The following morning, Masahiko arrived at the Academy as usual. However, there was a subtle shift in the atmosphere—the guards at the gate were noticeably more respectful than before.
Upon entering the school grounds, many teachers wore complicated expressions when they saw him, yet they felt compelled to approach and offer their greetings. Masahiko responded to each one with the impeccable etiquette expected of a junior colleague. Back in the sanctuary of his office, he began drafting the day's agenda: a planning meeting, Taijutsu practicals, and…
As Masahiko wrote, the sound of urgent, heavy breathing echoed from the hallway. Iruka burst into the room.
"Masahiko, it's bad!"
"What happened?" Masahiko frowned, looking up.
Iruka gasped for air before managing to speak. "It's Sasuke! He's at their compound… he's fighting with the survivors of his clan!"!"
"Huh?" Masahiko was genuinely surprised.
He was aware that the survivors of the Uchiha clan—distant relatives and those who lived on the periphery—held significant animosity toward Sasuke. However, he hadn't expected the tension to escalate into physical violence this quickly. He stood up immediately.
"I'm going right now. Thank you, Iruka."
Masahiko was about to leave when a thought occurred to him. "By the way, could you do me a favor? First period is my class. If I can't make it back in time, let's swap sessions."
"Hey, don't worry about that! Just go check on him!" Iruka waved it off, clearly not taking the request to heart.
It seemed Iruka didn't take Masahiko's "special status" seriously. Of course, it was equally likely that the honest Chunin simply didn't know about Masahiko's true standing within the village's shadows.
In the next instant, Masahiko vanished.
Konoha Outskirts — The Uchiha District
The Uchiha grounds had yet to recover from the fires of that night, though it was evident that Konoha had dispatched crews to begin reconstruction. However, the scene was far from peaceful. The Uchiha fan symbol, the proud crest of the clan, had been smashed to pieces.
In front of the main house, Sasuke stood his ground. His forehead was cut open, and blood trickled down his cheek, staining his shirt and shorts a grim crimson. He spread his arms wide, blocking the gate, glaring furiously at the group of relatives before him.
"I already gave you the money! Why do you still want to smash my home?"
"Your brother killed so many people!" the crowd roared back. "Do you think a little money is enough to pay for that?"
Sasuke froze, rendered speechless. After a moment, he clenched his fists, his voice trembling with suppressed rage. "I swear by the Uchiha name… I will kill that man. I will take his head to pay tribute to the clansmen!"
The crowd fell silent for a moment. Then, an old man's voice drifted from the back. "Killing him won't bring my children, my grandchildren, or my family back to life."
Sasuke's grip tightened until his knuckles turned white.
He knew these people weren't wrong. It was Itachi who had slaughtered the clan. But Sasuke just wanted to protect this house—the last physical remnant of his memories. He wanted to beg them to stop, but a voice inside him screamed: 'You cannot be weak. You must be strong.'
He lowered his spread arms and slowly gripped a kunai.
"You looted my house. You smashed my things. You destroyed his room, and I didn't complain. But this house… you cannot destroy this house!"
"A single kid thinks he can stop all of us?" a voice shouted from the mob.
Sasuke adjusted his grip on the weapon, his body quietly molding chakra. Just as the conflict was about to erupt into bloodshed, a calm voice cut through the tension.
"My apologies. I originally had no intention of interfering in your family affairs. However… it seems you've smashed the Uchiha clan crest to pieces."
"Does that mean you no longer acknowledge yourselves as Uchiha?"
A handsome man with a gentle expression walked slowly into the courtyard. Except for Sasuke, everyone instinctively took a step back, parting to form a path. Sasuke stared blankly at the man approaching him.
Masahiko walked to the center of the confrontation. "What exactly is your demand here? To demolish one house? Or… to kill the child standing before you?"
His questions were delivered softly, yet the crowd dared not answer. They looked at each other in dismay until the old man spoke again.
"Of course we are no longer a clan! We will no longer carry the name Uchiha. That name brings only disaster!"
"If you are no longer a clan, then this is not a family matter." Masahiko's gaze sharpened instantly, radiating a palpable killing intent. "In that case… what exactly are you planning to do to my student?"
"No, we… we…"
The mob stumbled back, silencing themselves like cicadas in winter. Having just survived a massacre, they were like birds startled by the mere twang of a bowstring. Where would they find the courage to face a shinobi exuding such pressure?
For a time, not a single one of the dozen people dared to speak.
Masahiko's tone softened slightly. "Of course, I understand your anger. Since none of you are willing to acknowledge the Uchiha name… Sasuke?"
Sasuke looked up. He leaped onto the roof of the entryway, tore down the remaining wooden fan crest, and smashed it violently onto the ground below.
"The Uchiha clan ends here. But I will never change my name. I will find that man… and I will kill him with my own hands!"
Silence reigned.
Sasuke continued, his voice steady. "As I said before: aside from this house, I will not participate in the distribution of any other inheritance. That still stands."
He bowed deeply to the crowd. "My family… has wronged you."
The crowd remained silent. Finally, after a long pause, the old man nodded. "Fine. This ends here."
The group turned and walked away. Only when the last of them had disappeared did the kunai in Sasuke's hand clatter to the ground. He picked it up slowly.
"Sensei, you were right. The only person one can rely on is oneself. Especially for someone like me…" Sasuke's expression hardened into a cold mask. "I still have my revenge. I will not fall."
"Class is about to start. Are you expecting me to praise you for skipping school?"
Masahiko extended his hand. "Come here."
Sasuke hesitated for a second before cautiously leaning in. Masahiko formed hand seals and pressed his palm against the boy's forehead. A gentle warmth enveloped the wound. Warm medical chakra infused into his blood, circulating through his body and mending the minor injuries he had sustained.
'What an incredible Ninjutsu!' Sasuke thought.
Although Sasuke felt a surge of happiness inside, he maintained his cool, aloof demeanor on the surface. Masahiko led him back to the Academy, arriving just before the bell rang.
Afternoon — The Conference Room
It was the familiar meeting room, the same setting as before. The difference this time was that although Mitokado Homura sat at the head of the table, he deferred to Masahiko to speak rather than issuing orders himself.
Masahiko didn't hesitate.
" everyone saw the results of the three-man sparring sessions the other day."
"I believe this format can run parallel to the standard one-on-one sparring. It serves to cultivate teamwork among the children. We can even expand upon this foundation to introduce four-man squad drills."
Mitokado Homura interjected, "A four-man squad… does that imply adding a designated team leader?"
"Precisely. The sparring environment can be made more complex to simulate various mission scenarios," Masahiko answered.
Homura pondered for only a moment before realizing the benefits. However, he raised a concern. "Most of these children do not possess leadership capabilities. Some may not even become Genin. How do you propose to balance this?"
"My philosophy is this: Strength can be increased through training, but an excellent mindset is difficult to cultivate later in life."
Masahiko elaborated, "Some children may have average talent as ninja, but they might possess excellent situational awareness or a commander's mindset."
"We are not currently at war. We do not need to churn out ninja at high speed. We can afford to give them some time."
Masahiko laid out his thoughts clearly. In his view, the original one-on-one sparring method was too simplistic and brutal.
Since Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzō Shimura had both given him free rein to act…
He would act.
His persona and his goal were to "break the rules," not to comply with the old system.