Uchiha Fugaku Gets the Door Slammed in His Face

Hatake Sakumo walked straight over and sat across from Chiyue. He looked at the food on the table, sniffed, and asked,

"Senpai, can I mooch some? I've been busy all day and haven't eaten yet."

Chiyue got up to fetch bowls and chopsticks, taking out the prepared food he had meant to eat tomorrow as well.

After sitting back down, he gritted his teeth and said,

"I thought I was a hero of the village, but what I got was suspicion and distrust!"

Why had Hatake Sakumo come?

Because he found him pleasant to look at?

No, no, no. The Third Hokage had sent him. Chiyue could guess that much.

So he made no effort to hide his dissatisfaction.

I'm pissed off.

What was wrong with cursing people out? I was questioned and falsely accused—wasn't I allowed to curse?

"No, you are a hero of the village."

Hatake Sakumo shoveled food into his mouth and mumbled,

"If you hadn't sent back the intelligence and the enemy corpses in time, the Land of Fire would definitely have suffered enormous losses. Shimura Shūitsu's doubts about you were not the Hokage's intention."

"He's a rather petty man. He can't stand anyone being better than him and has a strong hostility toward geniuses."

Holy shit!

Was something wrong with Shimura Shūitsu's brain?

What the hell did I ever do to you?

Sure enough, no one from the Shimura Clan was any good.

Every last one of them was messed up.

Seeing that Chiyue remained silent, Hatake Sakumo continued,

"That guy has been like this since school. Sigh, I hope this incident teaches him a lesson. Also..."

Chiyue's expression clearly said, I don't believe you, and I don't want to hear it, giving Hatake Sakumo a headache.

The Third Hokage had sent him to have a proper talk with Chiyue and change his way of thinking.

Unfortunately, it had little effect.

"No matter what, you can't curse Lord Hokage. Understand?"

"Curse the Hokage?"

Chiyue's eyes widened.

"Don't talk nonsense. I didn't. I've never done anything like that!"

You never had?

Hatake Sakumo was so annoyed he laughed. Then who had been cursing outside the Hokage's Office Building just now?

If Lord Hokage hadn't stopped them, the Anbu would have come to settle the score with you immediately.

And that wasn't cursing?

Did you think it didn't count as cursing just because you hadn't said anyone's name?

"Anyway, I didn't curse anyone."

Believe it or not, suit yourself. I said I didn't, so I didn't.

I hadn't named anyone, after all. Certain people had better not take it personally, or they'd be admitting they were hypocrites!

"Yes, yes, you didn't curse anyone. You didn't."

Hatake Sakumo had truly had enough.

If it had been anyone else, he would have pulled a long face and given them a harsh scolding. But Chiyue...

Thinking of the pitiful Shimura Shūitsu, Hatake Sakumo decided he should avoid provoking this kid whenever possible.

Otherwise, Chiyue might cast a Genjutsu that even he himself couldn't dispel and make him dance embarrassingly.

And suffer mental trauma on top of that.

That would be quite the spectacle.

Hatake Sakumo wasn't sure he could avoid Chiyue's Genjutsu either.

If it were a Genjutsu cast purely through the Sharingan, he could close his eyes or lower his head. But if it wasn't...

It would be very troublesome.

So before figuring out the weaknesses of this Sakura Falling Genjutsu, he absolutely couldn't mess around with this kid.

Judging from how ruthlessly Chiyue had used Genjutsu on Shimura Shūitsu without hesitation, Hatake Sakumo believed that if it were him instead, Chiyue would act just the same.

It was best not to provoke a hotheaded kid like this.

"Kid, you've rendered great merit this time."

Setting down his bowl and chopsticks, Hatake Sakumo patted his stomach contentedly and leaned back in his chair.

"Your teammates contributed as well, but the greatest merit is yours.

"Lord Hokage asked me to tell you that the village will not forget the contributions you have made."

"When the time is right, your military merits will be tallied up so you can exchange them for things you need, such as ninjutsu scrolls."

After saying that, Hatake Sakumo stood and walked toward the window.

"Oh, right. The main force will set out tomorrow. Do you want to go to the battlefield and earn merit?"

"No. I'd hate to come back after killing enemies and earning merit, only to be questioned over whether I falsified my report. I don't want to be questioned again."

Chiyue snorted and reminded him,

"Please use the front door. Thank you."

"Uh... Sorry, sorry."

Hatake Sakumo's old face reddened. It had only been instinctive; he hadn't really intended to climb out the window.

