Early morning.
Uchiha Kin was yawning when the knocking at his door woke him up.
He walked to the entrance, ready to see who dared disturb his sleep at this hour.
Upon opening the door, he found Uchiha Fugaku standing there with a sullen expression.
Kin glanced at him twice.
Bang!
He swiftly slammed the door shut and frowned inside his house.
"Why did I see Fugaku at my door?"
Perhaps he had opened the door incorrectly.
Kin reopened the door.
Uchiha Fugaku was clutching his nose but quickly lowered his hand and put on a stern face when he saw Kin—though the red mark on his nose ruined the effect.
Just as he was about to speak—
Bang!
The door closed again.
"Why is Fugaku's deadpan face at my door?!"
Kin fell into deep thought.
It had been a long time since this guy had bothered him. Why had he suddenly reappeared the day after Kin returned?
He opened the door once more and found Fugaku still standing there, his entire face now flushed red.
A clear imprint of the door was visible on his forehead.
Kin might have used too much force when shutting it earlier.
"Enough!" Fugaku hastily stopped Kin.
If this continued, his dignity would be completely ruined.
"So it really is you."
Kin examined Fugaku with disbelief, as if looking at a rare animal.
"Did the sun rise from the west today? You didn't sneak into my house?"
This was hardly befitting the demeanor of the clan heir.
Fugaku remained expressionless at Kin's teasing.
What did he mean by "sneak"? He had entered openly!
He wanted to correct Kin's choice of words but ultimately held back.
Instead, he stated his purpose for coming.
"The Elder wants to see you."
"Again?"
Kin curled his lip. His opinion of the Uchiha clan wasn't high to begin with, and their willingness to sacrifice him last time had destroyed whatever goodwill remained.
"You are still an Uchiha," Fugaku reminded him solemnly.
This was a name Kin could never escape.
Kin's gaze drifted past Fugaku, landing on clansmen chatting and laughing nearby.
The Uchiha—a clan destined for tragedy in Konoha.
Indeed, he couldn't escape it.
"Lead the way."
Kin had no choice but to agree. He wanted to see what tricks that old man was up to.
By the Uchiha's internal divisions, Kin belonged to neither the radicals nor the moderates.
He represented only himself.
Following Fugaku into a secluded courtyard, Kin saw many clansmen working there.
At the back of the courtyard, Uchiha Hokaku sat on a rock in loose robes, holding a fishing rod.
Kin glanced at the red goldfish churning in the pond.
Were these things even edible?
"Elder." Fugaku knelt on one knee.
Kin, however, remained unmoved. He even sat down beside Hokaku, observing the motionless fishing rod.
"Air Force Loser."
A vein throbbed on Hokaku's forehead.
He hated being called that.
Fugaku wanted to stop Kin from being disrespectful, but he knew Kin wouldn't listen. He could only sigh and swallow his words.
Hokaku exhaled slowly.
"Kin, what do you think of the village?"
"Don't act so familiar. We're not close."
Kin shot him a sidelong glance but saw no change in his expression.
Hokaku kept his eyes on the pond.
"You resent the clan and us. I understand—we wronged you first."
The creator of the Basic Internal Energy Technique.
When Hokaku learned of this, he realized he had underestimated Uchiha Kin.
Their actions had pushed Kin into opposition.
At first, he hadn't wanted to humble himself. No Uchiha had ever dared treat him this way.
But then came the battlefield reports—Kin had awakened his Sharingan.
This confirmed it: Kin was truly a genius of the Uchiha clan.
A pity.
He had miscalculated.
"I don't blame you."
Kin's tone was almost comforting—until it suddenly shifted.
"After all, I don't waste energy arguing with fools!"
Crack!
The fishing rod in Hokaku's hand snapped.
Though he knew Uchiha Kin was different from the others, the sarcasm still grated on him.
But Kin was a figure comparable to Senju Tobirama. Hokaku could only suppress his anger.
"However."
Kin stared at the rippling water, his face blank.
"When it comes to the village, I see it as nothing more than a cage for shinobi."
This piqued Hokaku's interest. It was the first time he'd heard such a perspective.
"Could you elaborate?"
Kin glanced at him, then at Fugaku, who hadn't left.
At least he didn't have to worry about his words spreading.
So he continued.
"The world is vast. Beyond our homes lies the village. Beyond the village lies the Land of Fire. Beyond the Land of Fire lies the shinobi world. And beyond that? The stars and the sea.
Yet the village shackles shinobi mentally, trapping them here. The Will of Fire is just a trick to fool people—sacrificing for the village, never realizing that a village is its people. Without them, it's just an empty shell."
"You're fools, but the other shinobi in this village aren't much better."
"The Will of Fire is the village's foundation!" Fugaku couldn't help but retort. "The village is what gives us purpose!"
He couldn't comprehend Kin's logic, nor would he accept it.
"Silence!" Hokaku barked, cutting Fugaku off.
Though reluctant, Fugaku clenched his jaw and obeyed.
"See? This is the kind of fool the village breeds."
Kin pointed at Fugaku as if he were a monkey performing tricks.
How ironic.
Fugaku's face burned with humiliation.
"Your words are... interesting."
Hokaku, too, disagreed with Kin's views. Having lived through the Warring States era, he understood the stability the village brought.
It would be even better if an Uchiha were Hokage.
But disagreement didn't mean he couldn't empathize.
Wasn't this just how young people were?
"Still, the village is your roots, and the Uchiha are your home."
Hokaku sighed.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
Kin sensed Hokaku had an ulterior motive.
"I can feel my lifespan nearing its end," Hokaku said wistfully.
Kin gave him a sidelong glance. Had he learned the Basic Internal Energy Technique, he could've lived until Naruto's era.
But for some reason, he hadn't.
Even Fugaku hadn't practiced it.
"I hope... you will assist Fugaku in ensuring the Uchiha's glory endures."
Unlike last time's orders, Hokaku's tone now carried a plea.
This was his final request.
Kin listened quietly, his eyes shifting to Fugaku, whose expression remained unchanged.
Then he looked up at the sky.
A white dove soared until a net, flung from nowhere, ensnared it, dragging it down into the distance.
A pity.
He was not that dove.
"Why must Fugau be the next clan head?"
"Why... can't it be me?"
Kin's voice was slow, deliberate.
To the two of them, however, it was like thunder.
...
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(End of Chapter)