Unfortunately, trouble still found him.
Just after dinner that evening, a furious woman arrived at his doorstep with the child who had led the group.
His mother kept bowing and apologizing, shielding Uchiha Cheng behind her so he wouldn't have to face what was happening.
The neighbors had all come out to watch the commotion. When they saw that the woman was from a so-called Three-Tomoe direct line, no one dared intervene.
"You're nothing but a One-Tomoe family, and you dared lay a hand on my son? Are you tired of living?"
"I'm truly sorry, ma'am. It's normal for children to quarrel and fight. I apologize on my child's behalf," Mika said, bowing.
"Mother, actually, he was the one who insulted me first," Uchiha Cheng protested.
"You little bastard, my son would insult you? Don't flatter yourself. Your lowly bloodline is so filthy that even looking at you would taint our eyes."
The woman ranted, spitting as she spoke. Then she slapped Mika across the face.
That horrible woman! Uchiha Cheng seethed. Chakra gathered rapidly as he prepared to hit her hard.
But just as he was about to step forward, his mother raised a hand and held him back. Seeing her shake her head slightly, Uchiha Cheng understood. He forcibly swallowed his anger.
There were plenty of onlookers, but everyone watched coldly from the sidelines. Now and then, jeers and taunts rang out.
"That's what you get for offending someone with a superior bloodline."
"What a lowly piece of trash, daring to provoke a Three-Tomoe family."
The so-called Three-Tomoe direct line seemed to wield absolute authority.
The woman kept hurling insults for a full three hours before finally leaving. The onlookers dispersed, leaving mother and son in silence.
"Mother, I was wrong," Uchiha Cheng admitted.
Mika rubbed Uchiha Cheng's head.
"Next time, think carefully before you act."
Uchiha Cheng nodded silently.
After this incident, he finally saw the truth: the Uchiha Clan put bloodline above all else. The more Tomoe one had, the higher one's status. The claim that the Uchiha Clan was a clan of love was complete nonsense.
The positive portrayal of the Uchiha Clan in the original story was mostly false, or seen through rose-colored glasses.
If the Uchiha Clan really was a clan of love, one that loved deeply, then given that the Sharingan awakened when its user experienced intense emotional turmoil, how could Shimura Danzō and Uchiha Obito, after massacring the Uchiha Clan, have failed to find even a single Mangekyo pair lying around?
Only a few years after the Third Ninja World War, the Uchiha Clan had lost many of its members, yet still couldn't find even one pair of Mangekyo Sharingan. The only explanation was that no one had grieved for the dead.
The only known Mangekyo users in the clan were Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui, and neither agreed with the clan's ways. That made the problem even clearer.
Watching the woman walk away, he etched what had just happened deep into his heart. He sneered inwardly.
The Uchiha Clan was a family that sat atop a mountain of treasure without entering it, begging for food with a golden bowl in hand. Rotten to the core, they deserved to be wiped out.
You humiliated and bullied me today. One day, I'll repay you a hundredfold.
When my Rinnegan reaches its full power, if Uchiha Itachi doesn't wipe you out, I'll do it myself.
I am not yet strong. Once I am, everything will change.