Getting caught climbing through the window when he arrived had already been embarrassing enough.

If he climbed out through the window now, he would truly have no face left.

After leaving Chiyue's home, Hatake Sakumo arrived at the Hokage's Office and recounted his attempt to persuade Chiyue.

"It seems that child has a deep misunderstanding of me."

The Third Hokage sighed.

"Lord Hokage, I think that kid is actually quite good. It's just that Shimura Shūitsu, for personal reasons, turned things into this."

Though the interaction had not gone very smoothly, Hatake Sakumo still felt that Chiyue was a decent person.

If not for that rotten egg Shimura Shūitsu, the whole pot of soup would not have been spoiled.

The Third Hokage smiled and said,

"Tsunade said long ago that this child was worth nurturing for the village. She did not misjudge him. Chiyue is not difficult to get along with either. It's simply that today's events disappointed him somewhat. I believe things will improve."

"Let's hope so. I believe it won't be long before he becomes one of Konoha's pillar shinobi."

"Lord Hokage, I'll take my leave."

He would be heading to the front lines tomorrow morning, so Hatake Sakumo could not afford to take things lightly.

Although his main task was to lead several jōnin squads in clearing out the enemies who had entered the Land of Fire one by one.

"Go on."

The Third Hokage waved his hand.

Hatake Sakumo bowed and withdrew.

Thus began the war between Sunagakure and Konoha. Large numbers of Sand Village ninja entered the Land of Fire.

Konoha continuously dispatched squad after squad of ninja to surround and eliminate them, driving the Sand Village ninja toward the Land of Rivers.

In just a short time, villages everywhere had been attacked. Vast amounts of property had been looted, and all kinds of supplies had been taken away.

The entire Land of Fire was scarred by devastation.

Hatake Sakumo was already part of the second wave of reinforcements. The number of Sunagakure ninja who had entered the Land of Fire far exceeded the Third Hokage's expectations.

To curb the enemy's plundering as quickly as possible, Konoha could only continue sending batch after batch of squads to provide support.

If we don't show you a little color, you'll really think I'm easy to push around.

After seeing Hatake Sakumo off, Chiyue finally lay down to rest.

After all the turmoil of the past few days, he was exhausted too, no better off than Minato or Uchiha Mikoto.

"Knock, knock, knock!!"

"Who is it?!"

Early the next morning, Chiyue was still asleep when the irritating knocking woke him.

Wearing his pajamas, Chiyue yanked the door open.

"You... Uchiha Fugaku?"

The person standing at the door truly caught Chiyue off guard. It was Uchiha Fugaku, that spineless clan head.

Oh, no. He was not clan head yet, only the young clan head.

At first glance, Chiyue had genuinely failed to recognize him.

If not for that distinctively downturned mouth, Chiyue would not have connected him to the future Uchiha Fugaku.

Even though he was only in his teens, Uchiha Fugaku looked overly mature.

Being mature was one thing, but with that expressionless face and the corners of his mouth drooping down on both sides, the combination was simply something else.

They said the Uchiha Clan produced handsome men and beautiful women, yet Uchiha Fugaku had clearly not inherited those excellent genes.

Uchiha Itachi and Sasuke could only have become more handsome than the other by inheriting Uchiha Mikoto's excellent genes.

As for Uchiha Fugaku...

Excellent genes? It would be a blessing if your genes didn't cause trouble.

If they had looked like you, Naruto fans would never have been able to look Itachi and Sasuke in the eye.

"It's me."

A small smile was forced onto Uchiha Fugaku's expressionless face, but it did not make him seem any friendlier.

On the contrary, it made him look even uglier when he smiled.

"What do you want with me?"

Aside from Uchiha Mikoto and her mother, Chiyue had no favorable impression of any other Uchiha.

It always reminded him of his mother desperately begging them, pleading for him to be allowed back into the Uchiha Clan.

Ridiculously, they had refused because he was white-haired.

White hair that was especially glaring to the Uchiha Clan.

It was an utterly laughable reason for rejection.

Fortunately, Senju Butsuma had been born into the Senju Clan. If he had been born into the Uchiha Clan with hair half white and half black, he would definitely have been treated as a monster.

"Can we talk inside?"

Uchiha Fugaku pointed into the house. The front door was indeed not a suitable place to talk.

"I'm sorry, but no."

Chiyue gave Uchiha Fugaku no face at all.

No matter whom he represented, whether the Uchiha Clan Head or some Uchiha elder, Chiyue would not give them a pleasant expression.

