The day after Uchiha Yorihito received treatment, he slunk back to Konoha.
After all, his own clansmen weren't willing to stand with him. The looks he got from everyone around him were beyond weird. It was better to just go home.
Uchiha Jin'ya's wrist and leg fractures had also been treated.
A professional medic-nin had seen to him, but full recovery would still take a few days.
Jin'ya had assumed Qianyu would wait until his injuries healed before calling them together for a mission assignment. He didn't expect the summons to come today.
Qianyu unfurled a scroll. "I just accepted a mission for our team. A pursuit-and-elimination mission against a Cloud-nin squad. According to scouting intel, the squad has about ten members. Their strength isn't particularly high. About half are at chūnin level, the other half genin. No jōnin. At most, there might be a special jōnin."
He scanned their faces. "This mission, I want to see what you're made of. So I expect each of you four to go all out."
The four Uchiha widened their eyes.
About ten people? Half are chūnin?
Right off the bat? This intense?
Uchiha Jin'ya looked down at the bandages around his wrist and knee, his expression troubled. "Captain, my injuries…"
Qianyu glanced at him sideways. "Not an excuse. Besides, you brought those on yourself. In war, you fight even when you're hurt. An injury isn't a reason to hide."
Jin'ya opened his mouth. Closed it. Not a word came out.
The outcome was set. All he could do was accept it.
"Go back and prepare. Assemble back here in one hour. We move out."
The four Uchiha left, shoulders slumped.
Qianyu leaned against a tree and closed his eyes to wait.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Footsteps approached from a distance.
Qianyu lifted his eyelids for a brief glance, then closed them again.
The footsteps stopped directly in front of him.
Their owner was Uchiha Kazuo.
Kazuo's face was dark with anger. "Qianyu," he warned, voice low. "I advise you not to go too far. You're only here temporarily. You will return to Konoha eventually."
At the threat, Qianyu's eyes opened again. A faint, mocking smile played on his lips. "Oh? Why not finish the thought? What happens after I return to Konoha? Like that Uchiha Yorihito said, have the Uchiha clan take revenge on me?"
He placed a hand over his heart, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "The mighty 'First Clan of Konoha,' the Uchiha's vengeance… I'm so scared. Is this the part where you want to see me kneel and beg, pleading with you to call off the clan?"
Kazuo's face flushed red at the blatant mockery.
Qianyu's sneer vanished, replaced by cold indifference. "Do you really think I'm afraid of the Uchiha? If I were, would I have beaten those five pieces of trash you brought into the dirt?"
He tilted his head. "You know, in the entire Uchiha clan, only Uchiha Fugaku seems to have half a brain. The rest… well. Not the sharpest tools in the shed."
Kazuo's jaw tightened.
"That's probably why the Uchiha are fading," Qianyu continued, his voice flat. "A crisis is brewing, but you're all too blind to see it. Still basking in past glory, looking down on everyone. Though… was it ever your glory? It was just the lingering shadow of Uchiha Madara.
"And Uchiha Madara? Just a loser. He helped found Konoha with the First Hokage, then got beaten, ran off with his tail between his legs. And you Uchiha betrayed him. Chose to stay in Konoha."
Qianyu's gaze was piercing. "You all call me a traitor. Say I'll betray Konoha one day. But looking at it… seems like you're the traitors. A whole pack of them."
"You—!" Kazuo sputtered, rage boiling over.
Qianyu cut him off with a dismissive wave. "Spare me. I don't have the energy for this. The more you threaten me here, the harder I'll come down on those four. Or… are you here to fight me? Now that's a good idea. Knock me down, and maybe you can get them back under your command."
A dangerous glint entered his eyes. "I'd like to see it too. What's an Uchiha jōnin's level? Is he just as useless as the rest?"
He leaned forward slightly, his voice a razor-edged whisper. "So… will you make a move? Useless Uchiha jōnin?"
Qianyu watched him, a taunt etched into every feature.
Kazuo's fists clenched so tight his knuckles turned white. If looks could kill, Qianyu would have been flayed alive.
He knew. He knew Qianyu was baiting him.
If he took the bait, if he fought… he'd be in deep trouble.
Kazuo fought to control himself, a visible tremor running through his arms.
Qianyu snorted. "Pathetic. If you don't dare fight, why bother with the tough talk? Is this the Uchiha? A clan that only knows how to flap their gums? It's hilarious a clan like this is considered Konoha's first. Get lost. Get the hell out of my sight before you embarrass yourself further."
That was the final straw. The last thread of restraint snapped.
"You bastard!" Kazuo roared. "The Uchiha clan is not something a castoff like you can insult!"
Qianyu remained utterly calm, his words poisonously sweet. "Oh? But this 'castoff' is the captain of your four little Uchiha losers. Right. And when I was beating them, you, their fellow clansman, were just standing there watching. Saw your own people get humiliated, saw other clans laugh at the spectacle. Tell me, are all Uchiha just spineless cowards?"
He shrugged. "Then again, looking at those four, I already have my answer. Spineless. In the end, they still had to obey my orders."
Spineless. Useless. With each word, Kazuo's anger surged, overwhelming all reason.
Sharingan!
Three tomoe spun to life in his eyes. He didn't think. He just moved—a furious, close-quarters uppercut aimed straight for Qianyu's jaw.
Whoosh!
Qianyu flickered back with a Body Flicker.
THUD!
Kazuo's fist slammed into the tree trunk behind where Qianyu had been, leaving a deep imprint in the bark.
Qianyu brushed non-existent dust from his clothes, a sharp smile appearing as he looked at the enraged Uchiha. "Well, look at that. A little backbone after all. I take back the 'coward' part. But 'useless'? That's still up for debate."
Sharingan!
Two tomoe ignited in Qianyu's own eyes.
Kazuo's hands flew into a series of seals. Qianyu recognized the first hand sign instantly.
His own hands mirrored the movements, just as fast.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
They spoke almost in unison. From their mouths erupted a barrage of small fireballs, scattering in all directions like volatile seeds.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Both men, aided by the Sharingan's sharp dynamic vision, weaved and dodged through the hail of flames.
Kazuo drew a kunai. Qianyu's blade hissed from its sheath.
They charged. Simultaneously.
CLANG!
Sparks flew as metal met metal.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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