A Tough Mother Who Loved and Hated Clearly: What Is a Real Man's Youth?

Asuka had actually already learned from Liuyun about what had happened at the Ninja Academy.

She did not think her son had done anything wrong. Since even the Third Hokage had not punished him, that proved Liuyun was not at fault.

She did not know why the Elder wanted to see Liuyun, but Asuka instinctively rejected those people and did not believe they had any good intentions toward him.

So, without a second thought, Asuka directly sent him away. She did not even care what the Elder had wanted to say.

In any case, she no longer intended to return there, nor would she let Liuyun return there. There was no need to care about what others thought.

"You... very well. I will truthfully report what happened here to the Elder."

Uchiha Ken laughed in fury. After dropping those words, he left in disgrace.

He did not dare do anything to Asuka, because Konoha Village had laws.

Although the Konoha Military Police Force had the authority to arrest people, they needed sufficient reason. Otherwise, if things blew up, they would be the ones in trouble.

In Uchiha Ken's eyes, Asuka was the sort of troublesome commoner who feared nothing. If he dared act recklessly against someone like her, he could easily end up paying dearly.

"Go back inside."

Asuka placed a hand on Liuyun's shoulder, pushed him into the house, and immediately locked the front door.

"Why are you suddenly no longer afraid of him? Whenever you ran into Uchiha Ken before, you were always so meek and submissive..."

Asuka took the initiative to ask. Her son was getting bolder and bolder; she was beginning to wonder whether he was really her son...

Noticing Asuka's suspicious gaze, Liuyun broke into a cold sweat and gave a half-true explanation.

"Back at the clan compound, we had to see each other every day, so I had no choice but to avoid him. Now that we've moved away, what do I have to fear from him?"

Asuka was visibly stunned at those words. A moment later, a smile appeared on her face.

"Looks like moving was the right decision."

"I never should have let you live in that dark place for so long, making both of us weak and lacking confidence, letting anyone bully and humiliate us..."

Asuka spoke as she tenderly stroked Liuyun's head.

The Uchiha Clan was highly exclusionary. After marrying Uchiha Sheng, Asuka had suffered a great deal and endured countless disdainful looks.

But this woman loved fiercely and hated clearly. She disliked the Uchiha Clan, yet she had always deeply loved Uchiha Sheng.

Even after everything that had happened, she had never once complained that she should never have married into the Uchiha Clan. She did not regret marrying Uchiha Sheng.

Because it was through Uchiha Sheng that she had Uchiha Liuyun.

"Things will get better and better... Whoever dares humiliate me, I'll beat them up. Whoever dares bully you, I'll kill them!"

Liuyun voiced what was in his heart, his tone firm and serious.

Asuka could not help but burst into laughter.

"Haha... You can't go around fighting and killing at every turn. All I want is for you to grow up safely and live happily."

Asuka said as she pulled Liuyun into her embrace.

"..."

The overwhelming maternal love nearly "suffocated" him. Blushing, Liuyun struggled free from her arms.

"Mom, I'm going to train first..."

"Go on, go on... Do your best!"

Before long, the continuous sounds of strikes against wooden posts and sandbags came from within the courtyard.

Liuyun could make noise in the early morning and evening, but not late at night. Asuka needed to get up early every day, and she also had to work to earn money and support the household. She needed adequate sleep.

After exhausting every last bit of excess strength in the courtyard, Liuyun took a cold shower and returned to his room.

He sat before his desk and quietly studied the few ninjutsu his father had left behind.

Uchiha Sheng had only awakened the Two-Tomoe Sharingan and lacked the ability to copy other ordinary ninjutsu, so he did not know many techniques.

One Shadow Clone Technique, two C-Rank Fire Release techniques, and one C-Rank Genjutsu.

Of course, if the Three Body Technique and Kunai Throwing Technique were included, then he did know quite a few methods.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

Liuyun formed hand seals and used the technique.

With a puff, a clone identical to him appeared instantly.

"Easier than I expected..." Liuyun chuckled.

With his formidable spiritual power, he learned everything especially quickly, genjutsu in particular.

Unfortunately, his father Uchiha Sheng was not proficient in genjutsu, and the only minor genjutsu he had left behind was this one.

Should I use a Shadow Clone to attend class in my place? The thought surfaced in Liuyun's mind.

That was how Uchiha Itachi had done it in the original story.

Given Liuyun's spiritual power, it would not be a problem at all.

But he was afraid the Shadow Clone would be exposed. If he performed too outstandingly, it would easily draw the attention of people with ulterior motives.

He had to keep a low profile for as long as he could in the early stages. If possible, Liuyun even wanted to lie low until the very end... though that was unlikely.

"Forget it. I'll think about it later..."

Liuyun put away the scroll, then lay down on the floor bedding and fell soundly asleep.

Before dawn the next day, he got up early as usual and went out to run around Konoha for his morning training.

"I don't need to run too far. I just need to run 200 meters farther than the day before..."

Having set his goal, Liuyun began running with high spirits.

"Hm?"

When he was drenched in sweat and had run half the distance from yesterday, a green-clad figure who felt both familiar and unfamiliar suddenly appeared in his sight.

"Yo? Little brother, you're running again today? Not bad. I've never seen an elementary school student as hardworking as you..."

The green-clad figure ran over to strike up a conversation, an innocent and friendly smile on his face. He looked like the kind of person who was very easy to get along with.

Green clothes, thick eyebrows, a bowl cut, and sparkling white teeth... Isn't that Guy... no, his dad?!

Liuyun was inwardly astonished, but his face remained calm.

"Yeah... Are you out for a morning run too, sir?"

The moment those words came out, Might Duy staggered and fell to the ground.

"Don't call me sir. I'm not even married or have children yet... Just call me big brother." Might Duy awkwardly wiped away a cold sweat.

"Alright. What should I call you, big bro?" Liuyun asked with a smile as he continued running.

"My name is Might Duy. You can call me Bro Duy."

Might Duy raised a thumbs-up and flashed an extremely classic Guy-style smile.

"..."

Liuyun's 24K pure gold Three-Tomoe Sharingan was nearly blinded by those gleaming white teeth.

"My name is Uchiha Liuyun. I hope you'll guide me in the future, Bro Duy."

"You're actually a child of the Uchiha Clan!" Might Duy looked surprised as he subconsciously glanced at Liuyun's hair.

Liuyun's hair was black with a hint of purple, something exceedingly rare within the Uchiha Clan.

No, it should be said that he was probably the only one like that in all of Konoha.

It was neither pure black nor truly purple. Otherwise, he would not have been called "Little Mixed-Hair."

"Liuyun, why are you up so early? Don't you have school today?" Might Duy asked curiously.

"I do. Once I finish today's target distance, I can go home to eat, then head to school..."

"Really? Little bro, you're way too diligent!" Might Duy cried out, feeling as though he had met a kindred spirit today.

"It's not really diligence... I just think youth shouldn't be wasted in bed..."

Liuyun stopped running as he spoke. He first pointed at the rising sun, then wiped the sweat from his forehead and let it drip between his fingers.

"Do you see it? The sweat flowing beneath the morning sun is the youth of a real man!"

Might Duy's heart shook violently at those words. The next moment, he covered his face and began to choke with emotion.

"Th-That was so well said!"

Might Duy wiped away his tears with his arm as he spoke. He had never expected his soulmate to be an elementary school student...

At that thought, his tears flowed without end.