If he had not been worried about making things difficult for Uchiha Mikoto's family, he would have thrown him out directly.

"..."

The strange smile on Uchiha Fugaku's face slowly froze.

He likely had not expected Chiyue to be so disrespectful, even though he was the young clan head of the Uchiha Clan.

He would not even let him through the door.

"The Uchiha Clan is Konoha's foremost great clan. A small fry like me isn't worthy of associating with you. Please don't come disrupt my life."

As he spoke, Chiyue prepared to shut the door.

"But Uchiha blood runs through your veins! Your mother was also from the Uchiha Clan."

Uchiha Fugaku's standard stiff expression returned.

"Yeah."

Chiyue smiled.

"That's why, when my mother and I needed help, she begged desperately, hoping we could return to the Uchiha Clan.

"Unfortunately, we were rejected because I had a head of white hair that didn't fit in."

Still smiling, he pointed to his hair.

The smile on Chiyue's face gradually vanished, and his eyes turned cold.

"This is the first time, and I hope it will be the last. If another Uchiha stands at my doorstep next time, I won't be polite."

"My bloodline was given to me by my mother. Since you refused to accept us, why bother coming back to persuade me?

"You walk your sunlit road, and I'll cross my single-plank bridge."

"Bang!!"

The door nearly struck his nose, and Uchiha Fugaku instinctively took a step back.

His expression could not have been uglier.

As the young clan head of the Uchiha Clan, he had put everything aside and come to the door shamelessly, only to be denied even entry and threatened besides!!

This was simply humiliating.

What made Uchiha Fugaku most miserable was that he could not do anything to Chiyue.

Even if he wanted to strike in secret, he would need to find a suitable opportunity or wait until Chiyue left the village.

Besides, was Chiyue really so easy to strike at secretly?

News of that idiot Shimura Shūitsu becoming famous for dancing embarrassingly had already spread throughout Konoha. Who the hell wanted to go looking for trouble?

"Tch! Sure enough, no matter the world, some people always wear the same face."

When they disliked you, they did not care whether you lived or died. They might even stomp on you a few times.

But once you became worth recruiting, they came running to your door all eager and flattering.

So what if I didn't give Uchiha Fugaku any face?

When I didn't have the strength to protect myself, I avoided all of you.

Now that I do, why should I spare your pride?

Wishful thinking.

Shimura Shūitsu had become famous—completely famous. But it was the kind of fame the Shimura Clan would rather not have.

Because of Shimura Shūitsu, everyone in the Shimura Clan could no longer hold their heads high.

Some of the more hot-blooded members of the Shimura Clan even clamored that they would make Chiyue pay.

Fortunately, it was only talk. In Konoha, they would not easily go looking for trouble with Chiyue. Otherwise, it would become internal conflict.

That was something that could not be allowed.

Even when Danzo later held all the power in his hands, he only did his dirty work in secret and did not dare bring it into the open.

Chiyue had no time to care about any of that. Right now, all he wanted was a good night's sleep.

But heaven did not grant him his wish. Not long after Chiyue lay down—

He heard the sound of a door opening.

The front door opened, and a little red-haired head poked inside, looking around furtively.

It was Kushina.

After checking around and failing to spot Chiyue, Kushina sighed in relief.

She hurriedly set the lunchbox she had brought on the table and gently closed the door.

Completely unaware that the person she was trying not to disturb was rubbing his temples and staring at her in pain as she sneaked around like a thief.

"What are you doing?"

"Ah!!"

Someone suddenly spoke behind her. Already flustered and tense to the extreme, Kushina leaped high into the air with a shriek like a startled deer.

At that moment, Kushina was utterly helpless. Jinchuriki, chakra, powerful perception—none of it mattered anymore.

She was completely like an ordinary little girl.

"Chiyue, you scared me to death!!"

Kushina glared at him indignantly and stomped her foot.

Her little heart was still pounding wildly.

With a yawn, Chiyue rolled his eyes at Kushina and headed for the bathroom.

"How do you have a key to my house?"

Looks like there was no way he would be getting that nap.

"Because I live next door."

Kushina smugly waved the key.

"I told the locksmith uncle that I'd left my key inside. He opened the door for me and made an extra key while he was at it."

"..."

Chiyue, who was brushing his teeth, nearly choked on the toothpaste foam.

That was an option?

You were so good at this, why didn't you just become a thief?

Even thieves weren't as good as you. You openly took someone else's house key.