Although he never said it outright, Uchiha Shuichi had always treated Uchiha Yunqing as his own grandson.
Mikoto's parents were gone, and she was his only granddaughter. Yunqing, meanwhile, had been raised in his household for nine years. Their bond was incomparable.
In truth, if Shuichi truly disapproved of Mikoto and Yunqing's relationship, he would have married Mikoto off to Uchiha Fugaku long ago.
The rest of the clan wouldn't care about Yunqing's feelings. To them, he was only a mere two-tomoe jonin.
The reason the situation had remained at a stalemate was because Shuichi had been mediating it.
He was old now, burdened by too many worries.
More than anyone else, he actually wanted Yunqing to stand up for himself.
Contradictory, wasn't it?
That was exactly how people were—complex and multifaceted.
Hearing this, Yunqing felt warmth surge through his chest.
The old man was still the same old man.
But the next moment, Yunqing's expression turned firm.
"Elder, I'm confident in my safety. This isn't an impulsive decision!"
"The first group to travel there will definitely face danger, but it's also a rare opportunity."
"Our Uchiha clan's situation is becoming more and more dire. Now that the worlds are fusing, we must seize this chance."
During the recently concluded Second Shinobi World War, the Third Hokage and his faction had caused the deaths of many Uchiha.
The most dangerous missions were always assigned to the Uchiha, yet they received none of the rewards.
Furthermore, most Uchiha were straightforward and proud. Their arrogance made it impossible for them to refuse missions, and they were unwilling to bow their heads—even when the missions were clearly death traps.
As a result, Uchiha casualties on the battlefield were always heavy.
The Senju clan was famous for being stubborn and reckless, but the Uchiha weren't much better.
Now that Yunqing had awakened memories of his previous life, he knew all too well that the Uchiha's future would only grow darker.
Whether because of his identity as an Uchiha, or for Mikoto and the Grand Elder's sake, he didn't want the clan to follow its original path of decline.
He wanted to lead the Uchiha out of Konoha's quagmire—out of the entire twisted ninja world—and escape that rotten cesspool of endless war and hatred.
Without the appearance of the Space-Time Gate, even with his memories and the system, it would not have been easy to take that step.
In the end, all he could have done was continuously strengthen himself, while constantly struggling against Hiruzen Sarutobi and the warped old rules of the ninja world, hoping to change the clan's fate.
But the Space-Time Gate had given him an opportunity.
An opportunity to break free from Konoha and the ninja world entirely.
If used well, he could easily lead the Uchiha to a peaceful and normal life.
If it didn't work out, he could simply stop playing along. Having a backup plan meant having choices.
And the Pokémon World that had appeared was an excellent option.
"These are not things you should be thinking about right now, nor should they be burdens you carry alone!"
"I will arrange for others to scout ahead."
Although Elder Shuichi was satisfied with Yunqing's loyalty to the clan, he still didn't want Yunqing to be the first to take such a risk.
Harsh as it sounded, purely from a personal standpoint, he would rather send someone else from the clan to gamble their life.
People were selfish.
And he was no exception.
"No. I must go!"
Yunqing felt a headache coming on. With no other choice, he looked at the Grand Elder with firm determination and directly activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
"Hm?"
Elder Shuichi was about to continue scolding this stubborn brat, but the moment he saw Yunqing's eyes, he froze.
"When did you awaken the Three-Tomoe Sharingan?"
His shock quickly turned into joy.
This kid had actually given him a huge surprise without saying a word!
With the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, Yunqing now had a perfect reason to refuse the clan head's marriage proposal, allowing Mikoto and Yunqing to remain together openly.
Not only that—Yunqing could even accumulate merit, succeed him as Grand Elder in the future, and inherit the hawkish faction that Shuichi controlled.
That way, even if he offended Fugaku's family, Shuichi wouldn't need to worry about Mikoto and Yunqing being targeted and purged after his death.
As for Fugaku?
Let him marry another Uchiha woman. There were plenty of marriageable girls in the clan besides Mikoto.
There were even more suitable girls among the other elders' families.
"Just half an hour ago. I was probably stimulated by the Space-Time Gate."
Yunqing lied without blinking.
After speaking, he didn't forget to steal a glance at Mikoto.
Mikoto had been watching him the entire time. When she saw him look over, she smiled knowingly and gave him a playful wink.
She didn't expose him.
In truth, she was also curious about what had happened to Yunqing—his sudden headache and the abrupt awakening of his Sharingan.
But everyone had their secrets. Since Yunqing didn't explain, she naturally wouldn't ask.
That was her restraint as Yunqing's girlfriend.
"Oh?"
Elder Shuichi believed him immediately and nodded as if enlightened.
After all, there were countless reasons for awakening the Sharingan, but they all involved intense emotional stimulation.
The appearance of the portal was indeed a tremendous shock. It wasn't strange for Yunqing to awaken his third tomoe because of it.
"Are you sure you want to go?"
"Judging from the introduction, that world is no ordinary place. There seem to be many powerful spiritual beasts. The humans there must also be extraordinary to survive among them."
The elder looked at Yunqing seriously and asked one final time.
But in his heart, he had already given up trying to stop him.
Because he knew Yunqing well—once this brat made up his mind, it would be extremely difficult to change it.
And with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, Yunqing now possessed at least jonin-level strength, perhaps even elite jonin-level strength.
If he was careful and lucky, he might really be fine.
"Yes!"
Yunqing nodded solemnly.
"Opportunity and danger go hand in hand. I want to quickly improve my strength and seize the chance to change the clan's situation."
"I can't afford to miss this opportunity."
"Sigh… Fine!"
Elder Shuichi sighed and nodded helplessly.
"Alright, I agree."
"Be careful. Come back safely as soon as possible."
"Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"No."
Yunqing smiled and shook his head.
He had finally convinced the elder—though he hadn't originally planned to tell him at all.
Still, having the Grand Elder's support was naturally the best outcome.
At the very least, he wouldn't need to worry about Fugaku and his faction causing trouble after he left.
The Uchiha clan was already facing both internal and external threats.
"Be careful!"
"Yunqing, be careful. I'll wait for you to come back!"
"Okay. Wait for me!"
After that, Yunqing packed his supplies, changed into clothing more suitable for the Pokémon World, and slung his backpack over his shoulder.
Under Mikoto and the Grand Elder's worried gazes, he waved goodbye.
Then he stepped forward, opened the portal, and directly traveled to the Pokémon World.
Whoosh!
In the next instant, he transformed into a beam of light and vanished.
This scene was witnessed by Uchiha Fugaku, who had come to inform the Grand Elder about the upcoming clan meeting.
His eyes narrowed. He stepped forward and asked coldly:
"Mikoto, Grand Elder… Uchiha Yunqing didn't enter the Pokémon World without permission, did he?"
The moment those words left his mouth, Mikoto and the Grand Elder's expressions darkened.
They slowly turned their heads to look at Fugaku, their eyes filled with displeasure.