"I am just a little, little bird... *crunch, crunch!*"
"I want to fly and fly, but I can't fly high... *crunch, crunch!*"
"I search and search, I seek and seek... *crunch, crunch!*"
"For a warm embrace... *crunch, crunch!*"
"Is that too much to ask... *crunch, crunch!*"
On the road to Konoha.
Uchiha Itsuki walked with a swagger that exuded arrogance. In one hand, he carried a large stick, and in the other, a giant carrot. As he walked, he sang loudly, occasionally taking a bite of the carrot.
He howled as he went, frightening the birds into flight.
At this moment.
At the entrance to Konoha Village, a crowd had gathered.
There were high-ranking civilians from Konoha.
There were clan leaders of the ninja families.
Even the Third Hokage was present.
Among them!
Uchiha Fugaku's face darkened.
This morning.
He had suddenly received an order to come to the village entrance and welcome the return of a Konoha hero.
At the time, he was surprised.
What kind of hero required him to personally greet them?
He was the head of the Uchiha clan, the captain of Konoha's Police Force!
He was firmly part of Konoha's upper echelon!
The last time he had been called to greet someone was for Minato Namikaze, the hero of Konoha, widely rumored to be the next Hokage.
Naturally, everyone had to show respect.
But now, who in Konoha could rise to that level?
Fugaku immediately suspected a conspiracy.
When he heard that the person they were welcoming was Uchiha Itsuki, his face turned even darker.
His stern eyes became fiercer.
He could already sense the strange looks being cast his way.
In one sentence: Uchiha Itsuki—what had he done to deserve this grand welcome?
They were setting him up for failure!
That was the only thought in Fugaku's mind.
They were roasting Itsuki over a fire!
However!
After thinking it over, Fugaku chuckled to himself.
This kind of tactic might work against others, but against Uchiha Itsuki? Heh.
When Itsuki was in a good mood, you could praise him all you wanted. But when he wasn't, you could keep praising him, and he'd just jump down and crush you under his seat.
Fugaku relaxed, smiling as he stood to the side.
He believed in Itsuki. That rascal would definitely not disappoint.
He was looking forward to the show.
He couldn't miss the expressions on the faces of the Third Hokage and Danzo.
Oh, he was feeling a little excited.
Fugaku's demeanor, however, puzzled the others.
"He's here!"
Someone suddenly shouted.
The clan leaders, the representatives of the civilian jonin, Hyuga Hiashi of the Hyuga clan, and Uchiha Fugaku all turned to look down the road.
There, a figure was swaggering along.
From that walk alone, many could sense the overwhelming arrogance.
Hearing the loud, off-key singing, even more people stiffened.
It was confirmed.
This voice was terrible!
"Huh?"
When Itsuki noticed the large crowd gathered at the village entrance, he was momentarily stunned. Almost instinctively, he waved his hand.
"Hey, everyone!"
"Thanks for your hard work!"
Everyone was stunned.
They had all come to welcome him, yet Itsuki was so nonchalant?
What a strong mentality!
Fugaku shouted, "Itsuki, we're here under the leadership of the Hokage to welcome you."
"Really?"
Itsuki laughed heartily, quickly taking a few steps forward. He looked at everyone with a grin and said, "Wow, you're all so enthusiastic. I just did a small thing, and you... Well, next time I do something big, are you all going to bow to me?"
You sure aren't shy.
If we did bow to you, could you even handle it?
Many of the ninjas twitched at the corners of their eyes.
Fugaku cleared his throat and said, "What big thing could you possibly do?"
"Have I not done enough great things?" Itsuki burst into hearty laughter, giving a thumbs up and saying, "For example, Danzo's..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a chill in his heart, quickly stepping forward with a smile to interrupt, "Itsuki, you did an excellent job on this mission. You successfully protected the Leaf Village, and as Hokage, I thank you."
He didn't elaborate too much.
If the Cloud Village army had invaded, they might have had to make different choices.
But Itsuki waved his hand repeatedly and said, "Hokage, you flatter me. That mission? It was nothing to me! It was as easy as writing the number 'one'. After all, I'm that outstanding. My only concern is that men might get too jealous of me, and women might admire me too much. Even though I'm one heart better than Danzo, there's just too much admiration, and I can't handle it."
