Make Yoichi Admit His Mistake

"Young Fugaku, that's how it is. Chunin Sakuma made a mistake too, but I still hope everyone treats the people of the village as family. If you encounter a situation like this, you can always come to me. I will make things right for Young Yoichi."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said kindly to Uchiha Fugaku, whose expression darkened slightly as he nodded.

"Hokage-sama, Yoichi was out of line this time. I will punish him when we get back. The Uchiha clan will also cover the medical expenses for that Sakuma-kun."

"Fugaku, your sentiment is appreciated. However, Sakuma also did wrong. He shouldn't have badmouthed Uchiha Yoichi in front of everyone."

The Third Hokage said with a slightly more serious tone, "I have emphasized this many times: everyone in Konoha is one family. Therefore, I will not overlook Sakuma's mistake just because he was injured this time."

"Third-sama, your magnanimity is admirable!"

Uchiha Fugaku was touched. His thoughts were correct; the Third Hokage was someone who could bridge the gap between the Uchiha and Konoha.

If I have children in the future, I'll name them after the Third Hokage's father.

After ending the conversation, Uchiha Fugaku returned to the Security Force and sent someone to the Konoha Hospital to pay Sakuma's medical fees.

Afterward, Uchiha Fugaku summoned Uchiha Kanbayashi, who was a squad leader in the Security Force and a supporter with significant influence within the clan head's faction.

"Clan Head, what did you call me here for?"

"Senior Kanbayashi, have you seen Uchiha Yoichi?"

Uchiha Kanbayashi nodded. "Of course. Although he took quite some time to return, it's understandable. Clan Head, you don't know, but he found a piece of Chakra Metal about half a fist in size outside. He just came to me wanting to forge a ninja sword."

"Half a fist in size? That is indeed rare. But Senior Kanbayashi, Yoichi attacked a ninja from the mission squad right after returning and sent him to the hospital."

Uchiha Fugaku's tone shifted. "Because of this, I was just summoned by the Hokage. Although the Hokage didn't blame Yoichi and even told us to resolve it ourselves, Yoichi was too impulsive this time, attacking a fellow Konoha ninja at the Hokage's office."

Uchiha Kanbayashi looked incredulous. "Clan Head, Yoichi isn't impulsive. Why would he attack a ninja from the mission squad? Did they assign the wrong mission again?"

"No, the Third-sama told me that the ninja from the mission squad was badmouthing Yoichi. When Yoichi overheard it, he attacked and sent that ninja to the hospital."

After hearing Uchiha Fugaku's explanation, Uchiha Kanbayashi felt some understanding. However, he still asked, "Clan Head, what do you plan to do about this?"

"Summon Yoichi. At the very least, he needs to be punished accordingly. If we don't show any response, the Third-sama won't be able to justify it."

"Didn't the Hokage-sama let you handle it yourself? Perhaps a verbal reprimand would suffice."

Seeing that Fugaku didn't seem to agree with his suggestion, Uchiha Kanbayashi continued, "Clan Head, that previous incident caused Yoichi a lot of unfairness. He didn't accept any compensation from the clan afterward. If we punish Yoichi for this matter, it might truly cause him to resent and become dissatisfied."

After all, Uchiha Yoichi was a well-known genius within the Uchiha clan. Chunin were rare in Konoha, and he had either escaped from Jonin squads or killed a Jonin in several life-or-death missions.

With such strength, Uchiha Kanbayashi fully believed that Yoichi already possessed Jonin-level strength, just without having undergone the formal assessment.

In a few more years, Uchiha Yoichi could very well become a powerful figure representing the Uchiha clan. Punishing him for such a minor issue seemed excessive to Uchiha Kanbayashi.

"Senior Kanbayashi, you have a point. However, although we Uchiha are strong, Konoha has many ninja clans and many strong individuals. We already control the Security Force. If we try to seize other powers, other ninja clans will surely be dissatisfied."

Uchiha Fugaku said in a deep voice, "There are many people watching us Uchiha in the village. It's best not to give them any leverage at this time. While Yoichi was in the right in this matter, him injuring a fellow Konoha ninja at the Hokage's office is indeed inexcusable.

Have him apologize to Chunin Sakuma. Show an attitude of admitting fault, just so the Third-sama sees it."

"An apology isn't a major punishment. I'll go persuade Young Yoichi."

Uchiha Kanbayashi breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. However, he and Uchiha Fugaku overlooked one point: making the "doves" within the Uchiha clan bow their heads and apologize would be easy.

But making the "hawks" within the Uchiha clan bow their heads and apologize would be harder than stabbing them and controlling them with the Sharingan.

Although Uchiha Yoichi wasn't a hawk, he wouldn't do something that disgusted himself to satisfy others.

He trained desperately to live with dignity. Otherwise, with Uchiha Yoichi's looks, he could easily become a son-in-law to a feudal lord, so why would he endure such arduous training every day?

Uchiha Fugaku spoke, "Coincidentally, tomorrow is the clan meeting. Senior Kanbayashi, have Yoichi attend the meeting. We'll discuss it then."

When they spoke privately last time, Fugaku had seen that Uchiha Yoichi was very opinionated and hadn't even accepted the clan's compensation.

Fugaku worried that Uchiha Yoichi would act the same way as last time. However, at the clan meeting, with his supporters taking turns to persuade him, Uchiha Yoichi should agree to apologize.

"Esteemed ninja, the weighted gear you wish to order is a bit troublesome. It will cost a total of 150,000 Ryo. The materials aren't expensive, but creating gear that perfectly fits your body requires a ninja tool craftsman."

"No problem. Notify me when it's ready. Here's the money."

Uchiha Yoichi took out a storage scroll, unsealed it, and took out 150,000 Ryo, handing it to the ninja tool shop owner. He also left his address.

He had been planning to get weighted gear for a long time. Taijutsu training is almost impossible without weights, especially for enhancing his Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

It was just that Uchiha Yoichi wanted to create weighted gear with multiple functions, hence the higher cost. Otherwise, simple metal blocks like Rock Lee's would suffice.

Arm guards, leg guards, and a ninja suit, all with protective capabilities and easy to remove, were why it was so expensive.

Year 43 of Konoha was fast approaching. Shortly after Uchiha Yoichi returned, he heard that Konoha's number one genius, Kakashi Hatake, intended to participate in the Chunin Exams alone.

"I'll focus on training for a while. Coordinating Lightning Release Chakra Mode with swordsmanship. If only my Sharingan could evolve a bit. One Tomoe is becoming insufficient."

Uchiha Yoichi knew very well that the Sharingan's evolution required stimulation, but there seemed to be nothing that could stimulate him.

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