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Morning.
Jin was woken up by the sound of knocking at his door, yawning as he got out of bed.
He approached the door, curious to see who would disturb his sleep so early in the morning.
When he opened the door, he was met with the sight of Fugaku, who wore a sullen expression.
Jin looked him up and down.
Bang! He quickly slammed the door shut, frowning inside his room.
"Why did I just see Fugaku at my door?"
Maybe he had opened the door the wrong way.
Jin opened the door again.
This time, Fugaku was standing there, holding his nose. As soon as he saw Jin, he quickly removed his hand and tried to put on a stern face, though the red mark on his nose was still visible.
Just as Fugaku was about to say something,
Bang!
The door was shut again.
"Why is Fugaku's deadpan face showing up at my door?"
Jin fell into thought.
This guy hadn't bothered him in a while, and now that he had just returned, here he was again.
When Jin opened the door for the third time, Fugaku's entire face had turned red.
There was now a clear imprint of the door on his face.
Jin must have used too much force when closing it earlier.
"That's enough!" Fugaku quickly called out to stop Jin.
If this continued,
He wouldn't have any face left.
"So it really is you."
Jin looked at Fugaku in disbelief, as if he were examining a rare animal.
"Did the sun rise in the west? You actually knocked instead of sneaking into my house?"
That didn't seem very fitting for the heir of the Uchiha clan.
Fugaku, with his usual deadpan expression, didn't react to Jin's teasing.
What did he mean by "sneaking in"? He had always entered with full legitimacy.
He wanted to correct Jin's wording but decided against it, instead focusing on the purpose of his visit.
"The Elder wants to see you."
"Again?"
Jin frowned. He didn't have much fondness for the Uchiha clan, and after the last time they seemed ready to sacrifice him, whatever goodwill he had left was completely gone.
"You still carry the Uchiha name."
Fugaku reminded him sternly.
That was a surname Jin could never shake off.
Jin's gaze moved past Fugaku, looking at the clan members chatting and laughing in the distance.
The Uchiha—a clan doomed to tragedy in Konoha.
Indeed, he couldn't escape it.
"Lead the way, then."
Jin reluctantly agreed. He was curious to see what that old man wanted this time.
Within the Uchiha, he didn't belong to the radicals or the moderates.
He only represented himself.
Following Fugaku, Jin walked into a secluded courtyard.
Several clan members were working there.
They continued to the backyard, where they found Uchiha Hokaze, dressed in loose clothing, sitting on a stone, holding a fishing rod.
Jin noticed the red goldfish swimming in the pond.
Did those have any value as food?
"Elder." Fugaku knelt on one knee.
Jin, however, remained unmoved and even sat down next to Hokaze, watching his fishing rod remain still.
"Empty-handed old man."
A vein pulsed on Hokaze's forehead.
He hated being called an empty-handed old man.
Fugaku wanted to stop Jin from being disrespectful, but he knew that Jin wouldn't listen. In the end, he just sighed and held his tongue.
Hokaze slowly exhaled.
"Jin, what do you think of the village?"
"Don't try to act familiar with me. We're not close."
Jin shot Hokaze a sideways glance, but unfortunately, didn't see any change in his expression.
Hokaze merely looked at the fish in the pond.
"You hold resentment toward the clan and us, and I understand. After all, we wronged you first."
The creator of the Basic Inner Technique.
When Hokaze learned of this, he realized he had underestimated Jin.
His actions had even pushed Jin to the opposite side.
At first, he hadn't wanted to lower himself. No Uchiha clan member had ever treated him this way.
But when the battlefield reports came in about Jin awakening his Sharingan,
It confirmed that Jin was indeed a genius of the Uchiha clan.
Unfortunately,
He had made a mistake.
"I'm not angry with you."
Jin said reassuringly, but then his tone suddenly changed.
"After all, I don't need to get angry with fools!"
Crack! The fishing rod in Hokaze's hand snapped.
Even though he knew that Jin was different from the other clan members, he still couldn't stand the biting sarcasm.
But Jin was a figure comparable to Tobirama, so Hokaze could only suppress his anger.
"However..."
Jin looked at the ripples on the water, his face expressionless.
"As for the village, I think it's just a tool to limit shinobi."
This piqued Hokaze's interest. This was the first time he had heard such an idea.
"Can you elaborate?"
Jin glanced at him, then at Fugaku, who hadn't left.
He wasn't worried that these two would spread what he was about to say.
So, Jin began to explain.
"The world is vast. Beyond the doorstep is the village, beyond the village is the Land of Fire, beyond the Land of Fire is the shinobi world, and beyond the shinobi world is the sea of stars.
But the village mentally limits shinobi from going further, confining them here. The Will of Fire is just a farce, a tool to make people sacrifice for the village, without ever considering that people are what make a village. Without people, it's just an empty shell."
"You're foolish, and the other shinobi in the village aren't much better."
"The Will of Fire is the foundation of the village!!" Fugaku couldn't hold back anymore and retorted, "We only exist because of the village."
He couldn't understand Jin's thinking, let alone accept it.
"Silence!" Hokaze snapped at Fugaku.
Reluctantly, Fugaku fell silent.
"See? The idiots raised by the village." Jin pointed at Fugaku as if pointing at a monkey being toyed with.
It was truly ironic.
Fugaku's face turned red with embarrassment.
"You make an interesting point."
Hokaze didn't agree with Jin's views, having lived through the Warring States period. He understood the stability the village brought.
It would be even better if the Hokage of Konoha were a Uchiha.
But not agreeing didn't mean he couldn't understand.
Isn't that how young people are supposed to be? "But the village is ultimately your root, and the Uchiha clan is your home."
Hokaze sighed.
"What are you really trying to say?"
Jin sensed that Hokaze had something else in mind.
"I can feel that my life is nearing its end," Hokaze said wistfully.
Jin merely glanced at him. If he had learned the Basic Inner Technique, it could have allowed him to live until Naruto's era.
But for some reason, Hokaze hadn't studied it.
Even Fugaku hadn't practiced the Basic Inner Technique.
"I hope that in the future, you will assist Fugaku in ensuring the Uchiha's glory endures."
Unlike last time, Hokaze's tone now was pleading.
This was his final request.
Jin listened quietly, watching Fugaku's expressionless face.
Then he looked up at the sky.
A white dove soared, only to be caught in a net from nowhere, falling into the distance.
Too bad.
He wasn't that white dove.
"Why must Fugaku be the clan head?"
"Why can't the clan head be me?"
Jin's voice was slow and drawn out.
To the two men, It was like a thunderclap.
(End of Chapter)