Chapter 6 — Am I Going to Become a Team Leader?
Early morning.
A hazy mist drifted through Konoha, making the village — barely fifty years old — look like it was forty-nine and already tired of living.
"Ha~"
Asuka finished washing up and stepped out of his house. Seeing the thick fog, he muttered:
"If I could eat a grilled fish with chili powder right now… that'd be perfect."
Looking back inside his home, he spotted the fat orange cat still snoring on the table. Asuka's lips twitched, then he snapped his fingers — poof!
Two honey-wasabi fried chicken family buckets appeared.
He set one on the table for the cat and carried the other out with him.
Today was the monthly Uchiha clan meeting. Since he'd decided not to defect, he might as well attend properly and listen to whatever comeback plan the elders vomited out this time.
Crunch… crunch…
The quiet morning streets echoed with the sound of him eating as he casually munched fried chicken on the walk.
By the time he arrived at Naka Shrine, several elders were already gathered.
"Hmph!"
Hearing footsteps, Elder Uchiha Madou turned and, seeing it was Asuka, let out a cold snort and deliberately looked away.
"Hey, Elder Madou, still upset about yesterday?"
"Shut up. I don't want to talk to you."
"Eat something. It's unhealthy for old people if they don't eat at least two pounds of meat in the morning."
"Take it away. I don't eat greasy food in the morning."
"Greasy??"
Asuka looked down at the family bucket in his hand with solemn disappointment.
"Who do you think we are? We are Uchiha.
Other clan elders need bland food because their digestion is weak.
Don't lump us in with them.
Besides, I heard Madara's grandfather ate five pounds of fried meat every morning even in his seventies — and he lived to see Konoha's founding."
Seeing Asuka hold up five fingers seriously, Madou's cheek twitched.
Yes, some monsters were indeed built differently — smoking two packs a day, drinking a bottle of liquor at lunch, eating ten pounds of meat…
But he was not one of those monsters.
Bang!
Asuka suddenly slapped his hand to the ground and used a summoning technique — poof, poof, poof! — dozens of fried chicken buckets piled up around him.
He distributed the food to the elders nearby.
Madou fully expected them to reject it.
Instead, every single white-haired elder accepted the greasy buckets with straight faces and began eating like it was their last meal.
Madou's eye twitched violently.
Yesterday you were lecturing me about eating vegetable porridge with pickles to maintain health — and today you're eating THIS?!
You old geezers will never live to see an Uchiha Fifth Hokage.
Taking a deep breath, Madou's pride flared. He stared at the glistening chicken wings and growled:
"…Give me two buckets."
---
When Fugaku arrived, he smelled the overwhelming aroma of fried chicken hanging in the air. He looked at the clan members whose mouths were dripping grease and gently reminded them:
"Everyone… it's not wartime. You really don't need to eat like this in the morning."
"Hmph!"
Madou puffed out his chest, though he looked faintly nauseous.
"The Uchiha are Konoha's strongest clan. Our stomachs are made of iron."
"Back in the day, Madara's grandfather could eat twenty pounds of meat in a single meal. What we're eating is just breakfast appetizers.
Burp~"
A loud, greasy burp echoed through the hall.
Fugaku's eyelid twitched.
"…Elder Madou. Do not address traitors as 'Lord' in public."
"I understand."
Madou waddled stiffly back to his seat.
---
Inside the main hall of Naka Shrine, four rows of tables had been arranged from east to west, each with a different number of seats. The southern row had the most — dozens — while the northernmost had only one.
Asuka stared blankly at the new layout.
Wasn't it always two rows?
Oldest in front, everyone else behind?
Why were there suddenly four?
But the other Uchiha acted like this was normal. They quickly sorted themselves into seats, leaving Asuka only one option — the very edge.
Still confused, he tugged the sleeve of the elder next to him.
"How did I end up here?"
"Oh."
The elder wiped grease from his mouth and explained:
"You ran away last time — didn't you see how I fought with my fists?"
"After that brawl, the Grand Elder divided us by factions."
He pointed:
"That far row with the most people? The ruthless faction.
