I Won't Take Orders. What Are You Going to Do About It?

Morning sunlight streamed through the window and fell across Uchiha Yongye's face. He opened his eyes and stretched, his joints popping in a rapid series of cracks.

He had gained so much last night that he had slept especially well.

Breakfast was simple egg fried rice, a bachelor's favorite because it was so easy to make.

Yongye had just popped the last bit of egg into his mouth when wings flapped outside. A gray Messenger Ninja Crow landed on his windowsill, a scroll tied to its leg and crimson eyes darting about.

Yongye unfurled the scroll and glanced at it.

Hokage Office. Report immediately.

"So urgent? Sarutobi, you old dog, got another gift for me?"

Yongye tossed the scroll into the trash, wiped his mouth at his leisure, then headed out.

Hokage Building, Hokage Office.

By the time Yongye pushed the door open, quite a few people were already inside.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, smoke curling from his pipe. Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu stood beside him, both looking solemn and thoroughly punchable.

Shisui Uchiha stood on the left. When he saw Yongye enter, he gave him a warm smile and a slight nod.

On the right stood three men and a woman in standard Konoha flak jackets. Their capable bearing marked them as seasoned elite ninja.

Yongye's gaze passed over them and settled on the man in front. A senbon hung from his mouth, his hands were tucked into his pockets, and despite his relaxed stance, he had the steadiness of a mountain.

Genma Shiranui.

One of Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze's guards, he was a jonin of considerable skill. He had fought at the Fourth Hokage's side through countless battles and seen his share of major conflicts. He represented the backbone of Konoha's forces.

The three teammates behind him were a burly man with an honest face, a lean and taciturn young man with sharp eyes, and a ponytailed kunoichi. Together, they formed a standard tactical squad.

Neither Yongye nor the original Uchiha Yongye recognized those three. They were probably ANBU elites.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Hiruzen Sarutobi took the pipe from his mouth and spoke in a steady voice.

"An elite ninja squad from Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning recently entered the Land of Hot Water and has repeatedly harassed our border with the Land of Fire. The Land of Hot Water has formally requested Konoha's aid. Your mission is to leave immediately and help drive back the Kumogakure ninja."

He paused, sweeping his gaze over everyone present. His tone grew heavier.

"Kumogakure has always coveted Konoha's Kekkei Genkai. Their incursion into the Land of Hot Water may be a stepping stone toward further provocation and a threat to the Land of Fire. This matter is too important for failure. Genma Shiranui's squad will take the lead, with Shisui Uchiha and Uchiha Yongye supporting them."

"Yes!"

Genma Shiranui's squad answered in unison, their voices crisp and strong.

Shisui Uchiha bowed slightly and replied warmly, "As you command."

Then everyone looked at Uchiha Yongye.

The rest of them were just seasoning. Uchiha Yongye, that crab rampaging wherever he pleased, was the main course of this mission!

Yongye stood in the doorway with his arms folded, shaking his head like a rattle.

"No."

The air in the office froze.

The senbon in Genma Shiranui's mouth stopped moving. His three teammates' expressions changed, and even Shisui's smile stiffened.

He was refusing a mission assigned by Lord Hokage himself?!

Had this Uchiha boy gone mad?

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyebrow twitched, and his voice darkened.

"Why not? Are you defying orders?"

Yongye sighed, his expression sincerity itself.

"Lord Hokage, you have no idea. Yesterday, to deal with that old dog Danzo, I opened the Seventh Gate of the Eight Gates Release. Now my whole body aches, my bones feel ready to split, my Chakra is in chaos, and I have less than one percent of my fighting strength left. Sending me on a mission like this would be handing the enemy an easy victory."

Everyone looked him up and down.

He stood straight, his complexion was healthy, his breathing even, and his eyes bright.

When he had come through the door, he had moved with the vigor of a tiger descending a mountain. His entire body radiated the sharp presence of a fighter at least as strong as a jonin!

