Inside the pet shop, Kyoko and Mitarashi Anko were quietly busy with their tasks. Tsubaki, stationed behind the payment counter, glanced left and right, hesitant to speak.
Shortly after, Tatsuya appeared at the shop entrance.
"Tatsuya-san!" Seeing him, both Kyoko and Anko immediately stopped what they were doing, looking at him with concern evident on their faces.
"It's fine," Tatsuya replied with a calm smile, meeting their worried gazes.
At noon, in a Yakiniku restaurant not far from the pet shop.
At the table, Kyoko skillfully began grilling various meats for Tatsuya. Seeing the pile of grilled meat rapidly growing mountain-high on Tatsuya's plate, Mitarashi Anko looked slightly indignant and reached out to snatch a piece.
Smack!
Tatsuya unceremoniously slapped Anko's hand away.
"Hey! You actually hit me!" Anko yelped in mock pain. This guy really has no sense of cherishing beauties!
"Mine," Tatsuya declared firmly, pointing at the meat on his plate.
"Kyoko, I want some too!" Anko puffed out her cheeks petulantly, turning to Kyoko with a pleading look.
"No," Tatsuya interjected before Kyoko could respond. As he spoke, he casually picked up a piece of grilled meat and popped it into his mouth, savoring it. He was doing this for Anko's own good; Tatsuya had seen what happened when she gained weight later on.
Beside them, Tsubaki couldn't help but cover her mouth, giggling at the scene. Anko's face flushed red with anger, and she opened her mouth as if to retort sharply. However, Kyoko, quick-witted, swiftly covered Anko's mouth with her hand. After Kyoko whispered a few words in her ear, Anko shot Tatsuya a resentful glare but didn't argue further.
Seeing this, Tatsuya flashed a bright, toothy grin and even gave Anko a victorious 'V' sign with his fingers. He didn't need to guess what Kyoko had whispered – undoubtedly something about his demotion from Jonin and loss of his Military Police position. They were worried he was in a bad mood.
In truth, the girls were worrying needlessly. Tatsuya genuinely didn't care about those things. In the shinobi world, status and position weren't the most dependable things – only true strength mattered. Think of the legendary powerful 'Konoha Genin' trope, or Madara single-handedly taking on the tens of thousands strong Allied Shinobi Forces. Before absolute power, ranks and titles were meaningless jokes.
However, Tatsuya didn't feel the need to correct their misconception. If they wanted to misunderstand, let them; it stemmed from their kind intentions. Besides, it resulted in him getting better treatment.
Amidst the cheerful atmosphere, the group finally finished their lunch. Afterward, Tsubaki returned to the pet shop, while Tatsuya led Kyoko and Anko back to the Akimichi compound.
With his clone Jizo overseeing work in the laboratory and shadow clones handling basic taijutsu and chakra nature practice, Tatsuya's main body was essentially free. The only downside was the expense, but with the support from Ansei Hall now, Tatsuya wasn't too concerned about the cost. As long as it helped him grow stronger, spending a bit more money was trivial.
Since he had free time, Tatsuya decided to begin personally training Kyoko and Anko. He had promised Anko long ago he would help her get stronger but hadn't found the time until now. This was the perfect opportunity to fulfill his promise. As for Kyoko, Tatsuya planned to teach her the methods for cultivating the Yin-Yang Seal and the Butterfly Mode. Both techniques required extremely refined chakra control. Mastering them would not only significantly boost Kyoko's combat strength but also benefit her medical ninjutsu training. In the future, Tatsuya still hoped Kyoko wouldn't have to step onto the front lines.
Uchiha Clan Compound.
Within the Uchiha clan's meeting place, the assembled elites erupted in fury upon learning of the lenient punishment Konoha's leadership had decided upon for Akimichi Tatsuya.
"Clan Head, the village's handling of this matter is completely unjust! We cannot simply let this go!" Uchiha Hiroaki was the first to jump up and voice his outrage, echoing the sentiment of the crowd.
"Indeed! Clan Head, we can't just let Akimichi Tatsuya off!" "That's right! He must pay with his life for our clan's Mangekyo Sharingan!" ...
Following Hiroaki's outburst, many younger Uchiha members loudly voiced their agreement. At that moment, their minds were completely swayed by anger, and the Sharingan automatically activated in the eyes of many.
Standing off to the side of the hall, Shisui opened his mouth several times as if to speak, but didn't know how to argue. He, too, had faced some criticism within the clan recently. As time passed, the rumors regarding Madara hadn't faded but had actually intensified within the clan. Because of his previously good relationship with Tatsuya, Shisui had become the target of quiet condemnation from quite a few clansmen.
Uchiha Misuke stood silently in a corner at the back, arms crossed. She had also attended today's gathering. Her gaze slowly swept over the agitated crowd.
At the head seat, Clan Head Fugaku Uchiha maintained a stern expression, remaining silent in the face of his clansmen's fierce reactions. Seated just below him to his right, Uchiha Yashiro was also quiet, seemingly lost in thought.
Amidst the uproar, Fugaku finally spoke after a long silence. "Enough! Since the village has issued its decision on the punishment, this matter will be set aside for the time being. Without my instructions, no one is to take any unauthorized action." As he spoke, Fugaku's gaze briefly flickered towards Uchiha Yashiro.
"Clan Head!" Fugaku's words caused Uchiha Hiroaki's face to flush red with anger.
"Mm?" Fugaku's sharp gaze fell upon Hiroaki.
"Clan Head, are we truly going to just let it go like this?" Hiroaki stammered slightly, then continued loudly, his voice filled with grief and indignation.
Fugaku's eyes grew colder. "This matter is not concluded. However, the current situation is unfavorable for the Uchiha clan. We can only temporarily shelve this issue."
With that, Fugaku stood up directly and strode out of the room. A bunch of fools who can't see the bigger picture!
With Fugaku's departure, the gathering could only conclude. The Uchiha elites began leaving in small groups. Soon, only Uchiha Yashiro, Uchiha Hiroaki, and Uchiha Yasumasa remained in the meeting place.
"Elder Yashiro, the Captain seems to have figured something out," Uchiha Hiroaki said, looking at Yashiro with a worried glint in his eyes. Uchiha Yasumasa, standing nearby, also showed concern.
"Relax. Even if the Captain knows, he won't do anything to us," Uchiha Yashiro replied calmly, glancing at the two younger men. Having said his piece, he too walked out.
Soon, the meeting place was completely empty.
In a secluded alleyway.
Shisui walked slowly, alone. Ahead, in the shadows at the end of the alley, a slender figure leaned silently against the wall.
Seeing the figure, Shisui stopped, hesitating for a few seconds before continuing forward.
"Misuke-nee," Shisui greeted the figure leaning against the wall – Uchiha Misuke.
"Shisui," Uchiha Misuke looked up, meeting his gaze steadily. "There's something I need to talk to you about."