"Brother Shisui, did you just return from a mission?"
Fang Yuan glanced calmly at the animal-faced mask hanging on Shisui's waist. It was exclusive to the Anbu. The road was close to Hidden Leaf Village, and it was evident that Shisui had just finished work and was heading back to his clan's land.
"Yeah. Work is different from school. For the safety of the village, I have to put in a little extra time," Shisui replied as he paid the boss, picked up a bowl of ramen, and sat next to Fang Yuan to eat.
Fang Yuan felt a bit uncomfortable; he didn't recall having such a close relationship with Shisui, and besides, Shisui was five years older than him.
"Genji-kun, what do you think of the Uchiha clan now?" Shisui asked suddenly. He continued casually, "Just tell me what you think. Consider it as sharing your thoughts with your older brother about life in the clan."
"Uchiha..."
Fang Yuan was momentarily stunned. He recalled the conflict with his uncle's family and thought about the Uchiha people he encountered daily. They often seemed to hold themselves in high regard, indifferent, arrogant, and selfish, each with their own agendas. Uchiha Izumi and her grandmother were a refreshing exception.
"The Uchiha people are quite self-centered," Fang Yuan said after a moment of silence.
"Focusing on oneself... As expected from Genji-kun," Shisui was taken aback, "But being too self-centered is not ideal. You need to unite with the villagers."
"Brother Shisui, are you implying that the Uchiha clan isn't unified with everyone in the village?" Fang Yuan asked innocently, his eyes flickering.
"You little brat... I didn't say that," Shisui sighed helplessly. He quickly finished his noodles and led Fang Yuan to the intersection.
"Yuan-kun, it's getting late. Do you want me to walk you home?"
"Although I'm a bit apprehensive about being alone, I'm fine. Brother Shisui, you've been working hard all day and even treated me to ramen. I'm already very grateful."
Fang Yuan shivered as the weather was still hot during the day but quite cool at night. The woods and houses ahead were dark and ominous, like beasts ready to pounce.
"Since you've said that, I'd feel bad if I didn't walk you home," Shisui said as he led Fang Yuan towards his small wooden house.
Fang Yuan's house was on the edge of the clan's land. It would take Shisui considerable time to escort Fang Yuan back and forth, but he seemed quite content and kept finding topics to discuss.
Shisui saw potential in Fang Yuan similar to that of Itachi. He had already imparted much of his wisdom to Itachi and hoped to find another like-minded friend in Fang Yuan. With so much unrest in the Uchiha clan and suppressed dissatisfaction and suspicion among its members, Shisui, who managed Konoha's Anbu, knew this was a dangerous sign for both the village and the clan.
"Genji-kun will be attending the Ninja Academy soon. Then you'll have more opportunities to make friends throughout the village. The Hyuga clan, the Yamanaka clan, the Nara clan, the Akimichi clan—everyone is very nice."
Shisui patted Fang Yuan's head with a complex expression in his eyes.
"Brother Shisui is really a good person."
"A good person... maybe," Shisui said with a bittersweet smile.
"You want both sides of a seesaw to balance perfectly, which is unrealistic because each side has its own perspective. You're just one of the weights; you can only choose one side."
Fang Yuan's unexpected insight made Shisui glance away hastily, avoiding Fang Yuan's penetrating gaze.
"Unique insights. Thank you, Yuan-kun; you've given me a different perspective," Shisui said, taking a deep breath. His expression no longer held relief.
Fang Yuan shook his head. "You are a noble person. Don't be bound by morality. As a consulting fee, give me one of your ninjutsu."
Shisui chuckled, "Consulting fee..."
"Alright. I initially wanted to recruit you, but it seems you're not interested. In that case, please promote the crow substitution technique for me in the future."
Shisui thought for a moment and then took out a scroll from his ninja tool bag, which he had originally intended for Itachi. It seemed he would need to write another copy later.
Fang Yuan took the scroll, waving at Shisui before disappearing into the woods.
"Shisui, the Uchiha pride themselves on their Sharingan, but why limit your vision to a small village? You haven't looked far enough."
Fang Yuan's words echoed in Shisui's mind. As Shisui was about to turn around, he froze. After a while, he smiled bitterly and chuckled to himself.
"Yeah... Why can I only see the village?"
After Fang Yuan returned home and washed up, he did not immediately open the scroll Shisui gave him. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the bed and meditated.
Following the chakra extraction method taught by the clan, Fang Yuan attempted to circulate the chakra from his dantian. Despite numerous attempts, his efforts were in vain. He could only see a tiny amount of chakra appear and quickly disappear.
"Unless my physique differs from others, it's impossible to have such a drastic difference."
No matter how poor one's talent, chakra manifestation shouldn't be like this. What could be the reason?
Fang Yuan pondered deeply. The method might not be the issue; he had observed and learned the techniques from others almost perfectly. The Sharingan shouldn't affect chakra refinement either.
After eliminating these possibilities, the answer seemed to lie within himself.
Suddenly, Fang Yuan's eyes widened as he realized something. He focused on retaining the minuscule amount of chakra and scrutinized his dantian.
And there it was!
Fang Yuan smiled, having found the answer. In his fleeting vision, a green and somewhat wilted cicada appeared, looking directly at him. It was the spring and autumn cicada, drawing all the chakra away.