Twenty-Eight: Fugaku's Hesitation

"Mom! There's a giant bird flying in the sky!" A child in Konoha who loved stargazing suddenly shouted, his eyes widening. "There seems to be someone on it, too! Mom, I want to fly too!"

"Kiba! What nonsense are you spouting? Who would be flying in Konoha at this hour? Go to sleep immediately; we still have to pick out your ninja dog tomorrow!"

Kiba, his face barely three years old, wore an expression of desperate need to prove himself. "Mom! It's true! I really saw a giant bird flying, and there was someone on it!"

"Kiba, don't make Mom spank your little bottom. It's time for bed!" Kiba's mother walked over, looking helpless. She glanced at the unconvinced Inuzuka Kiba, then cast a casual look at the sky outside the window.

A large, full moon hung in the sky. There was no sign of any figure. In her mind, the number of ninjas in Konoha capable of flight could be counted on one hand, let alone those riding giant bird-like summoning beasts.

"Kiba! Lying is not a good trait for a child!"

"I'm not lying!" Kiba ran to the window and looked up at the sky, his large eyes searching frantically. To his disappointment, the fiery red giant bird had long since vanished, and a trace of dejection appeared on his small face.

"Mom, I really didn't lie to you!" Kiba's face showed a look of grievance.

"Alright, a good child should learn to go to sleep obediently instead of being a little liar," Kiba's mother said sternly.

"Hmph! Once I find my ninja dog, I'll definitely make it take me flying!" Kiba huffed in defiance. Under his mother's stern gaze, he crawled into his small bed, pulled up the quilt, and drifted into a sweet dream.

In his dream, he was riding a cool, giant dog, soaring past the massive full moon.

Returning home, Yu saw Fugaku still sitting at the table the moment he stepped inside.

Fugaku was silent, his expression complex after hearing his wife's explanation.

Although he had heard his eldest son's analysis regarding the Konoha Elder Council's attitude toward the Uchiha, he still held a sliver of hope for Konoha and did not want his son to get too close to the radical faction.

"Yu, come and sit for a moment," Fugaku said softly.

Yu walked over silently and sat opposite Fugaku. "Father, is there a problem?"

"Yu, do you really intend to fight the Hokage and his faction to the end?" Fugaku asked in a deep voice.

"Father, I believe I have made this very clear. It is not that we want to fight the Hokage's faction to the end, but that the Elder Council's desire to destroy the Uchiha has never wavered. I hope you do not harbor any wishful thinking about this; otherwise, it will not only harm you but the entire clan!"

Yu's expression was extremely serious, far from his usual flippant demeanor.

"Yu..." Fugaku hesitated, wanting to find a reason to persuade Yu not to be so extreme. Yet, after searching his mind, he found not only no reasons but realized he himself had almost become extreme due to recent events.

Not to mention the Hokage sending Anbu to test his son, the recent relocation of the clan grounds felt more wrong the more he thought about it.

"Enough! Father, as the Clan Head, I hope you can be more resolute in your stance instead of being indecisive. Acting this way only makes you appear incompetent!"

"A real man knows what must be done and what must not. Once you understand who the enemy is, you should adopt the attitude of dealing with an enemy, not swaying left and right. Your behavior only deepens the division within the clan. The reason for the existence of the moderate and radical factions is largely due to your ambiguous attitude, which provided the soil for them to grow."

Yu no longer wanted to explain the ideological differences regarding whether the Uchiha should be radical or adopt a more moderate approach toward the village.

From the beginning, he had said that the Uchiha's target was never the village, but the Hokage's faction. It was just that people in this world always equated the village with the Hokage and the Hokage with the village, never able to break out of this vicious cycle.

Fugaku fell into a deathly silence. Looking at the impatient Yu, he suddenly felt like a failure. Was this the impression of indecisiveness he projected in front of his eldest son?

"Yu, go upstairs and sleep. I will make a decision," Fugaku replied, sounding somewhat dejected.

"Father, I may have spoken harshly tonight, but some things cannot be achieved just by our wishful thinking. You should rest early, too. Don't work yourself too hard." Seeing the somewhat defeated Fugaku, Yu couldn't help but offer a word of comfort.

