Nawaki's meaningful glance was clearly ignored.
Kawakaze's eyes practically overflowed. As a shallow man, he couldn't help but envy his future self—and his future children—who would undoubtedly be well-fed.
Reluctantly tearing his gaze away, he finally bid farewell to Tsunade before leaving.
As Kawakaze reflected on the feast, Tsunade's figure stood out in his mind—truly amazing!
Walking slowly home, he guessed his brother had likely already been to the weapons workshop. Returning now would only mean getting scolded. Kawakaze prided himself on his resourcefulness.
Due to the atmosphere of an impending battle, the village roads were nearly empty, with only hurried ninjas moving about.
Kawakaze took a shortcut through an isolated alley where sunlight failed to reach. Suddenly, his senses sharpened—he was being followed.
Since his transmigration, his days had been filled with training or business dealings. Had he made any enemies? He couldn't think of anyone who might want to follow him.
"Who are you? Come out."
Kawakaze stood still, his tone cold, his gaze fixed on a shadow ahead. A glint in the darkness hinted at menace.
"Haha, worthy of being the genius of the Hatake Clan," a voice replied.
A young ninja emerged from the shadows. His long hair cascaded over his shoulders, and he wore the attire of a Konoha Jōnin. The family crest on his shoulders, resembling a ping-pong paddle, marked him as an Uchiha.
"An Uchiha?"
Kawakaze's brows furrowed slightly. "What do you want?"
Had he offended the Uchiha Clan by supporting Tsunade? Their pettiness was infamous, no wonder their eventual fate had been so grim.
"Are you from the Hatake Clan and planning to join the Senju?"
The young man's tone was serious, his words dripping with the arrogance characteristic of the Uchiha.
"Does Kawakaze Hatake need to report to you Uchiha about who I befriend?"
Kawakaze almost laughed. The Uchiha's meddling was truly impressive. Even after the Senju had integrated into the village, the feud still lingered like a shadow.
"If it were anyone else, it wouldn't matter. But befriending the Senju Clan makes us wary."
The boy stepped closer, his expression hostile, clearly prepared for a fight.
"I, Hatake Kawakaze, do not accept threats from anyone."
His voice grew sharper. "If you're Uchiha, give me face and stay out of my way. If not, I'll bury you in the ground. What can you do about it?"
Realizing the confrontation couldn't be resolved peacefully, and that the Uchiha wasn't here to negotiate, Kawakaze acted. Besides, he wasn't afraid of anyone in Konoha right now.
Raising his hand, the Eight-Sided Han Sword materialized in his grip.
The Uchiha's eyes narrowed, the Sharingan's three tomoe spinning ominously, but he hadn't seen how the sword appeared.
"Three Tomoe? You really think highly of me," Kawakaze remarked with a look of disdain, standing confidently with his sword in hand, unafraid.
"What a big mouth," the Uchiha boy snapped.
"Today, I'll teach you a lesson, so you know that not just anyone can make friends with me."
Kawakaze felt like he had swallowed a fly. You dare to ignore the trouble from Jiraiya and Orochimaru, and now you treat me like an easy target?
Kawakaze felt like he had swallowed a fly. You dare to ignore the trouble from Jiraiya and Orochimaru, and now you treat me like an easy target?
The Uchiha boy's face darkened. No one had ever spoken so arrogantly to a member of the Uchiha Clan before.
With a sharp motion, he pulled a kunai from his ninja gear bag and hurled it at Kawakaze. Simultaneously, his hands flew into a series of seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Kawakaze had no intention of directly clashing with the power of a Jōnin-level ninjutsu. Calmly, he raised his sword, deflecting the kunai, and dodged the incoming fireball.
But he didn't expect the kunai to curve back toward him.
Uchiha's kunai techniques are certainly troublesome, Kawakaze thought.
"Lightning Release: Palm Lightning!"
With a flick of his palm, lightning flashed, scattering the returning kunai.
"What a strange technique," the Uchiha said, his tone tinged with frustration. "It doesn't even require hand seals."
But Kawakaze had no interest in banter. He charged forward, his movements swift and deliberate.
"In front of these eyes, everything you do is useless," the Uchiha declared with unwavering confidence, the Sharingan's tomoe spinning ominously.
Yet before he could react, the figure in his vision vanished.
