Chapter 3: Father and Son
"I apologize, Father." Itachi stood respectfully before Fugaku, his voice calm without the slightest ripple. "This matter... I'm afraid I cannot tell you anything."
The shattered teacup on the floor and scattered tea leaves silently testified to the intensity of their recent conversation.
"ANBU still has missions. I'll take my leave." Itachi bowed slightly and turned to go.
"That... damn boy!" Fugaku suppressed his rage, his seated form trembling slightly.
Looking at the mess scattered across the floor, he eventually let out a long sigh.
It was good that his child had grown up with his own opinions... but why wouldn't he trust his father just a little more?
The conflict between the village and the Uchiha had already reached a breaking point.
ANBU operatives constantly monitored the Uchiha's movements, while the clan members grew increasingly unable to tolerate the blatant discrimination.
"Konoha was founded by us Uchiha together with the Senju!" Such indignant voices could always be heard at clan meetings. "Why won't they even give us a Hokage position? Why?!"
Even more disturbing was the recent string of mysterious disappearances of Uchiha ninja during missions outside the village. These suspicious incidents were like adding fuel to an already volatile volcano ready to erupt.
Fugaku gazed at the withered leaves falling in the courtyard outside the window, as if he could already see the coming storm of blood and violence that would sweep through Konoha.
This clan head in his prime now showed a slightly hunched back, with a few more strands of white appearing at his temples.
Tap tap
A knock suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
"Come in." Fugaku quickly composed himself, resuming his characteristic stern expression.
The door slid open to reveal a youth dressed in black and white robes. Yu's hand was wrapped in snow-white bandages, yet he maintained perfect ceremonial posture.
"Father," the youth bowed respectfully, "I would like to go out for training for a few days."
"What happened to your hand?"
"A small accident during sword practice."
Fugaku looked at this child who gave him the least worry. Among his three children, Yu possessed neither Itachi's aloofness nor Sasuko's impulsiveness.
Most of the time, he didn't even need reminding—he would handle things thoughtfully and thoroughly on his own.
"Remember to avoid ANBU eyes," Fugaku couldn't help but offer additional warnings, "and don't get into conflicts with anyone while you're out." He withdrew a money pouch from his sleeve, extracting several bills to hand over.
"Understood." Yu accepted them with both hands, bowing deeply before quietly withdrawing.
Around the corridor corner, a small head peeked out sneakily. Seeing Yu emerge from the room, Sasuko immediately scampered over like a little squirrel, grabbing his sleeve and tugging downward desperately.
"What did Father tell you?" She stood on her tiptoes, her warm breath tickling Yu's ear.
Yu cooperatively bent down: "He said Sasuko hasn't been studying her lessons lately and has been slacking off. He told me to stay home these next few days to tutor your schoolwork."
"I have not!" Sasuko instantly bristled, her baby-fat cheeks puffing like dumplings. "Did you tattle on me?"
"Really, I didn't." Yu raised his bandaged hand as if swearing an oath. "If you don't believe me, go ask Father right now?"
The little girl immediately deflated, drawing circles on the floor with her toe: "Well... never mind then..."
"Let me take a bath first." Yu deliberately put on a serious face. "How about we start studying tonight?"
"Ah—suddenly I'm so sleepy!" Sasuko yawned theatrically, her eyelids immediately drooping as her little head bobbed cooperatively.
Watching Sasuko's adorable act, Yu instinctively moved to ruffle her hair but stopped mid-motion, blood still staining his palm.
Instead, he gently poked her fluffy little head with his bandaged hand: "Go to sleep right now. If I come out and find..."
"I know, I know!" Sasuko huffily turned around, muttering under her breath: "Always acting like an adult, so annoying!"
She walked a few steps then suddenly stopped. Under the dim lamplight, her ears were suspiciously flushed red: "Um... don't get your hand wet!"
Yu stood stunned for a moment as the little girl had already scampered back to her room with pattering footsteps.
Bang—the door slamming shook even the corridor lanterns.
After a long moment, Yu smiled softly at the empty air.
In the bathroom, rising steam blurred the youth's silhouette, revealing glimpses of his lean form and porcelain-white skin. Water droplets slowly traced down his muscle lines, refracting scattered halos of light in the mist.
Yu braced himself against the wall with one hand, his palm showing no trace of injury—that minor wooden splinter wound had long been quietly healed by his Magnetic Field power.
Earlier, he had deliberately suppressed his healing ability simply to avoid unnecessary attention.
Yu recalled the broken teacup in his mind.
Today, Itachi and his adoptive father had failed to reach an understanding again. They were clearly family, yet they stood in opposing positions.
Sometimes Yu truly wondered about it—Konoha was such a tiny place with a total population of only a few tens of thousands. Excluding the small portion who were ninja, most were civilians. Where did all these conflicts and hatred come from?
Were Konoha's leadership truly so short-sighted and foolish?
From what he knew, outside Konoha village, due to resource and historical conflicts, the other four great ninja villages still watched Konoha like hungry wolves.
Could the current me prevent all of this?
He slowly clenched his left fist and closed his eyes in concentration. Two completely different energies flowed distinctly within his body:
Magnetic Field power was like awakened will, directly warping the fundamental laws of the world through mental force.
Each "Magnetic Field Rotation" was like personal will leveraging the normal operation of reality itself.
While chakra flowed like liquid flame through his meridians.
This biological fuel refined from cellular energy was the foundation for performing various ninjutsu and genjutsu techniques.
Yu released his clenched palm and opened his eyes. Three blood-red tomoe slowly revolved in his gaze.
Still not enough. I need even greater power.
It was time to visit that place...
Dressed in black robes with a black spiral-patterned mask revealing only his three-tomoe Sharingan, a shadow clone lay quietly in the bedding while his true body melted into the night.
Before departing, he looked back once more. Light glowed warmly through Sasuko's bedroom paper door, especially comforting in the autumn night.
A crescent moon hung in the sky, autumn wind rustling.
Blood-red eyes flickered in the darkness as Yu's figure flashed between telephone poles.
Konoha's security network was denser than expected—every entrance and exit had ANBU stationed there. Under eaves and in tree shadows, his Sharingan could easily detect those hidden chakra fluctuations.
"This damn weather... who would be out in this?"
At the wall checkpoint, the guard ninja rubbed his hands and breathed warm air. These autumn nights were always difficult to endure, making him especially miss the sake at the tavern and that generously-dressed proprietress.
Autumn wind carried a chill as it swept by. Just as he hunched his neck against the cold, a gentle breeze passed over the wall.