"Wait!"
A sudden voice cut in, stopping the Root (ANBU) ninjas who were about to forcibly take Akira Sato away.
That's because the speaker's identity was anything but ordinary.
Wearing a loose blue kimono, a small red-and-white fan crest on his back, with a stern face and fierce eyes — it was Fugaku Uchiha, also known as "the Fierce-eyed Fugaku," the young clan leader of the Uchiha.
And the Uchiha were no small name — they were a top-tier family in the ninja world, with enormous influence and status.
A figure like Fugaku had the weight to make even the Root members pause and give him some face.
"Fugaku Uchiha!" Danzo Shimura approached coldly. "Your Uchiha are getting too reckless — how dare you strike so ruthlessly at a fellow villager!"
Talk about flipping the narrative.
This was textbook Danzo: "It doesn't matter what you think — it only matters what I think."
Even though he was the one who had sent Kakashi to strike first, and even though the result was Akira nearly dying, Danzo still twisted it into being the Uchiha's fault.
If the situation had been reversed, you can bet he'd have been singing a completely different tune.
True Double Standards: Activated.
Of course, Fugaku Uchiha wasn't blind to what had just happened.
But some truths, even when seen clearly, can't be spoken out loud.
Even knowing that Danzo had covertly tried to sabotage the Uchiha, Fugaku couldn't just call it out publicly.
"It was merely an accident. And besides, Kakashi is fine," Fugaku replied firmly, showing no intention to back down.
If he allowed the Root members to drag away an Uchiha right in front of him, it would deal a heavy blow to his authority as clan leader.
"Whether or not it was an accident will be determined after ANBU investigation," Danzo declared bluntly.
"Investigating these matters is the responsibility of our police force — no need to trouble Elder Danzo," Fugaku shot back, standing his ground.
As Danzo was about to issue a forceful order, another voice cut in:
"Danzo, stand down. This was merely an accident."
It was Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, stepping in after having Kakashi carried away for treatment.
As Hokage, there was no way he'd allow Danzo and the Uchiha to start tearing each other apart here.
"Mark my words, Hiruzen — you'll regret this!" Danzo spat bitterly, turning to leave.
But before walking away, he shot a deep, lingering glance at Akira Sato, who was obediently standing in place, pretending to be a frightened student still shaken by the "accident."
Danzo hadn't expected this kid to be hiding so much.
Even without fully engaging, just using a C-rank Summoning Technique was something ordinary academy students couldn't even dream of, let alone someone considered a bottom-rung failure.
"Thank you, Lord Hokage," Fugaku Uchiha said respectfully to Hiruzen.
If the Hokage hadn't spoken up, Danzo certainly wouldn't have let go of this opportunity so easily.
"The Uchiha are part of the village too — no need to thank me," Hiruzen replied warmly, turning his gaze to Akira. "Impressive. Defeating Kakashi in this test shows that you've been working hard at the academy…"
Any other kid, hearing the Hokage himself — the village's highest authority — offer such praise, would probably have been floating with excitement, eager to pour out their heart.
(Somewhere, a certain famously loyal son would be enthusiastically giving this scene a thumbs-up.)
At this moment, Akira fully understood why so many future Uchiha would become "rebels" and dissidents.
Facing this top-tier PUA-level Hokage, you'd crack too.
Fugaku, meanwhile, not only failed to realize what was happening, but even emotionally chimed in with agreement.
He's done for.
Seeing his young clan leader acting like this, Akira sighed inwardly. Fugaku had already been thoroughly shaped by Hiruzen's "Will of Fire" indoctrination.
Probably brainwashed from a young age.
Looking at the future historical timeline, it was under this very man's leadership that the Uchiha were led straight to their annihilation — like lambs to the slaughter, without even fighting back.
"Lord Hokage, it was only through the inspiration of the Will of Fire that I was able to learn the Summoning Technique. Where the leaves dance, the fire burns ever brighter…"
Akira's face flushed red, pretending to be a passionate little fanboy, loudly praising the Will of Fire and emphasizing that he had learned the Summoning Technique thanks to that encouragement.
Full marks!
Hearing Akira's enthusiastic endorsement of the Will of Fire, Hiruzen's inner wariness gradually eased.
"Anyone who truly understands the Will of Fire can't be a bad person."
"Good. I'll go check on Kakashi now — don't dwell too much on today's events," Hiruzen said, leaving in high spirits.
