"Father."
"I want to talk to you."
At dinner.
Chuanyu suddenly spoke up.
Fugaku had just downed a cup of sake.
His face was slightly flushed.
He froze for a moment.
Then he looked at Chuanyu in confusion.
"Hmm..."
"Go ahead. Say whatever you want."
Chuanyu didn't speak.
He simply used a finger damp with sake to draw the Uchiha crest on the table.
Fugaku hesitated for a moment.
Then he turned to Chuanyu, his brow furrowed.
"I'm a little tired today."
With that, Fugaku got up, preparing to return to his room.
"Have you thought about the consequences?"
Just as Fugaku rose to his feet,
Chuanyu suddenly spoke.
Fugaku fell silent.
Mikoto, busy in the kitchen, sensed that something was wrong.
She wiped her hands on her apron and hurried out.
Fugaku stood with his back to Chuanyu.
The two of them were locked in a standoff.
And, somewhere deep down,
Fugaku's thoughts about Chuanyu had already begun to change.
"You're just like Itachi was back then..."
"Do you really want to know?"
Fugaku slowly turned around and sat down cross-legged.
"Now the opportunity has come."
"The Uchiha can take control of Konoha openly and legitimately."
"Chuanyu, shouldn't you be happy?"
Chuanyu raised his head and met Fugaku's eyes.
Those blood-red eyes were already filled with ambition.
He had changed.
"Father."
"Have you forgotten why the Uchiha tried to stage a coup in the first place?"
Chuanyu's words struck Fugaku like a hammer.
He continued.
"If only the Uchiha had acted like normal people from the start."
"But things have been this way for decades."
"Do you really think five years will be enough to make Konoha accept the Uchiha?"
"Violence only begets more violence."
"We've already secured very favorable terms."
"Those involved can't see clearly."
"If we reach for that position,"
"Konoha will never know peace..."
By the time Chuanyu finished speaking,
Fugaku's expression had completely changed.
It was laden with too many emotions.
There was disappointment—
disappointment in Chuanyu's stance.
There was resolve—
a conviction that the Uchiha's moment had come.
But more than anything else,
there was sorrow.
This sorrow was no different from betrayal.
In this situation,
the Hokage Position
was right before them.
How could he possibly give it up now?
"Chuanyu..."
Fugaku paused.
Then he fixed Chuanyu with a very serious look.
"You're Shisui's younger brother."
"Kagami's son."
"The Uchiha's faith!"
"Swear on your Eternal Mangekyo!"
"You're on my side, aren't you?"
Watching Fugaku grow more and more frenzied,
Chuanyu smiled.
He didn't answer Fugaku.
He picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth.
Then he got up and left.
As Chuanyu walked away,
the sake cup in Fugaku's right hand suddenly shattered.
Mikoto hurried out.
"Why are you getting so angry?"
"Chuanyu's still a child."
"Can't you talk things through calmly?"
She fetched the medical kit.
Kneeling beside Fugaku, Mikoto bandaged his wound.
Fugaku suddenly gave a bitter laugh.
He looked toward the doorway and shook his head helplessly.
"It's too late..."
"Too late..."
That night,
another meeting was held at the Uchiha Shrine.
Fugaku turned his accusations toward Chuanyu.
Shisui and Itachi
had one thing in common.
So did Chuanyu.
It reminded Fugaku of the first time he had met Chuanyu, five years ago.
Tears slowly welled in his eyes.
But what was wrong with wanting a future for the Uchiha?
The next day,
at the Hokage Building,
Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were selecting Konoha's next Hokage.
Suddenly,
hundreds of Uchiha clan members appeared from all around.
They were fully armed.
Then they surrounded the Hokage Building.
Utatane Koharu looked down through a window.
Everyone immediately panicked.
"Shimura and Hiruzen have already left."
"Looks like no one can hold the Uchiha back now..."
"Is this really all Konoha can do?"
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura slowly walked downstairs.
The Uchiha clan members parted.
Fugaku stepped forward.
"I don't need to spell it out, do I?"
The Uchiha clan members all wore smiles.
They had waited too long for this day.
"Wait."
Suddenly,
Chuanyu appeared on the roof across from them.
When Fugaku saw Chuanyu,
his brow furrowed at once.
"Father."
"Have you really thought this through?"
Chuanyu looked at Fugaku, his face full of hope.
Fugaku slowly clenched his fists, and his body trembled.
After a fierce inner struggle,
he finally answered Chuanyu with a resolute gaze.
"Uchiha Chuanyu..."
"From this day forward..."
"You are no longer a member of my Uchiha clan!"
"Effective immediately!"
"You are cast out of the Uchiha!"
The final words rang through Chuanyu's mind like a thunderclap.
He couldn't believe that Uchiha Fugaku, the man he had always respected, would say such a thing.
At that moment,
his heart turned to ash.
It was as if nothing mattered anymore.
And yet, losing everything somehow brought a sense of relief.
Chuanyu felt his heart bleeding.
He also understood the despair Shisui had felt back then.
"Hahaha... hahahahaha..."
Chuanyu suddenly burst into anguished laughter.
"None of it matters anymore..."
"I'll call you Father one last time."
"Just let me leave this hopeless place."
"This Konoha, shrouded in darkness..."
"It has no roots anymore..."
Chuanyu turned and vanished from everyone's sight.
Now.
He wanted to see Sasuke one more time.
Then he would leave Konoha.
As for where he would go...
Chuan Yu hadn't really thought about it.
Still...
Wandering the world sounded pretty nice.
Unfortunately...
Sasuke had gone on a mission with Kakashi.
Standing atop Kage Rock, he gazed into the distance.
The last rays of the setting sun...
The evening glow lit up the sky.
A breeze carrying the scent of herbs brushed his cheek.
At that moment...
Chuan Yu lazily stretched.
"I've been watching you for a long time."
A voice suddenly came from behind him.
Chuan Yu turned to look.
Jiraiya was slowly making his way over.
"I've heard your story from the people in the village."
"You're quite impressive for someone so young."
Jiraiya smiled as he heaped praise on Chuan Yu.
"What good does that do?"
"I'm about to leave this place."
After hearing Chuan Yu out...
Jiraiya awkwardly scratched his head.
"Some things..."
"Just happen as they're meant to."
"But if you can't figure it out..."
"Then all I can say is that you haven't looked at it deeply enough."
"Why try to stop something that's already happened?"
"Wouldn't it be better to think about what lies ahead?"
Jiraiya's words suddenly jolted Chuan Yu.
No matter when it was...
He always had only one outcome to face.
Instead, it might be better to look past that outcome and see what lay beyond.
With the knot in his heart undone...
Chuan Yu suddenly felt much lighter.
"All right."
"I'm leaving."
He rose and bowed to Jiraiya.
Then Chuan Yu turned and left.
[ Ding! The host has been successfully inspired by Jiraiya! ] [ Ding! The knot in your heart has been undone! Reward: Rasengan! ] [ The host is about to leave Konoha. The system is granting the Ninja World character Favorability function! ] [ Karin: 500 Favorability Points ]
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