"You!!!" Fang Zheng's eyes widened as he pointed at Fang Yuan, feeling a lump in his throat.
"What do you mean, what did you call me?" Fang Yuan's gaze was cold and unyielding.
Even the arrogant little genius Fang Zheng couldn't help but shrink back at the sight.
"Fang... Fang Yuan, your uncle is looking for you," Fang Zheng said, his tone softening though he still looked unconvinced.
Fang Zheng, who had refined chakra at the age of four and learned the B-level Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Technique, felt his frustration boil over. Why did Fang Yuan, despite being the elder, constantly overshadow him? Why did he always have to feel like an insignificant foil compared to his brother?
Fang Zheng's eyes turned red. He had lived under the shadow of comparisons between himself and Fang Yuan since childhood. While Fang Yuan was once the clan's renowned genius, he was labeled as the insignificant younger brother, a mere footnote in the family's history.
But now, things had changed. He had become a prodigy, and Fang Yuan had seemingly become a relic of the past. Why did Fang Yuan still treat him with the same dismissive attitude?
"Heh. Are you only going to call me by my name now? Or is it that, since you've become someone else's favored son, you no longer recognize me?" Fang Yuan's smile was sharp as he took slow, deliberate steps toward his younger brother.
The young Uchiha Fang Zheng, though filled with arrogance, could not help but feel a chill as Fang Yuan approached. He backed away, his resolve faltering.
Finally, he muttered, "Elder brother."
"That's better," Fang Yuan's eyes softened a little as he reached out and gently ruffled Fang Zheng's hair. The gesture made Fang Zheng tremble slightly.
"Let's go and see the two elders. I have something to discuss with them," Fang Yuan said, emphasizing the word "elders." He took Fang Zheng's small, cold hand in his own, nodded to Uchiha Izumi from a distance, and headed toward the Uchiha residence.
Though Fang Yuan didn't know the exact route, Fang Zheng did. The younger brother felt uneasy being led around, but he didn't dare pull away.
After a while, Fang Zheng spoke softly, "Brother, could you please stop opposing Uncle and Aunt? They threw you out because you were disobedient. Just give in a little, and you can go back to living in the main house."
"Me? Go against them?" Fang Yuan's sneer was cold. Though he couldn't recall the specifics of how his uncle and aunt had treated them, he remembered them as sarcastic, hypocritical, and heartless.
"Do you remember how our parents died?" Fang Yuan suddenly stopped and grasped Fang Zheng's shoulder, forcing him to face the painful truth.
Fang Zheng's expression shifted, a shadow of something distressing crossing his face.
"The elders said they were heroes of the Third Ninja World War..."
"And what about their pensions? Their savings, the Ninja Scrolls, and the Ninja Tools? Who took them all?" Fang Yuan's voice was harsh, filled with suppressed anger.
Fang Yuan's expression hardened as he pressed further, "Brother! You can't seriously believe that! It wasn't easy for our uncle and aunt to take us in. My aunt even claimed she saved all our parents' money for us!"
Fang Zheng's face flushed as he stiffened his neck defensively. "Oh, saved it? Saved it to buy a big villa for their own son?" Fang Yuan's voice dripped with scorn.
He was suddenly hit with a vivid memory. He recalled the day when his uncle and aunt had pulled him into a room, their faces painted with awkward smiles. They fidgeted with their hands, one trying to look earnest, the other attempting to appear sympathetic. Under the guise of concern, they had pressured Fang Yuan, using his parents' pensions as leverage to secure lavish villas for their own children.
He could still see his aunt's face, her obsession with money unmistakable.
"My dear nephew, you and your brother are growing up fast. You're almost six and will soon start school. It's important to maintain a good image when visiting classmates, don't you think?"
Fang Yuan's sneer deepened as he remembered her words. The irony of their so-called "sacrifice" was not lost on him.
"Why don't we use your parents' pension to buy a big villa? It'll be more prestigious for you to bring your classmates over," Fang Yuan's aunt had proposed with a high and mighty tone. At that time, Fang Yuan could only remain silent, as he and his brother were too young and helpless to argue.
Eventually, the Uchiha mansion was built. It was from that day onward that Fang Yuan left his uncle's house in frustration and began living alone. Without the support of Uchiha Izumi and his granddaughter, Fang Yuan might have faced daily hunger.
Recalling this, a cold glint flashed in Fang Yuan's eyes. He gripped Uchiha Fang Zheng's wrist tightly, causing him sharp pain. "Lead the way, and hurry up. I don't have time for this nonsense."
Fang Zheng winced in pain and shot a resentful glance at his brother. "You've only been away for a few months, and you've forgotten the way home? Uncle and aunt were right. Brother, you're truly ungrateful!"
Arriving at the Uchiha Residence District, Fang Yuan looked at the grand mansion with a sense of disappointment. The lavish structure, adorned with flying eaves and intricate brackets, was built with the savings meant for him and his brother, now spent by others.
In the front hall, Fang Yuan saw his uncle, Uchiha Dongtu, seated in the master's chair, his stern expression fixed on Fang Yuan. Beside him was his aunt, a well-to-do woman from the Land of Fire, whose arrogance was matched only by her ostentatiousness. Many said that Fang Yuan's uncle had married into wealth, adding to his status in Konoha.
Fang Yuan frowned, feeling the systemic flaws in this world. Konoha, despite its power, seemed beholden to the Fire Nation and its nobles—a situation that felt absurd, almost as if his cultivation had regressed to insignificance.
"Wild boy, you've come back?" His aunt's tone shifted immediately upon seeing the brothers. Holding a bowl of tea and golden pine mushroom biscuits, she regarded Fang Yuan with disdain. "Do you dislike the doghouse outside?"
Fang Yuan remained silent. Fang Zheng tugged at his brother's sleeve, whispering, "Brother, apologize to Aunt and come back to live here."
"Come back?" His aunt's ears were sharp. Hearing Fang Zheng's words, her face contorted with disgust. She pointed at Fang Yuan and scolded, "The master tried to persuade you to stay, but you were stubborn. Now that you've failed out there, you still dare to come back?"
"I'm telling you, you little wretch! Once you left our house, don't even think about coming back!" She howled like an enraged beast, lacking the grace of a noble lady.
Even Uchiha Dongtu, who had been silent until now, couldn't tolerate it any longer. "Enough, enough!"
"You're making such a racket every day. Juri is trying to sleep in the side room. Aren't you afraid of waking him up? The child has been practicing ninjutsu all day; you should be quiet for a while."