Finding an Excuse to Drop Out and Take It Easy

"Oh, right, Lord Clan Head, please handle my withdrawal from school tomorrow!" Just as Uchiha Chuan was about to leave the clan head's reception hall, he suddenly remembered something. He paused, turned back, and spoke to Fugaku Uchiha.

"Handle your withdrawal from school? Why?" Fugaku Uchiha froze for a moment, clearly not having expected this. His tone carried a trace of confusion.

Uchiha Chuan smiled faintly, his tone calm. "First, what the Ninja Academy teaches is basically useless to us Uchiha Clan members. Rather than waste time, I might as well go fishing and cultivate my temperament. Second, if I drop out, the Uchiha Clan building a Ninja Academy will seem more credible. Third, me dropping out is a form of protection. It will make it harder for the Hokage and the others to target me. Fourth, a genius remains a genius as long as he does not make a move. No one will know just how capable I really am, and they will not be able to figure out my trump cards."

He spoke lightly, but every word struck at the heart of the matter. Fugaku Uchiha exchanged glances with the three elders, surprise and approval flashing in their eyes.

"Chuan, how is your brain built? How did you think of so much all at once?" the First Elder could not help sighing, his voice filled with admiration.

"A genius always thinks a little more than everyone else." Uchiha Chuan shrugged, his tone teasing.

Fugaku Uchiha pondered for a moment before nodding. "You have a point. The reason we Uchiha attend the Ninja Academy is to build connections and display Uchiha glory. But while we have displayed Uchiha glory, building connections has never had much effect. And you have already displayed Uchiha glory. If you withdraw now, there will also be fewer chances for others to strike back at you. Then withdraw."

Uchiha Chuan was left somewhat speechless. So Uchiha glory ranked above connections? No wonder they could not build any connections like that!

Still, he rather liked this sort of personality. The Uchiha's pride and bluntness could sometimes seem insufficiently tactful, but it was precisely this temperament that allowed them to stand united at critical moments and remain unmoved by outside schemes and tricks.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Lord Clan Head." Uchiha Chuan nodded, his tone relaxed.

"A trivial matter." Fugaku Uchiha waved his hand grandly. "Early tomorrow morning, I'll go to the Ninja Academy and handle your withdrawal."

"Alright, then I'll head back first." With that, Uchiha Chuan turned and left the reception hall.

"Chuan, you're out! The clan head and the others didn't make things difficult for you, did they?" The moment Uchiha Chuan stepped out of the clan head's home, a group of Police Force members surrounded him, their faces full of concern.

"Uncles from the Police Force, why haven't you gone back to rest yet?" Uchiha Chuan looked at them in surprise, his tone puzzled.

"Hehe, weren't we worried that the clan head and the others might make things difficult for you? We wanted to be ready to protect you," an Uchiha ninja said with a grin, scratching his head.

"Is that really necessary?" Uchiha Chuan shook his head helplessly.

"Of course it is! Why wouldn't it be?" Another Uchiha ninja immediately chimed in, his tone indignant. "Whenever we had conflicts with those people in the village before, whether we were in the wrong or not, the clan head and the others always forced us to back down and apologize in the end. We were afraid you'd be wronged too!"

Uchiha Chuan froze, a trace of warmth rising in his heart. He had not expected these normally carefree Police Force members to care about him so much.

"That was because I wasn't here before. We Uchiha were always suppressed by the village, and when trouble arose, we had no way to deal with it." Uchiha Chuan smiled faintly, his tone confident. "But now that I'm here, things are naturally different. I have ways to deal with it, so the clan head and the others would not force me to back down and apologize. They merely asked me what my next response would be."

"Then how are we responding next?" one Uchiha ninja asked impatiently, his eyes full of anticipation.

"Hehe, I can't just say that." Uchiha Chuan smiled mysteriously, his tone playful. "If I reveal it beforehand, the effect won't be as good. But you'll find out soon enough."

"Chuan, stop keeping us in suspense! We're on the same side. Give us a little hint!" Another Uchiha ninja leaned closer, his voice pleading.

"Yeah, yeah, Chuan, just tell us a little!" The others joined in, their eyes brimming with curiosity.

Seeing how eager they were, Uchiha Chuan could not help laughing. "Fine, then I'll reveal a little. What we need to do next is make the Hokage and the village higher-ups take the initiative to deal with us, instead of us always passively taking hits."

"Make the Hokage take the initiative to deal with us?" The Uchiha ninjas looked at one another, clearly not quite understanding.

"Does that mean we're shifting from defense to offense?" Suddenly, another Uchiha ninja who had caught on spoke up.

"That's right." Uchiha Chuan nodded, his tone meaningful. "You'll soon find out exactly how we'll do it. In short, you only need to remember one thing: from today onward, our Uchiha Clan will never have to watch anyone else's face again."

"Good! Chuan, with those words from you, we can rest easy!" The Uchiha ninjas all broke into excited smiles, as though they could already see the future rise of the Uchiha Clan.

"Alright then, Chuan, go home and rest. We'll head back after arranging the night watch." An Uchiha ninja patted Uchiha Chuan on the shoulder, his tone caring.

"Alright. You should get some rest early too." Uchiha Chuan nodded, then turned and walked toward home.