Three days ago, when the two kids came running back covered in injuries, Fugaku had already given them a brutal scolding.
He had warned them repeatedly not to provoke ninja dogs again—lest the villagers start laughing at the Uchiha clan for raising descendants who couldn't even beat dogs.
The reputation of the Uchiha clan had been completely ruined by these two!
Nowadays, whenever villagers mentioned the Uchiha, their first thought was no longer the legendary defector Uchiha Madara, nor the clan's prodigies Shisui or Itachi—
But Fugaku's two youngest sons get chased by dogs every day.
Recently, tensions between the clan and the village had been steadily escalating. Fugaku was barely keeping the restless clan members in check.
And then this happened.
He was genuinely afraid that his two sons would become the fuse that ignited open conflict with the village.
Because of pride alone, he couldn't openly send people to stop it—that would be humiliating. Worse still, it might make the Third Hokage suspect that the Uchiha were deliberately stirring up trouble.
Stopping it was wrong.
Not stopping it was wrong.
Whenever Fugaku thought about how his eldest son constantly opposed him, while his two youngest neither trained properly nor stayed out of trouble—mixing with ninja dogs all day—
It was nothing short of a family disaster!
"Father… I… I understand…"
With a loud thump, Sasuke dropped to his knees, lowering his head as he stammered out his words, preparing to admit fault.
He knew his father's temperament well. Trying to argue now would only make things worse.
Ryan, standing to the side, met Fugaku's gaze and took a step forward, positioning himself in front of Sasuke.
In that instant, Sasuke looked up at Ryan's back—
It almost seemed to glow.
Could it be…
Was Ryan going to shoulder all the blame alone…?
But the moment Ryan opened his mouth, the surge of emotion in Sasuke's heart shattered instantly.
"Sasuke is too weak."
"I took him out for special training. Fighting ninja dogs isn't anything shameful."
"Right now, Sasuke is very strong."
"If you don't believe me, test him yourself."
Sasuke: ???
Ryan spoke with righteous conviction, but inwardly, he silently offered Sasuke a prayer.
Sorry, idiot.
The struggle for succession has always been like this.
Drawing aggro is your job…
Just consider it repayment for helping you train these past few days.
Hearing this, Sasuke lifted his head in confusion, staring at Ryan in disbelief. Then he glanced toward his father, who was on the verge of exploding.
He had already been nervous from messing up. Now he was completely at a loss.
Sasuke was deeply touched that Ryan had taken responsibility—but he also desperately wanted his father's approval.
However…
He really didn't want it to happen like this!
Fugaku barely reacted to the claim that Sasuke had grown stronger. In his eyes, it was nothing more than an excuse from two mischievous children.
After all—
You're both pure-blooded Uchiha. You have nothing to do with ninja dogs or the Inuzuka clan.
Special training with ninja dogs…
No matter how you looked at it, it sounded ridiculous.
"So you're saying the two of you are now strong enough to challenge me?"
"Do you even know—"
Fugaku launched straight into a reprimand, but Ryan raised a hand and cut him off.
"Father. That's enough for today."
"Let's eat first."
Ryan's tone was even more serious than Fugaku's—almost as if their roles had been reversed.
Even Fugaku froze for a moment.
Wait…
Am I the father here, or are you?
Sasuke was so shocked by Ryan's attitude that his mouth nearly fell open. Sweat streamed down his face in thin lines.
It took Fugaku quite a while to recover. His face darkened, anger surging rapidly upward.
The wooden tea table cracked with a sharp sound as Fugaku's aura flared. A classic scene of "loving father and filial sons" was about to unfold.
"Uchiha Ryan!"
Just then, Mikoto pushed open the living room door and smiled gently at the three of them.
"Husband, dinner's ready. Let's eat first."
She then beckoned to Sasuke and Ryan.
"You two, go wash up. You stink."
Seeing his mother was like seeing salvation for Sasuke. He immediately darted behind her and bolted toward the bathroom without looking back.
As for that hateful Ryan…
Seeing Sasuke escape first, Ryan also slipped behind their mother. But when he reached the doorway, he paused and calmly added—
"Sasuke isn't a coward."
In Fugaku's eyes, Sasuke was spoiled by Itachi and protected by Ryan, turning him into someone who cried at the slightest setback.
He couldn't even lift his head when facing his father.
Completely unlike the other clan children.
Ryan had seen all of this clearly. All he could say was that the entire Uchiha clan—no, the entire shinobi world—had something wrong with its head.
His brother Sasuke was probably the only normal one.
Sasuke's true talent lay in Lightning Release chakra, yet Fugaku stubbornly forced him down the Fire Release path.
When Itachi first learned Fire Release, his flames reached nearly ten meters—almost rivaling Fugaku's.
Ryan considered his own talent average, yet his first Fire Release still reached about five meters.
But Sasuke…
At the beginning, he could barely spit out a tiny flame.
Ever since then, Fugaku seemed subtly disappointed in him.
"These unfilial brats have completely disgraced the Uchiha clan!"
Fugaku kept a stern face, but after hearing Ryan's words before leaving, the tension between his brows eased slightly.
Mikoto found her husband's expression rather amusing.
Fugaku wasn't good at expressing himself, yet he cared deeply about all three sons. Whenever he wanted to communicate, he couldn't quite bring himself to lower his pride.
After a long moment, Fugaku turned to his wife, unsure whether he was asking her—or himself.
"Mikoto… am I too strict?"
"Hahaha…"
Mikoto covered her mouth and laughed, lightly pointing toward the door.
"That's something you'll have to ask the children."
"Though that Ryan…"
"Sometimes, his thoughts are even more delicate than Itachi's."
The moment Fugaku heard that name, his softened expression immediately stiffened again.
"Don't mention him to me!"
"You have no idea what kind of attitude that brat had just now—"
Not long after, both Sasuke and Ryan finished bathing and sat down at the dinner table.
Itachi was reportedly on a mission and wouldn't be back for several days.
Throughout the meal, Sasuke buried his head and shoveled food nonstop, as if finishing quickly might help him avoid the beating to come.
Ryan, on the other hand, was completely unfazed.
Getting beaten, after all…
Had been a regular occurrence ever since he was three years old—starting from the day he found his father's hidden stash under the bed.
"I'm finished!"
After eating, Sasuke set down his chopsticks, bowed slightly to everyone, and turned to flee the dining room.
Fugaku called out to stop him—but his gaze remained fixed on Ryan.
"It's been a long time since I last tested the two of you."
Feeling that sounded a bit awkward, Fugaku added another line to clarify his intent.
"Ahem… school will be starting soon. I hope you don't embarrass me there."
"Hmph. Both of you—follow me."
...
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