Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

Jiraiya's expression turned serious.

"As a ninja, harming villagers is absolutely forbidden. This is the foundation of the village's existence and the meaning of a ninja's existence. No matter the reason, attacking ordinary people is—"

"I already told you."

Uchiha Taiga waved his hand, cutting him off directly with a strange look on his face.

"I'm not a ninja."

He picked up the sake flask, poured himself another cup, took a sip, and slowly continued, "Those rules don't apply to me. I punished them, but no matter how you spin it, they were just running their mouths, and I, an ordinary villager, exacted a little revenge."

"This kind of thing doesn't even require the Police Force to handle. See, this is called a minor dispute between villagers. Understand?"

That made entirely too much sense. Jiraiya opened his mouth, but for a moment, he didn't know how to refute it.

Because he finally realized it—the boy in front of him truly wasn't a ninja. He wasn't registered, had never taken a mission, and had never received mission pay from the village.

Strictly speaking, the boy hadn't even attended the Ninja Academy.

Ninja rules really didn't apply to him.

Jiraiya fell silent for a moment before sitting down across from Uchiha Taiga.

He felt that a boy like this needed proper guidance.

If it were anyone else, he absolutely wouldn't have the patience or desire to do so. But this was an Uchiha, an Uchiha who had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, and still just a teenager.

He had to correct his mindset.

"So it seems you still care about how others evaluate you, right?"

Uchiha Taiga shook his head. "You're wrong. I don't care."

Jiraiya looked at him without speaking.

The meaning in his eyes was obvious—*If you don't care, then why did you punish them?*

Uchiha Taiga read the question in his eyes and smiled.

"You don't actually think I attacked those villagers because I care about their opinions, do you?"

Jiraiya asked in return, "Is that not the case?"

"Of course not."

Uchiha Taiga set down his cup and leaned back slightly against his chair.

"I acted because they were running their mouths and talking trash about me, nothing more. As for what they actually think of me, I couldn't care less."

He paused, as if organizing his thoughts.

"Those are two different things. They can say whatever they want; I can't be bothered to care. But if they let me hear it, that's a different story. If they dare to say it to my face, I'll dare to hit them to their face. But those people don't have the guts to say it to my face; they only dare to gossip behind my back."

He let out a laugh, tinged with a hint of disdain.

"If any of them actually had the guts to say it to my face, I'd actually admire them."

Jiraiya stared at him for several seconds.

He realized that the boy he was facing was far more complex than he had imagined. Calm, ruthless, and operating on a completely independent set of internal logic.

*This is troublesome.*

The old man hadn't mentioned this brat would be this difficult to deal with before he came.

How could a thirteen or fourteen-year-old brat have his own set of behavioral logic and stick to it so stubbornly?

Shouldn't other kids his age be dreaming of becoming Hokage?

Why didn't this kid?

*Oh right, he's an Uchiha who awakened the Mangekyo.*

*Never mind then.*

As he thought this, Jiraiya also read another layer of meaning from those words.

This boy did indeed have an aversion to the village. It wasn't particularly intense, nor was it overtly displayed.

But that calm, matter-of-fact alienation was unmistakably real.

*Now I've got a headache. I shouldn't have come.*

Jiraiya thought to himself that he shouldn't have gotten involved. He should have just left the Uchiha matters to the old man. He shouldn't have let his curiosity get the better of him.

After a moment of thought, he decided to try one more time. "Then what if they said those things right to your face? How would you handle it?"

Uchiha Taiga didn't even have to think.

"Simple. I'd just break their legs."

Jiraiya opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Uchiha Taiga cut him off.

"Don't try to lecture me. I have money; I can afford the medical compensation."

Jiraiya's mouth twitched. He wanted to say something, but felt that nothing he said would be appropriate.

The answer was too blunt—so blunt that it didn't sound like an angry boast, but rather a statement of fact.

Because Jiraiya genuinely felt that when this boy said such things, he fully intended to do them.

It was incredibly eerie.

The atmosphere fell silent for a few seconds.

Then, Uchiha Taiga moved. He reached out, took a clean cup from the table, placed it in front of Jiraiya, and filled it to the brim from his sake flask.

