After a few more casual family-chat remarks, Fugaku ended the conversation between them. So what if he had given the Hokage's son a concussion? A few words of reprimand were enough.
More importantly, a rare taijutsu prodigy had emerged within the clan. That was what Fugaku truly cared about.
Uchiha Mai left the room and immediately spotted Aunt Mikoto sitting in the corridor, along with Shisui, who was teasing Itachi.
"Mai, Fugaku didn't scold you too harshly, did he?
If his words were a little severe, I hope you can understand. The Uchiha Clan and the Hokage were never on the same path. The village has always been wary of us."
Aunt Mikoto glanced at Mai and comforted him softly, afraid that this young man might misunderstand Fugaku and come to resent him.
This was probably what it meant to play good cop and bad cop.
Mai smiled and responded, "You worry too much, Aunt Mikoto. The clan head only said a few words to me, then casually chatted about some trivial matters.
It was all for the Uchiha Clan. How could I resent the clan head?"
"It's good that you understand." Mikoto nodded gently. This young man was quite sensible.
The Uchiha Clan was like the mixed-bloods in Dragon Raja: naturally powerful, yet ostracized by Konoha's higher-ups. Even the villagers had no favorable impression of the Uchiha.
They also practiced intermarriage within the clan, so their numbers had never been large. Every clansman was exceedingly precious. Most Uchiha valued family ties deeply, sometimes to an extreme degree.
Uchiha Mikoto believed that Mai might be one of the radicals. After all, he had beaten Asuma into a concussion.
So she did not want a conflict of ideals or a single argument to drive a young man and Fugaku further apart.
Uchiha Mai took a few steps over to the stroller and bent down to inspect Uchiha Itachi in his swaddling clothes.
This powerful ninja, who in the original story had been brainwashed by the Will of Fire into exterminating his own clan, was currently nothing more than a toothless little brat giggling as Shisui teased him with a rattle.
"This is Aunt Mikoto and the clan head's child. His name is Itachi, right?" Mai asked, his eyes discreetly shifting toward the diaper beneath Itachi's crotch.
If I flick Itachi's little dick a few times now, I wonder if I can get some Style Points. Even if I can't, it'll still make for a good story someday.
Uchiha Itachi? Back in the day, I defeated him with one finger. Total trash.
How dare a mere Uchiha Itachi act up before the Second Dance King? Looks like you've forgotten how I flicked your little dick back then.
"Yes, Itachi is your little brother. You must all love one another and get along well from now on." Aunt Mikoto nodded.
Uchiha Mai stared at Itachi, evil thoughts growing within him as he itched to try.
Just as Mai raised his hand, baby Itachi, who had been waving his tiny hands in pursuit of the rattle, suddenly went from laughing to crying, wailing at a speed that rivaled Mai's own talent for changing expressions.
Uchiha Mai was utterly baffled. I haven't even done anything yet, so why is he crying...
Could it be that I already possess the intimidating aura of an unrivaled master?
Aunt Mikoto noticed the problem with just one glance. She picked up baby Itachi and said, "Oh my, what a naughty child.
Your little brother Itachi wet himself again. I'll change his diaper right away. You two keep him company."
Wetting himself and pooping were stages every baby went through. After all, newborns had little intelligence and only gradually learned how to hold it in.
"Let me do it!" Uchiha Mai raised his hand, looking eager. He had just been thinking about flicking Itachi's little dick, and now the opportunity had arrived.
"Me too." Little Shisui echoed him.
Aunt Mikoto looked at the two little boys, deeply comforted by this scene of brotherly affection. She simply placed baby Itachi back in the cradle and directed the two boys to change his diaper.
After a bout of frantic fumbling, Mai finally pulled off baby Itachi's urine-soaked diaper cloth, exposing that somewhat delicate little peanut to the air.
He found a clean towel, dampened it, and wiped baby Itachi's crotch. At last, Mai found his chance and discreetly flicked it once during the cleaning.
The Style Points in the system interface did not increase in the slightest.
Uchiha Mai was slightly disappointed. As expected, it was not so easy to fleece a sheep. Perhaps his initial idea of beating up the children of Konoha Kindergarten had been flawed.
The reason beating Asuma so badly had earned him 200 points might not have been solely because Asuma was a story character.
It was very likely related to factors such as the intensity of their confrontation, the onlookers, and their genuine thoughts.
After all, the Third Hokage had been among the spectators. Defeating his son head-on in front of him really did have something to do with the word "style."
The campaign had failed before it even began; his grand plan for getting rich had collapsed halfway through. That damn system would never leave such a huge loophole for anyone to exploit.
Still, changing this diaper had not been a loss. It counted as an investment in the future.
Once Uchiha Itachi grew up, Mai could throw his seniority around and show off in front of him: What are you acting so cocky for, you little brat? Your big brother here even changed your diapers back then.
I'm the man who suppressed Uchiha Itachi with one finger!
After changing baby Itachi's diaper, Uchiha Mai returned to his own courtyard. He punched until eleven, drank a glass of milk, and went to sleep, never leaving fatigue for the next day.
Then came the same student life, day after day.
Mai's class counted as a graduating class. In a little over a month, they would be preparing for the graduation exam. Those who passed would become ninjas; those who failed would be sent home to sell meat floss pastries.
The difficulty of the graduation exam would not decrease just because Konoha lacked ninjas. The more it was wartime, the more likely ninjas would be assigned dangerous missions deep behind enemy lines.
In team combat, even one unqualified member could severely drag down the entire team.
With the graduation exam approaching, the various class schedules for Mai's grade were no longer arranged as strictly as before. After all, everyone needed to review different things.
As a result, Mai gained plenty of time to train taijutsu. Every day, after playing the harmonica, dancing, and harvesting a wave of Style Points, he would hide in a corner of the training ground to improve his boxing and taijutsu.
Mayweather's boxing techniques were better suited for face-to-face taijutsu battles under arena rules, while most of the fights ninjas faced were ambushes and encounters.
It was necessary to adapt taijutsu according to one's physical condition, needs, and preferences. That required a profound understanding of taijutsu.
Fortunately, Uchiha Mai did not lack such understanding.
After spending several days on it, Mai finally combined his actual circumstances with boxing, jujutsu, and the Five-Link Whip as foundations, creating the beginnings of a fighting style best suited to himself.
So far, this fighting style had only settled on a few relatively basic moves, but it still further improved Mai's strength.
After all, this was taijutsu that truly suited him.
Before you continue