The Great Elder looked at Uchiha Gen and said earnestly,
"No matter how well you act, they will only treat you as one of their own on the surface. In their eyes, you are actually still a tool to keep the Uchiha Clan in check.
But once you awaken those eyes, or even just possess the aptitude to awaken them, you will inevitably become an unstable threat in their eyes."
Utilizing while guarding against them has always been the strategy of Konoha's higher-ups toward the Uchiha Clan.
"I understand, Great Elder."
Uchiha Gen said with a clear gaze.
In the original timeline, hadn't that Uchiha Shisui, who was suspected to be his nephew, been poisoned deeply enough by the Will of Fire?
He led troops to kill enemies on the battlefield and achieved great military exploits. After returning to the village, he tried his best to help Konoha's higher-ups suppress the Uchiha Clan's rebellious sentiments. Yet, the moment he leaked information about Kotoamatsukami, his eyes were still gouged out, he was driven to jump into the river to commit suicide, and he didn't even have a burial place after death.
The higher-ups seemed to treat him well enough; he had everything he needed, they were not stingy with his training, and he even had the gold medal issued by Uzumaki Mito as a successor to the Will of Fire. But when a real conflict arose that made the higher-ups feel wary, their actions were absolutely decisive and powerful.
For Uchiha Gen, the best choice was to play both sides, creating a better environment for his own development, allowing him to possess the power to deal with these troubles freely as quickly as possible.
However, it was currently wartime, so these potential conflicts would be suppressed for now. As long as Uchiha Gen didn't jump out proactively and continued to act as a proper successor to the Will of Fire on the surface, there wouldn't be any problems, and he would have time to continue developing.
"By the way, you mentioned earlier that there are people targeting you. What's going on?"
The Great Elder asked in a grave tone.
Uchiha Gen then told the Great Elder everything he had experienced on the battlefield in the Land of Rain, including the conjectures provided by Orochimaru.
After listening, the Great Elder pondered for a moment and nodded, acknowledging Orochimaru's speculation.
"It must be exactly as you said. Someone covets the ultimate power of the Sharingan like Madara's, and they have targeted you, or perhaps other talented younger Ninjas in the clan."
The Great Elder stroked his beard, paced in front of the desk, and frowned, taking a long time before sitting back down.
"The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. We can only be extra careful to guard against such things; there is no precise plan to deal with them.
Fortunately, your growth rate is fast enough, which is why you were able to break the mastermind's schemes twice."
Speaking of this, the Great Elder looked at Uchiha Gen with an expression of amazement again.
The battle report from the final major battle a few days ago had arrived with the returning team. He only knew that the battle had been won, but he didn't know the detailed process.
Now, after Uchiha Gen recounted his own experiences, it truly shocked this old man.
He had witnessed the growth process of Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama in their youth, but Uchiha Gen being able to have such a performance at this age couldn't help but shock him.
He withstood Chiyo's attack, had the ability to spar a few moves, and when Orochimaru and Tsunade arrived, he was able to fight alongside two Elite Jonin against Kakuzu and protect himself.
This achievement was already very astonishing. It would be difficult for other renowned Elite Jonin to replicate it, let alone a boy under fourteen years old.
Even for him, the Great Elder, let alone at the same age, even in his prime, he might not have been able to do better than Uchiha Gen.
"With your current strength, you do have the confidence to deal with all the dangers you encounter. However, the more this is the case, the more I must remind you.
The stronger and more prominent you are, the more you will be studied under a magnifying glass, and the easier it will be for you to be targeted.
If I am not mistaken, there must be a dossier on you in the offices of the leaders of every major Ninja village right now.
Not to mention, given your age and potential, these Ninja villages will be even more wary of you and even more eager to nip this threat in the bud.
Only by filling in or hiding your weaknesses and making yourself strong enough to deal with all targeting can you overcome this hurdle and truly become a powerhouse standing at the top of the pyramid of the Ninja World."
The Great Elder was worried that Uchiha Gen might become arrogant due to his outstanding battle achievements, so he couldn't help but remind him.
He had lived for so many years and had seen many geniuses with the aptitude to become Kage-level Experts, but not all of them were able to grow up.
Even if they really grew up, it wasn't as if there hadn't been those who, like Izuna, capsized in the gutter and eventually died an unnatural death.
Now that the Uchiha Clan had finally produced someone with hope of revitalizing the clan, and someone so stunning at that, the Great Elder was truly afraid that he might fall.
"I understand, Great Elder. In the near future, I also hope to stay in the village and cultivate for a while longer. Whether it's the ocular techniques you gave me or the Phantom Body Flicker Technique that Cheng gave me, all of them require a lot of effort."
Uchiha Gen himself also wanted to settle down and consolidate his foundation in the near future.
Orochimaru had also said similar things to him regarding the Great Elder's warnings.
He had risen to fame overnight, and he was indeed a bit too conspicuous.
Once he was on the battlefield, the targeting he would face would be a completely different situation from when he was not famous.
In the short term, he might not be able to quickly improve his strength through cards as he had the previous two times.
After the recent missions were settled, he still had some distance to go before reaching level 40 to unlock the next guaranteed character card.
Moreover, as his level increased, the experience points required for each level rose, and the speed of leveling up was also decreasing; it would be difficult to have such explosive growth again.
He really should do as the Great Elder said: fill in his weaknesses, strengthen and reinforce his arsenal, and raise his ceiling.
It just so happened that he wasn't lacking in things to cultivate.
For other Ninjas, the most scarce inheritances were within easy reach for Uchiha Gen; there was almost a trend of him not being able to cultivate them all in time.
Orochimaru's snake-style Ninjutsu, the Ninjutsu and Hatake swordsmanship from the young Kakashi character card, and a bunch of Sharingan-related Ninjutsu.
"Hmm, the Sharingan's Genjutsu is the top priority. The clan's secret high-level Fire Release Ninjutsu and the latter part of the Uchiha Style Swordsmanship can also be obtained from the Clan Treasury with me in a while. As long as you master these, your strength can be further improved. However, if you want to advance further without awakening the Mangekyo and become a top powerhouse in the Ninja World, it will depend on the Phantom Body Flicker Technique."
The Great Elder said in a deep voice.
Uchiha Kagami was also a top-tier powerhouse back then, and his prestige and status in Konoha Village were basically equivalent to the current Sannin.
It was just a pity that Uchiha Kagami didn't make it to the end, dying prematurely in his twenties, while the Konoha Sannin survived the trial of Hanzou and took the most critical step.
But this could not negate the power of Uchiha Kagami and the Phantom Body Flicker Technique he developed.