💎 WEEKLY POWER GOALS 💎
🔥 30→2ch | 60→5ch | 100→8ch | 200→15ch | 400→25ch
⏰ Resets Monday!
37.txt
The lamps were lit inside the Uchiha residence. Father and son had not retired for the night. Instead, they sat facing each other in silence within a quiet room.
A long time passed before Uchiha Masaki finally spoke. "About this Qianyu… what is your assessment, Fugaku?"
Uchiha Fugaku lifted his head to meet his father's gaze. "Are you asking about his strength, Father? Or other matters?"
"All of it."
Fugaku spoke heavily. "Truthfully, I do not know him well. By the time he entered the Academy, I was already in my second year. But I heard things. He was… notorious. An unacknowledged child of the Uchiha. A target for those who held grievances against our clan. During his first year, he was bullied often."
Masaki's brows drew together slightly, but he remained silent.
"By the second year, the physical bullying stopped. Almost entirely. His year produced a genius named Minato Namikaze—the one Lord Jiraiya of the Sannin later took as a student. And Qianyu was second only to that genius. Since they couldn't beat him, the bullying turned to words. Verbal abuse. But no matter how vicious the insults… no one ever reported Qianyu fighting back. He endured it all."
"To have strength and yet choose to endure such humiliation…" Masaki's frown deepened. "This Qianyu possesses remarkable forbearance."
"There is more." Fugaku continued. "He did fight once. And the incident caused quite a stir. It was in his third year. A transfer student joined his class. Not long after, rumors spread through the Academy. This student had long, red hair. She was harassed, picked on. But she was strong. She beat her attackers senseless."
Masaki listened intently.
"I later heard that a student from Qianyu's class, seeking revenge for his friends, brought his older brother—a genin—to settle the score. Qianyu intervened. He almost severed all four of the genin's limbs. I heard Lord Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade happened to be returning to the village that day. They were the ones who stopped him."
Masaki's brow furrowed further. He asked for the date of the incident and calculated silently. His eyes sharpened. It was only a few days after this that Qianyu handed over the Thunder Breathing Taijutsu to Konoha. To placate the village… that was the price?
"Is there more, Fugaku?"
"Yes. I heard Minato was there that day, too. He lost to Qianyu. Soon after, Minato became Lord Jiraiya's disciple. And from then on, every time they were at the Academy, Minato would challenge Qianyu to a spar." Fugaku's tone grew definitive. "He never won. Not once."
Masaki was visibly shocked. "You mean to say… even after receiving Lord Jiraiya's personal instruction, Minato Namikaze could not defeat him?"
"Correct. Their battles only lasted that final year. After that, Minato graduated early and left the village with Lord Jiraiya for training. But even in their final match before he left… Minato did not win."
The shock settled into a cold realization. Lord Orochimaru had taken Qianyu as his student only a month ago. Which meant Qianyu, relying solely on his own innate talent, had consistently bested a disciple of the legendary Sannin. Even without the Sharingan… his potential was extraordinary.
Masaki pressed on. "This transfer student you mentioned… what was her name?"
Fugaku thought for a moment. "Kushina Uzumaki, I believe."
Masaki's expression froze.
"Father?" Fugaku noticed the shift. "Is this Kushina Uzumaki… special?"
Masaki's face shifted through several emotions before settling into a mask of solemnity. He was silent for a long moment. "Fugaku. You will inherit my position. Become the next clan head. It is time you knew certain things." He leaned forward slightly. "Kushina Uzumaki is indeed special. Vital to Konoha. You know Lady Mito is the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki?"
Fugaku nodded, his posture straightening. "Yes. You've told me. A jinchūriki is a container for a tailed beast. They are regarded as military assets."
"Correct. Lady Mito… her full name is Mito Uzumaki. She also has red hair. You can guess the rest."
Fugaku's own expression shifted. "Is Kushina Uzumaki… the jinchūriki?!"
"Not yet. But she is the vessel chosen to succeed Lady Mito. This is a village secret. Known only to a few, such as myself among the clan heads. Lady Mito's time is limited. Konoha must secure the next vessel. Kushina Uzumaki, being of the Uzumaki lineage, is that choice." Masaki's gaze intensified. "One more question, Fugaku. Are Qianyu and Kushina Uzumaki close?"
"Without a doubt. Their relationship is very strong."
Masaki let out a long, weary sigh. "Then there's no chance at all."
"I don't understand, Father."
"The Nine-Tails jinchūriki," Masaki explained, his voice flat with finality, "will always belong solely to Konoha. No clan may lay claim to her. Qianyu is close to the future jinchūriki. And the Hokage has not only allowed this but has made a Sannin his teacher. This means Qianyu can never return to the Uchiha. Even if we consented. Even if he desired it. It is impossible."
A profound sense of frustration and loss washed over Uchiha Masaki. To let a clansman of such talent, one who had awakened the Sharingan no less, slip through their fingers… it was galling.
But Uchiha Fugaku saw things with clearer, colder eyes. He thought of Uchiha Yūto and Uchiha Kazuma, their arms shattered. He thought of the Sharingan, revealed without fear or hesitation.
Even if the clan agreed… Fugaku thought, Qianyu would never consent. He broke their arms. He showed his eyes openly. He is no longer concerned with the clan's opinion.
In Fugaku's estimation, any chance of reconciliation between Qianyu and the Uchiha clan had died long before this night. It was gone for good.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
Read up to (40+ ) advanced chapters on Patre\on
Visit us here:patreon.com/GoldenLong
Happy reading, everyone!