A sunny and vibrant Konoha Village, brimming with life.
Rinjin returned to the village, accompanied by three travel-worn youngsters.
After three years, Konoha had expanded to more than twice its former size. A tall wall now encircled the entire village's perimeter.
Stretching lazily, Rinjin took in the sight of Konoha, which was gradually aligning with his memories.
"Dismissed! Meet at the Hokage Office in three days to collect the mission rewards!"
With that, he strode into the village. Behind him, Tsunade quickly followed in his footsteps.
Watching their teacher and Tsunade walk away, the three youngsters exchanged glances.
"Rii-nee, where are you planning to go?" Teuchi asked timidly.
To be honest, after spending nearly 99% of the past three years together, the bond between the three had grown exceptionally strong. The sudden prospect of separation left them reluctant.
Glancing at her two "little brothers," Rii scratched her head helplessly.
"Nowhere in particular. I'm planning to have a feast, then soak in the hot springs, and finally sleep for an entire day and night at the inn until I'm fully rested!"
Hearing this, Teuchi's eyes lit up instantly.
This! This is what the life of the wealthy looks like!
Without hesitation, Teuchi blurted out, "Rii-nee, take me with you! I'll pay you back as soon as I get my mission rewards!"
Rinjin, overhearing this, nodded sagely before shifting his gaze to Fugaku Uchiha.
Noticing the look, young Fugaku coolly nodded. "Count me in. I need to cleanse my eyes properly."
"Aren't you going back to report to your clan?" Teuchi asked curiously.
Fugaku rolled his eyes at him and snorted arrogantly. "Do you see these dark circles under my eyes? If I go back and they start bombarding me with questions, I'll lose it!"
Seeing this, Rii waved her hand grandly, as she had done countless mornings before.
"Let's go! Destination: the barbecue restaurant!"
"Yeah!"
In the blink of an eye, three days had passed. After collecting their rewards, the trio bid farewell and returned to their respective homes.
At the Uchiha Clan Grounds, the central courtyard.
Three clan elders sat at the head seats, their expressions as dark as the bottom of a pot. Beside them was the so-called Uchiha Clan Leader.
Surrounding them, layer upon layer, were countless Uchiha clansmen, all focusing their attention on the boy standing in the center with a backpack slung over his shoulders.
"Three years! I've never heard of anything so absurd—a mission lasting three years! Why not just make it a lifetime mission while you're at it!"
One of the elders slammed the table, voicing his complaints loudly.
"Exactly!" Another slightly younger elder immediately chimed in.
"And you didn't even resist! Such a mission is clearly unreasonable!"
They weren't entirely wrong. Missions lasting three years were rare, except for a select few cases involving hunter-nin. Even then, those missions usually allowed occasional returns to the village.
"This is ridiculous. Who knows what kind of nonsense your teacher fed you to make you stay away for three whole years. It's clear they have no respect for the Uchiha clan!"
As the clan leader finished speaking, Fugaku suddenly raised his head, arched an eyebrow, and sneered.
"No wonder Sensei said most people in the Uchiha clan amount to nothing. At first, I didn't believe him and even argued back, earning myself several beatings. Now, I believe it. You all really lack perspective."
"So what if the mission lasted three years? It's still better than wasting time idling in the village! How boring!"
"Silence!"
A thunderous roar interrupted Fugaku's words as the Uchiha Clan Leader stood up, his aura imposing.
If this brat continued to spout nonsense, how could he maintain his authority over the clan in the future?
"Fugaku Uchiha! Have you forgotten your surname? Is this how you speak to the clan leader?"
Beside him, the elders chimed in with their reprimands.
The crowd began murmuring amongst themselves.
"This kid used to be fine, but he's like a completely different person after one trip out."
"Yeah, he must've been corrupted by that Rinjin fellow."
"I think the higher-ups in the village are up to no good!"
"That's very likely. It's not like this is the first time!"
Amidst the clamor, Fugaku swept a disdainful gaze over the crowd and chuckled coldly.
"Is there a problem with how I speak? Clan leader? Who made you clan leader—Lord Madara?"
"You insolent brat!"
Hearing this, the Uchiha Clan Leader's eyes bulged with rage as he charged at Fugaku.
Seeing this, the smile gradually faded from Fugaku's face. He slowly closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, the three tomoe in his eyes had merged into a strange and dazzling pattern.
"Susano'o!"
With a low growl, a deep blue skeletal structure materialized around Fugaku, enveloping his body.
The skeletal arm swung out, sending the stunned clan leader flying.
"What... what is this?!"
"This power! Who did you kill to gain such power?!"
The uproar erupted instantly.
Fugaku furrowed his brows, looking at the panicked elders before letting out a long sigh.
"Do you have any idea what I've been through these past three years?"
His voice cut through the chaos, gradually silencing the crowd. All eyes turned to the young figure at the center.
"Three years. From the moment I told Sensei that I wanted to become stronger, the nightmare began.
Every day, I got no more than six hours of sleep. Sounds like a lot, right? Sure, six hours isn't bad—if you get to sleep uninterrupted. But me? I was woken up every hour—sometimes yelled awake, sometimes beaten awake, sometimes doused with water.
And what for? To practice chakra extraction, hand seals, or to get beaten up.
Do you understand that kind of pain? That kind of frustration?
That feeling of never getting enough sleep, of being so angry you tremble, of wanting to destroy the world out of sheer exhaustion?
When my parents died in battle, I felt like the sky had fallen. But not being able to sleep? I wanted to tear the sky down myself!
And that's just the nights.
During the day, I had to fight against ninja from Kusagakure—life-and-death battles where one wrong move meant death!
Rii had her arm severed three times. Teuchi's body barely has an unscarred patch of skin. I, being the youngest, suffered the least injuries.
But even so, I came close to death at least five times!"
As he spoke, Fugaku deactivated his Susano'o and pulled down his collar.
His chest was covered in scars, one particularly gruesome mark nearly piercing his heart.
The crowd collectively gasped.
"Still, we were lucky. With Tsunade-nee healing us and Sensei always showing up in the nick of time during life-or-death moments, we survived.
Do I hate Sensei? I did at first. But later, I didn't.
People with dreams have to work ten or even a hundred times harder than those without. The fact that we're still alive and able to chase our dreams is a blessing."
Sitting cross-legged in Rinjin's habitual manner, Fugaku adjusted his clothes.
"Rii's dream is to eliminate all the evildoers in the world.
Teuchi's dream is to open a ramen shop and have the strength to protect the village when it's in danger.
As for me... my dream used to be revitalizing the Uchiha clan. But I realized I was terribly wrong.
Is the Sharingan our clan's greatest pride? I don't know. But I think it should be love—the love we have for those we want to protect.
Sensei once said that humans are selfish animals, but reason and emotion make us human.
Everyone needs their anchor. Without one, you'll drift away and eventually disappear.
To be honest, I don't fully understand.
Maybe I'm oversimplifying things, but what I want to say is—why can't we love the village as much as we love our clan?
When danger comes, our clansmen protect our backs. Aren't our comrades in the village doing the same?"
At this point, Fugaku chuckled self-deprecatingly.
"Maybe Sensei was right. I'll have to become as strong as Madara Uchiha if I want to change the fate of our clan."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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