Uchiha's Scolding

"Good! Wonderful!" Fugaku paced two steps through the great hall, his excitement plain. "Orochimaru never acts without purpose. If he came to you, it must have been at the Third Hokage's behest. For you to become his disciple is your honor, and also the honor of us Uchiha!"

Several elders chimed in one after another:

"That's right, Arashi, this is a heaven-sent opportunity!"

"You're still young, so you may not understand what kind of man your teacher Orochimaru is. He is the direct disciple of the Third Hokage, and he is the strongest contender to become the next Hokage."

"That's right. Since you've become his disciple, it means you may also have a chance to run for the position of Fifth Hokage in the future. For us Uchiha, this is a wonderful thing worth celebrating!"

Looking at the ecstatic expressions of the people before him, Arashi felt only a wave of disgust.

In their eyes, he seemed to be nothing more than a tool they could use to cling to the powerful and seek benefits for the clan.

He thought of Orochimaru's man-eating vertical pupils, and of the innocents who had died on Orochimaru's experiment tables.

If only he had evidence, he would have exposed every last one of Orochimaru's many evil deeds.

"I refused."

Just as the great hall was filled with jubilation, Arashi spoke coldly. The room was instantly as if a basin of cold water had been poured over it, falling silent at once.

The smiles on everyone's faces froze, and they stared at Arashi in disbelief.

Fugaku turned around and stared fixedly at Arashi, as if he had heard some absurd fairy tale. "What did you say?"

"I said, I refused Orochimaru." Arashi repeated himself. His voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally firm. "I will not be his disciple."

"Do you know what you've done?!" Fugaku's voice suddenly rose, filled with incredulous fury.

"That is Orochimaru! In the study of ninjutsu theory, compared to his teacher, the Third Hokage, he has long since surpassed his master. He can be called the strongest teacher in the Hidden Leaf Village."

"Countless people would kill for the chance to take him as their teacher and still fail, yet you actually refused?!"

One elder could not help but scold him angrily. "Foolish! Arashi, you are far too foolish! This is not some children's game! This concerns your future, and even more, the future of our Uchiha clan!"

"The Hokage is chosen after a vote by numerous jonin, and only the one with the majority of votes can take the position. Orochimaru is currently the person most likely to ascend to the seat of the next Hokage." Fugaku forcefully suppressed his anger and reprimanded him sternly.

"And you actually dared refuse him to his face! Do you know what that means?"

"To offend Orochimaru is to offend everyone who supports Orochimaru! With Orochimaru's prestige, you may become a rat crossing the street, hated and hunted by everyone. Worse, you may cause Orochimaru to stand completely against us Uchiha. Do you understand how serious this is?"

"Your ninja career is practically ruined!" another elder said in a low voice. "Arashi, you're too arrogant! Youthful hot-bloodedness has its limits! Is Lord Orochimaru someone you can refuse?"

Arashi looked at these people burning with anger and found it laughable.

Were they truly angry that he had missed an opportunity? More likely, they were angry that he, this "promising asset," had failed to form a connection to Orochimaru for the clan.

Although the faint concern revealed in Fugaku's words did touch him somewhat, once he thought of the future destruction of the Uchiha clan, and how this clan head's mistaken leadership had to bear a large share of the responsibility, the small trace of emotion in Arashi's heart quickly vanished.

"Why can't I refuse?" Facing Fugaku's anger, Arashi fired back without the slightest retreat. "Just because he is Orochimaru? Because he is the so-called 'future Hokage'?"

"Is that not enough?" Fugaku glared at him. "By becoming his disciple, you would have inexhaustible resources and connections! For you, and for the Uchiha, there would be every benefit and no harm!"

"Every benefit and no harm?" Arashi gave a sneer, his eyes filled with contempt. "You only see his current status and strength, but you can't see the vileness in his bones. A guy who treats life like weeds, who will do anything to pursue his personal goals, can't even be counted as human. How could he be worthy of being my teacher?"

"Shut up!" Fugaku shouted sharply. "What does a child like you understand? Even if those bad rumors about Orochimaru are true, they were done for the safety of the village, and they must have had the unanimous approval of the village's upper ranks! This is not something someone your age can understand!"

"I can't understand?" Arashi's voice also turned cold. "It is you who can't distinguish right from wrong, whose eyes have been blinded by profit. In my eyes, someone like Orochimaru isn't even a stinking bug. I, Uchiha Arashi, will have nothing to do with him!"

"You've gone completely mad! You even dare insult Orochimaru?" Fugaku's face turned livid with anger, his chest heaving violently. "Go to his residence and apologize at once! No matter how you have to beg, you must make him agree to take you as his disciple again! This is for your own sake, and even more for the Uchiha!"

This was no longer a discussion, but an order.

Arashi looked at Fugaku's face, twisted with fury, and at the equally coercive gazes of the elders around him. The pride that belonged to a Saiyan was completely ignited in his heart.

He straightened his back, his eyes filled with unprecedented resolve and... arrogance.

"Apologize? Beg?" Arashi slowly spoke. His voice was not loud, but it spread clearly through the entire great hall. "In the dictionary of I, Uchiha Arashi, those two words do not exist."

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Fugaku and the elders, and said each word deliberately:

"As for the position of Hokage? Heh. Not only will I become the first Hokage from among us Uchiha, I will also be the most outstanding Hokage in history."

Boom!

Those words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky, exploding through the great hall!

Everyone was stunned, staring blankly at Arashi as if they were looking at a madman, an idiot.

The Uchiha's first Hokage? And the most outstanding one?

Did this kid know what he was saying?

"You... you ignorant child, you truly are arrogant and clueless!"

Fugaku trembled all over with rage, laughing from sheer fury.

"Do you know that one of the two founders of the Hidden Leaf Village in the past was from our Uchiha clan? He was the strongest member of the Uchiha in hundreds of years. In the entire ninja world, only one person could contend with him, and that was the First Hokage. Before him, all the ninja in this world were as insignificant as ants."

"Yet even he failed to become Hokage. What makes you think you dare spout such arrogance?"

The elders began angrily denouncing him one after another:

"Arrogant! He's simply gone mad!"

"This is outrageous! He must be properly taught a lesson!"

"He is simply a disgrace to our Uchiha clan!"

Arashi, however, seemed not to hear those reprimands at all. He merely looked coldly at the crowd, his eyes full of disdain.

There was nothing worth saying to these people whose potential had run dry, whose strength was insufficient to break through their current predicament.

His goal had never been to attach himself to anyone, but to rely on his own power and stand at the summit of this world!

"There is no need to long for our predecessors. I will surpass them." Arashi no longer looked at them and turned to walk toward the hall's exit.

"Stop!" Fugaku shouted angrily.

Arashi did not stop. He walked straight out of the great hall, leaving behind only a group of Uchiha higher-ups so furious their beards bristled and their eyes bulged.