Fugaku Uchiha's Tolerance

Uchiha Compound in Konohagakure.

In the entrance hall, a long table was set up. The shoji doors were open, making the entire room feel airy. Sitting at the table, one could see the evening sun and the flowers and plants in the courtyard.

Uchiha Mikoto was a skilled cook, and the food on the table tasted excellent.

The table manners at the head of the clan's family were always impeccable. Meals were usually quiet; even Sasuke wouldn't make excessive noise. But today...

"Clink clank! Gulp gulp gulp!"

The sounds of bowls and chopsticks colliding and hearty eating filled the dining table.

Compared to Qing Xuan, who ate like a ravenous tiger, Itachi was much more composed. Yet, he found himself enjoying watching Qing Xuan eat.

It was because Qing Xuan's eating made the food look incredibly appetizing.

From the moment he met Qing Xuan, Itachi noticed the differences between them. The other boy seemed to possess something he didn't know but desperately craved.

"Shimura Danzo is one of the Third Hokage's confidants."

Just then, Fugaku spoke. But Itachi knew his father rarely spoke during meals.

This change...

Itachi couldn't help but shift his gaze back to his uncle's son.

Is it because of him?

"Itachi! Are you listening? What are you spacing out about?"

His father's questioning voice suddenly pulled him back to reality. Itachi quickly averted his gaze, only to see his father's slightly displeased face and his mother's worried eyes.

"What did he want with Itachi?"

Mikoto asked her husband. She had been worried about this question all along, but someone else answered her first.

"Of course, he wants to drag Itachi into the darkness."

A nonchalant voice came from the bowl that buried his head. The muffled sound, however, made Mikoto's expression change.

Fugaku let out an angry snort.

It reminded him of Liu Yun, whom Danzo had taken to Root when he was young. Was he targeting his son again?

"Don't worry."

Only then did Qing Xuan finally lift his head from the bowl. His face was smeared with rice, a comical sight that made Sasuke giggle uncontrollably.

He grinned, wiped his chin, and put the rice grains back into his mouth, chewing as he said, "I'll protect him!"

But his appearance was hardly convincing. Fugaku glanced at him and said, "You're already six years old and eligible to enroll. You'll go to the Ninja Academy tomorrow."

Qing Xuan didn't object, merely asking curiously, "Don't I need an entrance exam or anything?"

"I've already made arrangements. You can just go tomorrow."

"Aren't you coming with me?"

"I have other things to do tomorrow. Besides, it's not the entrance ceremony. Itachi can go with you. His team's assembly is in the afternoon, so the morning is free..."

"So love disappears, right? You're not even accompanying me for something as important as enrolling. Am I not your biological child?"

"You're not!"

Fugaku felt a vein throbbing on his forehead. This familiar feeling had finally returned after many years.

Itachi watched with wide eyes. He had never seen such a way of communicating. And judging by his father's expression, he didn't seem to reject it.

How can this be?

After Qing Xuan's antics, the atmosphere at the table eased considerably. Mikoto's mood gradually relaxed. Seeing her husband's exasperated expression, she suppressed a smile and took Qing Xuan's bowl to help him refill it.

"Auntie, just half a bowl is fine."

Qing Xuan called out, then turned to look at Fugaku, who was sulking. "Why aren't you asking me what I talked about with the Third Hokage?"

"That's your own business." Fugaku truly didn't want to deal with him right now. Liu Yun used to infuriate him like this, and now his son was doing the same.

"Fine."

Qing Xuan shrugged indifferently and took two items from his ninja pouch, handing them to Fugaku across the table.

One was a letter, and the other was a sealed black bottle with a sealing tag.

"This is from Father for you."

Fugaku took the two items. Seeing the words "To my brother, open at your leisure" on the envelope, his fingers trembled slightly, but he hesitated to open it.

"If you want to read it, just open it."

Qing Xuan spoke again, holding half a bowl of rice and shoveling it in. He mumbled, "There's nothing sensitive inside. He just wants to know how you've been, if you miss him, if Itachi has grown taller, and if you're planning on having a second child..."

Looking at his carefree expression, veins began to bulge on Fugaku's forehead again. He even creased the letter in his hand.

"Did you open and read it?"

Qing Xuan swallowed the food in his mouth and asked doubtfully, "Can't I read it?"

Fugaku took a deep breath, then slumped down as if all the air had left him.

"Forget it..."

"Uncle, I know this might sound rude, but I have to say it. Don't you think you should change this impulsive habit of yours? A clan leader should possess the composure to remain unfazed even when mountains collapse before them, but I don't see a shred of that in you..."

"Are you full?"

"Yeah, I'm full, but..."

"Itachi, take him to rest. Don't forget to go to school tomorrow."

Just like that, Qing Xuan, who had been politely dismissed, could only follow Itachi to his room with a helpless look on his face.

Because he had returned so suddenly, a new room hadn't been prepared in time, so he could only sleep in Itachi's room tonight, with both of them sleeping on the floor.

Qing Xuan didn't mind. Compared to sleeping rough before, he really didn't care where he slept.

As Itachi brought out bedding from the closet and meticulously arranged it, Qing Xuan was already observing the room.

It was clean and tidy, just like the descriptions of male protagonists in novels. It wasn't the messy, run-down place he'd imagined; everything was neatly organized.

"This will have to do for tonight. We'll manage for one night."

With a turn of his head, Itachi had already spread out the bedding and spoken the first words since they'd met.

Itachi as a child was truly gentle and taciturn.

In response, Qing Xuan fumbled around in his ninja pouch and pulled out a box of three-colored dango, offering it.

"Want one?"

Itachi refused, "We just ate, and you're not supposed to eat before bed."

Qing Xuan, as if he hadn't heard, directly opened the box, took out a skewer, and put it in Itachi's hand. "I saw you. You didn't eat much just now, and you didn't even eat lunch, did you?"

Itachi hesitated, said thank you, took it, and ate it in small bites. He wanted to say something but couldn't find a topic, so he remained in awkward silence.

Qing Xuan, however, wasn't reserved at all. He flopped down onto the bedding, feeling the soft texture, and couldn't help but exclaim, "It's been so long since I felt this! I'm going to sleep until noon tomorrow!"

"That won't do. You have to get up early for school tomorrow," Itachi reminded him from the side.

Qing Xuan's anticipation for the Ninja Academy immediately halved. He sighed, "So, after graduating from the academy and becoming a ninja, I can sleep in?"

"That won't do either. Ninja have to go on missions and can't keep their comrades and Jonin leaders waiting too long."

"No! I know there's some blond guy in the village who just coasts by, either getting his path blocked by a cat or getting lost at life's crossroads..."

"Are you talking about Jonin Kakashi? He's affiliated with the Anbu."

"Then I want to join the Anbu!"

"Compared to regular ninja, the Anbu assessment is extremely rigorous..."

"What about the Police Force then?"

The two began to chat slowly.

As the night deepened, in a secret room.

The scarlet Three Tomoe rotated and twisted into a new pattern. Under the light, the handwriting on the letter gradually faded, and new content appeared.

An opened envelope lay on the desk. The seal on the bottle beside it had been broken, and two scarlet masses could be faintly seen at the glowing opening of the bottle.

"Is this your plan? Liu Yun..."

[Plot Character: Fugaku Uchiha's thoughts have undergone significant changes, influencing the Uchiha Clan's original destiny. Reward: One Golden Treasure Chest. Congratulations to the host for obtaining: Heroic Spirit Possession and Fusion Authority!]