You in the tree, the Clan Head wants you

"Yo, Sasuke."

"Not bad. You're pretty quick."

Uchiha Satoru lounged crookedly across a tree branch, a lollipop in his mouth muffling his words.

Sasuke reached the foot of the tree, stopped looking around, and tilted his head up.

So this was where he'd holed up.

"Hmph."

Sasuke snorted, but he couldn't quite stop the corners of his mouth from lifting.

It wasn't as though the compliment had done nothing for him.

"I'll overtake you sooner or later."

He'd just been born too late.

If he'd come into the world a few years earlier, he would definitely have been stronger by now.

Stronger than this second brother of his.

Sasuke refused to accept it.

"You're a whole hair's breadth faster than a snail squelching its way down the road."

"Truly incredible. Absolutely amazing."

"Hahahahaha..."

Up in the tree, Uchiha Satoru shook all over with laughter.

"You bastard!"

"Get down here if you've got the guts, bro!"

Sparks practically flew from Sasuke's eyes. His face, still round with baby fat, flushed crimson, and his lips pressed into a tight line.

"Get down here!"

"Hm? But the sun feels so nice up here. It's perfect for a nap."

"Today wore me the hell out. I need a break."

Uchiha Satoru tucked both hands behind his head and let his eyelids droop, utterly unconcerned.

Sunlight filtered through the dense leaves, settling softly over him. A few birds fluttered past, their chirps bright and clear. The whole scene looked blissfully peaceful.

"You lousy brother!"

"You actually fell asleep!"

Sasuke's eyes went wide as he stared in disbelief at his already sleeping brother.

He'd just gone straight to sleep?

Tired?

With how little he'd done today, what could possibly have tired him out?

A ninja's body wasn't made of paper. It didn't give out that easily.

He hadn't attended a single clan training lesson today.

He hadn't put in the hours or trained hard.

So how was he already asleep?

This morning, his brother had declared that actual combat was what really mattered, then skipped class and slipped away.

After coming back, he'd only taught Sasuke a couple of things.

He'd only demonstrated Fire Release once, too.

How did he have the nerve to say he was tired?

Sasuke had done more training than his brother had.

This guy.

Search the entire clan, and he was probably the biggest slacker of them all.

Sasuke felt stifled with frustration. Only when he looked up did he realize everyone around them was enjoying the show.

Was this... the clan's Training Ground?

Had they looped back into the central district from outside in the blink of an eye?

He'd been so focused on his brother's face that he hadn't noticed all these people standing around.

Then had they seen that entire shouting match?

Fuck.

Sasuke's aloof expression shattered on the spot.

"Is that Uchiha Satoru and his little brother?"

A young girl with long, straight black hair, dressed in clan clothes bearing the war fan crest, had watched the whole exchange.

"Yep, that's Uchiha Satoru, Yu."

The girl beside her answered.

Uchiha Satoru was a well-known name among their crowd.

It wasn't just his strength. His dreadful personality had plenty to do with it, too.

He was so rotten he barely seemed like an Uchiha.

Yet somehow, everyone still respected him.

He was something of an oddity among them.

Whenever he stood among them, everyone felt as though they had someone to rely on, and their hearts settled.

Granted, he caused eighty percent of their trouble-no, ninety-nine percent.

But for that tiny fraction left over, he was dependable enough for them to entrust their lives to him.

These thoughts quietly ran through the young girl's mind.

If Uchiha Satoru had heard all her tangled thoughts, he would surely have answered without missing a beat: "Obviously. I'm the strongest."

"Uchiha Satoru!!!"

Uchiha Kong, the clan elder in charge of the Clan School, heard the commotion and strode over.

"Get down from that tree. I won't tell you twice."

He had lost all face.

This was the first time a student had ever brazenly run out of his class.

He might have let his guard down, but the boy had still slipped away under his watch.

Every one of his old friends teased him about it whenever they met.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Uchiha Kong's fingers flew through the hand seals, and he casually unleashed a C-rank jutsu.

You little brat. Let's see if you come down now.

A huge ball of roaring flame burned the tree to nothing in an instant.

"Hey, old man, is it really okay to treat the plants like that?"

Uchiha Satoru flipped over, vanished from the treetop in a blink, and landed in front of Uchiha Kong.

"Could it be that someone's getting on in years, feeling insecure, and finding his back isn't up to the job anymore, so he's taking it out on an innocent young man like me to blow off steam?"

Uchiha Satoru raised his voice, his expression perfectly earnest.

"You..."

Getting on in years? His back wasn't up to the job?

He was only in his thirties. Old, his ass.

Uchiha Kong was so choked with anger that he nearly spat blood.

How had someone as serious as Fugaku fathered this little menace?

Since when did tossing out a C-rank Fire Release jutsu count as taking it out on him?

He'd held back.

Besides, he'd been standing right there. There was no way he would have let anything happen to Uchiha Satoru.

But...

How had that brat flipped down just now?

He hadn't quite caught it.

"Hmph. The Clan Head wants you to come see him."

Uchiha Kong restrained his temper, forcing down the anger that little brat had stirred up.

A knowing smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Just you wait. You're in for it.