Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at the man and shook his head.

"Do not make any unnecessary moves."

After speaking, he let out another sigh.

"What a troublesome brat. Forget it, just deal with the others first. Do not come here for the time being."

"Yes, sir!"

The men bowed their heads.

Sarutobi Hiruzen turned around and shook his head helplessly. He seemingly hadn't expected things to escalate to this point, leaving him with a rather heavy heart.

Uchiha Taiga didn't take the matter to heart at all. After returning, he continued doing whatever he wanted as usual.

As time passed, the number of people in the Uchiha compound dwindled. Household after household moved away, until the only ones left were a few elderly folks.

Among them were retired ninjas and ordinary civilians. Having lived there for decades, they were deeply attached to the place and naturally reluctant to leave.

Surprisingly, the village didn't come to rush them again, likely because only a few households remained—less than twenty people in total.

The compound was desolate, completely stripped of its former liveliness.

Others might have found it hard to adapt, but Uchiha Taiga felt completely at ease.

In his past life, he had been used to living alone. In this life, he had experienced a few years of familial love, only to lose it quickly. Returning to his previous monotony felt like nothing had really changed.

Another morning arrived. Uchiha Taiga left his house and headed toward the training grounds. Since he wasn't in a hurry, he walked at a normal pace.

Walking through the noticeably empty compound and looking at the tightly shut doors and windows on both sides, the sense of desolation was especially prominent.

A few figures could still be seen on the streets. The elderly clan members who refused to move out often chose this time to take a stroll.

Not far away, a hunched old man leaning on a cane was slowly walking in his direction.

Uchiha Taiga glanced at him and paid no further attention, but just as they were about to pass each other, his wrist was grabbed.

"Uchiha Taiga..."

The old man turned his head, a smile forming on his age-spotted face. However, paired with his gaunt figure and hollow cheeks, it gave off an inexplicably fierce and sinister vibe.

"Can I help you?"

Uchiha Taiga also turned his head, meeting the man's gaze.

'This old man is not simple.'

Taiga could naturally sense that much.

Moreover, the old man looked familiar, yet Taiga didn't know his name, which was somewhat surprising.

After all, Taiga's memory wasn't bad. He wouldn't claim to have memorized every single person in the Uchiha clan, but he knew most of them.

The old man in front of him was definitely an Uchiha, but Taiga didn't know his name. He looked familiar, meaning they had obviously met before. Perhaps it had been too long, and he just couldn't recall where he had seen him.

"You are the child of Hayato and Kumiko, right?" the old man asked.

Uchiha Taiga frowned and gave a casual nod.

"I knew it. You look too much like them. I was certain from the first moment I laid eyes on you. After all, even within the entire Uchiha clan, your father and mother were famously good-looking back in the day. It's only natural for you to have such an aura."

"And? Do you need something? Also, who are you?"

Expecting Uchiha Taiga to respect the elderly and care for the young was a bit unrealistic.

This was the ninja world; the elderly and children often spelled danger.

Therefore, he applied a little force, breaking free from the old man's grip, and simply stared at him.

"Hehehe."

The old man didn't mind his reaction. Instead, he scrutinized Taiga for a moment before breaking into a toothless grin. "Who I am isn't important. But if you're interested, you can come with me. I have something to give you."

Uchiha Taiga looked at him expressionlessly. "Speak clearly. We don't know each other."

The old man shook his head and started walking away on his own.

"Little guy, being cautious is a good thing, but it depends on who you're dealing with. Going back a few generations, even your parents had to call me grandfather."

After taking a few steps, seemingly not hearing Uchiha Taiga following him, the old man had to stop. He turned his head. "What a disobedient brat. Come on, the thing I want to give you is related to your parents."

Hearing that, Uchiha Taiga followed him.

Since the old man had put it that way, his curiosity was naturally piqued.

The two walked one after the other toward the depths of the compound, heading in the direction of the shrine.

The shrine wasn't in the center of the compound, but rather on the outskirts. Because of the shrine, there weren't many buildings around—only a few houses stood next to it, and the old man's destination was one of them.

Uchiha Taiga finally realized that the old man lived over here. No wonder he looked familiar.

The shrine was actually rarely used within the compound. Usually, only a few clan members would come here, and even then, only occasionally.

For someone like Uchiha Taiga, the number of times he had visited since childhood could be counted on one hand.

Perhaps he had seen this old man during one of those childhood visits, but hadn't paid attention and forgot about him right after.

Following the old man into one of the houses, he noticed the courtyard wasn't large and the furnishings inside were very simple. It was obvious the old man lived alone.

"Have a seat."

The old man greeted him, poured him a cup of tea, and then slowly made his way into another room.

Uchiha Taiga observed the room's furnishings, trying to glean some clues from them.

However, there was nothing special at all. It just looked like the home of an ordinary elderly man living alone.

A ninjato hung on the living room wall, along with two pieces of calligraphy and a low table. Other than that, there was nothing else.

Now that he was here, Uchiha Taiga was no longer in a rush. He didn't press the issue, simply sitting cross-legged by the low table and waiting quietly.

Fortunately, the old man wasn't gone for long. When he came out, he was holding a cloth bundle in his hands.

It was clear the cloth bundle was quite old. It had faded and was stained with dust. As the old man patted it, the dust caught the sunlight streaming in from the window, scattering in the air like golden specks.

"Child, sorry to keep you waiting."

The old man sat down opposite Uchiha Taiga, gently placed the cloth bundle on the low table, and opened it.

Taiga's gaze followed the old man's movements, landing on the cloth bundle.

Inside the bundle were a scroll and a few booklets.

The old man handed the scroll to Uchiha Taiga and said, "This is a special jutsu. I am giving it to you now."

However, Uchiha Taiga pressed down on the old man's hand, pinning the scroll along with it, and stared at him calmly.

"So, why are you giving me this scroll? It can't just be because you saw I have good talent and decided to hand this over, right?"

He had to understand the reason. Uchiha Taiga didn't want to be dragged into something blindly.

"Hehehehe..."

The old man let out a low chuckle. He didn't pull his hand back, simply maintaining eye contact with Uchiha Taiga.

"What an overthinking brat."

Uchiha Taiga tilted his head slightly. "Don't think I won't smack you just because you're old. Keep this up and I'm leaving right now."

The old man's eyelids twitched, and he stopped smiling.

The atmosphere grew a bit silent, but fortunately, the old man spoke again.

"This is a jutsu called Izanagi. Have you heard of it?"

Uchiha Taiga's expression remained unchanged.

He had naturally heard of it, and he knew it very well.

But for him to bring out this jutsu, it was obvious this old man's identity was anything but ordinary.

"This is what I promised your father. I told him that once you grasped enough power, I would pass this jutsu on to you."

Uchiha Taiga narrowed his eyes, a scarlet hue already manifesting in his pupils.

"Don't be nervous, brat. Strictly speaking, your father was one of my subordinates back in the day. And your father's death is connected to the village's higher-ups."

Uchiha Taiga lowered his gaze. "So, what happened back then?"

The old man stared at him, his own eyes now a sea of scarlet, with three tomoe spinning within them.

"They went to assassinate Shimura Danzo."

Uchiha Taiga's fingers twitched slightly. He raised his eyes and looked at the old man.

"No need to look at me like that."

The old man grinned as he spoke. "My name is Setsuna. You might have heard of it, hehehe."

Uchiha Taiga asked expressionlessly, "So, you're saying I'm the descendant of the clan's radical faction?"

Uchiha Setsuna's smile widened. "Hahaha, exactly! When it comes to being radical, your father was even more extreme than I am. How about it, brat? Are you scared? How does it feel?"