Hiromi watched the retreating backs of Kakashi's trio and smiled, saying, "I hope those who possess Uchiha eyes are good people who can walk alongside the Uchiha."
Kakashi's heart shuddered with fear and panic, and his pace quickened even more.
Seeing this, Hiromi turned and walked back.
Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks and stared at the indignant Uchiha Clan Members.
"What? Not happy?"
As he said this, the previously smiling Hiromi instantly became enraged.
"Smile, all of you."
The Uchiha Clan Members froze, staring blankly at Hiromi, confused and terrified.
"Not smiling?" Hiromi's gaze turned dangerous.
Amidst the bewildered and frightened looks of the ninjas who had come to provide backup, intense orange flames erupted from Hiromi's body.
Their bodies instinctively broke out in sweat to combat the terrifyingly high temperature.
The Uchiha Clan Members felt a chill in their hearts despite their parched throats, looking at Hiromi in terror.
"Hiromi, did we do something wrong..."
"Wrong? You did nothing wrong." Hiromi laughed.
"Then why..." The Uchiha Clan Members were even more confused.
"Can't I just be pissed off?!"
Hiromi suddenly became even more irritable, the orange flames on his body flaring up even more violently.
"Damn it!"
"I'm carrying you all, and you dare give me those sour faces!"
"If you're so capable, get stronger yourselves! Go kill them!"
"Is it honorable to bully with numbers?"
"Are you proud of hiding behind someone's back?"
"Is it arrogant to crush others when the wind is in your favor?"
"Since you're so amazing, why don't you lead the way yourselves?"
The Uchiha Clan Members shrunk their necks as they were scolded, not daring to make a sound.
Hiromi's words ruthlessly shattered the protective shell named 'Hiromi' over their hearts, exposing their cowardly, confused, and fragile inner selves. They were extremely terrified, as if they had done something horribly wrong, but they didn't know what it was, which only made them more panicked and tense.
The surrounding environment was incredibly noisy.
Shukaku was screaming in excitement.
Manda was destroying everything wantonly.
Countless people were wailing in pain.
Hiromi was in a towering rage.
"Damn it!"
"If this continues, I'll just wipe out the Uchiha clan myself!"
"Fuck!"
At this moment, despite the noise around them, they felt a profound silence.
A silence so deep they could only hear Hiromi's voice.
Though it was hot, they were shivering with fear—cold enough that everyone could hear the endless irritation in Hiromi's heart.
Originally, the reinforcing ninjas thought Hiromi was impressive for shouting at the arrogant Uchiha Root Members, and they even mocked the Uchiha Root's pathetic state. But now, sensing Hiromi's volatility, they felt only terror and fear, as if facing a tyrant.
If they said one wrong word or made one wrong move that displeased him in the slightest, they would suffer a terrifying catastrophe.
This made them involuntarily step back. They looked at the rampaging One-Tail ahead, then at Hiromi who was blocking their path, and said with trembling hearts, "I think I'll go protect the villagers instead."
Many ninjas quietly slipped away.
Meanwhile, the Uchiha Clan Members stood there with lowered heads and dark expressions, the atmosphere extremely stifling. But this scene only infuriated Hiromi further.
"Get to work already!"
The Uchiha Clan Members' hearts jolted. They looked up sullenly, revealing their Three-Tomoe Sharingan as they turned toward the nearby ninjas.
The ninjas were already spooked by Hiromi, and seeing the fierce look of the Uchiha Clan Members made them even more frightened.
They worried the Uchiha would vent their anger on them.
Immediately, the ninjas began to speak up.
"Oops, I'm in the wrong place, sorry, my bad."
"I forgot, my wife is still at home."
"Sorry, I haven't brought in my laundry yet."
The Uchiha Clan Members' expressions didn't improve at all. Hiromi's words were still ringing in their minds, leaving them feeling very resentful.
But at that moment, an even more violent heat wave surged toward them. They snapped their heads up, looking at Hiromi in unease. They felt as if they had returned to their childhood, facing the helplessness and fear of being before an adult.
They saw a faint glimmer of gold appearing on Hiromi's body, who was in a state of extreme fury.
"Once this is over, you can be as unhappy as you want, and I won't care even if you think yourselves to death. But for now, for the sake of your Uchiha clan, pull yourselves together."
The phrase "Your Uchiha clan" struck them like a heavy blow, making them feel as if they had been abandoned, filling their hearts with endless panic.
"Hiromi..."
They wanted to beg for Hiromi's forgiveness but Hiromi seemed annoyed just looking at them, walking into the Sarutobi Clan Compound with great displeasure.
The Uchiha Clan Members looked embarrassed. However, they still took Hiromi's words to heart.
"Everyone, pull yourselves together! We all know what today's mission is and what the top priority is!"
"We know, it's just that Hiromi's words... they hurt my heart a bit."
"It feels like my heart has been stabbed several times."
"It hurts so much."
"Sigh."
The Uchiha Clan Members all let out a sigh.
At this moment, some excited Uchiha Clan Members walked up, covered in blood.
"Shift change! It's your turn to go in and have some fun."
"Hmm? Why do you guys look so unhappy?"
"Oh, I get it. You guys wanted to go kill the villagers, didn't you?"
The clan members who had been scolded by Hiromi: "..."
Looking at their excited and proud expressions, then thinking about who had brought all of this about, and recalling their own sour faces from back then...
The more they thought about it, the more uncomfortable they felt. If they were in Hiromi's position, they wouldn't be happy either.
Especially given Hiromi's volatile temper—someone who would unleash his ultimate move in the center of the village at the drop of a hat—had he really only scolded them?
It felt somewhat surreal to them.
Soon, they found a reason.
Is Hiromi tolerating us?
As soon as this thought emerged, they felt their defenses crumble. Their hearts felt ten thousand times more painful than being stabbed earlier.
Just then—
Slap!
The smiles on the faces of the blood-stained, excited Uchiha Clan Members froze.
Why did he suddenly slap himself across the face?
"Nii-san... are you okay?"
Immediately following, "slap, slap, slap" sounds rang out continuously, crisp and loud.
The blood-stained Uchiha Clan Members were dumbfounded.
Did something happen? Why are they slapping themselves? Has the Uchiha clan already gone mad to this extent?
Should I also give myself a slap? Otherwise, I feel a bit out of place.
For a moment, they fell into a state of hesitation.