And he called that aching all over and having less than one percent of his fighting strength left?

Could he at least put some effort into lying?

Hiruzen Sarutobi set down his pipe, his face dark as a storm cloud.

He cursed inwardly. If you really had less than one percent of your strength left, I'd kill you on the spot!

His face hardened, anger held tight in his voice. "The battlefield is far away in the Land of Hot Water. You'll have plenty of time to recover on the road."

Yongye shook his head even harder, his face full of helplessness.

"No. I've been frail since I was little, practically made of paper. Once I'm hurt, there's no way I'll recover quickly."

The office fell deathly silent again.

The three members of Genma Shiranui's temporary squad had gone from shocked to dumbstruck.

You're frail?

We were all there last night!

We watched you open seven gates with ease, beat up Danzo, kill Root members, drive back Might Guy—Konoha's strongest taijutsu fighter—even after he opened seven gates too, and force the Third Hokage to back down!

The entire ANBU is talking about it!

And you call yourself frail? Do you even hear yourself?

Hiruzen Sarutobi gripped his pipe so tightly that his knuckles creaked.

He cursed furiously in his head, rage nearly bursting from his throat. Why weren't you frail when you had Guy on the ropes yesterday? Why weren't you frail when you kicked Danzo? Why weren't you frail when you kicked Yamanaka Fū's head clean off?!

He drew a deep breath, about to bear down on Yongye—

But Yongye spoke first.

"If I haven't recovered and I'm not in fighting shape, then getting killed by the enemy is one thing. Death is just death. As a ninja, I've always valued duty above my own life! Once I'm dead, that's the end of it. No big deal."

Then his tone took a sudden, tragic turn.

"But if Kumogakure captures me, that'll be a disaster. You know how obsessed those brutes are with Konoha's Kekkei Genkai. They'd certainly surround me with beautiful kunoichi, feed me well, and treat me with such tender care that I'd have no choice but to father Uchiha children with them. When my weak will fails the test and I produce a whole brood of Uchiha for the Land of Lightning, my sins will be so grave that ten thousand deaths won't atone for them!"

He spread his hands and looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with perfect innocence, as though he were thinking entirely of their interests.

In an instant, the office's strained atmosphere turned absurd.

The senbon nearly fell from Genma Shiranui's mouth.

The kunoichi behind him flushed bright red, whether from anger or embarrassment, no one could tell.

The burly man's mouth twitched violently. He wanted to laugh but didn't dare, and the effort of holding it in made his whole body tremble.

The lean young man stared blankly ahead, as though the shock had shut down his brain.

Shisui Uchiha covered his forehead, caught between laughter and tears.

Absurd. Shameless. Utterly unserious.

Yet Hiruzen Sarutobi swallowed the words he had been about to use to pressure Yongye.

Because he understood. This Uchiha boy wasn't joking, nor was he negotiating.

To be precise, he was refusing to negotiate.

Reputation, honor, family, the Will of Fire, a ninja's duty—to ordinary ninja, these were bonds, sources of pride, and lifelong pursuits.

To Uchiha Yongye, they were all bullshit.

He cared about nothing, would say anything, and would do anything. Just like last night, he was ready to overturn the table at any moment.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had no doubt that if he forced this Uchiha boy to take the mission, Yongye would either rebel on the spot or defect as soon as he left.

And those brutes in Kumogakure would do exactly as Yongye had said: offer him beautiful women, status, and every luxury imaginable, treating him like a treasure.

The Uchiha Kekkei Genkai was worth that price!

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was stormy, but inside, he felt as sick as if he had swallowed a live fly.

In all his years as Hokage, he had met stubborn people, overbearing people, and people with no regard for their lives. Never had he met a bastard who was immune to both threats and persuasion.

It was all Danzo's fault. By wiping out Yongye's entire family, he had left him with no weaknesses and free to overturn the table whenever he pleased!

Perhaps I should get him married as soon as possible!