"Hey, Satoru."
Sasuke called out to Uchiha Satoru, a hint of worry in his eyes.
Dad wouldn't beat him to death, would he?
"Sasuke, want to come along?"
Uchiha Satoru beamed.
It was as though he were headed for a picnic rather than a furious father with a stony face.
"No way."
Sasuke refused outright.
Falling for his brother's tricks once was enough.
"Go by yourself."
Sasuke put on a cool expression as he spoke.
"Huh?"
Uchiha Satoru paused, then clicked his tongue.
Great. The older he gets, the less fun he is.
He sauntered toward his father's study.
Uchiha Fugaku was their father, but more than that, he was the head of the Uchiha Clan.
Clan business piled up like a mountain, and the time he could spare for his three sons could be counted on one hand.
Apart from his eldest, who needed extra attention, the other two were largely left to their own devices.
After all, the entire clan's livelihood and future rested on his shoulders. What time did he have for anything else?
If Uchiha Kong hadn't come calling today, he might never have taken a proper look at this son of his.
"Do you know why I called you here today?"
Fugaku fixed Uchiha Satoru with a cold, hard stare.
"If I knew, would I have needed to come all the way here?"
Uchiha Satoru answered lazily.
He seemed utterly oblivious to the pressure and weight behind that stare.
All right. You've got guts, boy.
Fugaku now understood exactly how Kong had felt when he came to speak to him.
That courage and composure even stirred a little pride in him.
An Uchiha should be born fearless, unshaken by whatever came his way.
Kong had said the boy wasn't remotely like an Uchiha. Now, that didn't seem entirely true.
"Why didn't you attend the clan lesson today?"
Fugaku's voice was flat, betraying no emotion.
"Oh, come on."
"I knew that was what this was about."
"As the older generation always says, real skill is honed in actual combat. I went out to find some experts to spar with."
Uchiha Satoru touched his blindfold and spoke with perfect seriousness.
The corner of Fugaku's mouth twitched.
Finding experts?
Do you think I don't know about your raid on the sweet shops on South Street?
"Are there no experts in our Uchiha Clan good enough for you?"
"Did you really have to go looking outside the clan?"
The smile remained on Uchiha Satoru's lips, but his eyes seemed to pierce the ceiling, as though he had seen through something.
"Tsk, tsk. Inside the clan, outside the clan... aren't you drawing that line a little too sharply, Dad?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Fugaku immediately tensed.
Had he noticed the undercurrents within the clan as well?
Or was he like Itachi, more loyal to the village?
Clearly, the drastic change in his second son's personality hadn't escaped his notice.
Did Satoru favor the village over his family too?
Fugaku's gaze abruptly sharpened.
A heavy, oppressive pressure bore down on Uchiha Satoru.
"That's not what I meant."
Uchiha Satoru's expression didn't change as he went on.
"Today, I went to snag the limited deluxe edition of Three-Color Dango and ran into a bunch of little brats."
"They were clamoring for candy. I figured my limited-edition dango would be gone if I wasted any more time, so I gave them a piece each."
"After that, the brats kept demanding more, so I gave them a punch each too. That left everyone satisfied."
"See? You can't spoil children. The more you spoil them, the worse they get."
Power came from the fist. Force really wasn't something to cast aside lightly.
If kneeling and kowtowing could keep you alive, bending your back a little wasn't out of the question.
But if surrendering your soul and bowing your head still couldn't drive off the wolves, you had to grip your blades tight and defend your own little patch of land.
He couldn't say he was disgusted by Fugaku's approach, but he didn't think it was particularly wise either.
Most of those in the clan clamoring for a fight wanted to climb higher and rake in more benefits.
Their current territory could no longer satisfy their appetites. They wanted to carve themselves a bigger slice of Konoha.
But there were also plenty of ordinary people who knew nothing, swept blindly into the turmoil without even a chance to choose a side.
In fact, most of them were like Fugaku, trapped in their positions and driven onward, helpless even when they could see the mire ahead.
Those people shouldn't have to perish like that.
Not on that night of the clan's massacre, not at the hands of a boy barely grown.
Uchiha Satoru's answer clearly threw Fugaku off.
His tense expression eased, and he let out a long breath.
"So you think the same way."
"You've probably seen through what's been happening within the clan."
"A rift has already formed between the Uchiha and the rest of the village, and it keeps widening."
"When you wield too much power, those around you inevitably look on with fear and rejection."
"Konoha as it stands can no longer accommodate the Uchiha."
"Our clan's pride is inborn. We will never bow."
"Blunt our fangs and blades, and we lose both our soul and our dignity."
"The Uchiha once lost their backbone. Now, I intend to reclaim it."
Fugaku's gaze grew deeper, his voice laden with an indescribable meaning.
"Pfft!"
"That certainly sounds impressive."
"More power means people are bound to fear you? That's awfully arrogant of you, Dad."
Uchiha Satoru burst out laughing, shattering the oppressive mood in the room.
Before you continue