A Father-Son Dispute

"Brat, where's my gift?"

"Dad, you're already so old. Why are you still expecting gifts?"

"You little..."

Before Uchiha Uzumaki could flare up, a heavy bag flew into his hands.

He caught it reflexively and raised it before his eyes.

"Fishing bait I bought for you. Don't you like fishing? This should last you a month."

Uchiha Uzumaki's face instantly lit up. Laughing, he rubbed Xuanhui's head.

"My son is still so tsundere! Hahahahaha! Honey, put this bait away for me. I'll use it when I get back."

"When you get back?"

Xuanhui had been about to head inside, but upon hearing those words, he stopped in his tracks.

He turned back in confusion, looking at the smiles on both his parents' faces.

"Dad, are you going on a mission?"

Uchiha Uzumaki's gaze darted away for an instant, but Xuanhui still caught it.

"Things have been a little busy lately. I may need to make a long trip, and I don't know when I'll be back."

Xuanhui seemed to understand something. Words rose to his lips, only to get stuck in his throat.

He glanced at his mother, who was lowering her head to admire her bracelet, then gave his father a meaningful look.

"Dad, it's still too early to sleep. Train with me for a while."

"Huh? Ah! Sure. I can see how much you've improved lately."

Xuanhui returned to the entryway to put on his shoes, while Uchiha Uzumaki told his wife to prepare some late-night snacks first as a reward for their son.

By the time he pushed open the wooden door, Xuanhui was already sitting on the steps waiting for him.

Uchiha Uzumaki sighed and dropped down beside his son.

He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Wisps of white smoke drifted upward.

He normally did not smoke at home, because neither his wife nor son allowed it.

Xuanhui did not stop his father. He knew his father needed that cigarette right now.

"Did Lord Hokage tell you already?"

"You mean the war?"

"So it's true..."

He took a deep drag. The ember brightened and dimmed, just like his wavering emotions.

"Did you tell Mom?"

"Not yet. I'm afraid she'll cry again."

"She has the right to know."

"...Maybe. Perhaps the war won't even happen!"

"That's impossible, Dad. I know this is difficult for you, but it's something we have to face."

The worry on the father's face and the childishness on the son's face reflected one another beneath the moonlight.

"Son... can you maybe..."

"No! Paper can't wrap up fire. If she only finds out after you've been at the front lines for a while, you won't be by her side! You're the person she wants to rely on the most, but you lied to her! When she most wants to cry, you won't even be there for her. Do you think that's fair to her?"

Uchiha Uzumaki looked at Xuanhui in disbelief.

He knew his son was intelligent and composed, but he had not expected him to be so much more mature than children his age...

"Tell Mom. I'll tell her too. Before we leave, we'll spend more time with her and make sure she doesn't worry so much."

"You're telling her?"

Uchiha Uzumaki sensed that something was wrong, and a wave of foreboding rose within him.

"I asked Teacher Orochimaru and Teacher Hiruzen. If I become a Chunin within a year, I'll be allowed to go to the front lines and fight alongside Teacher Orochimaru."

"No! Absolutely not!"

Just as Xuanhui had expected, Uchiha Uzumaki rejected it harshly!

If something happened to him, there would still be his dependable son at home. But his son wanted to go to war too!

"Dad! I have my own reasons! Teacher Orochimaru is willing to trust me too!"

"But I'm your father!"

For the first time, Uchiha Uzumaki shouted at his son. Not even the tobacco could suppress his emotions.

Xuanhui shook his head, his expression exceptionally resolute.

"Dad, trust me. I have ways to save my life, and I won't charge at the very front. I have reasons why I have to go..."

"How can that be okay? Even if you become a Chunin within a year, that doesn't make you invincible! How can you be so reckless?"

"Dad, aren't you a Chunin too? With your three-tomoe Sharingan and first-rate swordsmanship, can't you trust your own son?"

"Who can say for sure? What if something happens to you? What will your mother do then? The two of us absolutely cannot go to the battlefield at the same time!"

Xuanhui rubbed his brow with a headache. Right now, the most urgent matter was making his parents feel secure and believe that he had ways to protect himself.

So he formed hand seals with both hands and summoned the wooden door before them.

"What is this? Xuanhui, what do you want to show me?"

"Dad, come in."

Xuanhui pushed open the door before him, revealing a hidden world before Uchiha Uzumaki's eyes.

"This is...?"

"My contracted sage realm. With this wooden door, I can freely travel between reality and the sage realm. As long as someone wants to harm me, I can immediately hide in here. And I'll temporarily share this contract with both of you. As long as you want to, you can summon this door too. Although I'll be at the front lines, I won't be fighting every moment. If you miss me, summon the wooden door. If I'm here, I'll come out and see you. If I'm not, leave me a message, and I'll leave a reply when I see it. Only a small part of why I'm going to the battlefield is for actual combat. I'll definitely cherish my life! After all, my family who loves me will be waiting for me."

Uchiha Uzumaki stood inside the library, taking in the dazzling sight before him and listening to Xuanhui's impassioned declaration.

This man's resolve wavered.

In the places he could not see, his son had already considered so much and had even arranged everything!

He had his own plans, his own goals, and his own convictions.

As his father, should he perhaps respect his choice?

From the day he became a father, he had wondered whether there would come a day when he could safely entrust everything to his son.

He had never expected that day to come so soon.

He could not refute Xuanhui's words, could not shake his convictions. Xuanhui had even considered his and his wife's feelings and taken practical action for their sake.

Xuanhui had grown up so quickly. He was clearly not even ten years old yet, but he had suddenly become as dependable as an adult.

"Maybe I really am a genius, to have given birth to such an amazing son..."

"Dad, what did you say?"

He fell silent. His fists clenched tightly, veins bulging. After several seconds, he finally loosened them as though a burden had been lifted.

"Fine."

He chose trust.

"But you must write to your mother and me every day to report in. That is my only condition."

"No problem."

"Mm... good boy... You've really grown up..."

He could no longer bind his child with affection. It was time to let him soar through the sky he longed for.

"Now, think carefully about how you're going to convince your mother!"