The liquid was clear, and its aroma filled the air.

Jiraiya looked at the cup, somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected this boy to pour him a drink on his own initiative.

He glanced up at Uchiha Taiga, but the boy's face held no special expression, as if he were just doing something completely ordinary.

Jiraiya didn't ask why. He picked up the cup and took a sip.

"Good sake," he praised sincerely.

Uchiha Taiga chuckled softly. "Of course. This bottle costs a hundred thousand ryo."

He then picked up his chopsticks and resumed grilling meat.

The slices of meat sizzled on the grill, the rich scent of fat mixing with the aroma of the sake, thoroughly whetting the appetite.

After a moment, Uchiha Taiga spoke up.

"You've traveled far and wide for so many years. You must have been to a lot of places, right?"

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued.

"Of course."

He set down his cup and puffed out his chest.

"I've been to all of the Five Great Nations of the ninja world. The vast deserts of the Land of Wind, the cloudy peaks of the Land of Lightning, the rocky cliffs of the Land of Earth, the misty seas of the Land of Water, and the deep forests of the Land of Fire. Every place has its own unique characteristics, and every place has its own stories."

Listening, Uchiha Taiga picked up a piece of grilled meat, popped it into his mouth, and chewed slowly.

"I heard the Land of Wind suffers from year-round droughts, and the desert stretches on endlessly?"

"That's right."

Speaking of his travels, Jiraiya eagerly launched into the topic.

"In the Land of Wind, it barely rains a few times a year. When the wind blows, the desert sand covers the sky so thickly you can't even see the sun. Sunagakure was built in a place like that. I have to say, those people are incredibly resilient."

"What about the Land of Lightning?"

"The Land of Lightning is completely different. It's full of towering mountains, and the clouds are so low it feels like you could reach out and touch them. Kumogakure is built right on the mountain peaks. The view of the sea of clouds from up there is absolutely spectacular."

Jiraiya grew more enthusiastic as he spoke, clearly possessing a strong desire to share his experiences.

Of course, part of the reason was also to use this opportunity to communicate more with Uchiha Taiga.

"Iwagakure in the Land of Earth is even more interesting; the entire village is hidden within rocky mountain ranges. Kirigakure in the Land of Water is shrouded in thick fog. The first time I went there, I almost got lost. I wandered around in the fog for half a day before I finally found the village entrance."

Uchiha Taiga listened quietly, occasionally asking a question or two.

"What are the people like over there?"

"You get all kinds."

Jiraiya took another sip of sake. "There are good people and bad people. Some are warm and hospitable, while others will draw their blades the moment they see an outsider. But generally speaking, it's mostly ordinary folks who just want to live peaceful lives."

"What about the ninja rules? They must be different in every village, right?"

"The rules are largely the same, but the execution varies wildly. Kumogakure is more rough and straightforward, Kirigakure is extremely harsh, Iwagakure is quite closed off, and Sunagakure is more..."

As Jiraiya spoke, he suddenly realized something wasn't quite right.

He looked at Uchiha Taiga.

The boy was holding his cup, his head slightly lowered, wearing a thoughtful expression.

That wasn't the expression of someone listening to a story; it was the expression of someone gathering intelligence.

Jiraiya's slight buzz instantly cleared up.

"You're not thinking of leaving the village, are you?"

His voice carried a trace of vigilance.

Uchiha Taiga looked up at him and smiled.

Jiraiya grimaced, regretting having said so much. He hurriedly tried to backpedal. "You'd better not. You're still young; it would be far too dangerous for you out there."

Uchiha Taiga replied faintly, "Do you mean it would be dangerous for *them* to face me?"

"Uh..."

Jiraiya's headache returned in full force.

*What do I do?*

*If the old man finds out that I'm the reason this brat got the idea to leave the village, will he kill me?*

An Uchiha with the Mangekyo Sharingan wanting to leave the village—even an idiot could figure out that if this actually happened, it would cause a massive earthquake for Konoha.

Simply because the boy in front of him was far too unique, and the implications tied to him were far too great.

"Heh, don't worry. I was just asking," Uchiha Taiga said.

Jiraiya forced a smile.

*You'd better be.*

He truly regretted coming here.