Chapter 110: Refusing to accept Uchiha Sasuke as a disciple
After Hinata left, the guard's voice came again from outside the door.
"Clan Head-sama, Elder Fugaku and Lady Mikoto are here to visit, bringing Young Master Sasuke."
Oh? Uchiha Akira's eyebrow twitched slightly. What was bound to come, still came.
Inside the reception hall, the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive. Uchiha Fugaku sat in a wheelchair, his once stern and imposing face now filled with pleading. Uchiha Mikoto stood behind him, her hands clasped tightly on her husband's shoulders.
In front of them stood a small, slender figure. Uchiha Sasuke. He hung his head, his hands in his pockets, resisting the entire world with a silent posture.
Akira walked in unhurriedly, sat down in the main seat, and picked up the tea that the maid had already prepared, gently blowing on the hot surface. He didn't speak. He just left the family of 3 hanging there.
Ultimately, it was Fugaku who couldn't hold back first. He maneuvered his wheelchair forward a few inches, bowing his once-proud head to Uchiha Akira.
"Clan Head," Uchiha Fugaku's voice carried a deep plea. "I know, this request of mine is very presumptuous. But… I still want to humbly ask you to take Sasuke as your disciple."
After he finished speaking, Mikoto, who was behind him, also bowed deeply. "Please, Clan Head!"
Sasuke's body stiffened suddenly. He looked up, his dark eyes filled with anger and confusion.
"Father! Mother! What are you doing! I don't need any teacher! I..."
"Shut up, Sasuke!" Fugaku sharply interrupted him.
Sasuke was startled by the shout, his lips moved, but in the end, he unwillingly swallowed his words.
Fugaku turned back to Uchiha Akira, his eyes almost showing a hint of pleading.
"Clan Head, this child… he's blinded by hatred. That unfilial son Itachi left too deep a shadow on him. Looking at the entire Konoha, no, the entire Shinobi World, only you can lead him back to the right path, and only you are qualified to be his teacher. Please, give him a chance."
Fugaku spoke with sincerity. He knew very well that in Sasuke's current state, if there wasn't someone powerful enough to make him unable to resist, and who could completely overwhelm him intellectually to guide him, this child would sooner or later embark on a path of self-destruction. And Uchiha Akira was the only candidate.
Fugaku knew Uchiha Akira's strength best; with Akira's guidance, Sasuke's future would undoubtedly be limitless.
Akira put down his teacup. He fixed his gaze on Sasuke. He checked Sasuke's loyalty level using the system.
[Ding! Uchiha Sasuke loyalty 40%.]
Uchiha Akira remembered that Uchiha Sasuke's loyalty was 88% before; ever since he killed his brother, this loyalty dropped. The system's rule was that reaching 100% would make loyalty permanent, but Sasuke's loyalty had not reached 100% before. For him, Uchiha Akira, to take Uchiha Sasuke, whose loyalty was 40%, as a disciple, what a joke!
Sasuke felt uncomfortable under Uchiha Akira's gaze and subconsciously avoided eye contact.
[Ding! Target detected: Uchiha Sasuke.]
[Potential Rating: SSS (Indra's reincarnation, comes with cheats)]
[Current Status: Hatred (moderate), Confusion (severe), Mentally Unstable (high risk)]
[System Suggestion: This target has extremely high potential, but also comes with extremely high risk of betrayal. It is a high-risk, high-reward investment. Host, please choose carefully.]
Akira was somewhat speechless. High risk, high reward? No. To him, any uncontrollable risk equaled 0 reward. He also didn't have that much time to raise Sasuke's favorability.
Moreover, Uchiha Akira seriously doubted that Sasuke's favorability could even reach 100%.
"Fugaku, you've come to the wrong place." Akira spoke slowly, his voice flat.
"Do you think I look like a psychologist good at handling family conflicts? Or do you think this place is a shelter specifically for troubled children?"
Akira's tone suddenly turned cold.
"I took Hinata because she is an unpolished gem; what she lacks is only confidence and method. As long as she is given it, she can radiate a light far beyond anyone's imagination. She is a high-quality investment that guarantees profit. But your son…"
Akira looked at Sasuke.
"He is a powder keg that could shatter completely at any moment..."
Sasuke's fists instantly clenched, glaring at Akira. "What do you know! You don't understand the pain of me losing everything! How can you judge me!"
"I understand," Akira interrupted him, his voice terrifyingly calm. "I understand better than you. When you were still whining in your parents' arms, I was thinking about how to survive. When you were still agonizing over why your brother wouldn't play with you, I was seeking a way out amidst the schemes of the higher-ups. Your so-called pain, in my eyes, is nothing but the baseless moaning of a hothouse flower after a few petals have been knocked off by the wind and rain."
Sasuke's face turned beet red.
"I refuse," Akira leaned back in his chair, picked up his teacup, and delivered his final verdict. "I don't take trash. And I certainly don't take a madman driven by hatred. My disciples must be absolutely loyal and absolutely rational. Uchiha Sasuke, he is not worthy."
The color drained from Fugaku's face. Mikoto covered her mouth, letting out a desperate sob. It's over. Even Uchiha Akira had given up on Sasuke. Then this child truly had no hope.
"Take him and go." Akira issued an eviction order.
"Clan Head, I..." Fugaku still wanted to try to persuade him.
"Fugaku," Uchiha Akira's voice already carried a hint of impatience. "Don't make me say it a third time."
A cold killing intent instantly enveloped the entire reception hall. Fugaku trembled, all his words caught in his throat. He knew that saying anything more would be a challenge to the Clan Head's authority. He could only dejectedly lower his head.
"...Yes, Clan Head-sama."
Mikoto wiped her tears, stepped forward, and tried to pull away the distraught Sasuke. Just as they turned and were about to walk out the door, Uchiha Akira's voice drifted from behind them.
"Sasuke."
Sasuke's footsteps halted.
"The future of the Uchiha does not need someone living in the past."
...
Sasuke was too prone to flip-flopping. Refusing to take Sasuke as a disciple was a decision that Uchiha Akira didn't need to think about.
"Sasuke..." Akira softly uttered the name.
Indra's reincarnation, a born protagonist template. What a pity. This world no longer needed a second protagonist. In front of him, Uchiha Akira, anyone else could only be a foil; he was the sole protagonist.
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