The next day, Arata woke up according to his biological clock.
Dressing, washing up, swallowing a military ration pill, and strapping on weights—everything remained as mechanical as ever.
Yesterday, his conversation with Shisui had stalled at "Kotoamatsukami."
When the other brought up the matter of forcibly altering his clansmen's wills, he truly struggled to control his emotions.
The Uchiha Clan was proud.
Even compared to the Senju of the Forest, with whom they shared equal renown, the emotional intensity of the Uchiha was unmatched.
Therefore, making his clansmen lose their self-will and become puppets of Konoha was completely intolerable.
It was more painful than being killed!
Having received his answer, Body Flicker Shisui said nothing more, merely asking him to seek him out again today to provide the answer to his previous question.
As for the question of which side to choose,
Arata had never made any other choice from the very beginning; the Uchiha was his only destination and the sole place that offered him warmth.
Whether it was Uncle Yashiro and Sister Izumi, with whom he already had close ties, or the noodle stall proprietress he greeted daily, and the elderly woman who asked him for help steadying her steps—even when public opinion surged most violently, they still showed their care for him in different ways and methods.
Contrast that with Konoha.
Those higher-ups wanted something very simple.
They wanted to build a Hidden Leaf Village without the Uchiha!
Even though this clan helped them suppress one neighboring powerful enemy after another and paid with countless vibrant lives, those four old men still refused to accept the clan.
He was Arata Uchiha!
Naturally, he would fight for the Uchiha!
Yet Shisui's concerns were not entirely unreasonable.
Once both sides went to war, the price paid would inevitably be disastrous.
Ordinary residents in the city, along with the powerless old folks, women, and children of the clan, would all become sacrificial lambs in this war.
However!
The right to wage war clearly lay with Konoha's side!
If they could face the Uchiha squarely and treat them fairly, would such a rift ever have appeared?
"Arata."
Walking down the street, Arata Uchiha was suddenly called out to.
The voice sounded somewhat familiar, but mostly strange; they were likely clansmen he had barely interacted with.
He raised his gaze.
Unconsciously, he had already walked over to the noodle stall run by the older woman, and the ones calling out to him were precisely the two ninjas who had mocked him yesterday.
The difference, however, was that today they were not wearing the uniform of the Military Police Force, obviously not on duty.
Yet if it wasn't for duty, why were they appearing here so early?
Were they waiting for him?
A trace of doubt surfaced in Arata Uchiha's eyes, and not knowing how to respond, he simply stood quietly and looked up at the two men before him.
Being stared at like this, the two fellows immediately grew somewhat fidgety, showing none of the pride typical of the Uchiha Clan, but after exchanging a glance, they bowed together.
"Sorry, we were wrong yesterday. Please forgive us."
The hurried voices grew firm and resonant as the words progressed.
At the age of eight, pushing through a training ground full of Genin was pretty good, but it was hardly anything extraordinary.
What truly shocked the two of them was that the boy before them had actually suppressed an Anbu operative and even stabbed the guy with a blade!
What kind of magical behavior was that?!
That was an Anbu, the personal troops directly under the Third Hokage!
What was the clan head's usual demand of them?
Ignore them.
Don't engage.
Even while under surveillance, they had to suppress the resentment in their hearts!
Yet what about Arata? He had directly shattered that stale rule they had long been dissatisfied with!
Not only these two good brothers, but many members of the Military Police Force felt immensely gratified upon hearing this news, and Captain Inabi's uninhibited laughter yesterday had nearly blown the roof off the Police Force headquarters!
Furthermore, contrasting this with Itachi Uchiha's friendly attitude toward the Anbu and his repeated absences from gatherings, a world-shaking change began to take place in their mindset.
Of course, these changes were currently limited to the Military Police Force, which had the most contact with the Anbu.
"Yeah."
Arata hummed awkwardly.
Suddenly, however, he remembered Sister Izumi's admonition.
"Yeah, ah, oh, fine, and so on—you can't reply with just one word! They're all perfunctory and show a lack of respect!"
"It's fine."
Arata added.
"Phew."
"Just as Lord Yashiro said, he's actually really easy to get along with."
Upon receiving a reply, one of the clansmen let out a long breath, as if a stone in his heart had finally settled.
Then, he immediately turned solemn and focused, pronouncing each word distinctly: "No matter the reason for that spar, I, Meika Uchiha, am willing to believe you."
"Me, Endo Uchiha, as well!"
Not far away, the stall owner looked at this scene, nodding slightly with an expression of this youth can be taught.
Hearing this, Arata froze for a moment, then quietly averted his gaze.
His emotions were a mess right now.
He truly didn't know how to sort them out.
Because aside from Uncle Yashiro and Sister Izumi, this was the first clansman who claimed to understand and believe in him.
"Thank you."
Lacking in eloquence, he could only respond with this.
"Oh, right."
As if suddenly remembering something, Meika lowered his head and began untying the ninja tool pouch at his waist. One could see that the pouch, which should have been neat and convenient, was currently heavily overburdened and stuffed to the brim with things.
"Here."
"Remember, if there's a next time, help us stab them a few more times!"
"I've long been sick of those lingering Anbu. If it weren't for the clan, I'd really want to throw down with them! Don't they know the peace on the border was bought with the Uchiha Clan's blood?!"
Meika Uchiha unceremoniously shoved the tool pouch into Arata's hands, its clanking metal-on-metal collision mirroring his turbulent emotions.
"And mine too!"
Endo also resolutely unbuckled his own tool pouch.
They both still remembered the restrictions imposed by the clan grounds.
Therefore, this was the only way they could show their support and express the surging passion in their hearts.
"I—"
Arata opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
Yet besides thank you, he truly didn't know what else to say.
"All right, all right, it's enough that you can forgive our words from yesterday. Keep it up."
Meika waved a hand, his expression as relaxed as if he had just resolved a major life event.
"Thank you."
Walking through the forest, Arata's steps were light, and the coldness that had lingered on his handsome face for days was replaced by a trace of a faint smile.
He had found the answer to the problem he had pondered all night.
Standing from the clan's perspective, his side simply wanted to be treated fairly and to receive the respect and honor they were due. Was such a demand excessive?
Not at all!
The Uchiha deserved to be respected.
Yet standing from the village's perspective, the source of the Nine-Tails Incident pointed directly at the Uchiha. No one could refute that the Sharingan possessed such power, and moreover, the mastermind manipulating that natural disaster came from the Uchiha!
Furthermore, both Clan Head Fugaku and Body Flicker Shisui were capable of replicating such a natural disaster once again.
It was understandable that the village harbored guard.
However, such extreme suppression genuinely lacked fairness, and it was also the most direct reason why the Uchiha Clan grew dissatisfied and generated rebellious intentions.
After all, this was an emotionally rich clan to begin with!
How could it be resolved?
It could be said that unless Konoha's higher-ups abandoned their suppression, it was fundamentally unresolvable.
With his own status and strength, he couldn't sway the wills of the two factions either.
Therefore, there was only one thing he could do: become the Uchiha's sword.
Protect all companions within the clan grounds, strike down anyone who dared to invade, and slay every potential traitor!
Not merely for slaughter.
More than that, to be the sword of protection!
Before you continue