Chapter 38: The Ashes of an Olive Branch
Uchiha Fugaku was certain that any bridge between Kagenori and the clan had been burned to cinders. The boy's actions were a declaration of war, not an invitation for negotiation.
His father, Uchiha Masaki, however, clung to the strategies of a clan leader. His perspective was broad, encompassing the political landscape of the entire village, yet it was still filtered through the unshakable pride of Konoha's "number one ninja clan." In his heart, Masaki believed that if the mighty Uchiha deigned to offer an olive branch, no one, especially a half-blooded orphan, would be foolish enough to refuse it.
Rubbing his temples, Masaki mentally tallied Kagenori's value. It wasn't just the boy's prodigious talent or the awakened Sharingan that captivated him. It was his position. A true Hokage loyalist, groomed by Sarutobi Hiruzen himself, and now the personal disciple of Orochimaru. The Uchiha clan was adrift, isolated from Konoha's power center, their influence confined to the walls of the Military Police Force. If Kagenori, with Uchiha blood in his veins, became a core figure in the Hokage's faction, he could become a vital communication link, a bridge back to relevance. But the prerequisite was simple: Kagenori could not hate them. He needed to feel some goodwill, some willingness to remember his heritage.
He thought for a long time, and Fugaku, understanding his father's stubborn pride, did not interrupt. He could guess the direction of the old man's thoughts.
Finally, Masaki spoke, his decision made. "Fugaku, tomorrow you will go to Orochimaru's base and find Kagenori. Bring him a scroll containing some of our clan's Fire Release ninjutsu and a treatise on Sharingan application."
Fugaku suppressed a sigh.
It is as I expected.
He addressed his father's delusion directly. "Father, you just said yourself he can never return to the clan. What is the point of this?"
"The point is not to bring him back," Masaki stated firmly. "He is lost to us. The purpose is to foster goodwill, to ensure he is not openly hostile. If he continues on this path, he will become a core ninja of the Hokage's line. He will always have Uchiha blood. A friendly voice in that circle is better than a vengeful one. You understand my meaning, Fugaku."
Fugaku understood. But he also knew that years of hatred could not be erased by a ninjutsu scroll. The gesture felt insultingly small against the mountain of neglect and abuse Kagenori had endured. Yet, he knew better than to argue with his father's final decision.
"I understand, Father," Fugaku replied, his voice flat.
Masaki nodded, a glint of expectation in his eyes. "Good. You must work harder, Fugaku. Do not let yourself be outshone by an outsider with only half our blood."
A bitter taste filled Fugaku's mouth. He, too, wished to awaken the Sharingan. He, too, did not want to be surpassed. But the Sharingan was not a reward for hard work; it was a curse born of trauma, and he had no direction in which to even begin.
...
The next day, Kagenori rose before dawn as usual.
Orochimaru had not yet returned, but he had promised to take him to Ryuchi Cave today, so his arrival was imminent.
Kagenori went through his solitary training regimen in the underground base's training ground, his body moving through the forms of Thunder Breathing and taijutsu katas with a fluid, deadly grace. After two hours of intense exercise, a faint, familiar tingle ran through his senses. The barrier surrounding Orochimaru's base had been triggered. Orochimaru had granted him the authority to sense intrusions, a small sign of trust—or perhaps merely convenience.
Wiping the sweat from his brow with a towel, Kagenori walked toward the base's entrance, muttering to himself, "Here to see Sensei, I suppose?"
When he pushed open the heavy door and stepped into the muted morning light, his eyes narrowed instantly. The sight of the high-collared jacket and the prominent Uchiha fan emblem sent a cold wave of contempt through him.
Leaning casually against the doorframe, he crossed his arms and fixed Uchiha Fugaku with a sardonic stare. "Tsk. Came to find me after all. Typical Uchiha, holding a grudge to the bitter end. What happened last night, and you're on my doorstep this morning? But sending a little brat like you to arrest me seems a bit inappropriate, doesn't it? Where are your Konoha Military Police lackeys? Shouldn't they be the ones to drag away the criminal who dared to harm your noble clansmen?"
Fugaku's face darkened at the mocking tone. Little brat? This boy was younger than him!
He forced his composure, offering a formal bow. "Kagenori, you misunderstand. I am here on behalf of the Uchiha clan to apologize for the trouble Yūto and Kazuma caused you yesterday."
Kagenori's brow furrowed for a split second before smoothing into a mask of cool amusement. "Oh? When I first came to Konoha and was bullied by your people, I didn't see anyone coming to apologize. You're quite quick about it this time." He paused, his gaze sharpening. "Let me guess… is the reason for your sudden politeness… this?"
He jerked his thumb back towards the base's entrance, the implication clear. The owner of this base was Orochimaru, and the man who stood behind Orochimaru was the Hokage. It was their influence, not any genuine remorse, that had prompted this visit.
Fugaku's heart tightened. This boy was far more perceptive and difficult to handle than he had anticipated. Any hope of building goodwill was evaporating before his eyes. He decided to be direct.
"Kagenori, our apology is sincere. As a token of this sincerity, please accept this—a scroll of the Uchiha clan's Fire Release ninjutsu and a treatise on Sharingan application." He tossed the two scrolls toward Kagenori.
Kagenori caught them effortlessly, weighing them in his hand with a cynical expression. "It seems my Sharingan is part of the reason for this apology. I thought you might be shameless enough to ask me to rejoin the clan now that my eyes are open. It seems you still have a few brains between you."
Fugaku lowered his head, his cheeks flushing with a mixture of anger and shame. Had it not been for Uzumaki Kushina, his father might have done exactly that.
"Since Kagenori has accepted our clan's apology, I will take my leave," Fugaku said, turning to go. He wanted to be away from this infuriating boy.
"Wait."
The single, cold word stopped him in his tracks.
"You seem to be talking to yourself," Kagenori said, his voice dropping to a deadly calm. "Did I say I accepted your apology?"
Fugaku turned back, a frown of confusion and dawning anger on his face. "What do you mean?"
Kagenori's response was not in words, but in action. He held the two scrolls aloft in his palms. A crackle of lightning chakra, sharp and intense, erupted around his hands. The high temperature instantly ignited the precious parchment. In seconds, the symbols of the Uchiha's contrition were consumed, crumbling into blackened ashes that drifted to the ground like dirty snow.
Kagenori looked straight at Uchiha Fugaku, his eyes blazing with a cold fire, enunciating each word with perfect, venomous clarity.
"I. Do. Not. Accept. Your. Apology… Uchiha."