Family

The sky had already darkened by the time he emerged from the meeting hall.

Akashi dragged his weary body along to bid Fugaku farewell, heading down the mountain while keeping a sharp eye on his surroundings, yet he detected no signs of Anbu surveillance.

Perhaps they had already left?

Or perhaps they were simply too good at hiding.

Konoha's tracking and surveillance capabilities were not to be underestimated; for instance, Sarutobi Hiruzen possessed the incredibly broken Telescope Technique. Its only activation requirement was knowing the target's chakra signature, theoretically allowing him to monitor anyone within the village.

Not even Fugaku Uchiha was an exception.

However, such a technique was likely to be detected by the target, and it was highly probable that it could not penetrate barriers. Given Sarutobi Hiruzen's cautious nature, he was unlikely to rashly monitor the heads of the major clans.

As for himself... surely he wasn't worth the Hokage's personal attention.

Lost in thought, he arrived at his doorstep.

Akashi opened the door and stepped inside.

A beautiful and gentle woman poked her head out from the kitchen: "Akashi, you're back!"

She was in her thirties with a lovely face, wearing a pink apron and holding a spatula, exuding a mature charm.

Hiromi Uchiha, his mother.

Before marrying into the Uchiha clan, she had been an outstanding medical ninja and a renowned beauty. It was said that she met Munakata Uchiha during the war, and after falling in love and having a child, they decided to marry.

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

Seeing her, Akashi immediately called out affectionately: "Thank you for your hard work, Mom."

"Go wash your hands and get ready to eat."

"Mm, the food smells delicious today, too."

That wasn't just flattery; Hiromi Uchiha's cooking was truly beyond reproach.

However, heavy footsteps slowly approached.

Akashi knew his hot-tempered old man had arrived.

Munakata Uchiha was a man who lived up to his name—upright and forthright. He usually carried himself with the air of a patriarch, full of authority. Recently, he had been resting at home due to illness, having stepped back from his duties at the Police Force.

He kept his hands tucked into his wide sleeves, his eyebrows arched: "Why are you back so late?"

"We had a cordial and friendly discussion at the clan meeting, fully exchanged our opinions, and the result was quite pleasant, though it took a bit more time than expected."

"The specifics?"

"I had a fight with Itachi Uchiha."

His father didn't scold him; instead, he asked with great interest: "Did you win?"

"I won."

"Well done, you didn't lose face for me." His father nodded slightly, praising him with satisfaction, clearly feeling that his son was a chip off the old block.

Akashi understood the mindset of most of his clansmen.

Without exception, they held the name of Uchiha in high regard, with pride buried deep in their bones.

Fighting was fine, but losing was absolutely forbidden!

Munakata coughed violently twice before turning to the main topic: "Was the agenda about the Police Force?"

"No, it was about the relocation of the clan grounds."

Akashi recounted the events, briefly explaining the cause and effect.

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!"

The hot-tempered father's temper flared, and he coughed repeatedly: "If our clan does this, we will move further and further away from the center of power. In the long run, we will become even more marginalized."

Akashi remained noncommittal.

Munakata Uchiha was puzzled, then lowered his voice: "Aren't you working as a mole in the Konoha high command? Didn't you hear any useful information to persuade everyone?"

"I did persuade them," Akashi scratched his head, "I persuaded them to agree."

"???"

Munakata was stunned for a moment, and then his hand whipped out from his sleeve.

Whose side are you a mole for!

Aside from Fugaku, only his family knew about his espionage work.

The reason was simple: if he didn't tell them, he would be running to the Hokage Building every few days, and he feared his father would break his legs. Fugaku hadn't objected, only repeatedly warning him not to leak any secrets.

Munakata was currently regretting letting his son go.

At this moment, Hiromi Uchiha walked out of the kitchen carrying fish soup, soothing them, "Alright, whatever you have to say, eat first and talk later."

His wife's instructions were always effective; even Munakata dared not disobey.

He suppressed his temper and took his seat at the dining table.

As the family enjoyed their delicious dinner, Hiromi Uchiha sat between the father and son, smiling, "Don't be impatient. Listen to how our son explains it; he must have his reasons."

"Hmph, no matter what he says, it makes no sense."

Munakata glanced over intentionally or otherwise, "If I weren't sick, I would have beaten you today."

Akashi shrank back slightly, "Actually... it wasn't that serious."

As he spoke, he listed the pros and cons of the relocation one by one, repeating the long list of difficulties Fugaku had mentioned word for word.

After listening, Munakata fell into deep thought.

How did it seem like the clan leader's plan was truly the optimal solution?

"No, that's not right. Why should the Uchiha move the furthest and be a step lower than the other clans?"

Akashi persuaded him, "Our Uchiha clan has always shown our true worth in battle; our capacity is not something they can compare to. Let's just concede this to them."

"Hmph, that sentence actually sounds decent."

Munakata's clenched fist gradually loosened, "When it comes to battle, we don't lose to any clan."

Following the lead, Akashi couldn't help but show his filial piety, "That's right, I've always looked forward to fighting alongside you one day, just to broaden my horizons."

"Wait until you become a jonin first."

Munakata snorted coldly, his lips curling in helplessness.

Although he appeared strict on the surface, he couldn't bear to be overly harsh in his heart.

It was already a miracle that this child had survived; a severe illness back then had nearly taken him, and the doctor had even uttered the words "prepare for the worst." In the end, protected by the spirits of the Uchiha ancestors, Akashi had miraculously awakened from his near-death state.

Since then, Hiromi Uchiha had been exceptionally protective of Akashi.

Whenever Munakata's discipline exceeded her understanding, the situation would immediately reverse, turning into her disciplining Munakata, making the family hierarchy crystal clear.

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

Thanks to this, Akashi was always able to escape unscathed.

In truth, he also knew his father's nature: stern on the outside, soft on the inside.

Munakata let out a muffled sigh, his gaze gradually softening as he picked up a piece of beef and placed it in his son's bowl:

"Eat more."

?

After dinner, Akashi helped clear the dishes, then finished washing up early and went upstairs alone to rest.

In the room, warm light rippled outward.

Akashi leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath, "Finally managed to get through that."

Life in Konoha was more colorful than he had imagined.

And also more difficult than he had imagined.

He had thought that once he safely survived the Third Shinobi World War, there wouldn't be many waves and he could grow and develop steadily, but who would have expected one unexpected event after another to keep pushing him forward.

The shinobi world was truly a terrifying place.

Akashi organized his thoughts and pulled a black-covered notebook from the corner of the bookshelf, filled with dates, reflections, and complaints.

Who said serious people don't keep diaries?