"You two—do you have a problem with the village, or with me?!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen glared fiercely at White Fang and Uchiha Kin, looking ready to roll up his sleeves and fight them on the spot.
Well, maybe a little problem with you.
Kin's eyes wandered to the ceiling. That wasn't something he could say out loud. Bringing it up now would only make things more awkward.
White Fang scratched his head sheepishly, not daring to say a word under Hiruzen's furious gaze. They had messed up, never expecting things to escalate like this.
"If you have complaints, just voice them! Why did you have to smash Konoha's gate?!"
Hiruzen clutched his chest, feeling like he was on the verge of a heart attack. In all the years since Konoha's founding, no one had ever dared to lay a hand on the village gate—until these two came along. That gate had stood since the First Hokage's era, a relic meant to endure for generations, something he could look back on fondly in his old age.
But thanks to these two, the entire gate was gone, and the two Special Jōnin guarding it were now hospitalized.
This was beyond outrageous!
"My gate…" Hiruzen lamented bitterly.
"It was his idea!"
Kin pointed at White Fang, shifting the blame. White Fang had been the one to propose their little competition, and he'd been the first to use a jutsu at the critical moment. By all accounts, Kin was in the clear.
Without White Fang, none of this would've happened.
"You smashed half of it yourself," White Fang shot back, dragging Kin down with him. They'd each taken a side, reducing the gate to splinters.
Neither was getting out of this unscathed.
"You filthy adult! How dare you push the blame onto a kid like me?!"
Kin rolled up his sleeves, ready to settle this once and for all.
"A kid? You, who can't stop ogling adult women, have no right to call yourself a child!"
White Fang mirrored the gesture, and the two immediately tangled in a brawl. Kin landed a punch, giving White Fang a black eye. White Fang retaliated with two punches, doubling Kin's shiners. Kin struck back, adding a bruised nose to White Fang's injuries.
Hiruzen watched the scuffle, veins bulging on his forehead.
"You two—!"
Smoke erupted from his hand, materializing into a black-and-gold staff.
"STOP THIS INSTANT!"
With a roar, Hiruzen swung the staff—and half of the Hokage's office collapsed beneath the force. Through the newly created hole in the ceiling, the two troublemakers stared up at him innocently from the ground below.
This wasn't their fault.
Hiruzen's own actions had caused this mess. They weren't taking the blame for it.
This only infuriated Hiruzen further. Clutching his chest, he felt like he'd keel over from sheer rage if he had to deal with these two any longer.
"You're not leaving until that gate is fully repaired!!"
As for the office… he'd have to handle that himself.
In the end, Kin and White Fang did fix the gate. By the time they finished, the bruises on Kin's face had already vanished, while White Fang still sported two black eyes as he trudged home.
After all, he didn't have the Six Treasuries Immortal Thief.
"Ha ha ha!"
Kin couldn't help but laugh, even finding the passing Uchiha clansmen oddly endearing for once.
"Lord Kin!" A nearby ninja greeted him enthusiastically.
"Lord Black Demon!" A group of children suddenly swarmed around him.
"Lord Black Demon, can we become as strong as you one day?"
One Uchiha child gazed up at him with stars in his eyes.
"Ha ha."
Kin chuckled and ruffled the kid's hair.
"Basically impossible."
He hadn't forgotten how these very children had mocked him in the past. Did they think he'd just let it slide?
This particular kid had been one of the offenders. Did they really believe he wouldn't recognize them just because they'd grown a little taller?
Oh, he remembered everything.
"You'd need another lifetime to catch up to me."
His words instantly reduced the children to tears, sending them running home to tattle. Amidst their wails, Kin's laughter rang out, sharp and unrepentant. When bystanders shot him disapproving looks, he glared back, silencing them instantly.
"You really hold a grudge, don't you?"
Uchiha Yashiro, drawn by the children's cries, shook his head at Kin's antics.
"Not at all."
Kin shrugged.
"I'm just stating facts. It's for their own good."
The Uchiha's strength was tied to their eyes and bloodline. Kin suspected many clansmen couldn't awaken their Sharingan simply because their bloodline wasn't strong enough.
He studied Yashiro. Aside from a prominent scar on his face, the man hadn't changed much in the two years since they'd last met.
"You've all grown quite a bit."
Yashiro hadn't seen Kin in over two years.
"Stop treating me like a kid, Yashiro."
Kin tucked his hands into his sleeves.
"Right now, I'm far stronger than you."
In terms of pure skill, Kin was now among the elite. The combined might of the Uchiha elders wouldn't be enough to take him down.
Only Uchiha Fugaku posed any real challenge.
"Ha ha ha." Yashiro laughed awkwardly. "Right, I should be calling you 'Lord Black Demon' now."
"Just 'Kin' is fine."
Kin waved off the title. As for how the Uchiha had learned of his suppressed achievements—that was Uchiha Hokaku's doing.
That old fox was as cunning as Hiruzen himself.
"Kin."
"Yeah?"
"Help the clan when you can. The Uchiha aren't exactly thriving in Konoha."
Yashiro's tone was pleading. As a moderate, he sought peaceful coexistence between the clan and the village. But the Uchiha still needed strong new blood.
Kin, who'd always kept his distance from the clan, should've been the face of the Uchiha's new generation. Yet Yashiro doubted Kin even knew his peers among the clan's ninja.
"Yashiro, since when did you become Hokaku's mouthpiece?"
Kin didn't understand Yashiro's concerns. The old Yashiro would never have brought this up—this had to be Hokaku's influence.
"At least show some respect for the elders."
Yashiro's expression darkened at Kin's blatant disregard.
"But this is my own wish."
It truly was. Hokaku hadn't pressured him.
"I see." Kin nodded.
"Then rest easy. I'll lead the Uchiha to new heights."
Though his voice was calm, Yashiro felt a surge of pride.
This was the Uchiha spirit.
"After all, I'm part of the radical faction. Not as extreme as the moderates."
Because, really, the moderates were too radical.
Uchiha Yashiro: "???"
...
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(End of Chapter)