Kin tilted his head curiously.
"So… why the long face?"
The trio had fled the barbecue restaurant like criminals, too embarrassed to stay.
Kushina glared at Kin with the intensity of a sworn enemy.
"Did… you pass the Jonin Exam?"
She prayed for good news—anything to lift her spirits.
No such luck.
"Of course. I'm a jonin now."
Kin's lips curled as realization dawned. He drew out his next words deliberately.
"Wow. Those questions were so easy. Don't tell me someone actually failed?"
Only a true bastard could deliver that line with such relish.
Kushina's pale face darkened to thunderclouds.
"Kushina didn't pass. But she made Special Jonin," Minato interjected, mercilessly exposing the tragic truth.
A critical hit.
"GAAAH!!"
Kushina clawed at her hair before faceplanting into the dirt, pounding her forehead against the ground.
"WHY WAS IT SO HARD THIS YEAR!?"
Even veterans' past exams hadn't been this brutal.
"PFFT—HAHAHA! You failed!?" Kin pointed at her, howling with schadenfreude. Her idiocy only fueled his laughter.
"WHY'D YOU TELL HIM!?"
Kushina shook Minato like a ragdoll, her expression shattered. She knew Kin would pounce on this.
"Huh?" Minato blinked innocently. "Was it a secret?"
"Absolutely not. HAHA—cough." Kin wheezed, slapping Minato's shoulder.
Classic airhead. Perfectly timed obliviousness.
Suddenly, Kin straightened, adopting a solemn tone.
"From now on, address me as Lord Kin, Special Jonin Kushina."
Her fists trembled at his mock gravitas.
Damn Uchiha.
Now she understood why Mito-sama's face soured at the clan's mention.
Who wouldn't!?
"DIE!!"
A chakra-enhanced fist rocketed toward him—
—only to tear through empty air as Kin vanished with Shunshin.
"FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN!" she roared.
"Why would I, when running's more fun?"
He stuck out his tongue.
Around Minato, they circled, a blur of pursuit and taunts, forcing him to sigh at the sky.
Again?
Herding cats would be easier.
Are you two five!?
Technically, he and Kushina were children. Kin, though—a teenager?
So this was… a teen bullying kids?
But weren't teens also kids?
Before Minato could untangle this, two figures materialized in a smoke plume, cutting off Kin's antics.
Their Uchiha crests gleamed.
"Lord Kin. Elder Hokaku summons you."
The jovial mood was shattered.
Kin's smile gained an edge only his teammates noticed.
Their silent glances asked: Need backup?
Despite the bickering, their bond ran deep.
A subtle headshake. This was Uchiha business.
Still… Hokaku was no Danzo.
No need for theatrics.
"Lead the way."
"Yes!"
After parting with Minato and Kushina, Kin followed the clansmen toward the compound.
Let's see what the old fossil wants.
Naka Shrine
The escorts bowed stiffly.
"Forgive us. Beyond this door, we cannot accompany you."
"Dramatic much?"
Kin shoved the doors open.
Firelight revealed a sea of Sharingan—a dozen Uchiha, their suppressed aura surging toward him like a broken dam.
The two escorts crumpled under the pressure, knees hitting stone.
At the epicenter, Kin merely smirked.
"You all—"
His eyes bled crimson, tomoe spinning lazily.
"—really know how to greet a guy."
A draconic presence erupted from him, a snarling obsidian specter that froze the room.
One jonin gulped.
Standing before a dragon.
Its breath scalds his skin.
Prey instincts are screaming.
This… was no equal.
"You've grown stronger," croaked a voice, dispelling the tension.
Kin's aura vanished as he beamed.
"Elder Hokaku. Still full of surprises."
Old fox.
Internally, he scoffed.
"To what do I owe this… honor?"
His deference toward the wizened figure at the head of the assembly was flawless.
Hokaku's brow furrowed.
Since when does this brat show respect?
The unnatural politeness set off alarms.
Whatever he's planning… It's trouble.
Yet he couldn't refuse. Kin was the clan's sole pride these years.
(Not that other clans fared better. But they weren't Uchiha.)
"You all know our prodigy—"
"—Uchiha Kin."
Hokaku's gravelly pronouncement drew varied reactions: respect, wariness, indifference, even scorn.
A microcosm of Uchiha drama.
"Greetings, kinsmen." Kin's smile didn't reach his eyes as he scanned the room. "Now, Elder Hokaku—why am I here?"
"As a jonin, you're now eligible for clan councils."
Hokaku gestured to an empty seat.
Kin ignored it, leaning against the wall instead.
Monthly Uchiha meetings?
Color me intrigued.
Hokaku's eye twitched at the defiance, but let it slide.
With a nod to Fugaku at the forefront, he declared:
"This session begins."
...
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(End of Chapter)