"Is it really alright to treat your own clan like that?"
As Uchiha Yashiro and Tekkō limped away supporting each other, Sakumo's spiritual form appeared beside Feiyu, looking puzzled.
In the shinobi world, clans were extremely tight-knit groups. Bloodline clans in particular protected their own fiercely. Rogue nin who abandoned their village were common, but those who betrayed their own clan? Almost unheard of.
No wonder Sakumo felt Feiyu's attitude was… excessive.
Feiyu stretched lazily.
"No choice. If it were another clan, maybe I'd join and make connections. But the Uchiha? Best to keep some distance."
"You're an Uchiha yourself. Are you really this wary of your own clan? Don't tell me you actually believe the 'Evil Uchiha Theory' Konoha whispers about."
"Huh? It's spread that widely?"
"Ordinary genin and Chunin probably haven't heard it, but among jōnin, yes—there are rumors. But I've never believed the Uchiha are inherently evil."
"I've worked with Uchiha ninja before. Sure, they're arrogant, but they weren't difficult to get along with on missions."
Feiyu shook his head.
"That's because you're Hatake Sakumo. Of course they'd work well with you."
"The Uchiha aren't an 'evil clan,' that part is true. But because of the Sharingan, the stronger they get, the more mentally unstable they become."
"And once they awaken Mangekyō? They're basically guaranteed to turn into full-blown lunatics."
Most shinobi were already half-insane from years of killing and being nearly killed. But the Uchiha took it to an entirely new level.
Feiyu mentally reviewed every Mangekyō user he knew of.
Uchiha Sasuke was somehow the most mentally stable among them.
Sure, Sasuke had the trademark Uchiha ego and dramatic tendencies—earning that infamous "Sasuke Sunshine" nickname—but at least his decisions were still within the realm of normal human logic.
Compared to him?
Uchiha Madara.
Uchiha Obito.
Uchiha Itachi.
Their thought processes belonged in Arkham Asylum with a lifetime membership.
Spending time around that bunch?
Who knew when a knife would suddenly appear in your back.
Compared to that, the rigid, rotten Konoha leadership was practically safe.
Yes, right now the Uchiha weren't that far gone yet. But any Uchiha who reached three tomoe was already questionable. In a way, the clan massacre happened simply because—between Konoha and the Uchiha—Konoha was the less rotten side.
Sakumo fell silent. Having never seen Mangekyō, he couldn't refute Feiyu's words.
In the end, he could only advise softly:
"Even if you want to keep your distance, you didn't have to openly turn against them. Word spreads. Your reputation will suffer, and the clan will see you as an enemy."
Feiyu waved dismissively.
"Let them. It's not like they'll come assassinate me. Worst case, they try to beat me up. I can just surrender."
"And reputation? As if I have a good one in Konoha to protect."
"But now you're not aligning with the village leadership, and you've alienated your clan. You may end up isolated."
"No. At worst, I won't be valued. But with my current strength, neither side can openly suppress me."
"Unlike you, Sakumo, I don't have bonds tying me down. I always have one option left—leaving."
"As long as I have an escape route, decent strength, and I don't threaten Konoha, they'll at most marginalize me. They won't push me into a corner."
Sakumo froze, then sighed.
"You're right. A jōnin-level combatant is valuable. Nobody wants to force one into defecting—especially a ninja who might actually defect."
"Exactly. If you'd acted more rebellious back then, no one would've dared badmouth you."
Sakumo's expression darkened. His spiritual form shrank back into a small dark sphere and merged into Feiyu's body, sulking.
After chasing off the two Uchiha, Feiyu's life returned to normal—training daily, taking missions occasionally.
Three months passed in a blink.
One morning, as Team 1 gathered to accept their next mission, Hyūga Hizashi suddenly spoke:
"With your current strength, C-rank missions no longer provide meaningful training. Starting today, we'll be taking on B-rank missions."
"Finally! I'm sick of chasing off boars and thieves. We'll finally get to fight real ninja?"
"Don't get careless, Asuma," Hizashi warned. "B-rank missions are where accidents are most common."
Despite her words, Kurenai's cheeks were flushed with excitement. She clearly looked forward to it as well.
B-rank missions involved a high chance of encountering enemy shinobi. Their difficulty varied wildly and were the most unpredictable category.
Sometimes intelligence indicated only genin opposition, but the actual enemy turned out to be a disguised jōnin.
Or a group believed to be small-time rogues might actually be scouts from a major village.
There were simply too many B-rank missions for Konoha to thoroughly investigate each one.
For A-rank missions, the village would be cautious—those involved known enemy jōnin.
S-rank missions needed no explanation.
Difficulty unbounded.
You might face a few elite jōnin…
Or an entire Kage escort team wandering the countryside.
But with Team 1's lineup?
Even with two "dead weight" members, failing a B-rank mission would require lottery-level misfortune.
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