Fugaku left.
As clan head, he had plenty to handle.
But—
He did not take Itachi with him. Instead, he left the boy here.
"Teacher!" Uchiha Itachi bowed respectfully.
Kai nodded, but his head was already aching.
Faced with this "problem child," he really didn't know how to start teaching.
Fugaku had patted his backside and walked away, dumping the issue squarely on him, the so-called idler.
But I'm a salted fish!
Still, there was no helping it.
If he wanted to keep living easy in the future, then for now, he had to endure a bit of trouble.
With a sigh, he said:
"It's getting late. Time to eat."
"Follow me."
Stretching and yawning, Kai got up and headed out of the courtyard first.
Itachi blinked.
He hadn't expected this.
Even after becoming his teacher, Kai was still this lazy?
Shouldn't a teacher be strict?
But—
he had already taken him as master. Even if he didn't understand, he still knew the meaning of respecting a teacher.
So, trotting a little, Itachi followed behind.
The two left the Uchiha compound and entered Konoha's commercial district.
"Look, Uchiha…"
"Get out of the way, don't bump into them!"
"Right, hurry up!"
Villagers' faces went pale, their eyes full of fear.
Itachi's expression darkened.
Sadness filled his gaze.
Why? Why were they like this?
Just because he was Uchiha?
But…
they hadn't done anything wrong!
Ever since he was born, he had rarely left the compound—because he couldn't bear these looks from the villagers.
So, he preferred to stay in the clan grounds.
If not for Kai, he probably wouldn't step outside at all until he started school.
The world beyond the compound was hell to him.
"Teacher… why do we have to leave the clan grounds?" Itachi finally asked, uncomfortable under all the stares.
Kai rolled his eyes. "Obviously, to eat."
"But…" Itachi wanted to argue.
In his view, if it was just about eating, there were restaurants inside the clan grounds too.
But before he could finish, Kai cut him off.
"Enough, shut it."
"Don't fuss over a meal. Just follow me."
"In this world, nothing is more important than eating!"
And with that, he walked ahead, ignoring Itachi completely.
Itachi: "…"
Of course, he was unwilling.
But since Kai had already spoken so bluntly—and since they weren't in Uchiha territory—
he had no choice but to swallow his doubts and follow along.
Until at last, they arrived at Ichiraku Ramen.
"Yo, Kai-kun!"
"And you've brought a little one too. What'll you two be having today?"
Teuchi greeted them with his usual warm smile.
Kai smiled back. "Uncle Teuchi, I'll have my usual."
Then he turned to Itachi. "What about you?"
Itachi froze, completely at a loss.
He had never interacted with outsiders before.
Flustered, he could only stammer:
"I… I…"
But no words came.
Seeing this, Kai chuckled and explained:
"Sorry, Uncle Teuchi."
"Itachi here has never left the clan before, so he's just a little shy. Give him a pork-bone ramen, will you?"
"Kids need to eat more meat to grow."
Teuchi didn't say much more.
He just smiled at Itachi in greeting, then turned to prepare the ramen.
Not long after, Ayame came bursting in.
She smacked Kai on the shoulder, shouting:
"Kai, you're too much! It's one thing for you to eat here for free, but now you're bringing a kid too?"
"At this rate, you'll eat our family into bankruptcy!"
Kai stayed calm.
He had basically grown up under Teuchi's care, and had been bickering with Ayame since childhood.
He was long used to it.
Slurping his ramen, he shrugged.
"Ayame, let me educate you."
"Right now, sitting in front of you is Uchiha Kai—freshly promoted special Jounin, with battlefield merits."
"So first of all, you should call me 'Lord Kai.'"
"These days, even the simplest mission I take pays sixty thousand ryō. Got it?"
"I'm rich!"
"So as a big spender like me, you ought to flatter me a little."
"Understand?"
But Ayame only crossed her arms, full of disdain.
"Oh? Lord Jounin?" she said, holding out her hand. "Then where's the money?"
Kai froze.
Sure, by rights, he should have received at least two million ryō from his war contributions.
But the war was still ongoing. The village wasn't issuing any payments.
And as for his new posts—Uchiha elder, police force captain—his first paychecks were still a long way off.
So… his face sank.
"I, uh… don't have it yet."
"My bonus only comes after the war."
Ayame burst into loud laughter.
She slapped Kai on the shoulder again, mercilessly mocking him.
"So, 'Lord Jounin'…" she smirked. "You're still just a broke ghost, huh?"
"Shut it!"
Kai roared.
Unbelievable!
He was practically a tycoon—the clan's industry dividends alone amounted to over a hundred million a year.
And yet Ayame dared look down on him?
Uncle could endure, but auntie could not!
He immediately started bickering with her again—
though, as always, he lost.
He had never won.
Meanwhile, Teuchi overheard everything.
Smiling, he said warmly:
"So Kai-kun has become a Jounin, eh? That's wonderful news. We have to celebrate properly."
"I declare the shop closed tomorrow. Kai-kun, come by at noon—I'll cook you a full table of dishes!"
Yes.
He knew Kai's situation.
Orphaned since childhood, estranged from his clan.
In truth, Kai had been raised under his care. To him, Kai was half a son.
Now that Kai had become a Jounin, he couldn't bear the thought of the boy having no one to celebrate with.
Not knowing before was one thing—
But now that he knew, he would certainly put his heart into it.
Kai: "…"
He was truly touched.
Whether with Kazama, Aya, or even Fugaku—there was always some mix of interests involved.
But Teuchi and Ayame…
In this cold Konoha, apart from Shisui, perhaps only this father and daughter cared for him with no strings attached.
Taking a deep breath, he nodded.
"Alright, it's a deal!"
"Tomorrow I'll be there to enjoy your cooking, Uncle Teuchi."
"And I'll bring the sake!"
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