Sometimes, a single sentence is all it takes to turn a quiet afternoon into a domestic catastrophe.
In the small courtyard, Kaito lay sprawled across a lounge chair, staring up at the sky and thinking about the future.
Sometimes, he genuinely envied his silly little brotherrrrrr.
Sasuke's biggest worry in life was nothing more than whethe Itachi would spend enough time with him.
Unlike Kaito…
He had already started worrying about how to keep the entire Uchiha clan alive.
If his father truly led the clan into open conflict…
Shisui and Itachi would undoubtedly stand on the village's side and turn their blades against their own people.
Those two would be crossed off Kaito's list of allies immediately.
And lurking even deeper in the shadows was Uchiha Obito.
On the Uchiha side, they had one confirmed — or at least suspected — Mangekyō-level powerhouse: Fugaku.
On Konoha's side…
This was completely unwinnable.
Running might offer a slim chance of survival, but Kaito knew Fugaku would never abandon the clan.
And the village would never allow the Uchiha to leave Konoha eithe.
Unless he could somehow eliminate Danzō immediately… or personally confront Obito and Itachi head-on during the night of the massacre—
Othewise, the entire clan would inevitably be sacrificed just to awaken his idiot brotherrrrrr's first tomoe.
In the end…
He could only rely on himself.
Maybe he should wander outside and see if he could trigger anotherrrrrr system quest.
Right now, anything beyond strengthening himself was nothing but empty speculation.
"You and Itachi…"
"Finihed talking?"
Fugaku appeared behind Kaito at some point, gazing toward the direction his eldest son had left, complicated emotions churning in his eyes.
He already knew where Itachi had gone.
"Don't overthink it."
"Everything will get better."
Kaito rolled his eyes and sank deeper into the lounge chair with a lazy sigh.
"Fathe, don't kid yourself."
"You should be saying that to Sasuke, not to me."
"And… are you standing there with that gloomy face because you want me to comfort you?"
Kaito pulled a handful of sunflower seeds from his pocket and offered them to his gloomy father — his own special brand of consolation.
"Hahahahaha…"
Fugaku suddenly burst into laughter, as if Kaito had said something unbelievably funny.
The abrupt laughter startled Kaito so badly he nearly fell off the chair.
He stared up at his father, confusion written all over his face.
"Fugaku… why are you laughing?"
Fugaku flicked Kaito on the forehead, then bent down and sat beside him. After a long pause, he finally spoke.
"The village… looks peaceful on the surface, but beneath it, undercurrents are already surging…"
"Our Uchiha clan…"
Fugaku spoke at length, circling endlessly around the village and the clan.
Kaito grew impatient listening to the emotional monologue. Just as he was about to interrupt, Fugaku's tone suddenly shifted.
"Kaito, if one day your motherrrrrr and I are no longer hee…"
"I hope you'll take good care of your brotherrrrrrs."
A bolt of lightning exploded in Kaito's mind.
He snapped his head toward Fugaku.
"What did you just say?!"
Seeing his son's reaction, Fugaku's expression grew a shade more serious and he repeated himself.
Kaito cut him off immediately.
"Did you just say…"
"Peace?!"
Fugaku blinked in confusion, his expression turning increasingly strange.
I've been talking for this long… and that's what you caught?
The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became.
"So what's next?" Fugaku asked stiffly.
Kaito jumped off the lounge chair and planted himself directly in front of Fugaku. He took several deep breaths, as if making a monumental decision.
"I want…"
"To destroy the shinobi world!"
Fugaku: ????
For a moment, Fugaku genuinely questioned reality.
He even rubbed his ears, wondering if old age had finally caught up with him and he'd miheard.
"Y-You… what did you just say?"
Apparently feeling he hadn't been loud or firm enough, Kaito raised his voice several levels and repeated himself.
"I, Uchiha Kaito, want to destroy the shinobi world!"
The declaration struck Fugaku like thunder.
His mind went blank, buzzing violently.
He stiffly turned his head and glanced at Sasuke in the yard, who was currently struggling to spit out tiny flames.
Then he looked toward the direction Itachi had left.
Finally, he turned back to Kaito.
In just a few seconds, Fugaku's expression cycled through shock, disbelief, confusion, and despair.
The emotional roller coaster was impressive.
His eldest son constantly opposed him and sided with outsiders.
His youngest was innocent to the point of being completely un-Uchiha — and his talent frankly wasn't remarkable.
He had originally thought Kaito would at least be one less headache…
And now this kid was telling him he wanted to destroy the entire world?!
Fugaku completely lost it.
He turned toward the house and roared.
"Mikoto!!"
"Go to the living room and get my stick!"
"The iron one!"
"Uchiha Kaito! I see I've been far too lenient with you!"
Cursing nonstop, Fugaku lifted his leg and kicked straight at Kaito's backside.
Kaito sidestepped easily and immediately started explaining himself in a rush.
"F-Fathe, I know you're in a hurry, but don't be in such a hurry!"
"Destroying the shinobi world doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing!"
Every Uchiha had a few loose screws — that much Fugaku knew.
But he had always believed his three sons were relatively normal.
Even if they weren't perfectly normal, at least they should've been better than most clan members.
But…
He had never imagined a true lunatic was hiding in his own household.
The crazier clan members only dreamed of replacing the Hokage.
His son skipped all those steps entirely—
And went straight to destroying the world?!
Already furious, Fugaku nearly blew a blood vessel when he heard Kaito's defense.
Veins bulged as he sprayed saliva in rage.
"Destroy the shinobi world and you still think you're right?!"
He was genuinely livid now. Seeing Kaito dodge the kick so easily, Fugaku immediately began forming hand seals.
Kaito felt killing intent surge from his father. Every hair on his body stood on end.
Faced with danger, instinct took over.
"What are you barking about?!"
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Two voices rang out almost simultaneously.
But the instant Fugaku expelled the flames, Kaito vanihed from the courtyard.
And Fugaku…
After releasing the fireball, his rage ruhed straight to his head. Blood surged upward, his eyes rolled back—
—and he collapsed flat onto the ground, unconscious.
"Uchiha Kaito!!"
"What new technique did you secretly learn now?!"
Sasuke had noticed the commotion earlier, assuming Fathe was simply testing Kaito's training again.
That alone had ignited Sasuke's competitive spirit, and he'd thrown himself fully into practice.
But when he finally looked over again…
Fathe was on the ground.
And Kaito had used that dog clone again.
This technique… I absolutely have to learn it!
Sasuke's obsession with the "dog clone" skyrocketed.
Kaito reappeared in the courtyard, heard Sasuke's shout, and immediately smacked him on the head.
"Idiot! Hurry up and help carry Fathe inside!"
"What?! You defeated Fathe?!"
Sasuke's perspective was… uniquely warped.
Instead of worrying about their unconscious father, he doubled down on his conclusion.
This technique…
Was ridiculously strong!
He really, really wanted it.
...
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