A drizzle could barely reach my eyes! The spring breeze could only ruffle the tips of my bangs!
As the cheers nearly lifted the roof off the training ground, Qing Xuan's speech was already drawing to a close.
But did you think that was the end of it?
He set Sasuke down, holding him with one arm as he faced the Uchiha's fervent cheers. Then he felt around in his pocket and pulled out a small kunai carved from wood.
"This is a present for you."
He spoke softly and placed the kunai in Sasuke's hand. The cheering briefly fell silent.
"If one day in the future, you have an enemy you absolutely must kill, no matter what..."
He stood there with carefree swagger, the hot wind stirring his hem as the Uchiha watched him in silence.
"Then bring this to me, and I'll do whatever it takes to help you take him down!"
ROAR!
The atmosphere exploded!
That was so damn cool! Those were the words a true Uchiha should say!
"Take him down! Take him down!"
Amid the impassioned roars, pairs of scarlet eyes gleamed with frenzied excitement.
Wasn't this way more hype than Boku?!
The warm-up had reached its peak. Having enjoyed his moment in the spotlight, Qing Xuan stepped down.
He handed Sasuke to Itachi and casually spoke the honest truth. "You were supposed to give that speech, especially the last part."
Itachi thought he was complaining that he, as Sasuke's older brother, hadn't fulfilled his responsibilities. He could only say helplessly, "I'm ashamed to admit it, but I couldn't come up with a speech as perfect as yours. Qing Xuan, you're a good older brother. I'm grateful for everything you've done for Sasuke."
The heartfelt gratitude made Qing Xuan feel too embarrassed to tease him any further. He merely waved a hand dismissively. "The speech was written for you and Sasuke. I just thought it'd be more fitting if you delivered it."
But then he reconsidered. In a few years, once he'd grown up enough, there was no telling whether the whole "my foolish little brother" storyline would even happen!
Still, he'd already sensed how unwavering Itachi was in his beliefs. If only everyone were as simple-minded as the Hokage's son...
He sighed to himself as he watched his clansmen caught up in the celebration, thinking that at last he'd taken the first step in his plan.
And so the Uchiha Clan's celebration continued for an entire day.
As night gradually fell,
Shisui, who was always keen to snoop around for information about the Hyuga, brought back the latest news: the head of the Kumogakure delegation had died in the Hyuga Clan.
The festivities came to a halt.
It was undeniably huge news for all of Konoha.
But the Uchiha simply gathered calmly behind their clan head and Young Clan Head.
Fugaku Uchiha took Sasuke, whom he'd just picked up, and placed him back in Itachi's arms. His eyes narrowed as he pondered something.
Qing Xuan, on the other hand, had no such concerns. He kept eating his chicken leg, crunching away so loudly that the sound carried more clearly than the rain outside the window.
It wasn't until Tsunade discreetly kicked him that he put the chicken leg away and once again adopted the solemn air expected of the Young Clan Head.
"Then what was the reason, Shisui?"
The abrupt change in mood left Shisui momentarily dazed. Then he quickly pulled himself together. "According to Hyuga Hiashi, head of the Hyuga main family, the man tried to steal the main family's daughter under cover of night. When he was discovered, he killed himself."
He divulged the information without hesitation. As a perceptive Uchiha, he knew who was really in charge at a time like this.
He killed himself?
A flicker of surprise crossed Qing Xuan's eyes. Then his expression changed, and he angrily hurled the chicken bone to the ground.
"Oh, so they really don't take our Uchiha Clan seriously!"
The air suddenly fell silent.
No one understood what they were supposed to be angry about. They blinked their Sharingan and exchanged bewildered looks.
Then Elder Shana suddenly roared, "They really don't take us seriously!"
A baffling wave of anger swept through everyone. They didn't know why, but they knew they should be angry too!
If anyone was to blame, it was those people for disrupting the great Uchiha's happy gathering for no good reason!
Damn it! Maybe they really were getting a little angry!
After all, the Uchiha Clan hadn't been this happy in many years.
So some of them genuinely started to get angry, and the more they thought about it, the angrier they became.
The atmosphere grew so tense that little Sasuke started crying.
Good! Now they had one more reason to be angry.
More Uchiha began to shout.
Qing Xuan sensed that the mood was just about right. He immediately picked out a few powerful clansmen with the shortest tempers, then waved his little hand. "Uncle, take the clan members and guard our home. Elder Shana, you're coming with me! Let's show those white-eyed people what we can do!"
The Uchiha loved this kind of thing. A crowd immediately rallied behind him, noisily surging out after Qing Xuan. Their furious momentum made it look like the Uchiha were about to stage a coup.
Fugaku didn't even try to stop them. Fortunately, Sasuke's birthday celebration was already winding down. He glanced at Tsunade, who remained unruffled beside him. "Are you really not going to stop him? You're just going to let him cause a scene like this?"
Tsunade gave him a look that seemed to ask if he was an idiot. Her tone was extremely brazen. "If he wants to make a scene, let him. My son is ultimately different from you Uchiha."
That was pretty rude, but given her strength and status, the proud Uchiha pretended not to hear. Right now, they were more curious about what the Young Clan Head and Elder Shana would stir up at the Hyuga compound.
And so, carrying the hopes of the clansmen who remained behind, Body Flicker Shisui set off once more!
The Hyuga Clan.
Night had fallen. The Hyuga Clan, which had been shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere all day, grew increasingly lively as visitors arrived.
[Be careful of Kumogakure...]
Fugaku Uchiha's low voice once again echoed in Hyuga Hiashi's mind.
His gaze lowered to the corpse of the Land of Lightning ninja who had led the delegation. Not long ago, the man had been alive, standing before him and laughing wildly, his eyes filled with contempt for Hiashi and pain at the fate he knew awaited him.
"Hyuga clan head, we're both pitiful pawns swept along by fate!"
He laughed heartily, then began coughing up blood.
Because of Fugaku Uchiha's warning and the reminders he'd received from others, Hyuga Hiashi had held back at the last moment. But no matter what he did, he couldn't stop someone from meeting his imminent death...
"Perhaps you'll understand later!"
A strange smile flickered across the man's face. The next moment, it froze there.
And so, the Land of Lightning ninja who had come to Konoha to sign a peace treaty died in the Hyuga Clan, one of Konoha's noble clans.
Hyuga Hiashi didn't know what he would have to face next. But when another envoy from the Land of Lightning and the Third Hokage arrived in quick succession, he suddenly sensed that he might already have stepped into a conspiracy someone had carefully woven around him.
"Konoha Hidden Village must give the Land of Lightning an explanation!"
The one-eyed ninja wearing a hat turned his gaze toward the silent Third Hokage. "This is no longer a matter of one life. It involves the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, Konoha and Kumogakure..."
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