In the study of the Uchiha Clan's Clan Head's residence.
Various scrolls from the Military Police Force were piled into small mountains, casting slanted shadows under the lamplight. Embers in the charcoal brazier occasionally crackled, making Fugaku's profile flicker between light and shadow.
Fugaku's fingertips rubbed against an internal patrol schedule, his expression grave. Recently, due to Kumogakure's imminent arrival in Konoha to sign a ceasefire agreement, their Military Police Force's workload was heavy.
The heavy snow continued to fall. The lanterns within the clan compound formed a string, like a drowsy fire dragon. Fugaku's gaze fell upon Makoto.
'That Hokage Rock incident was over half a year ago...' Fugaku stroked the stubble on his chin, calculating in his heart. 'No matter what, Danzo-sama is still the Hokage Advisor.'
'Surely his magnanimity isn't so small that he'd hold a grudge against a child for this long?'
Thinking this, Fugaku was just about to lift his house arrest order when his peripheral vision caught Makoto lounging in the chair.
The kid wore a pure white haori, the Uchiha Clan's fan emblem at the collar gleaming dark gold under the light. The corners of his mouth were slightly upturned, the intelligence in his eyes impossible to hide, his expression one of fearing nothing in heaven or earth.
He was even holding a puppy in his arms. Fugaku had explicitly forbidden pets at home, but this kid directly told him, the Clan Head, to move out.
Recalling all the previous outrageous incidents, he was definitely a lawless character. Thinking of this, Fugaku's heart skipped a beat. The brush he had just raised fell back into the inkstone. He pondered inwardly:
'No, I absolutely cannot let him leave the compound for the time being.'
'Letting him run amok within the compound, most clansmen will tolerate him. Even if something major happens, I can clean up after him. But outside the compound, no one will indulge him. And I don't have much reputation with the Konoha's higher-ups either...'
Fugaku's self-awareness was quite clear. Thinking this, he snapped the scroll shut, his voice hard: "No!"
Just as Makoto was about to speak, Fugaku suddenly slammed the table, making the oil lamp sway, forcibly cutting off whatever Makoto might say next.
"Don't bring this up again! And I won't regret it!"
"Moreover, I am the Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan!!"
When Fugaku said this, it was completely different from his usual gentleness, his aura sharp… last time, he had been rendered speechless by Makoto, so this time, he absolutely could not lose, at least in terms of presence.
"???" Seeing this, Makoto raised an eyebrow, a string of question marks popping up in his mind.
'I hadn't even said anything yet. Wasn't Fugaku's performance a bit too much? It seemed conventional methods could no longer break through Fugaku's defenses.'
The corner of Makoto's mouth lifted slightly, a mischievous glint flashing in his eyes, 'Time for the small, sure-kill technique.'
He slowly walked to the desk, leaning his elbows on the scrolls, his voice lowered as if sharing a secret.
"Clan Head, you wouldn't want your wife to know that you secretly hide in the study reading 'Icha Icha Paradise', would you?"
Thud! This time, the wolf-hair brush in Fugaku's hand actually fell into the inkstone, splashing ink all over his sleeve.
The perpetually stern expression on Fugaku's face instantly showed a fleeting look of embarrassment. He jerked his head up, saw Makoto winking at him, and immediately looked down again.
After taking a deep breath, he forcibly calmed down instantly. If it were Sasuke, he would have panicked by now.
Fugaku said sternly: "Icha... what Paradise? There's no such book in my study."
"Oh?" Makoto tilted his head, tapped his finger on the table, looking at Fugaku. "Should I go and tell her then? See who she believes?"
"You know me, my face is especially thick. I'm absolutely capable of doing such a thing."
"You wouldn't dare!" Fugaku stood up abruptly, the chair legs scraping harshly on the floor, but then he deflated like a punctured balloon. "Fine! I permit you to leave the compound."
After saying this, Fugaku added: "But let me say it again, I have never read any 'Paradise'. You cannot mention this matter ever again, understand?"
"Alright." Makoto straightened up, clasped his hands in front of him, and bowed slightly, speaking earnestly and with extreme seriousness: "Clan Head-sama, I have one more request."
The moment the words 'Clan Head-sama' floated into his ears, combined with Makoto's current demeanor, the hairs on the back of Fugaku's neck stood up like needles.
From the moment this kid learned to talk, he had never shown him such respect. He usually wouldn't even call him 'Father', yet today he called him 'Clan Head-sama' and suddenly adopted this reverent posture.
'He was clearly up to no good again, and the matter was definitely not small.'
Thinking this, Fugaku immediately waved his hand, even making the ink in the inkstone slosh: "I'm busy handling Military Police Force's affairs. Whatever it is, we'll talk about it later."
Without even hearing it, Fugaku refused outright.
"No matter, I will wait until 'you' are finished."
Makoto appeared to have very low EQ, not leaving but instead turning to walk to a hidden corner of the bookshelf and pulling out a book that had yellowed with age, it was the 'Icha Icha Paradise' that Fugaku had hidden who knows how long ago.
He sat down on a low stool, flipping through the pages of 'Icha Icha Paradise' with a rustle, even smacking his lips when he reached particularly exciting parts.
His fingertip traced back and forth over a certain page, exactly like he was studying some profound Ninjutsu. Makoto didn't feel the slightest bit awkward, as he always believed that as long as he himself wasn't embarrassed, then the embarrassment belonged to others.
It was the life philosophy of 'a thick skin eats well'. A three-year-old reading this book was indeed too early, but adding his age from his previous life, he was long since an adult.
Seeing this, the wolf-hair brush in Fugaku's hand bent with a crack, the tip splitting.
'I had been wondering lately what this kid was doing lounging in the study every day. So he was reading this kind of book!'
Fugaku clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white like frost. The problem was, he himself had been caught by Makoto and couldn't reprimand him. He couldn't very well admit to having read it first.
He could only swallow his anger, veins bulging, even his temples throbbing.
After taking three deep breaths, Fugaku squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "Speak! What is it?"
Hearing this, Makoto snapped the book shut and pushed it towards Fugaku, cover up, the gilded words 'Icha Icha Paradise Limited Edition' gleaming yellow under the oil lamp.
The corner of Makoto's mouth lifted slightly, his tone as relaxed as if discussing the weather: "It's nothing major, really."
"I just want to do my small part for the clan's prosperity."
"Stop beating around the bush! Speak plainly!" Fugaku's brows were knitted so tightly they seemed tied in a knot, even the stubble at his temples seemed to tremble...
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FOR EVERY 50 POWER STONES, I'LL UPLOAD ONE CHAPTER