Ino was bewildered, as she had never heard of such a thing.
While there were indeed activities to honor ancestors in the Naruto world, they were usually held by large clans during significant times of the year, initiated by the clan leader.
The act of a junior like Kaito buying flowers alone to honor his ancestors was something Ino had never heard of.
"Wait a second..."
When Ino finally reacted, she found that Kaito had already walked out of the shop, and she hurriedly ran outside to call after him.
"Will you... will you be going to school the day after tomorrow?"
Kaito stopped in his tracks, took about ten seconds before saying, "Of course."
"How could I not go to school with Sasuke still there?"
Ino's heart, which had just felt a flutter, came to a halt upon hearing Sasuke's name, and the words of concern she wanted to say were swallowed back down.
In the end, she could only watch as Kaito disappeared step by step from her sight.
Clang—
Squatting in a tree, Kakashi was fully engrossed in a book. After turning a page, he muttered.
"Man, what an unromantic little brat."
It was unclear whether he was talking about the protagonist of the book or commenting on the departing Uchiha Kaito.
After leaving the flower shop, Kaito also stopped by to buy a bottle of alcohol.
However, instead of going to the South He Shrine of the Uchiha clan to pay his respects, he walked to the farthest west side of the village.
Finding a secluded spot, Kaito faced the eastern direction, placing the white chrysanthemums in front of him, and poured two large cups of alcohol in front of him.
He held one cup in both hands, raising it above his head, "Ancestors, please bless us!"
"The unfilial descendant is about to undertake a great task..."
"I hope you all will bless me from the heavens!"
Kaito was not honoring the ancestors of the Uchiha clan but rather paying tribute to his ancestors from his past life.
After all...
If he were to pay respects to the ancestors of the Uchiha, a Sage of Six Paths would come out to suppress his attempt to destroy the Shinobi World.
"What the hell???!!!"
Kakashi was left dumbfounded, especially by that kid's loud shout, which nearly scared him into falling out of the tree.
In his many years of life, he had undertaken countless missions and encountered all sorts of strange beings in the Shinobi World.
But...
Kakashi had never seen anyone behave so bizarrely.
If he were to honor the deceased...
At least go to a cemetery; shouting like this in public, isn't he afraid of scaring others?
Kakashi didn't understand, but thinking of this kid's absurd behavior reminded him of Obito from back in the day.
"Hmm..."
"It's been a while since I checked on that guy."
Glancing at the departing Uchiha Kaito, Kakashi vanished from the tree.
After Kaito left, he wandered around the village aimlessly for a whole circle, all the while estimating his teleportation distance.
Konoha had a large sensing barrier, so it was impossible to teleport directly outside without raising suspicion.
Fortunately, Runtu, being a non-Chakra entity, couldn't be sensed by ninjas.
Moreover, the Uchiha clan's location was near the village's outskirts...
After thinking it over, he realized that relying solely on himself would be a bit difficult. Even if he swapped places with Runtu to run outside the village, he would still be alone in the end.
"It seems I still need to find my father..."
Kaito sighed softly, shook his head, and turned back.
Uchiha Clan, South He Shrine.
"Clan leader, give the order! The village can no longer accommodate our Uchiha clan!"
"Yeah! Shisui... Shisui must have been harmed! We can only take up arms to survive now!"
"Right! Konoha doesn't treat us as one of their own; we co-founded this village... why can't we be Hokage!"
"Let's fight them!"
In the dark shrine, the members of the Uchiha clan activated their three tomoe Sharingan, urging Fugaku, who was at the forefront.
They had endured this kind of life for a long time, and now, seeing no hope, they only wanted to kill Konoha.
Either that... or be killed by Konoha.
"Silence—"
Fugaku sat cross-legged in front of everyone, his face stern as he coldly shouted.
His three tomoe swept over the agitated clan members, and once everyone quieted down, he slowly spoke.
"The surveillance on the Uchiha clan is greater than ever."
"It's not yet time..."
Though Fugaku said this, he still harbored thoughts of reconciling with the village.
He might be able to raise a sword against Konoha without considering the consequences alongside other clan members.
But...
What about the civilians of the Uchiha clan, the elderly, women, and children?
If he wasn't careful...
The Uchiha clan could truly face extinction under his watch.
Perhaps he could still make an effort against the seven, after all, they were father and son.
No matter how much conflict there was, Fugaku felt his son could at least consider him and his two younger brothers.
"Clan leader..."
"Your second son is looking for you outside."
At that moment, a clan member suddenly leaned in and whispered to Fugaku.
Kaito?
What is that kid doing here now?
Fugaku's mind flashed with confusion, and without any further thought, he said to the clan member beside him, "Let him wait outside."
"I'll go out once the meeting is over."
"But..." The Uchiha member's face showed a strange expression, and after stammering for a long time, he continued, "Your son is outside calling a whole bunch of dogs."
Fugaku: ???
Hearing this, Fugaku was first taken aback, and once he realized, he couldn't help but curse.
"Brat!"
Then, he turned to the others inside and said, "I'll step out for a moment; the meeting is temporarily adjourned."
Fugaku wore a stern face as he walked out of the shrine, but upon seeing his son, he let out a long sigh of relief.
To be honest...
He felt more relaxed walking out than he did in the meeting.
"Is there something you need?"
Fugaku glanced at Kaito and the thirty stray dogs gathered at his feet, his hand already pulling out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.
Kaito picked up a small dog, feigning innocence as he slowly approached Fugaku.
"Father, what do you think about me keeping all these dogs nearby?"
When he got close, he lowered his voice, "Father, send me out of the village; I want to leave for a while."
"No way."
Fugaku coldly refused, but after saying that, his expression began to contemplate.
It seemed...
Letting Kaito leave Konoha wouldn't be a bad idea.
Fugaku's mind quickly flashed with the thought of sending his family out of Konoha, but as soon as the thought arose, he extinguished it within three seconds.
If he sent both Sasuke and Kaito out at the same time...
It would definitely be difficult.
Such a large movement would surely be discovered by the village, leading to them taking action against the Uchiha clan first.
As for sending Kaito out alone...
That didn't seem impossible either.
As for what Kaito wanted to do outside...
He didn't care, as long as he could give his son a fighting chance.
After Fugaku thought it through, to avoid being overheard by the ninjas monitoring them, he even started cursing at Kaito.
"Brat! This is the Uchiha Shrine! Do you think it's appropriate to keep dogs around here?!"
"Get back! Just wait until tonight; I'll deal with you!"
When Kaito's eyes met his father's, he immediately understood the underlying meaning and played along with his father's act.
"Okay!"
"Your secret stash is gone!"
Fugaku:....!!