Chapter 21: Charles, Truly Astonished
To be able to hold the position of clan head at such a young age—this Uchiha Akira before him was definitely not simple.
What puzzled Charles even more was, why in the year 2000, people were still using such an ancient title as "clan head."
In modern society, although family inheritances still existed, the actual bonds between families had grown very thin. Even in the case of powerful families, their ties were economic or capital-based, not the kind of tangible, communal bonds that clans once held.
This group of Uchiha seemed as if they had suddenly stepped out of an old society into the modern world.
Of course, Charles didn't know that his guess had already hit more than half the truth. It was just that his imagination wasn't broad enough yet to support uncovering the real story.
"This is the deed for the neighboring estate—consider it my apology gift. It's the compensation I promised yesterday."
To say Charles didn't feel the sting would be a lie, but he wasn't overly attached to money either—his wealth was abundant enough to give him that confidence.
"Mr. Charles truly is a man of his word!" Uchiha Akira stood up, firmly shook Charles' hand, and said with enthusiasm, "Yesterday I was worried you might be too busy and forget about it, and then we'd have to make an uninvited visit to remind you."
Charles was shocked by the boy's eager handshake and unrestrained enthusiasm. He hadn't expected someone so young to have such a thick skin.
At the same time, he felt relieved that he'd come promptly—this Uchiha clan head seemed to hold grudges and wasn't above being shameless!
"I know Mr. Charles is probably criticizing me inwardly, but that's fine. With time, I'm sure we'll understand each other better. I'm the kind of person who values tangible things, not beating around the bush or playing tricks."
"Clan Head!"
"Enter!"
At that moment, a ninja cat walked in, carrying a cup of milk for Uchiha Akira.
Charles and Hank witnessed what was, to them, the most bizarre thing in the world: the cat's body was almost human-sized, and most astonishing of all, it could walk upright while serving coffee. This completely shattered their understanding of what a cat was.
"Clan Head, I also like this kind of milk. From now on, could us ninja cats enjoy this too?"
The mischievous cat couldn't help but lick its paw.
"Monster!! x2" Charles and Hank shouted at the same time, utterly shocked.
"T-the cat… the cat just spoke! Th-this is…" Their words tripped over themselves in excitement and disbelief.
"You two guests are being very rude. Speaking is completely normal for me, meow. Don't make such a fuss." The ninja cat looked displeased.
"Normal? How could a cat possibly talk? What part of this is normal?!"
"You are being disrespectful, dear guests. I am a ninja cat, not an ordinary cat. Don't confuse me with mere animals!" the cat stressed solemnly.
Uchiha Akira felt a headache coming on. The cat was stubborn—if it had just kept its mouth shut, nothing would have happened. But since they were going to live here long-term, exposure was inevitable. As long as it was kept within limits, it was manageable.
And in any case, exposing themselves to Charles wasn't a big deal—Charles himself wasn't exactly an ordinary person.
"Calm down, you two. This is one of our Uchiha clan's ninja cats, not some monster. Besides, aren't you Americans? You don't even have monster legends in your folklore."
Uchiha Akira looked at them as if saying: don't make such a fuss.
Charles and Hank took a moment to calm down. Thinking about it, wasn't it just a cat that could talk? Movies had always shown pets with human-like intelligence.
"Aren't you two mutants as well? A special group within humanity—you should be able to understand this, right?"
Understand, my foot! This was a completely different species! Darwin himself would be clawing his way out of his coffin.
Charles felt like he'd experienced more shocks today than in half his lifetime.
Especially when he remembered his university thesis, where he had compared Homo sapiens with Neanderthals and elaborated on his views of evolution. Well, now Darwin's coffin lid couldn't stay shut anymore.
"Guests, please don't keep staring at me like this. I'll get upset, meow!" The ninja cat, Tsuju, after being stared at so long, grew irritated.
"Apologies, we were rude."
"You may call me Tsuju. Next time, please mind your manners." The ninja cat seemed satisfied with their apology.
Charles signed the transfer papers, and from that day on, the neighboring estate became part of Uchiha territory.
"Mr. Charles, we can now say we became acquainted through a little conflict. I believe we'll certainly have chances to cooperate in the future. Of course, trust can't be built in a single day—it will develop over time."
"For example, the Uchiha are very skilled at executing special tasks. Our missions include, but are not limited to, locating people, handling affairs, assassinations, warfare, client protection, and other such services. Should you ever require them, Mr. Charles…"
"Of course, for the next few days the estate will be closed off. After that, if you're interested, you may contact me by phone. Best not to use email—I rarely check it, to be honest."
Hearing such a young boy casually talk about "assassinations" and "warfare" left Charles exasperated. Truly, appearances could be deceiving.
And was it really okay to classify such tasks as part of a "normal business range"? Did they even have an operating license for this…?
"Is this really alright? If you take on such missions, your people will surely suffer casualties." Charles wondered how someone so young could control his clan.
"Mr. Charles, everyone hopes to live in peace and happiness. But the world is full of risks and challenges. If one always cowers in fear, whether a clan or a nation, the only fate awaiting them is extinction."
"I think you, of all people, should understand this even better than I do. Back in the Cold War, didn't you also make the right choice when facing Sebastian?"
If not for his crippled legs, Charles would have leapt up in shock.
His face darkened. "Mr. Uchiha, just who are you people? How do you even know about the Black King?"
"There are no walls in this world that cannot be pierced. The Hellfire Club still exists today, after all. What you consider secret is only what you think is secret."
"Professor, your focus is far too fixated on mutants—you've forgotten the wider world and the vast universe around you. I trust you understand my meaning. Also, in the coming days, the estate will undergo renovations, and the security level will be heightened. Next time you visit, please be sure to use the main entrance."
And so, Charles and Hank were sent off, leaving with their minds full of unanswered questions from this "strange" place.