Hmph...
You only listen when I speak harshly. You never had much of a choice to begin with; I merely made it seem like you did!
Hesitant, timid! But...
Judging by their expressions, they seemed to have made their decision long ago. Had I misread and misjudged them just now?
Sure enough, had I lost my composure a little just now as well? Looking at the three tense figures before him, Uchiha Nobuhiko frowned slightly, the corner of his mouth twitching unnaturally.
To be honest, although he had achieved his goal, he was still quite dissatisfied. It was not dissatisfaction with their reaction, but with his own attitude.
Though it had not greatly affected the whole matter, he should not have wavered like that just now. Just like when he had still been immature, he had been so easily shaken, so unable to keep his cool. Even if he had succeeded now and they would definitely stay, his pride had still taken a blow.
In his current view, his inability to remain calm just now—his impulsive threat to use Taki Chiba's life—had revealed some insecurity. He had threatened them with Taki Chiba because he was insecure, because he was uncertain. Looking back on it now, his momentum had actually been somewhat weaker.
Compared to the perfect outcome he had imagined, where they would be the first to say they would stay, the effect had been greatly diminished.
In terms of natural talent, compared to those true geniuses, even after being tempered by so much time, he ultimately still had flaws.
Perhaps no amount of time could ever completely smooth them away. They would always reveal themselves unconsciously in certain extreme circumstances.
Was this what they meant by, "A kingdom may change hands, but one's nature is hard to change"?
Or