"The row beside it? The competitive faction.
"My row? The serene faction."
The elder dipped his finger in tea and wrote on the table:
[Divorce Advocate Faction]
"…."
Asuka's face darkened instantly.
He gritted his teeth at the Grand Elder sitting up front.
"That old man has a problem with me."
"Hah, you finally noticed?"
The elder shrugged.
"He hated you ever since you insisted on learning medical ninjutsu. Yesterday when you suggested a marriage alliance with the Senju, he hated you even more.
"Well? The Grand Elder's getting old — want me to recommend myself as next Grand Elder?"
"Quiet."
Fugaku motioned for silence. Then he pointed at Asuka.
"Uchiha Asuka. The Fourth Hokage has ordered you to temporarily lead the three newly graduated students. Later, you will join the Hokage's direct unit — the ANBU.
I hope you will act as a bridge between the village and the clan."
"I'm… becoming a teacher?"
Asuka pointed at himself, stunned.
An Uchiha… teaching?
Was Minato out of his mind?
Fugaku nodded approvingly.
He assigned two more ninjas to ANBU, then continued:
"The Fourth Hokage wishes to mend relations with the clan. I should also show goodwill. Soon, I will enroll Itachi in the Academy. After graduation, he will become the Fourth Hokage's apprentice."
"Mmm~"
All the elders nodded happily.
Becoming the Fourth Hokage's disciple meant another shot at the Hokage position.
Several elders looked at Asuka with smug satisfaction.
After all, advising the clan head to divorce wasn't something they'd forget.
"Ahem."
Asuka looked at the Grand Elder calmly.
"Elder, I have a marriage proposal for you. The bride is the grandmother of one of my Hyuga friends. For the honor of both clans, I hope you won't refuse."
WHOOSH—WHOOSH—WHOOSH!!
A storm of kunai erupted from above, black steel glinting with chakra, descending like a tidal wave aimed at Asuka alone.
The kunai filled half the sky — a massive funnel pointed directly at him.
"Old man…"
Asuka looked up, raising his right arm. His sleeve slid down to reveal an arm like carved jade — pale, strong, precise.
A ball of red-hot chakra formed in his palm —
FWOOOM —
blasting heat that instantly boiled the tea in every cup nearby.
He stood like a deity holding a miniature sun.
Fire Release — Scorching Sun!
His original ninjutsu — created while experimenting with Rasengan and inspired by Lava-Style Rasenshuriken. A Rasengan infused with intense fire-nature chakra.
No hand seals required.
Gulp.
Several Uchiha swallowed nervously.
No matter how many times they saw it… it was overkill.
The kunai rained down — only to melt instantly into cascading streams of molten iron, hissing as they burned new craters into the stone floor.
"All done."
Asuka dispersed the burning sphere with a flick. He tapped a piece of molten metal off the table with a kunai, then pulled out a pen and notebook and wrote calmly:
"February 2nd, Konoha Year 51. Since becoming a ninja, Uchiha Asuka has been repeatedly challenged by the clan elder. After intense training and fierce combat, Uchiha Asuka has defeated the elder for the 27th time.
Justice once again stands victorious."
He waved the booklet smugly at the furious elder, casually picking his nose.
"Elder, don't forget the rule you set.
One move each.
More than that breeds resentment — bad for unity."
"Hff… hff…"
The elder took several deep breaths to suppress the urge to kill him.
His feelings toward Asuka were complicated.
He loved him — because he was a once-in-decades genius.
He hated him — because he was a once-in-decades idiot.
A clan might produce a genius every ten, twenty, or fifty years.
One genius could change the clan's fate for generations.
But geniuses like Asuka?
This one skipped Academy classes to study medical ninjutsu.
Conducted scientific experiments instead of ninjutsu drills.
Started researching Sage Arts after graduation.
And now had abandoned medical ninjutsu entirely.
He was wasting his talent.
The elder slammed his hand on the table and stormed off.
He hated geniuses.
He hated geniuses who wasted time even more.
And he especially hated geniuses who tried to find him a Hyuga grandmother for marriage.
(End of Chapter)