"What exactly is going on with Uchiha Yoichi? Why was his reaction so intense today?"
After Yoichi left, Uchiha Mabayashi couldn't help but feel confused.
Although he hadn't interacted with Yoichi very often, through several encounters he had come to understand this junior fairly well.
Outstanding talent.Relatively mature in how he handled matters.
Aside from the incident where he struck someone at the Hokage Building, Yoichi had hardly done anything excessive. On the contrary, through several unexpected incidents, he had rendered considerable service to Konoha.
And even after his previous merits—when the clan head and the village leadership compromised, leaving him somewhat wronged—Uchiha Yoichi hadn't reacted particularly fiercely.
So why was his reaction this time so extreme? And how had he guessed both Mabayashi's and the clan head's intentions so accurately?
Could it be that the Second Elder had already made contact with Uchiha Yoichi?
This possibility suddenly surfaced in Mabayashi's mind. Yoichi's reaction earlier had closely resembled the stance of the Uchiha clan's more radical faction.
"It's very possible. Uchiha Yoichi's talent isn't weak, and with both his parents having died early, the Second Elder might appreciate his potential. It wouldn't be strange if someone had reached out to him. And recently, Yoichi has suffered quite a few grievances—yet the clan never stood up for him…"
After considering this possibility, Uchiha Mabayashi prepared to go find Clan Head Fugaku to inform him. If Uchiha Yoichi truly had the Second Elder backing him, then the clan head's plans would likely become difficult to carry out.
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"This ability really is… troublesome. You have to consciously stop yourself from speaking—honestly, it'd almost be better not to hear other people's thoughts at all."
This was Uchiha Yoichi's first real test of the ability, and it allowed him to clearly identify both its advantages and drawbacks.
Still, there were gains. At the very least, he now knew that Clan Head Uchiha Fugaku was once again planning to persuade him to endure and make concessions. This time, he had firmly rejected it through the ability—though it was triggered by the power, it still reflected what Yoichi truly felt deep down.
He wasn't worried about anything else, only slightly uneasy about his chakra-metal weapon. But Uchiha Mabayashi probably wouldn't be vengeful enough to sabotage him over this—at worst, they simply wouldn't associate as closely in the future.
Being an "honest little gentleman" really wasn't easy.
Someone who never lied simply couldn't exist in this world—such a person would be beaten to death before reaching ten years old.
Now Yoichi had a headache thinking about how he was supposed to survive this entire month. Controlling his mouth was no simple matter—he couldn't exactly walk around with something stuffed in it.
"Best to avoid people as much as possible. As for the Uchiha clan assembly—whoever wants to go can go."
Yoichi made his decision internally. From what he had heard in Mabayashi's inner thoughts, it was clear that Fugaku still hadn't changed. The clan head always stood on what he called the "greater good."
Never once considering that this so-called greater good was propped up by the sacrifices of countless Uchiha.
In a few days, Yoichi planned to ask again about the chakra-metal ninja sword. When that happened, he would pay Uchiha Mabayashi the forging fee himself. After everything that had happened, he no longer wanted to accept favors from him.
As for swordsmanship manuals—they were all basic techniques. He hadn't taken a single one of the Uchiha-style sword arts.
"Train. Real strength is what matters."
Since transmigrating into the ninja world, Uchiha Yoichi had never truly had deep ties with either the clan or the village. With his cheat abilities being unreliable, he could only depend on his own strength to survive in this world. He had no interest in playing village politics with Uchiha Fugaku.
If he ever reached Hokage-level strength, he would leave the village outright.
After taking some money with him, Uchiha Yoichi headed toward the Hokage Building. He planned to have someone else help him post a commission—he was worried that if he went himself, he might blurt out the embarrassing secrets of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo right there in the building.
A C-rank commission would be enough.A team of about three people to act as sparring partners for roughly a week.Eighty thousand ryō would be more than enough to attract interest.
After all, in the past month alone, Yoichi had earned tens of millions of ryō. Just that Grass Country noble had handed him twenty million. Money was the least of his concerns now.
He casually found a fellow Uchiha, paid him ten thousand ryō as a runner's fee, and then waited for the ninja team that accepted the mission to arrive.
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Meanwhile, back at the Police Force headquarters, Uchiha Mabayashi reported Yoichi's unusual behavior to Fugaku.
"Clan Head, did we push him too far? That's why Uchiha Yoichi reacted so strongly. After all, during that C-rank bandit suppression mission, Yoichi clearly rendered merit—but he was still spoken about like that. Anyone else in the clan would've snapped too."
"Mabayashi-senpai, I know you like to take care of talented juniors, but I've already made significant concessions in this matter," Fugaku replied calmly."Yoichi injured a village ninja and sent him to the hospital. Now all that's required is an apology—nothing more. Is that really so difficult?"
Fugaku shook his head and continued:
"No matter what, Yoichi is still a ninja of the village. If someone spoke badly about him, he could have returned and reported it to the Police Force. But striking someone directly inside the Hokage Building—that's simply unacceptable."
Mabayashi nodded slightly.
"What you say makes sense, Clan Head. But Yoichi's temper today was intense. I doubt he'll attend tomorrow's clan assembly. And even if he does—what if the Second Elder's faction supports him?"
"Call him to the clan assembly first," Fugaku said after a moment's thought."When the time comes, you take people with you to find him and make sure he attends."
Fugaku wanted to force Yoichi into agreeing, but at the same time, he remained wary of the Second Elder's influence. His resolve wavered.
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Uchiha Yoichi looked at the white-haired boy standing in front of him and asked:
"You're the ninja who accepted my commission? I remember requesting around three people. Where are your teammates?"
"I was just promoted to Chunin, and I haven't formed a team yet," the boy replied calmly."But if it's what the commission requires, I can handle it."
After speaking, Hatake Kakashi formed a hand seal.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Poof! Poof!
Two shadow clones appeared instantly. Kakashi continued:
"If it's just three people throwing shuriken, I can manage."
Yoichi asked,
"How long can your shadow clones last?"
"If I don't use ninjutsu, about an hour," Kakashi replied."After that, I'll need time to recover chakra."
"Then it'll be you."
Yoichi hadn't heard any inner thoughts from Kakashi. Faced with a six-year-old child, he had nothing in particular to say, so he began the task directly.
Although Hatake Kakashi was only six, he was a genuine Chunin. Without real ability, Konoha would never have allowed him to pass, even considering his father.
In shuriken throwing alone, Kakashi already surpassed most ordinary Chunin.
After creating three shadow clones, he positioned himself in three directions and continuously searched for openings to throw shuriken at Uchiha Yoichi.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Dense metallic impacts echoed through the forest. Even without chakra enhancement, Kakashi's shuriken carried considerable force.
Attacks from three directions simultaneously placed immense pressure on Yoichi. Without the Sharingan's dynamic vision, he wouldn't have dared to train like this.
But as time passed, Uchiha Yoichi's blocking grew increasingly smooth and refined.