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"Whose brat wandered in here? Get lost and go home to drink your milk! Is this somewhere a kid like you belongs?!"
At the entrance to the hall where the Uchiha clan meeting was being held, a scar-faced Uchiha blocked Akira's path.
"Hey—Setsuna, watch your mouth," another man hurriedly warned him. "That's Clan Head Fugaku's second son. I think his name's Uchiha Akira."
Uchiha Baru quickly reminded his companion of the boy's identity.
Hearing that, Uchiha Setsuna tilted his head down and gave Akira a sideways glance, one eyebrow lifting as he spoke in a flat, indifferent tone.
"Oh? So you're Fugaku's kid. My bad. Didn't recognize you."
"Well, that's only natural. Compared to your genius older brother, your talent is pretty trash. And I've never had much interest in people who only have status but no ability."
"So yeah, not recognizing you makes perfect sense."
"If it were your genius brother, Uchiha Itachi, standing here, I'd have known at a glance."
For some reason, the man clearly had it out for Akira. Or rather, for Akira's entire family.
He was stepping on Akira while praising Itachi, obviously trying to drive a wedge between the brothers.
Akira didn't care why. Since the guy was being this arrogant, there was no way he was going to indulge him.
"Oh? So now that you know who your little master is, why don't you hurry up and piss off?"
"After all, a good dog knows better than to block the road."
"What did you say, brat?!"
Uchiha Setsuna flew into a rage. Veins bulged across his forehead, and the scars on his face twisted like writhing centipedes.
"Don't think I won't beat your ass just because you're the clan head's son!"
"Or what, you think you're Uchiha Itachi or something?!"
Crack. Crack. Crack.
He clenched his fists, his knuckles popping loudly, like firecrackers going off.
In his mind, this little kid would be scared stiff by now, trembling and scrambling away.
So what if he was the clan head's son? He was still just a little punk.
Yet Akira merely said calmly,
"Get lost. I don't have the time to waste on bottom-feeders like you."
"Out of respect for the fact that we're from the same clan, I'll give you ten seconds to disappear from my sight."
"If you're still here after that, I'll make sure you never get the chance to 'get lost' again."
"Ten. Nine—"
"Heh."
Setsuna was so angry he actually laughed. He'd never seen such a mouthy kid in his life. Today was really something.
"You really think that pathetic status lets you do whatever you want?!"
"Let me teach you a lesson, you little bastard!"
"This is the Uchiha clan. We worship strength. Power is everything!"
"That so-called status of yours means absolutely nothing to me!"
"Today, I'll discipline you properly on Fugaku's behalf!"
The next instant, a fist as big as a sandbag swung straight toward Akira's head.
But it was stopped midair.
The one who intervened wasn't Akira, but Uchiha Baru.
"Setsuna! Calm down, calm down! Don't act on impulse!"
"The clan head is still in there holding a meeting! If you beat up his son out here, that's really not going to end well!"
Baru grabbed Setsuna with all his strength, trying to keep him from attacking Akira.
Damn it… why did I have to run into something like this?
Baru felt bitter inside. If he'd known, he never would have volunteered to guard the door with this lunatic.
If the clan head's son got hurt here, he'd definitely be dragged into it too.
"Young Master Akira, you should really head back," Baru said earnestly, still holding Setsuna back. "There's a meeting going on inside, discussing matters that affect the rise and fall of the clan."
"No one is allowed to enter midway. Even I, a Special Jōnin, don't have the authority to go in."
"If I let you in without permission, I'd face severe punishment."
"So please don't make things difficult for me. If you're looking for your father, you can wait at home. Once the meeting ends, the clan head should return soon."
There was a saying: show me respect, and I'll return it tenfold.
Baru was being reasonable and considerate, so Akira felt awkward forcing his way in.
After all, he was a man who valued reason.
After thinking it over, Akira said,
"I have something urgent I need to tell everyone. I have to go in."
"But this is my own decision. It has nothing to do with you. I promise you won't be punished."
Baru let out a helpless smile and was about to reply when suddenly a tremendous force surged through his hands.
Setsuna had broken free.
He shoved Baru aside and roared, "Why waste words on a brat like this?!"
"For disobedient little punks, one beating is all it takes!"
"Stop,Setsuna! Calm down!"
Baru staggered back. Now at a distance, he knew he couldn't stop him anymore and could only shout in warning.
"Calm down? I'm perfectly calm right now!"
"Even if that coward Fugaku were standing here, I'd still beat this brat until he shits himself!"
Setsuna looked crazed as he yelled.
The room behind them was protected by soundproof barriers, so he wasn't worried about Fugaku hearing a thing.
That coward Fugaku, always bowing his head to the higher-ups in Konoha.
Constantly compromising. Constantly sacrificing the clan's interests.
As a hot-blooded Uchiha who believed in force above all else, Setsuna absolutely despised Fugaku's spineless ways.
If he could beat him, he'd have punched Fugaku in the head long ago.
Since he couldn't touch the father, beating the son would have to do.
There was no way he was going to miss such a perfect opportunity.
At once, Setsuna shifted from a fist to an open palm and swung it down from above, slamming straight toward Akira's head…
"..."
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