Uchiha Fugaku's grip was like an iron vise, his palm clamped tightly around his son Yoshihiro's collar.
He didn't say a word as he marched forward, his footsteps quick, heavy, and full of suppressed fury.
Yoshihiro stumbled along behind him, his neck aching from the chokehold, yet he didn't dare resist. From the pressure in his father's hand alone, he could feel both anger and disappointment radiating outward—and beneath it all, a desperate attempt to protect him.
After all, this was the first time Yoshihiro had ever seen his father resort to such extreme measures just to force him to apologize to someone.
Even if he were stupid, he could tell something was wrong. His father clearly knew something he didn't.
But… why?
Yoshihiro couldn't understand it no matter how he tried.
That librarian hadn't lifted a finger. Yoshihiro had simply fainted on his own. At best, the man was just a librarian.
In Konoha, that was a position even a genin could fill.
His father had even joked before that if Yoshihiro failed to get a good jonin squad leader within two years, he could just work as a librarian for a while, then transfer into the patrol unit and serve alongside his cousin Fugaku.
By that logic, it was obviously an easy job.
So why was his father so terrified?
As they returned to the Uchiha compound, the gazes of the passing clansmen made Yoshihiro feel as though needles were pricking his back. He didn't know what they were thinking—perhaps no one even cared—but he kept his head down the entire way, afraid of seeing those polite, knowing, gossip-filled smiles.
Bang!
The front door was violently shoved open, then slammed shut, cutting off the outside world completely.
Yoshihiro finally let out a breath of relief. At least no one was watching now.
"Kneel," Fugaku said coldly, his voice sharp enough to bite.
"Father! I didn't do anything wrong! He started it—" Yoshihiro tried to protest.
"I said kneel!"
Fugaku turned abruptly. The three tomoe of his Sharingan spun slowly, glowing crimson in the dim room.
Yoshihiro froze.
Was his father under this much pressure?
His body trembled. He bit his lip, unwilling yet powerless, and his knees buckled against the cold floor.
Fugaku didn't look at him again. He paced back and forth, his chest rising and falling violently as he struggled to calm himself.
After a long silence, he finally stopped.
His voice, when he spoke again, was heavy with exhaustion.
"Yoshihiro… do you think the Uchiha are still treated the same way they were during the First Hokage's era?"
He didn't wait for an answer.
"The policies of the Second Hokage. The suspicions of the village elders. The isolation imposed by other clans…" His voice dropped lower and lower. "The Uchiha are standing on the edge of a cliff."
"One wrong step—no matter how small—can be magnified endlessly and used as an excuse to push us into the abyss. Do you understand?"
Yoshihiro lifted his head blankly.
This was the first time his father had ever spoken to him about these things.
"You've already graduated from the Academy," Fugaku continued. "In my generation, that meant you were considered an adult—ready to marry and begin your career."
"You can't keep behaving like this."
The Sharingan in Fugaku's eyes slowly faded, replaced by lingering fear.
"You need to learn how to tell who you can provoke… and who you absolutely cannot."
He crouched down and stared directly into his son's eyes.
"Yoshihiro, you know you're a genius, right? You know you're an Uchiha, right?"
"Then explain to me why you didn't last even a single exchange against him."
"That was a sneak attack—" Yoshihiro tried to argue weakly.
"That was ninjutsu without hand seals!" Fugaku snapped.
"He's the same age as you. He's only ten years old. Do you understand that?!"
Yoshihiro froze.
Only then did he truly recall it—the boy's height, nearly the same as his own, just slightly sturdier.
"…I understand," he said quietly, lowering his head.
Fugaku exhaled slowly and stood up.
"Go take a walk. Think carefully about everything I've said."
"And if you truly understand… go apologize to him again. Make sure he doesn't hold a grudge."
Was the gap between people really that wide?
Yoshihiro wandered down the street, his father's words echoing endlessly in his mind.
