The Uchiha Clan Compound before him looked nothing like a place whose clan had been wiped out!
The foot traffic rivaled Konoha's commercial center!
In all his life, this was the first time Sasuke had seen that the Uchiha Clan Compound could actually be this bustling.
Looking out at the long line outside Xia Yu's door, Sasuke finally understood:
"That guy! Does he really think he's the master of the Uchiha now? How dare he gather so many people here and let them into our Uchiha Clan Compound!"
Clenching his fists, Sasuke hurried to Xia Yu's door and forced his small body through the crowd, making his way to the front.
"Move! All of you, move! You're not members of the Uchiha Clan! How dare you enter our territory without permission!"
"Hey! Didn't you hear me? Get out of the way!"
"D-damn it! Who's shoving me... mmph!"
No matter how loudly he shouted, the endless chatter of the crowd drowned him out a moment later.
Several voluptuous women with large backsides seemed annoyed by Sasuke suddenly squeezing past them and snapped impatiently:
"Hmm? Whose little brat is this? What are you doing here? Go play somewhere else!"
"You reckless little pest, would you put that toy kunai away? If you snag my stockings, you'll be sorry!"
"He must be looking for his mommy, right? Be good, don't worry. Your mommy might be interviewing inside Xia Yu's house. She'll be out soon."
"Such a cute kid, so why do you look so fierce? You'd better pray your mommy passes her interview. If she gets accepted into Xia Yu's household, you'll count as half an Uchiha from now on!"
"What did you say?"
Sasuke was utterly speechless. His expression grew uglier as he craned his neck and shouted:
"Half an Uchiha? I'm Sasuke Uchiha, son of the Uchiha Clan Head! My Uchiha bloodline is as pure as it gets!"
"Huh? Y-you're Sasuke? The other survivor of the Uchiha Clan?"
The women were dumbfounded and hurriedly looked Sasuke up and down.
When they saw the distinctive little "ping-pong paddle" on the back of his shirt, their faces instantly went pale with shock.
Oh no...
That was the Uchiha Clan's crest! Who besides Xia Yu and Sasuke would dare wear it now?
The women barely dared to breathe. They had spent so long waiting, and their turns were almost here, yet now they had offended the Uchiha Clan's young heir... what were they supposed to do?
"Move! I'm going inside..."
Sasuke hated women most of all. Apart from his mother, he never wasted words on other women or little girls.
He shoved the three women aside and barged straight through the door of Uchiha Xia Yu's house...
Inside the wooden house's main room, Xia Yu sat at a table, interviewing a reasonably attractive young woman.
Behind him, Akimi Inuzuka was carefully changing Xia Yu's dressings.
The two exchanged flirtatious glances now and then, and Qiushi's red dress still had obvious creases.
Clearly, those two must have been up to something just now-most likely the kind of thing where clothes got in the way...
Xia Yu leafed through the résumé in his hands, then looked the woman's figure over a couple more times. "36D? Are you sure?" he asked with a hint of doubt.
Blushing, the woman replied bashfully, "I... I'm sure. What I'm wearing today might be a little too conservative, so it's hard to tell. If you don't believe me, I can show you right now..."
Even as she spoke, her hand was already reaching for her high neckline.
"No, no need. I was just asking..."
Xia Yu hadn't expected such a bashful young woman to do something so forward. He quickly stood and reached out to stop her, but to his surprise, she had already pulled her neckline down.
Momentum kept Xia Yu from drawing his hand back in time, and it landed squarely in just the right place.
"Ah, well... y-you weren't lying. Looks like I really did misjudge you..."
"Xia Yu! What are you doing!"
Sasuke had barged into the main room just in time to catch Xia Yu in the act of "groping."
"You're not even hiding it anymore? You're doing it right out in the open now!"
His little face red with anger, Sasuke could no longer contain the fury in his chest. He immediately flung a shuriken straight at the spot between Xia Yu's eyebrows.
At the critical moment, Akimi Inuzuka sprang up, raised a long, fair leg, and knocked the shuriken away with a sweeping kick.
Akimi Inuzuka was a Jonin of Konoha. Dealing with Sasuke's attacks was effortless for her.
"Hiding behind a woman again! You used to do this all the time when my father was still alive, too. Xia Yu, you've utterly disgraced the Uchiha Clan!"
Throughout history, when had a proud Uchiha man ever relied on a woman for protection?
Xia Yu could be considered the first.
To Sasuke, a straight guy who wholeheartedly believed in "Uchiha male supremacy," this was absolutely intolerable.
Watching Sasuke tremble with anger, Xia Yu sighed helplessly and gently tried to reason with him:
"Sasuke, we're the only two pure-blooded Uchiha left in the Uchiha Clan Compound. Could you calm down and talk to me? What we need now is unity, and a plan for the Uchiha Clan's future..."
"I have nothing to say to a pervert like you! The Uchiha Clan only needs me. We don't need you. Everything you do while you're alive only drags the Uchiha name through the mud!"
"Sasuke, you're deeply prejudiced against me..."
"This isn't prejudice. It's utter disgust! Ever since I can remember, you've been the person I hate most, Xia Yu!"
"All right, I understand." Xia Yu neither agreed nor disagreed with Sasuke's reaction.
"I did bring plenty of disgrace to the Uchiha name in the past, but what I'm doing now really isn't what you think. I'm saving the Uchiha Clan."
There was no way Sasuke would believe that. He snorted. "Hmph, do you think you're fooling a child? You call something as filthy as groping someone's breasts in public saving the Uchiha?"
"Sasuke, you can't just look at the surface. You need to understand the deeper meaning behind what I'm doing!"
Xia Yu made up his mind. He had to give Sasuke a proper lesson, or Sasuke's current childish way of thinking would make it impossible for him to understand.
"Qiushi, take this young lady outside for now. Let me talk to Sasuke alone for a while."
Akimi Inuzuka glanced at the murderous Sasuke and said worriedly, "Let me stay by your side and protect you. I'm afraid Sasuke might..."
Xia Yu waved a hand. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I might not even be as strong as a Genin, but I'm not so weak that a child who only recently started school could kill me easily."
Seeing how firm Xia Yu was, Akimi Inuzuka said no more. She could only lead the woman silently out of the main room and close the door.
"So you do have a little backbone! You're finally not hiding behind a woman..." Sasuke drew a kunai, gripped it tightly, and slowly walked toward Xia Yu.
Sensing the murderous intent brimming in Sasuke's eyes, Xia Yu remained completely unruffled. He sat back down cross-legged in his original spot, poured two cups of hot tea, and began in a measured voice:
"Sasuke, hear me out first. If you still think what I'm saying is wrong after I've finished, it won't be too late to kill me then. I won't resist at all. How about it?"
Before you continue