At Uchiha Fugaku's summons, the Uchiha clan meeting was held ahead of schedule. Every adult Uchiha from every household attended.
Uchiha Kenji was barred from attending the meeting. Even Uchiha Fugaku feared he might cause more trouble and dredge up the scandal that had already been put to rest.
The meeting was held at Naka Shrine, the secret gathering place of the Uchiha Clan.
Uchiha Fugaku took the seat of honor and told everyone present about Uchiha Mika's request for a divorce. The group would decide together.
When Fugaku finished, the oldest man spoke coolly.
"She's just an outsider. Now that she's divorced, she's no longer one of the Uchiha Clan. What right does she have to take one of our children with her? Just kick her out."
"Exactly," said a middle-aged man sitting near the front, who seemed to hold a high position. "She was merely caught in the blast of an Explosive Tag. Letting her leave is already an enormous favor, and she still dares to make demands?"
The others nodded in agreement.
Mika was a little flustered. She'd known there would be strong opposition, but she hadn't expected everyone to object right from the start.
Uchiha Fugaku said,
"Even so, the child in question, the boy named Uchiha Cheng, insists on leaving with his mother. We should consider the child's own wishes."
The old man from before opened his eyes, his gaze sharp.
"An ungrateful wretch! Uchiha blood runs through his veins, yet he takes the side of an outsider. Why should we consider the wishes of a traitor like that? Lock him up in the clan and teach him a proper lesson. Let him out when he's been set straight."
But then another middle-aged man seated near the front said with a sneer,
"Elder, that's not right. If the boy wants to leave, then respect his wishes and let him go. Just gouge out his eyes before he does. That way, the Uchiha bloodline stays in the clan, and the boy gets what he wants. What could be better?"
A chill ran through the gathering. The suggestion was truly vicious.
Uchiha Cheng, listening from the side, stared at the man who had spoken, a murderous intent rising in his heart. They had no grudge against each other, yet the man was this cruel.
"Mother, who is that man?"
Mika's voice carried a chill, too.
"He's the father of the child you hurt earlier. His name is Uchiha Kento. I suppose he's saying this to get revenge."
Cheng hadn't expected the man to be so spiteful and vicious—to want to gouge out someone's eyes over a little squabble between children. He silently committed Uchiha Kento to memory.
You old bastard, just you wait. Let me get through this first. If Uchiha Itachi doesn't take you down, I'll do it myself.
Seeing that things were getting out of hand, Uchiha Shisui spoke up to stop them. He was young, but he was the Uchiha Clan's most outstanding prodigy. His strength was formidable, and he had a level of influence and authority well beyond his years.
"Gouging out his eyes is going too far. Uchiha Cheng is still one of our clan members. If we treat our own people like this, won't everyone laugh at us? Outsiders will think the Uchiha Clan is just like the Hyuga Clan, a family that enslaves and abuses its own members."
The others found his argument reasonable. They often criticized the Hyuga Clan for enslaving its own people.
Uchiha Fugaku nodded.
"As Shisui said, gouging out his eyes is out of the question. Since no one can agree, I have a proposal.
"Our clan has always had women marry outside the clan. Even after marrying out, they're still expected to obey the clan's orders. If their children or descendants awaken the Sharingan, they must take the Uchiha name and be brought back to the clan to be raised.
"Since Uchiha Mika married into the Uchiha Clan, she can be considered one of us. I suggest we handle this matter according to that precedent.
"Let Uchiha Mika leave with her child, then send someone to check periodically whether the boy has awakened his eyes. If he awakens the Sharingan, we'll bring him back to the clan and train him. If he doesn't, the clan has nothing to lose.
"Elder, what do you think?"
The elder considered this for a moment, then nodded in approval.
For now, Uchiha Fugaku's proposal seemed the most appropriate. Imprisoning the boy or gouging out his eyes would be too cruel and would invite criticism from outsiders. Besides, relations between the clan and the village had grown increasingly tense. If the village used this little matter as an excuse to attack them, they would have more to lose than to gain.
Seeing that the clan head and the elder had reached an agreement, the others also voiced their approval.
"But there's one more thing," the elder said. "This boy is so eager to side with outsiders that I want his surname revoked. Unless he awakens the Sharingan, he won't be allowed to keep the Uchiha name or enjoy the Uchiha Clan's protection. His name must also be struck from the clan registry."
Hearing the elder's words, Uchiha Cheng's eyes lit up. He'd been worrying about how to avoid getting caught up in the Uchiha Clan Massacre! He hadn't expected someone to hand him the answer just when he needed it.
If he lost the Uchiha surname and was removed from the clan registry, then no matter how the Uchiha Clan Massacre unfolded, it wouldn't involve him. He'd only have to keep an eye on that old snake, Danzo.
Both difficult problems—the divorce and the massacre—had been solved at once.
Two blessings at once.
He looked at the old man and found him more likable by the second.
It's a deal. No taking it back.
Uchiha Fugaku nodded in agreement. If he wanted to honor the agreement and win permission for the boy to leave, he had to make this concession.
In truth, he didn't want to strip the boy of his surname. If they still shared that connection, the boy might return to the clan when he grew up. Now that the surname was severed, the boy would have no sense of belonging to the clan at all.
But it didn't matter much. The boy was Uchiha Kenji's child, and Kenji's bloodline was inferior to begin with. He'd barely awakened a One-Tomoe Sharingan in his twenties, and he'd married an outsider. The boy's chances of awakening the Sharingan were next to none.
They voted by a show of hands, and a little more than half approved the decision. Some still thought gouging out the boy's eyes was the better option, including Uchiha Kento.
The majority ruled. In the end, Uchiha Cheng was stripped of his surname and expelled from the Uchiha Clan. The Uchiha Clan would handle the division of property.
The Uchiha Clan acted swiftly. The mother and son had little to their names, and that very night they were driven out of the Uchiha Clan Compound.
After leaving the Uchiha Clan, it felt as though a great weight had lifted from Mika's heart. She showed a smile she hadn't worn in a long time.
"Mom, where are we going now?" Cheng asked.
Mika ruffled Cheng's hair and smiled.
"I asked a friend ahead of time to help us find a place to rent. We'll go there."
"A friend? Which friend?"
"Her name is Haruno Mebuki. She was one of my patients. She thought I was a good doctor, so she kept coming to me for treatment. We got to know each other over time."
Haruno Mebuki? If he remembered correctly, that sounded like the name of Haruno Sakura's mother, the heroine of Naruto.
The mother and son walked toward the village, their figures disappearing into the night.