On the other side, after Uchiha Madara left Kikyo Castle, Hane Genma finally let out a sigh of relief.
He first addressed the civilians who had been slightly affected by the earlier minor skirmish, acting in his capacity as a "ninja leader" to calm their nerves. Then, he arranged for repairs to the streets in the area.
Afterward, Genma returned to the camp, but his heart remained on edge.
Having had his own base infiltrated before—and having done the same to others—Genma was all too familiar with the dangers of such intrusions and the helpless feeling they left behind...
Especially when the intruder was someone like Uchiha Madara. The consequences were simply unimaginable.
But worrying wouldn't change anything. Some things were just beyond his capabilities.
Fortunately, Genma had an ace up his sleeve: Madara's "guardian." He had witnessed Nanami scolding Madara before, so he knew that unless things reached a critical point, Madara wouldn't act recklessly.
Still, rational judgment was one thing; worry was another. It was common knowledge that the name "Uchiha" rarely went hand-in-hand with rationality. More often than not, they were synonymous with "extremes."
If everyone could stay rational, what use would there be for someone like Black Zetsu?
Genma spent most of the day on edge. By evening, a white fox swaggered into his tent, sauntered up to him, and gently dropped a small note it had been carrying in its mouth.
Genma picked up the note. Seeing the simple words "He's gone" written on it, he finally relaxed completely.
He crouched down, gently scratching the fox's chin with just the right pressure and rhythm, causing the canine to squint its narrow eyes in contentment.
"Ahri, what do you like? Jerky, dried meat, or fresh meat? I've got it all."
"Fresh meat—pork, lamb, or venison. Which one's the tastiest?"
The answer was all of them. They were all delicious.
The summoned beast, Little Seven, didn't respond. It just kept eating voraciously.
Only after its belly was round and full did it waddle off with an air of supreme confidence, as if it owned the place.
It was gracious enough not to mind Genma calling it by the wrong name.
Well, after all, every cat is "Kitty," every dog is "Bucky," and every fox is "Ahri."
"How nice... at least it's not picky."
Genma watched as the white fox's underbelly nearly scraped the ground, thinking to himself that it was a good thing the organization's supplies came from Kikyo Castle. Wasting them didn't sting as much.
The brief disturbance caused by Uchiha Madara passed quickly.
Genma could only treat it as a one-off incident. After all, he and Madara were ninja on different levels. It was best to avoid any further interactions if possible.
A few days later, the ninja finally completed the construction of several buildings.
These first-finished structures were designated for public use: mission assignment and dispatch centers, guard posts, supply depots, and a shop for the Fuma Clan to sell ninja tools, among others.
Genma chose one building to serve as a secret laboratory.
As for living quarters, those were last on the construction list. For now, most people were still staying in tents. The winter was chilly, but fortunately, ninja were more resilient to the cold than ordinary folk.
The place Genma selected as a laboratory was, in truth, little more than a square, warehouse-like indoor space. At its center stood a single stone table, and nothing else. It was as bare-bones as it got.
For now, Genma was using the table as a makeshift autopsy slab, with a corpse currently laid out on it.
Genma led Uchiha Nanami toward the laboratory, and along the way, they discussed Madara's recent appearance.
"You seem to know Uchiha Madara," Nanami said pointedly. "Or rather, it's not just knowing him—you seem to have some degree of familiarity."
Even if Genma had witnessed her interactions with Madara, his targeted behavior toward Madara didn't seem like something done without prior knowledge.
On the surface, Genma appeared unremarkable, but the more one interacted with him, the more one sensed the secrets he hid.
"I've only heard of him," Genma replied, brushing it off. "The name Uchiha Madara is known throughout the shinobi world. Meeting him in person, the pressure he exudes is truly extraordinary... his reputation is well-earned."
What else could Genma say? He could only dodge the topic.
"Fine," Nanami continued, "but your strength has been growing at an unusual rate lately. I didn't know you were a kekkei genkai user."
At the very least, when they had attacked the Tsugawa Clan's village, Genma's fighting style had shown no signs of a kekkei genkai. Yet, in a short time, his strength had skyrocketed, comparable to an Uchiha going from an ordinary shinobi to awakening the three-tomoe Sharingan.
"It's just that my relative growth seems significant because I was so weak before," Genma explained. "As for the kekkei genkai, it was just an epiphany I had during a life-or-death battle."
"At that moment, I had two choices: die or evolve. From the results, I'd say I got lucky."
Genma selectively shared the truth. Nanami didn't fully buy it, but she couldn't find any holes in his story either.
What Genma described wasn't unheard of. The more talented a ninja, the more significant their progress after surviving a life-or-death battle. That much was undeniable.
But was Genma really that kind of prodigy? He didn't seem like it.
More importantly, even the "epiphanies" or "evolutions" of prodigies followed a traceable path—like an Uchiha awakening their Sharingan. Surely an Uchiha wouldn't suddenly awaken Wood Release on the brink of death, right?
And Genma made awakening a kekkei genkai sound far too simple, like unclogging a drain. It was hard to accept at face value.
Seeing the lingering doubt and curiosity in Nanami's gaze, Genma quickly changed the subject.
"Here we are. I hope your Sharingan can still be of use this time."
Nanami's official induction into the organization had changed things. Before, Genma could never have so casually requested the use of her Sharingan.
Now, things were different. She was one of them. Allies helping allies—what could be more justified?
A quick aside: though Nanami had voluntarily joined the organization, Genma treated her differently from how he treated the Fuma Clan. He had never implied to her that joining meant she could never leave.
This wasn't favoritism, of course. People were different, after all. Genma was simply implementing the "Firefly Organization's High-Tech Talent Recruitment and Retention Policy." A wielder of the Mangekyo Sharingan naturally deserved special treatment.
After entering the laboratory, Genma sealed the door tightly behind them. Nanami's eyes fell on the massive corpse on the autopsy table.
She frowned instinctively, seemingly displeased with the environment or the task at hand, though it was clear her dissatisfaction wasn't directed at Genma or the Firefly Organization.
"This is the user of the Earth Grudge Fear technique?" she asked.
"Yes," Genma nodded calmly.
Nanami's gaze shifted to Genma, her eyes betraying unmasked surprise.
"Is something wrong?" Genma asked.
"I'm starting to understand what you meant by 'die or evolve.' This guy's combat strength seems even greater than mine."
Though Genma had described the Earth Grudge Fear to her, seeing the corpse in person made Nanami realize her imagination had fallen short.
Genma thought to himself, On the surface, he might seem stronger, but who knows what you'd pull out of those eyes if it came to a real fight?
"Can you invade his mind to extract the secrets of this technique?" Genma got straight to the point.
Nanami looked at the corpse, which resembled a scarecrow soaked in acid, and didn't immediately respond. It felt like Genma was treating her Sharingan like some omnipotent tool.
She drew a kunai and used its tip to gently lift the corpse's eyelid, revealing that one of its eyes had been corroded by acid, the damage extending deep into the eye socket and penetrating the skull.
"First, my genjutsu can only invade the consciousness and thoughts of the living, not the brain matter of the dead."
In simple terms, her genjutsu could control the "operating system," not the hardware.
"Second, this guy's brain is half-destroyed..."
She could influence hardware through the "operating system," but the hardware itself was already ruined.
"So, what you're saying is?"
"I'm saying there's nothing I can do."
"..."
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