He suddenly turned to look at Fugaku. "Clan Leader, how's Sister Mikoto doing?"
"What the hell!"
Fugaku's three-tomoe Sharingan instantly formed.
I'll kill you!
This bastard keeps mentioning my wife—what are you trying to pull?
"Ahem, ahem!"
Even the Third Hokage couldn't help but cough a few times.
"But!" Itsuki frowned, suspicious. "Hokage, this mission shouldn't count as mine, right?"
The Third was startled and quickly replied, "Why wouldn't it count as yours..."
Itsuki cut him off, saying, "Hokage, I'm totally in the dark about this mission. The Anbu you assigned to assist me—where did they go? You didn't give them another task, did you?"
"What?"
The Third was taken aback, his expression slipping a little. "The Anbu, weren't they assisting you on the mission?"
"Exactly!"
Itsuki said, displeased, "You ordered the Anbu to assist me, but just as we arrived near Cloud Village, they suddenly left and abandoned me! At the time, I thought you were trying to have me killed."
"How, how could that be?"
The Third was stunned, his face losing composure. "The Anbu, acting alone?"
"Yes!" Itsuki said. "The mission was to monitor Cloud Village and prevent them from attacking the Leaf, so I stayed outside Cloud Village, keeping a close eye on them."
He deliberately showed a fierce look.
"But what did the Anbu do? Hokage, can you tell me?"
Itsuki turned that dangerous gaze towards the Third.
His dissatisfaction was blatant, without the slightest attempt to hide it.
Instantly, the gazes of everyone around them became strange.
They had been called here by the Third.
The Third had said Uchiha Itsuki had performed a great service, and they needed to show their support.
They more or less understood the deeper meaning behind it.
It was just another round of the Uchiha versus the Third Hokage.
But now!
Itsuki's version of events was completely different.
He said he had done nothing, merely watching outside Cloud Village. On the contrary, the Anbu assigned to assist him went off on their own after arriving.
From the start, Itsuki had rejected the Third Hokage's story, even subtly questioning him.
Who was right and who was wrong?
Did it even matter?
No, it didn't!
Many of the ninjas showed faint smiles.
Hokage faction vs. Uchiha!
Hopefully, they'd start a fight.
The Third Hokage's smile looked a little forced. "Itsuki, don't joke around. The Anbu wouldn't disobey my orders..."
"Right, Third, you're absolutely correct!" Itsuki immediately said. "The Anbu wouldn't disobey your orders, nor would they listen to me. So, can you tell me exactly what orders you gave them? Do you realize how much trouble it caused me when they suddenly left during the mission?"
"I hope you can give me, a humble Leaf Village ninja, a reasonable explanation."
The Third Hokage's face darkened.
It wasn't going as planned!
He had originally thought that by gathering so many people to welcome Itsuki back, Uchiha Itsuki's mindset would change.
He'd use this chance to solidify the idea that Itsuki had made a big move in Cloud Village.
Then afterward, all of Cloud Village's anger would fall on Itsuki alone.
Perhaps, Uchiha Itsuki would become the next Hyuga Hizashi.
But unexpectedly, Itsuki had claimed credit, then turned around and started questioning the Anbu and the Hokage's orders.
He was so brazen, so forceful.
For a moment, the Third Hokage didn't know how to respond.
Was he supposed to tell Itsuki that he was talking nonsense, and that the Anbu had been cooperating with him all along?
To engage in a war of words with Itsuki?
Damn, who knows what this rogue might bring up next!
One side had to hold back.
The other side had no boundaries.
The difference became immediately apparent.
The Third Hokage's mouth filled with bitterness.
Sometimes, he really wanted to have a real fight with Uchiha Itsuki!
But he couldn't.
The Third Hokage forced a smile and said, "Itsuki, I'll investigate this matter immediately. You must be tired—go rest for now."
"Alright, I'll leave it to you then, Hokage." Itsuki smiled meaningfully and added, "You really should look into it, because on my way back, I took down two Cloud Village ninjas. From them, I got two words."
"What words?"
The Third felt a bad premonition rising within him.
"Wood Release."
"What?"
(End of chapter)