since you're already awakened, your problem isn't resisting basic illusions. Your problem is learning what to do against people who know how to use them well. I can't let Orochimaru's favorite little schemer embarrass my side, can I?"
Gen was silent for a beat.
Then he asked the only question that mattered.
"This isn't going to involve spying on bathhouses, is it?"
Jiraiya looked genuinely offended.
"What kind of person do you take me for?"
All three genin stared at him wordlessly.
Jiraiya coughed.
"...Fine. Fair enough."
Toad Power laughed until its whole huge body shook.
"Oh, little Jiraiya, your students are so entertaining."
"They're not my students."
"Not yet," Toad Power said sweetly.
Sarutobi Enjun looked like he might actually faint.
Ruri pinched the bridge of her nose.
Gen sighed.
The peace delegation from Kumogakure had only just entered the village, yet somehow his own life was already drifting in an increasingly bizarre direction.
But that was how Konoha worked, wasn't it?
At the top level, great powers negotiated, tested, smiled, and hid knives behind their backs.
At the lower level, children trained until they dropped, trying to grow strong fast enough to survive the consequences.
Thinking of the Cloud delegation again, the ease faded from Gen's eyes.
If the butterflies he had set loose really were changing the future, then the danger surrounding this visit might be even harder to predict than before. He could not afford to relax.
Not now.
Not when he was only just beginning to gather real strength.
Jiraiya seemed to catch that brief shadow passing over his face.
For once, his expression sobered.
"Don't think too much about the envoy business. That's not something you kids can interfere in."
Gen looked at him.
"I wasn't planning to."
"Good." Jiraiya held his gaze for a second, then smiled again, lazy and crooked. "Because your job right now is much simpler."
He pointed first at Sarutobi Enjun and Ruri.
"You two, go suffer."
Then he pointed at Gen.
"You, come with me."
Gen's instincts told him that "come with me" coming from Jiraiya was not much more reassuring than "go suffer" coming from Toad Power.
Still, he went.
Because in this world, there were only two kinds of hardship.
The kind you chose.
And the kind that killed you if you refused it.
Compared to the second, the first was easy.
Behind him, Toad Power's voice floated through the morning air like perfume mixed with poison.
"Come along, little darlings. Let's begin with something gentle."
Sarutobi Enjun let out a cry that sounded suspiciously close to despair.
Ruri said nothing at all.
And Uchiha Gen, walking beside Jiraiya, silently offered a prayer for his teammates.
Not because he thought it would help.
Just because it felt polite.