Family

By the time Akashi left the Council Hall, it was already late.

Akashi said goodbye to Fugaku and headed down the mountain, his body weighed down by exhaustion. Along the way, he paid special attention to his surroundings, but didn't spot any Anbu tailing him.

Maybe they'd already left?

Or maybe they were just that good at hiding.

Konoha's surveillance and tracking abilities were nothing to scoff at. Sarutobi Hiruzen, for instance, had a particularly overpowered technique called the Telescope Technique. All he needed to use it was to know the target's chakra signature, which theoretically allowed him to spy on anyone in the village.

Even Uchiha Fugaku was no exception.

However, it was quite possible to sense the technique being used and turn the tables on the user. It was also unlikely to penetrate a barrier. Given Sarutobi Hiruzen's cautious nature, he probably wouldn't rashly spy on the heads of the major clans.

As for me... surely the Hokage wouldn't bother keeping an eye on me personally.

As he thought about it, he had already reached home.

Akashi opened the door and went inside.

A beautiful, gentle-looking woman peeked out from the kitchen. "You're home, Akashi!"

She was in her thirties, with delicate features and a pink apron. Holding a spatula, she exuded a mature charm.

Hiromi Uchiha, his mother.

Before marrying into the Uchiha Clan, she had been an outstanding medical ninja and a beauty famous far and wide. Apparently, she had met Munakata Uchiha during the war, and they had fallen for each other. After they had a child together, they decided to get married.

After the wedding, she worked at the hospital and had once studied ninjutsu under Tsunade.

When Akashi saw her, he immediately called out, "Thanks for all your hard work, Mom."

"Go wash your hands. Dinner's almost ready."

"Okay. It smells great, as always."

He wasn't just saying that to flatter her. Hiromi Uchiha was an excellent cook.

Then came the slow approach of heavy footsteps.

Akashi knew his short-tempered old man was on his way.

Munakata Uchiha was just as his name suggested: upright and straightforward, with the imposing air of a stern patriarch. He had recently fallen ill and was resting at home, taking time off from his work at the Police Force.

With his hands tucked into his wide sleeves, he raised his brows. "Why are you home so late?"

"We had a cordial and friendly discussion at the clan meeting. Everyone shared their opinions, and things went pretty well. It just took a little longer than expected."

"Get to the point."

"I got into a fight with Itachi Uchiha."

His father didn't scold him. Instead, he asked with interest, "Did you win?"

"I did."

"Good. You didn't bring shame on me." His father gave a satisfied nod and praised him, looking as if he'd expected nothing less from his son.

Akashi understood how most of the clan members felt.

Without exception, they all took the Uchiha name very seriously. Pride ran deep in their bones.

They didn't mind a fight. They just couldn't stand losing!

Munakata suddenly coughed twice before getting to the point. "What was the topic? Was it about the Police Force?"

"No, it was about relocating the clan compound."

Akashi explained what had happened, briefly laying out the circumstances and how things had come about.

Relocation?

Wasn't that just segregation?

Munakata stared at Akashi, his face turning livid. "What did the clan head say?"

"He agreed."

"How could he agree to that?!"

His short-tempered father lost his cool, coughing repeatedly. "This will take our clan farther and farther from the center of power. The longer it goes on, the weaker we'll become."

Akashi didn't argue.

Munakata was baffled. Then he lowered his voice. "Aren't you a spy among the Konoha High Command? Didn't you pick up any useful information to convince everyone?"

"I did convince them." Akashi scratched his head. "I convinced everyone to agree."

"???"

Munakata stared at him in disbelief, then pulled his hand out of his sleeve.

Whose side are you spying for?!

Only Fugaku and the family knew about his work as a spy.

The reason was simple enough. If his father didn't know, he'd beat Akashi to a pulp for running off to the Hokage Building every other day. Fugaku hadn't objected, but he'd warned Akashi again and again not to reveal the secret.

Munakata was beginning to regret letting his son take the job.

Just then, Hiromi Uchiha came out of the kitchen carrying fish soup and tried to soothe him. "All right, save it for after dinner."

His wife's word was law. Even Munakata wouldn't dare disobey.

He forced himself to calm down and took his seat at the table.

The family enjoyed a delicious dinner. Seated between father and son, Hiromi Uchiha smiled. "Don't rush. Let's hear our son out. I'm sure he has his reasons."

"Hmph. Whatever he says, it won't make sense."

Munakata cast him a sidelong glance. "If I weren't sick, I'd have given you a good beating today."

Akashi shrank back. "Actually... it's not that bad."

Then he listed the pros and cons of relocating and repeated, word for word, all the difficulties Fugaku had explained at length.

After listening, Munakata fell silent in thought.

How did it seem like the clan head's plan really was the best option?

"No, that's not right. Why should the Uchiha have to move the farthest? It puts us beneath the other clans."

Akashi tried to reassure him. "Our Uchiha Clan has always excelled on the battlefield. None of them can match our mettle. We can just let them have this one."

"Hmph. That almost sounds like you know what you're talking about."

The fist Munakata had clenched gradually relaxed. "When it comes to fighting, we're no worse than any other clan."

Going along with what he'd said, Akashi couldn't help adding, "Exactly. I've always looked forward to the day I can fight alongside you. It'd be an eye-opening experience."

"Become a jonin first. Then we'll talk."

Munakata snorted and pressed his lips together, not sure what else to say.

Though he was stern on the outside, he couldn't bring himself to be too hard on his son.

The fact that the boy had survived was already a miracle. A serious illness years ago had almost taken him, and the doctors had even told the family to prepare for the worst. But the spirit of the Uchiha Clan's ancestors had watched over him, and Akashi had somehow woken up while on the brink of death.

From then on, Hiromi Uchiha had been especially protective of Akashi.

Whenever Munakata's discipline went beyond what she could tolerate, the situation immediately turned around. She would start lecturing Munakata instead, making the family pecking order abundantly clear.

Even though Munakata was a jonin with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan, he didn't dare lose his temper in front of his wife.

Thanks to that, Akashi could always escape unscathed.

He knew what his father was really like, too: stern on the outside, soft-hearted on the inside.

Once Munakata had vented his frustration, his gaze gradually softened. He picked up a piece of beef and put it on Akashi's plate.

"Eat more."

?

After dinner, Akashi helped clear the dishes, then washed up early and went upstairs to rest by himself.

Warm lamplight filled his room.

Leaning back in his chair, Akashi let out a long breath. "Finally got through that."

Life in Konoha was more colorful than he'd imagined.

And more difficult, too.

He'd thought that once he made it through the Third Shinobi World War safely, there wouldn't be much more trouble. He could grow up steadily and build a life for himself. But unexpected problems kept cropping up one after another, pushing him forward whether he liked it or not.

The Shinobi World really was a terrifying place.

Akashi sorted through his thoughts, then pulled a black-covered notebook from the corner of his bookshelf. It was filled with dates, musings, and complaints.

Who said serious people didn't keep diaries?