Self-Righteous

Uchiha Yashiro was Uchiha Yu's captain in the Military Police Force. He started as a squad leader, later became a company commander, and had recently caught the eye of the department head, Uchiha Fugaku, becoming one of the four battalion commanders in one stroke.

He was only twenty-eight this year, yet he had already become one of the five most influential figures in the Military Police Force, reaching the peak of an ordinary Uchiha ninja's career.

Of course, within the Uchiha clan, he still amounted to nothing.

When Uchiha Setsuna had forcibly ordered Uchiha Yu's dismissal, Yashiro's strenuous opposition had been utterly useless. Still, Uchiha Yu had to remember the favor.

Yashiro had come to visit in person. Even with Uchiha Ryota and Uchiha Taizo in tow, Uchiha Yu still had to respectfully invite them into the inner room and serve the finest fragrant tea in the house.

"Captain Yashiro, what brings you here?"

Knowing Yashiro's straightforward nature, Uchiha Yu asked directly about his purpose.

"Did something happen in the clan, or has something changed in the Military Police Force?"

Uchiha Yashiro politely took a sip of tea before answering, "It concerns the department. There are some things I truly cannot figure out, so I could only come and ask you in person."

"Of course. Please ask. I have nothing to hide."

"Hehe, it has been more than ten days since you left the Military Police Force. First, tell me how you've been doing lately."

"Well, after leaving the Military Police Force, I went back to being a mission ninja. I couldn't find anyone suitable to form a team with, so I took missions by myself."

"Although there aren't many missions suitable for a single person, I don't have to split the reward with anyone either. The income has been decent enough."

"How is your promotion to chunin going? Did you find a way after leaving?"

"Yes. My old captain helped me apply for a promotion mission. The mission has already been completed. Once the procedures on the Third Hokage's side are finished, I'll be promoted to chunin."

"Good. Very good."

Then the two simply kept drinking tea, each waiting for the other to speak first.

In the end, Uchiha Yu felt that, at eighteen years old in this life, he should not be more composed than Yashiro, who was nearing middle age, no matter what.

To maintain his image, he broke the silence. "Captain Yashiro, what was it you wanted to ask me?"

Uchiha Yashiro secretly sighed in relief, set down his teacup, and asked, "You may have already anticipated it. After you left, the village's opinion of the Military Police Force took a sharp turn for the worse."

"Sigh, Elder Setsuna is truly... hard to put into words."

"Ha! Don't mention that dead old man. He definitely refuses to admit that he made a mistake. I bet he even said something like, 'The villagers are all petty ingrates. The Uchiha protect them, yet they're still dissatisfied...'"

Seeing Yashiro stare at him wide-eyed, Uchiha Yu could not help laughing loudly. "I guessed right? He really said that? Ha, figures. That dead old man will never admit he's wrong."

Uchiha Yu mocked Uchiha Setsuna without the slightest restraint. Uchiha Setsuna was not a relative he acknowledged, but an enemy.

More than once, Uchiha Yu had argued Elder Setsuna until the old man was red-faced and thick-necked. He had reasoned Setsuna into abandoning all reason, leaving him to bark about demanding a duel like a defeated dog.

If he had possessed his current strength back then, Uchiha Yu might have given up hiding his abilities just to thoroughly persuade that old man.

"Still lacking the iron fist of love..." he muttered.

"Yu, what did you say?"

"Nothing. Don't worry about the details."

Uchiha Yu asked, "I mentioned the decline in public opinion before I left, and I even left behind a plan for dealing with it. Why did you still come here in person?"

"Sigh—!" Uchiha Yashiro let out a long sigh. "Following your plan, I selected several team members who could accept it, but the results after carrying it out were completely unacceptable."

Uchiha Ryota finally could not hold back any longer. "Your method simply doesn't work. I clearly worked so hard to help them, but they wouldn't accept it at all."

Uchiha Yu frowned deeply as he listened. He could not help rubbing his chin, feeling the fuzz there hardening, as he asked, "Ryota, tell me who you helped and exactly what you did."

"Are you saying I'm an idiot?"

"I didn't mean that..."

"Then why are you asking so much? I already told you, I helped them with everything I had. I put a lot of thought into it!"

"Uchiha Ryota!" Captain Yashiro shouted angrily, rebuking him. "I brought you here to find the problem and the solution, not to have you make a scene!"

"Yes!"

"Answer Yu's questions properly!"

"Yes!!"

Reluctantly, Uchiha Ryota began recounting in detail everything he had done to help people over the past dozen or so days.

As he spoke, Uchiha Yashiro and Uchiha Taizo's brows drew together tightly. Clearly, they had not noticed where the problem lay.

But Uchiha Yu's forehead was covered in black lines. This was a proper Uchiha indeed—people who could turn even a good deed into a bad one.

He carefully examined Uchiha Ryota. Sure enough, the Sharingan that had appeared in anger was filled with rage, grievance, and the clear stupidity of innocence.

"Stop!"

Uchiha Yu truly could not stand it anymore. He interrupted Uchiha Ryota and asked, "Why did you give Amiko money?"

"Huh?"

Uchiha Ryota was utterly baffled by the question. Yashiro and Taizo were equally confused, looking at Uchiha Yu in incomprehension.

He had no choice but to ask the exact same question again.

"Amiko's mother is sick. She needs money to buy medicine..."

Uchiha Yu loudly shot back, "So you just gave her money directly?"

"Was that wrong?"

"Of course it was wrong! What is Amiko's surname? Uchiha!"

Seeing that the three Uchiha were still completely lost, Uchiha Yu suddenly understood a familiar feeling. It was the feeling from his previous life when he had helped his overtime-working mentor look after his child and tutored the kid's homework—no matter how many times he taught it, four times eight always equaled thirty.

The feeling of wanting to kill someone.

He raised both hands, his fingers curled like eagle claws, wishing he could strangle the three idiots to death. But remembering that he was still struggling against the Heart Monkey, he forcibly held himself back.

Explaining was impossible. These three Uchiha did not have brains capable of understanding an explanation. He could only give an example.

Uchiha Yu suddenly pointed at Uchiha Ryota and said, "It hurts when you're misunderstood for helping someone. That's fine. I heard Ryota wants the Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet. I can give it to you. That'll make you feel better, right?"

He deliberately put on a smug, condescending expression, instantly enraging Uchiha Ryota. Yashiro and Taizo also felt deeply uncomfortable.

Ryota's eyes turned bloodshot as he roared, "Are you insulting me?"

Uchiha Yu roared back even louder, "Then why wouldn't Uchiha Amiko feel insulted when you gave her money?"

"Ah!"

The three Uchiha were instantly dumbfounded. Their own firsthand experience made them understand the problem at once.

"I repeatedly stressed in the plan that you must pay attention to your methods, adapt to the circumstances, and consider the feelings of the people receiving help. Don't self-righteously think that just because you're doing it for their own good, there can't be a problem!"

"You didn't read a single word after that!"

"This is the root of every problem in the Uchiha clan: self-righteously doing things for your own good."