Fugaku nearly choked, his already dark complexion turning a shade redder.
The two Uchiha clan members who had followed him in wore equally bewildered expressions.
Everyone in the Uchiha clan knew that Fugaku wasn't suited to smiling, but no one had ever dared say it to his face-until now.
Xin had just delivered that brutal truth straight to him.
"Maybe it's because I'm normally so serious," Fugaku muttered, trying to brush it off.
Despite feeling utterly mortified, he chose not to argue with Xin.
It wasn't worth picking a fight with someone he couldn't win against, especially someone he still hoped to recruit into the clan.
"Three bowls of char siu ramen, extra noodles," Fugaku called out to Teuchi, doing his best to ignore his awkward exchange with Xin.
"No problem," Teuchi responded with a thumbs-up, quickly setting to work.
It didn't take long for the ramen to be served. Xin, who was eating leisurely and working through two bowls, was still in the middle of his meal by the time Fugaku's two subordinates finished theirs and left.
With the ramen shop now empty except for Xin and Fugaku, Teuchi glanced between the two before thoughtfully closing the door, giving them a bit of privacy.
Xin shot him a perplexed look. You could've just left-why lock the door like that?
"So, just back from the frontlines?" Fugaku asked after a moment of silence.
It wasn't hard to gather information about Xin's activities, especially since the Uchiha clan had members stationed in the Land of Rain.
"Yeah, just got back. I was escorting a group of wounded shinobi," Xin answered, leaning against the wooden divider. The ramen shop's lack of chairs with backrests was one of the few things he didn't like. After eating his fill, the only way to relax was to sit sideways and lean against the wall.
They exchanged a few casual words, but soon enough, Fugaku fell silent again, his fists clenching and unclenching as if he couldn't decide whether or not to speak.
Xin could see the hesitation all over his face. No wonder the Uchiha clan had plunged into chaos under Fugaku's leadership-this guy clearly wasn't cut out to be the head of a clan.
"If you're here to ask me to rejoin the Uchiha clan, don't bother," Xin said bluntly. "I'm not coming back. It doesn't matter who asks me."
"Is that so?" Fugaku sighed, visibly relieved.
He'd had no idea how to broach the subject. The first time he'd approached Xin, the kid had shut him down hard.
The second time, they'd run into each other in the street, and it had been just as humiliating.