"Yu, you've grown up! Father should give you more trust!" Fugaku, who had been incredibly dejected, felt a glimmer of relief at Yu's comfort and smiled. It was the first time he had set aside his paternal authority in front of his son—not counting his childhood, of course.

"Father, I'm only six. I'm still far from being grown up," Yu replied with a faint smile.

Fugaku's relieved expression was cut short. He straightened his face and glared at Yu. "What does being six have to do with it? During the Warring States period, clan members were on the battlefield at eight. You're only two years younger than that."

Seeing Fugaku return to his usual self, Yu let out a faint yawn. "Alright, Father, that was the Warring States period. Times have changed. I'm going to sleep; I have school tomorrow. It's truly tragic that a baby like me has to worry about the affairs of you adults!"

Without waiting for Fugaku to respond, Yu trotted upstairs. He still had to check today's gains; after a busy day, the harvest was the part he enjoyed the most.

Getting a little stronger every day—this fulfilling and hardworking life was exactly what he yearned for.

"Brat, 'tragic baby'? Is he saying I'm an incompetent father?" Fugaku grumbled to himself for a while, but suddenly feeling like a disgruntled wife, he had to stop.

He couldn't help it; his son was just too outstanding. However, he suddenly felt that Yu had the potential to be Hokage. Whether it was his methods of managing subordinates, his sharp mind, or his formidable strength, all of it filled him with confidence in Yu.

Back in his familiar small bed, Yu couldn't wait to open the system panel.

Uchiha Yu
Realm: Qi Refining and Spirit Refining
Cultivation Method: Qingming Art Spirit Refining Chapter Yellow Grade +2
Techniques: Five Elements Escape Technique
Fire Proficient Lightning Proficient Wind Ordinary Water Ordinary Earth Ordinary
Artifact Control Technique Proficient Basic Fist and Body Movement Proficient External Incarnation Ordinary
Artifact Refining Technique Ordinary Alchemy Technique Ordinary Planting Technique Ordinary Formation Ordinary
Gratitude Points: 20,200
Malice Points: 27,000

Yu looked at the Gratitude and Malice points that had become abundant once again, unable to help but sigh. Only the Uchiha, a clan so prone to extremes, could provide so many points at once.

Excluding the 9,000 Gratitude Points and 11,000 Malice Points he already had, plus his various antics in the village throughout the day, he had gained a total of 11,200 Gratitude Points and 16,000 Malice Points today.

Uchiha Lieyang alone had provided a combined total of 20,000 points.

Working himself to the bone all day hadn't yielded as much as a single clan member. It seemed he would need to cultivate more of these high-quality "leeks" in the future.

Thinking of this, Uchiha Yu turned his gaze toward his skills. Currently, his Gratitude Points were enough to upgrade his cultivation method twice, bringing it to the Proficient+1 stage.

As for his skills, he wouldn't dream of reaching perfection just yet, but he could certainly upgrade them all to the Proficient level. That way, he would have a variety of trump cards to deal with enemies in the future.

He had only revealed his proficiency in Fire Style so far. Once his enemies thought they had him figured out, he would unleash Lightning, Wind, Water, and Earth Style. The expressions on their faces would surely be quite colorful then.

Enduring the intense pain of a massive influx of knowledge once more, Uchiha Yu looked at his current panel with a sense of deep satisfaction.

Uchiha Yu

Realm: Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation

Cultivation Method: Qingming Art Spirit Refining Chapter Proficient+1

Techniques: Five Elements Escape Technique

Fire Proficient Lightning Proficient Wind Proficient Water Proficient Earth Ordinary

Artifact Control Technique Proficient Basic Fist and Body Movement Proficient External Incarnation Ordinary

Artifact Refining Technique Ordinary Alchemy Technique Ordinary Planting Technique Ordinary Formation Technique Ordinary

Gratitude Points: 200

Malice Points: 7,000

Uchiha Yu was a pauper once again, but he wasn't too worried. After all, there were plenty of "leeks" to harvest, and he had gained an extra person dedicated to developing his network. Once some time had passed and he gathered everyone Lieyang had recruited, it would surely be another massive harvest.

With that thought in mind, Uchiha Yu sat down contentedly and entered a state of cultivation once more.