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The moment Fugaku appeared, the gathered Uchiha noticed him and grew visibly excited.
The crowd instinctively parted, forming a clear path that led him straight to the front.
"Hiashi! Our two clans are both great families of Konoha. We've always stayed out of each other's way. So what exactly do you mean by bringing your people here to cause trouble in Uchiha territory?!"
"Today, you'd better give me a reasonable explanation. Otherwise, the Uchiha clan will not let this go!"
The instant he arrived, Fugaku demanded answers, clearly venting all the irritation he'd been holding back.
"Hah! It's only been a few days, and somehow your skin's gotten even thicker, Fugaku."
Hyuga Hiashi's tone was even colder.
"Your son, Uchiha Akira, openly humiliated the Hyuga clan, and you still have the nerve to ask me for an explanation? Don't make me laugh!"
"How was that humiliation?" Fugaku frowned, already annoyed. "It was just a scuffle between kids. That sort of thing happens all the time."
"Hiashi, you're being way too petty. For a major clan, you're showing shockingly little magnanimity and i thhink It's something narmal."
Normal? You're either blind or senile, Fugaku!"
Veins bulged on Hiashi's forehead as his anger flared. "The Hyuga clan's dignity and reputation were dragged through the mud, and you call that normal?!"
...
"Tch. All I did was teach those two brats a tiny little lesson."
Akira stepped forward with his hands in his pockets, his expression casual and dismissive.
"You're really making this into some huge moral crusade over nothing. I seriously don't get how you white-eyed guys think."
In the next instant, every member of the Hyuga clan turned murderous glares on him, eyes sharp enough to kill.
"So you're Fugaku's son, Uchiha Akira."
Hiashi stared at him like a blade. "Good. I'll remember you. Later, I'll make sure you understand that the Hyuga clan isn't something a snot-nosed kid like you can humiliate."
If looks could kill, Akira would have been cut to pieces already.
And yet, it was precisely this harmless-looking kid who had utterly disgraced the Hyuga clan.
"Heh. Those two brats were the ones who provoked me first," Akira said calmly.
"I just defended myself and gave them a small lesson. That's perfectly reasonable, right?"
"You can't expect me to just stand there and take it when someone picks a fight with me. That would be ridiculous."
He shrugged, wearing an innocent expression that only made things worse.
"He's not wrong, Hiashi," Fugaku added, stepping in. "By his account, this really was just a fight between kids. There's no need to blow it up into something bigger."
"In the ninja world, if you lose a fight, that just means you weren't strong enough. There's no rule that says you get to blame the other side for being stronger."
Fugaku didn't want this to escalate. He just wanted to put this mess to rest as quickly as possible.
Turning a trivial incident into open hostility between two major clans simply wasn't worth it.
By now, Fugaku had fully regained his composure after his earlier anger at Akira. His tone was no longer as aggressive as when he first arrived.
In truth, he really didn't want to offend the Hyuga clan at a time like this.
With Konoha's higher-ups applying relentless pressure, provoking another powerful clan would be incredibly foolish.
Right now, the last thing he could afford was to push the Hyuga to the opposite side.
So Fugaku softened his stance.
"Let's put it to rest, Hiashi. Even if Akira was at fault…"
"If he offended the Hyuga clan, then I'll formally apologize on his behalf. Will that do?"
As he finished speaking, Fugaku bent at the waist and bowed deeply to the Hyuga clan.
"Clan Head! Why are you apologizing to them?! The Uchiha aren't afraid of the Hyuga!"
"That's right! Why should we apologize?!"
The surrounding Uchiha erupted in protest, their faces filled with indignation.
The Uchiha were the strongest clan in the ninja world. How could they bow to the Hyuga?
"That's enough," Fugaku snapped, his face hardening as he forcefully suppressed their objections. "I have my reasons. You don't need to question them."
He straightened and looked back at Hiashi, sincerity written across his face.
"Hiashi… this should be enough, shouldn't it?"
"I've bowed and apologized. I've given you plenty of face. Let's end this here."
But Hiashi wasn't buying it. The anger in his eyes didn't fade in the slightest as he let out a cold laugh.
"Heh. Fugaku, it seems you really have no idea what that bastard son of yours actually did."
"You think a hollow apology like that can settle this? How laughable."
Fugaku frowned. "Wasn't it just a fight between kids? At worst, Akira went a bit too far."
"Heh. Then let me tell you exactly what your bastard son did."
Hiashi sneered, his voice suddenly rising.
"Your bastard son used genjutsu on one of my clansmen. He controlled him and made him… made him…"
The rest of the words were too shameful for Hiashi to say aloud.
Instead, he turned to a Hyuga who had come with them and pointed toward a nearby tree.
"You. Go demonstrate what happened back then."
Hyuga Ko's face instantly turned deathly pale.
"C-Clan Head… I… I…"
Being forced to do that kind of thing while fully conscious… how was he supposed to ever face his clan again?
It was worse than killing him.
Regret flooded his heart. Regret for listening to his idiot younger brother. Regret for provoking Uchiha Akira in the first place and ending up like this.
"Go," Hiashi said coldly. "Don't make me say it a third time."
His voice was icy. His gaze even more so.
Under the crushing authority of his clan head, and the agony imposed by the cursed seal, Hyuga Ko staggered toward the tree.
Then, in front of nearly a hundred ninja, he wrapped his arms around the trunk and began, disturbingly practiced.
In that moment, the light vanished from his eyes.
There was only one thought left in his mind.
He hoped the ninja world would explode in the very next second.
"..."
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