After everyone had gone, Fugaku left Akira with just one sentence:
"Mei is back."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Though he was very curious about the summoned creature called "Taiichi," the awkwardness of their relationship made it hard for him to ask.
As soon as Fugaku left, Akira felt a burning sensation on his back.
Turning around!
He saw his two best friends staring at him intensely, and the other students were all watching with a mix of curiosity and shock.
Well, no surprise — Kakashi's fame was off the charts!
He was considered the village's strongest young genius, and yet here he was, defeated by someone seen as a hopeless loser. How could people not be both shocked and deeply curious?
Crap.
Faced with this crowd of wildly curious classmates, Akira knew today was going to be a rough one.
And sure enough, just dealing with all their questions burned up a lot of his time.
In the end, he used the excuse that his family provided him the summoned creature to deflect the attention.
By the time he finally left school and returned to the Uchiha clan compound, the sky was already turning to dusk.
Once he entered the Uchiha territory, the foot traffic thinned dramatically.
If you looked carefully, you'd notice that aside from Uchiha members, no one else ever entered this area — even though it was located right in the center of the village.
No helping it.
The Uchiha operated as an independent bloc, and naturally, they were ostracized by the rest of the village.
This was part of why, when the Uchiha were massacred in the future, the village as a whole barely even rippled — there were real reasons behind it.
Akira walked naturally toward a certain part of the compound.
Normally, he wouldn't come here.
But today was different.
Because his "white knight" had returned.
It was only thanks to her that he had been able to enroll in the ninja academy at all.
Otherwise, as an orphan with no parents, no siblings, no house, and mediocre talent, there's no way he could have gotten in.
Soon, he arrived at a separate courtyard tucked away in a corner of the clan compound.
Creak!
He slid open the wooden gate and entered the nearly 3,000-square-meter courtyard.
Anywhere else, even several thousand square meters wouldn't be that impressive.
But this was Konoha!
It was like owning a massive private estate in the center of Shanghai — it wasn't just about money; you needed status too.
The future relocation of the Uchiha was largely due to the immense land value of this area, not just because of so-called rebellion risks.
This land was priceless!
Stepping into the courtyard, the first thing he saw were two towering, intertwined mulberry trees whose canopies covered the entire space.
Beneath them were ornamental rocks, pavilions, flower beds, and ponds — all exuding a cool, refined elegance.
Compared to this, the two-story wooden house, which took up only a few hundred square meters, almost seemed insignificant.
No exaggeration: just this courtyard alone was a priceless treasure.
Even the residence of Hiruzen, the so-called "strongest Hokage," couldn't compare.
From that angle, it wasn't surprising the other clans resented the Uchiha.
You hogged too many resources. If they didn't take you down, how could they split up the spoils?
Just look at what happened to the Senju clan — once they fell, the other big clans carved up all the benefits, and suddenly, everyone thought the Senju were wonderful.
Fallen aristocrats are always the good guys.
Before Akira could admire the place for long, a slender, tall figure walked out.
Long, waterfall-like black hair down to her waist, paired with a bright and delicate, snow-white face — she was stunningly beautiful.
Especially those pale pink, icy eyes, which seemed capable of pulling your soul right in.
Mei Uchiha (currently hornless).
She was both Akira's fiancée and his white knight.
Don't be fooled by the fact that she was only a year older — just 13 — she had already graduated from the academy four years ago.
The ninja academy allowed students to apply for early graduation, though the testing difficulty was far higher than normal.
In other words, she had graduated in her third year, which made her a certified genius.
Someone like Kakashi, who graduated after just one year, was an absolute super-genius — no wonder he attracted so much attention from the village's upper ranks.
If not for Akira's unusual presence, even a chunin might not have been able to handle Kakashi.
But with great talent came great risk — that's why Danzo had been targeting Kakashi, working to drag him into the shadows.
"You're moving back in," Mei Uchiha said coolly as she walked over.
"Alright," Akira nodded lightly.
If today's events hadn't happened, he naturally wouldn't have returned.
But now that Danzo had his eye on him, there was no way he was going to keep living alone outside the clan compound — that was just asking to be "disappeared."
Sure, living out there made it easier to conduct research, but it also drastically increased the risk of quietly vanishing.
Luckily, he was the only one who could recognize the care hidden behind Mei's "bossy CEO" style commands.
If it had been the original Akira, he probably wouldn't have appreciated it at all — he'd just have grown more resentful.
(End of Chapter)