Chapter 9 (Part 1)— I Won't Kill My Fellow Villager
The sky above Konoha was a perfect blue, dotted with lazy white clouds that drifted like brushstrokes. Peaceful—at least on the surface.
Inside the Uchiha compound, Asuka sat stiffly in the courtyard, listening to the clan elder's lecture for what felt like the fiftieth time.
He'd come because Fugaku summoned him.
He regretted coming the moment he saw the Elder waiting too.
The old man's glare was so fierce it practically sparkled green, like he was longing to scold Asuka with spiritual power alone. Fugaku had barely gotten three words in before the Elder seized the entire conversation.
"Even if your medical skills are impressive, that's no excuse to test children with… with that kind of nonsense!" the Elder snapped. "The bell test exists for a reason! To teach teamwork, collaboration, cooperation!"
He jabbed a bony finger at Asuka's forehead.
"Not to train diarrhea resistance or teach classmates how to queue for the toilet!"
Asuka calmly wiped the flecks of spit off his cheek.
"The students passed the test," he said patiently. "And I achieved the goal—"
"Goal?"
The Elder slammed his cane onto the floor so hard the teacups rattled.
"Was the goal to destroy their digestive systems?!"
Asuka closed his eyes.
The old man had a weak heart, bad lungs, no blood relatives, and a personality that could kill him faster than any kunai. If Asuka argued too hard, the Elder would collapse today, end up hospitalized tomorrow, and show up at Asuka's door the day after asking for 'reparations for stress.'
Best to conserve energy.
Fugaku poured another pot of tea. A fifth one. Sunset painted the courtyard orange.
Only when the scent of freshly cooked dinner drifted through the air did the Elder finally drain the last cup of tea and rise, satisfied and self-important.
"I already spoke with the parents of those three students," he declared. "I told them you'd start teaching normally from now on without any strange ideas."
He straightened his robes, ready to leave—
—and then his legs went numb.
A sharp buzz hit the Elder's skull. His cane slipped from his fingers.
He pitched forward.
Oh, hell no.
If this old fossil fell in front of him, Asuka would never hear the end of it. Everyone would assume he'd enraged the Elder to near death.
So Asuka did the only logical thing.
He kicked him.
Right in the face.
The Elder blasted backwards like a fired cannonball, blew straight through Fugaku's guest room door, and crashed into the house.
Fugaku poked his head from the kitchen at the sound.
"Asuka," he said flatly, staring at the hole shaped exactly like an elderly man. "What happened?"
Asuka clasped his hands together and bowed toward the hole.
"Elder, your guidance is truly overwhelming."
Then he turned to Fugaku.
"The Elder wanted to test my reflexes. Neither of us held back. Clan Head, I have… urgent matters to attend to. I'll leave first."
"Will you stay for dinner?" Fugaku asked out of politeness.
"No, thank you," Asuka said, already halfway gone.
By the time he vanished, Mikoto appeared, apron on, spatula in hand.
"Elder, are you alright?" she asked, voice tight with concern.
The Elder staggered out of the hole, covered in dust, a clear footprint on his face.
"I'm perfectly fine!" he declared proudly. "Happier than I've been in years!"
Mikoto blinked. "Are you… sure?"
"Absolutely!"
He brushed off his robes, then eyed Mikoto's pregnant belly before glancing toward the direction Asuka fled.
"Hmph… Tsunade's hemophobia left a big gap," he muttered. "But that brat—his combat skill, his medical talent… he'd make the perfect Hokage bodyguard. The best there is. It's time the Uchiha clan enjoyed a little reward."
---
Meanwhile, far from the clan compound, Asuka arrived at the Valley of the End.
Water thundered down the massive waterfall, mist spraying around him.
"Yes," he nodded to himself. "This is the perfect place for water-walking practice. Even if they fall and break something, I'm a doctor."
He was mentally planning out training schedules when he noticed three tiny shapes already standing near the edge of the waterfall.
Three very unsupervised brats.
"Hey," he yelled. "Whose kids are you? Where are your parents? Who lets kids come to a waterfall alone?"
One of the boys puffed out his tiny chest, trying to act cool.
"Ahem. We are from the Uchiha clan. We're here to watch over Lord Madara!"
Bang.
Asuka immediately kicked him off the cliff.
The other two froze mid-breath. Then—
"Waaaaah! MOM! A BAD MAN!"
"I wanna go home!"
A kunai suddenly embedded into the rock beside them.
The boys went dead silent.
They looked up at Asuka like he'd grown horns.
Before they could scream again, the sound of rustling leaves echoed behind him.
Two masked figures appeared—one fox mask, one tiger mask.
Black jumpsuits. White vests.
Root.
Figures.
Asuka pinched the bridge of his nose. "Shouldn't you first say, 'Lord Danzo wishes to see you'? Why attack immediately?"
The masked ninjas exchanged a glance.
Then charged.