Uchiha Yuan's return to the village was like a stone dropped into a quiet pond — ripples spread silently through the depths.
On the surface, the village was buzzing about Shunshin no Shisui, but comparatively few spoke of the "Leaf's Crimson Tiger."
Yet those with status already had dossiers on Uchiha Yuan laid neatly upon their desks.
After all—his achievements were far too dazzling.
Anyone could see it: barring unexpected circumstances, Uchiha Yuan would almost certainly grow into a shinobi on par with the Sannin.
The Senju Compound
Once the proud home of a great clan, the Senju district now felt hollow and deserted. With so few clansmen remaining, the vast grounds echoed with quiet stillness.
A slender young woman walked down a stone path carrying a food box.
Her brows were soft as crescent moons, her skin pale as sculpted jade.
Long black hair fell like a waterfall to her waist, tied at the end with a strip of white silk.
She set the food box down gently, smiling tenderly toward the waterfall ahead.
"Gen," she called softly, "it's time to eat."
Beneath the torrent, a faint silhouette stood unmoving, enduring the pressure of the rushing water.
At her voice, the waterfall suddenly split apart — a figure burst out of the cascading flow and landed lightly before her.
"Big sister, you're late today," said Senju Gen, glancing up at the sky.
As she opened the food box, the young woman replied,
"Fourth Uncle and the others were visiting today. I overheard them talking about that Uchiha boy you keep mentioning — Yuan — so I listened for a bit."
Gen sat cross-legged and took a rice ball, biting into it eagerly.
"What were they saying about Yuan?"
She set out the dishes one by one and answered,
"They said Uchiha Yuan has returned. The negotiations with Iwagakure? He was the one who escorted their delegation all the way here."
"What? Yuan's back? That's great!"
Gen dropped his rice ball, delighted.
After Sunagakure retreated, Yuan had been reassigned to the support forces in the Land of Hot Water, while Gen returned to the village with the withdrawing units.
Seeing Gen so happy, the young woman couldn't resist teasing.
"I've rarely seen you this cheerful. You really value this Uchiha Yuan, don't you? Don't forget — the Third Hokage personally warned you to keep your distance. That boy is trouble waiting to happen."
Gen frowned.
"Yuan is an important friend to me. I don't need the old man telling me who I can or cannot befriend."
Her eyes glimmered with amusement and curiosity.
"According to Fourth Uncle and the others, Yuan's achievements were unbelievable. They said he led a squad that repelled the Fourth Raikage's assault — he even earned a new title: 'Leaf's Crimson Tiger.'"
"'Crimson Tiger,' huh…?"
Gen blinked, then chuckled.
"Very fitting for Yuan. That title started spreading from the Sand shinobi, actually. I can still remember how terrified the Suna troops were whenever they realized they were facing him."
The young woman widened her eyes.
"Gen, you really don't seem surprised that he fought off the Fourth Raikage. Even Fourth Uncle was shocked. They said that toward the end, Yuan fought the Raikage alone—holding him off until reinforcements arrived."
Gen listened as he ate, devouring several rice balls in moments. Then he sighed with quiet admiration.
"Sister, I always knew Yuan was far stronger than he looked. Hearing that he pushed back the Raikage… honestly, I'm not surprised at all."
Her gaze softened.
"You trust his strength that much?"
Gen nodded, looking toward the clan's boundary with a distant expression.
"During the war with Sunagakure, I already realized it — his power is on a completely different level. I train so hard because I want to catch up to him someday."
She frowned slightly.
"You may be placing him too high. I heard from Fourth Uncle that he used a dangerous secret drug to stimulate his potential — the kind that harms future growth. At his age, that would leave permanent damage."
Gen laughed lightly.
"Sister, that's impossible. Yuan would never use something like that."
Irritated, she reached out and poked his forehead.
"You're a Senju — don't forget the duty of restoring our clan's honor. And yet here you are, speaking as if that Uchiha boy is your guiding star."
In truth, irritation wasn't the only emotion in her heart — there was also worry.
She had overheard clan members complaining that several minor clans once subordinate to the Senju had drifted to the Sarutobi faction. The Senju name was fading.
Gen, however, spoke with confidence.
"Don't worry, Sister. I'll restore our clan's honor — I promise."
Her expression softened again.
"And your training? How is it progressing?"
Gen stood proudly.
"Allow me to demonstrate."
He extended his right hand.
Water surged rapidly from his palm, spiraling into a tightly rotating vortex.
Her eyes widened.
"This is… Hard Vortex Water Blade!"
The swirling water condensed into a sharp, spear-like shape in his hand — the famous Water Release technique created by Senju Tobirama himself.
A moment later, Gen dispersed the jutsu; the vortex collapsed into harmless water.
The young woman recalled something suddenly.
"Gen… you cast that without hand seals. That was seal-less ninjutsu. How did you manage that!?"
Gen's gaze drifted toward the waterfall.
"All thanks to Yuan's guidance. He knew my chakra nature was Water, so he told me to train beneath the waterfall — using chakra to withstand the pressure and learning to stand steadily on the water's surface. He said that if I trained properly, I'd eventually reach a state where I could 'merge with the flow' — become one with the waterfall."
He paused.
"I'm not there yet. But even so, these days of training have greatly increased my chakra capacity and improved my control immensely."
Hearing this, the young woman's expression grew complicated.
"So that's why… No wonder you trust him so much."
And in her heart, for the first time—
She felt genuine curiosity toward Uchiha Yuan.
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