Naruto Uzumaki

Uchiha Izuna's words continuously grated on Uchiha Fugaku's nerves, leaving the man who had grown accustomed to ruling the roost at home feeling quite displeased.

"Zhan, is this the attitude you take when speaking to your father? Have you learned those noble etiquettes for nothing?" Uchiha Fugaku said coldly.

"Fugaku!" Uchiha Mikoto scolded. Uchiha Fugaku's eyelids twitched, and he reined himself in significantly.

Uchiha Izuna wanted to flare up, but when his mother's gaze fell upon him, he held it back. Finally, he sat on the floor and said to Sasuke Uchiha, "Sasuke, from now on, no one is allowed to bully you—not your big brother, and not your father."

"If anyone dares to bully you, tell your second brother. I will make them pay the price!" Uchiha Izuna said, his words carrying an ambiguous weight.

On the surface, he was speaking to Sasuke, but in reality, he was targeting Uchiha Fugaku. Uchiha Fugaku knew this all too well, and a sense of dejection washed over him.

He was a failure as a clan head, and a failure as a father; what a pathetic life he led!

Uchiha Mikoto patted Uchiha Izuna's head. "What are you saying, Zhan! Who would bully Sasuke? Eat, be a good boy!" She felt quite at a loss.

The original Zhan had been quite obedient and had never clashed so intensely with Uchiha Fugaku, but since awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, his personality had changed drastically.

Sigh, while the Uchiha clan's Sharingan was a blessing, Uchiha Mikoto knew that awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan often brought about some degree of personality shift.

Therefore, she understood Uchiha Izuna.

Uchiha Izuna deflated, his head drooping. There was no helping it; whenever he faced his mother, all his pressure and imposing aura simply vanished.

His mother held a natural dominance over his bloodline; after all, she had always cared for him deeply, never giving up on him despite his lack of talent, offering him the same concern and protection for ten years.

Just as Uchiha Izuna was feeling down, he felt something brush against his cheek.

He looked over to see Sasuke Uchiha, whose face was flushed, his eyes darting around nervously.

Uchiha Izuna smiled and pinched his cheek. "Sasuke, what do you want to eat? Brother will serve you. Eat as much as you like; don't worry about any noble etiquette."

Sasuke Uchiha was stunned, then blinked his large eyes at Uchiha Izuna. "Brother, I want to eat Three-Color Dango!"

He pointed at the five skewers of Three-Color Dango on the table, drool beginning to pool at the corner of his mouth.

Uchiha Izuna even heard him swallow—a distinct gulp.

Uchiha Izuna chuckled and pulled the Three-Color Dango over. Sasuke Uchiha reached out to take them, subconsciously glancing at his father, only to have his cheek pinched by Uchiha Izuna again.

"Eat, don't look around." With that, Uchiha Izuna grabbed a piece of Salmon Sushi with his hand, dipped it in the secret sauce, and popped it into his mouth.

The icy, incredibly fresh fish meat burst with flavor in his mouth. So delicious!

Uchiha Izuna savored the food, and influenced by him, Sasuke Uchiha began to eat heartily as well. Seeing this, the corners of Uchiha Mikoto's mouth curled upward.

As a housewife, the thing she wanted most was to see the food she prepared being enjoyed. In the past, Uchiha Izuna and Sasuke Uchiha could only ever eat until they were half-full due to noble etiquette.

She had often clashed with Uchiha Fugaku over this; they were just children, what was wrong with loving to eat?

But Uchiha Fugaku would never back down: "They are my children, Uchiha Fugaku's children! They are the sons of the clan head!"

"To wear the crown, one must bear its weight. Since they enjoy the treatment of the clan head's children, they must bear the corresponding restrictions."

Uchiha Fugaku was stubborn, and on this matter, he refused to budge, leaving Uchiha Mikoto furious.

Yet today, as Uchiha Mikoto observed Uchiha Fugaku, she noticed he didn't stop them. His eyes held a gentleness as he looked at Uchiha Izuna and Sasuke Uchiha.

One was his youngest son, and the other was now one of the pillars of the Uchiha clan, possessing the strength and capital to negotiate. Why should he restrict them anymore?

Uchiha Fugaku knew deep down that all the rules in this world were made by those in power, and the birth of power was inextricably linked to the strong.

In this world, Power > Wealth, Military > Power, and Strength > Military.

In short, strength was the foundation of this world. Based on the power Uchiha Izuna had displayed, Uchiha Fugaku had to carefully consider his words, because his strength was immense! It was that simple.

Uchiha Mikoto pulled Uchiha Fugaku to sit opposite Uchiha Izuna and Sasuke Uchiha.

They enjoyed the meal thoroughly. Sasuke Uchiha ate his fill and then began telling Uchiha Izuna about things at school.

"You mean you made a friend today? His name is Naruto Uzumaki?" Uchiha Izuna raised an eyebrow, immediately realizing who it was.

Hearing that name, Uchiha Fugaku sighed, while Uchiha Mikoto's body trembled, her eyes turning red.

"How is he doing?" Even though Uchiha Izuna knew of his tragic childhood, he still wanted to hear the reality of the situation.

"Sigh, he told me that his monthly allowance isn't even enough for food, and the merchants only sell him expired milk. He once gave me a sip of that expired milk."

"The taste..." Sasuke Uchiha looked disgusted. "But to save his face, I swallowed it and even told him it tasted good."

Uchiha Izuna patted Sasuke Uchiha's head. "Sasuke has learned to look after others, too."

Sasuke Uchiha looked up and smiled.

Uchiha Mikoto looked at Uchiha Izuna. "Zhan, is there any way you can help that child live a little better?"

Uchiha Izuna shook his head. "The village treats our clansmen like thieves right now. If we make contact with the Jinchuriki, I fear the Third Hokage would arrive within ten minutes to punish us."

Uchiha Mikoto's eyes dimmed. She knew Uchiha Izuna spoke the truth, but she couldn't help feeling heartbroken.

Kushina had been her sister-in-arms, and she wanted to look after the child of an old friend, but why did the village harbor such deep hostility toward the Uchiha?

The Nine-Tails Incident wasn't their fault. Just because they possessed the same eyes as that mysterious man, did they deserve to be implicated?

Sensing Uchiha Mikoto's despair, Uchiha Izuna stood up to comfort his mother, then glanced at Uchiha Fugaku's wandering gaze.

He knew Fugaku had once planned to kidnap the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and use the Mangekyō Sharingan to stage a coup, but through his own dōjutsu, he had seen two outcomes.

One outcome was that after defeating Konoha, they would be attacked by the other four great nations, leading to the total annihilation of both the Uchiha and Konoha.

The other outcome was the plot from the original story: the total extinction of the clan, leaving only his two sons alive, while most of the village's combat power remained intact.