"Whose brat is this? Get back home and drink your milk! You think you belong here?"
At the entrance to the Uchiha clan meeting hall, a scar-faced clansman blocked Rukawa's path.
"Hey! Ryuusuke, watch your mouth—that's the second son of Clan Head Fugaku. I think his name's Uchiha Rukawa."
Uchiha Shūhei quickly reminded his companion, clearly trying to prevent an incident.
Ryuusuke glanced down at Rukawa, his expression indifferent.
"Oh? So you're the clan head's kid, huh? Well, my bad. Didn't recognize you."
He shrugged, then sneered, "It's no wonder, though—compared to your genius of a brother, your talent's basically nonexistent. I don't have much respect for people who are all title and no ability."
"If it were your genius brother Itachi standing here, I'd recognize him instantly."
Clearly, the guy had a grudge—maybe against Rukawa, or maybe against the whole family.
He wasn't just mocking Rukawa—he was trying to drive a wedge between the brothers.
But Rukawa didn't care. This guy wanted to bark? Then he'd better be ready to get kicked.
"Oh? Now that you know who I am, get lost. A good dog knows when to get out of the way."
"What did you just say, brat?!"
Ryuusuke's face twisted with rage, his scarred skin twitching like a centipede. His muscles bulged.
"Don't think I won't lay you out just because you're the clan head's son! You think you're Uchiha Itachi or something?"
Crack-crack!
He cracked his knuckles like firecrackers, looming menacingly.
In his mind, this little kid should be pissing himself by now.
But Rukawa just looked at him coldly.
"Get lost. I don't have time to waste on trash."
"I'll give you ten seconds to disappear. After that, you won't be able to."
"Ten... nine..."
"Heh. Heh heh!"
Ryuusuke laughed in disbelief. The kid was that arrogant?
"You think your fancy last name means you can do whatever you want? Let me teach you a lesson."
"In the Uchiha clan, power is everything. Your status? Worthless."
"Today I'm going to teach Fugaku's brat a lesson he won't forget."
He wound up and threw a massive punch straight at Rukawa's head—
—but it never landed.
It was caught mid-swing by Shūhei.
"Ryuusuke! Calm down! Don't be rash—the clan head is inside right now!"
"If you lay a hand on his son out here, things are going to get really bad."
Shūhei held him back with both hands, trying to de-escalate.
Ugh, what terrible luck. Why'd I have to be on shift with this guy?
"If the clan head's kid gets hurt here, I'm screwed too."
He turned to Rukawa and pleaded, "Rukawa-sama, please—go back for now. The meeting inside is discussing important matters about the clan's future. No one is allowed to interrupt."
"Even as a tokubetsu jōnin, I'm not allowed in either."
"If I let you in now, I'll be in serious trouble. So please, don't make things harder for me."
Rukawa respected the logic. Since the guy was being so reasonable, he could ease off a bit.
He nodded. "I have something urgent I need to say inside."
"I'll go in on my own. This is my decision. You won't be blamed."
Shūhei gave a bitter smile, about to respond, when suddenly—
Thud!
Ryuusuke broke free, shoving Shūhei aside.
"Stop wasting time on this punk!"
"Little brats only understand a good beating!"
"Stand down, Ryuusuke! Calm down!"
"Calm?! I've never been more calm in my life!"
"Even if Fugaku the coward were here, I'd still beat this brat to a pulp!"
He was hysterical now. Inside the hall, the soundproofing kept his shouting from being heard.
Ryuusuke despised Fugaku's pacifism—his constant concessions to the Konoha higher-ups.
He saw this as the perfect chance to vent that rage—if he couldn't beat Fugaku, at least he could take it out on his son.
Ryuusuke's hand turned to a palm and came crashing down toward Rukawa's head—!