Wasn't he supposed to be the most outstanding genius in the village?
—No way.There was no way he was actually mediocre.
He pouted, resentment still lingering, yet his feet unconsciously carried him toward the library.
If that man decided to make trouble for him later, his future would be miserable.
Just then, a scent of wind and sand drifted past.
Four unfamiliar figures approached slowly from the direction of the village gates.
Ninja from Sunagakure.
Yoshihiro stiffened instantly when he saw the symbols on their forehead protectors.
Hidden Sand Village.
Why were they here?
He examined them carefully.
There was a tall girl clearly older than him, a delicate red-haired boy who looked younger and whose gender was difficult to tell, and a mature man in his twenties.
All three followed behind a cold, imposing adult.
Could it be… the Chunin Exams?
His father hadn't informed him.
…Right. He wasn't qualified.
Yoshihiro bit his lip.
Did that mean the red-haired boy—who looked even younger than him—was already a Chunin Exams participant?
Someone capable of becoming a chunin?
Strangely, Yoshihiro felt his father's words sink in a little deeper.
He quietly lowered his head, stepped aside, and pretended to adjust his ninja tool pouch, deliberately avoiding eye contact.
Unfortunately, trouble didn't always wait for permission.
"Oh? Isn't this the Uchiha—supposedly the most prestigious kekkei genkai clan in the ninja world?"
A clear, slightly scorching female voice rang out.
Pakura stopped walking, her sharp gaze locking onto the fan crest emblazoned on Yoshihiro's back.
She wanted to see for herself just how impressive the legendary Uchiha truly were.
Yoshihiro's blood surged to his head, his body freezing in place.
Damn it—someone is insulting the Uchiha!
He snapped his head up instinctively, his Sharingan flaring to life—
—but his father's face flashed through his mind.
You must learn who you can provoke… and who you cannot.
Yoshihiro clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms.
That red-haired boy was someone he couldn't afford to offend.
And this woman—clearly testing the Uchiha—was even more dangerous.
In the end, he took a deep breath and bowed stiffly.
"I apologize if anything I did offended you."
The words scraped out through clenched teeth, each syllable burning like sand in his throat.
Pakura blinked, visibly stunned. She clearly hadn't expected an apology.
She was about to speak again, but a single glance from Rasa stopped her.
"Let's go," Rasa said calmly.
"This is Konoha. Don't cause trouble."
At that moment, several figures appeared around the corner.
The man at the front had a stern expression and piercing eyes.
Captain of the Konoha Military Police.Young Uchiha clan head—Fierce Eyes Fugaku.
"Ninja from Sunagakure?" Fugaku's gaze swept over them before settling briefly on Yoshihiro. "What happened here?"
"Nothing," Rasa replied evenly. "We are entering the village for the Chunin Exams. My disciple lacks manners. Please forgive her."
Fugaku said nothing, simply extending his hand for their credentials.
—
Meanwhile, Hiroki stepped out of the Archives after finishing his shift and immediately spotted the scene.
From a distance, he recognized them—Rasa, Pakura, and Sasori. The adult following them was unfamiliar, likely a minor figure.
After a brief pause, Hiroki's consciousness sank inward.
[Ding—dong~][Detected connectable external terminal "Si-Yi."][Temporary connection established via Chakra Communication Protocol.][Open file?]
I am Sawada Hiroki.I've encountered the Hidden Sand Village's exam team.Please confirm whether the mission should be executed immediately.
…
A moment later—
What's going on? Are they enemies?Wait—Sawada Hiroki is my surveillance target?!Remote mental communication?! No hand seals?This is just like the Yamanaka Clan—no, focus!Report to Hokage-sama immediately!
Five seconds passed.
Then—
[Reply from Hokage-sama.log]No.Do not act.Do not expose your identity before the Chunin Exams.
Hiroki withdrew his consciousness as if nothing had happened.
He turned, preparing to take another route—
"Stop."