The next moment, his body was sent flying, crashing to the ground with a resounding thud.
"How is this possible? So fast!" the Uchiha gasped, blood spilling from his mouth as he clutched his abdomen and middle foot, crouching in pain.
Kawakaze had held back—if he'd used his sword, this boy might not have lived to see another sunrise.
"Is this the extent of what you've learned by tailing others?" Kawakaze mocked. "Come back when your eyes have improved."
His tone was sharp and ridiculing, leaving no room for misinterpretation.
The Uchiha Clan, Kawakaze mused, was unimpressive without the Mangekyō Sharingan. Such bravado meant little without power to back it up.
At some point, Kawakaze had already sheathed his sword. This opponent, he decided, wasn't worth the trouble of keeping it drawn.
He turned and walked away without sparing the Uchiha another glance. If it weren't for the complications it might cause in the village, Kawakaze wouldn't have hesitated to kill him outright. Instead, he left the boy injured—enough of a warning to deter further harassment.
As Kawakaze exited the alley, disappearing from view, the Uchiha remained kneeling, shock and disbelief etched across his face. His Sharingan couldn't keep up with Kawakaze's speed.
"Cough, cough," the Uchiha choked, blood staining the ground. "Kawakaze Hatake... Fugaku Uchiha will remember you."
Had Kawakaze overheard, he might have reconsidered sparing him. To Kawakaze, any clan head who could idly allow his people to be slaughtered was unworthy of the title.
Shortly after Kawakaze left, the Anbu arrived on the scene and found Fugaku Uchiha injured.
"I was hurt during a sparring match with a friend," Fugaku claimed, his tone measured despite his wounds. "Take me back."
The Anbu agents exchanged knowing glances—they could tell he was lying. But out of deference to the Uchiha Clan's influence, they refrained from pressing him further.
They escorted him back to the Uchiha compound before quickly leaving, eager to distance themselves from the volatile situation.
Fugaku Uchiha, supported by his clan members, returned to the Uchiha compound and treated his internal injuries before heading to the meeting hall.
At the center of the hall sat a middle-aged man with a striking resemblance to Fugaku, his expression grim and unyielding. This man was the current head of the Uchiha Clan and Fugaku's eldest uncle.
"Can't you even handle such a simple task?" the Clan Head scolded, his tone laced with contempt. "A mere Jōnin from a small clan, and you had to be brought back by the Anbu."
His uncle's dissatisfaction was palpable. With this failure, Fugaku knew it would be even harder to gain his uncle's trust and secure his position as the next Clan Head.
"Clan Head, Kawakaze Hatake was too fast. My eyes couldn't keep up—I couldn't even counter a single move," Fugaku admitted, his voice steady but tinged with frustration.
"What!?"
The Clan Head's shock was evident as he stood abruptly. He had assumed, at worst, that Fugaku and Kawakaze would mutually injure each other. The idea that Fugaku had been decisively defeated was difficult to accept.
"Did he use some kind of forbidden technique?" the Clan Head demanded, his voice rising in disbelief.
"I don't know," Fugaku replied honestly. "After defeating me, he mocked my eyes and told me to seek him out again when improved them."
"Kawakaze Hatake, how laughable." The Clan Head sneered, his voice dripping with derision.
"How could he possibly understand the true power of the Mangekyō? He's just someone who can't see beyond his own limited world."
Despite his disdain, the Clan Head chose to dismiss the matter. "Don't waste energy on him for now. A Shinobi World War is on the horizon, and I want the Uchiha name to resound across the world once more."
The Clan Head's fiery ambition filled the room, though history would prove that the Uchiha's role in the Second Shinobi World War was far less dominant than he envisioned.
"I'll go rest and heal my injuries," Fugaku said, bowing before leaving the hall with trembling steps.
Back in his quarters, Fugaku sought further treatment for his wounds. As he sat in silence, his body still aching, he mulled over his defeat. The memory of Kawakaze's overwhelming speed, his seamless Lightning Release without hand seals, and his Taijutsu, which could even disrupt Chakra flow, played over and over in his mind.
Kawakaze Hatake... truly an unsettling opponent.
Gritting his teeth, Fugaku resolved that he must awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. Only then could he hope to challenge Kawakaze again and reclaim his dignity.
Meanwhile, Kawakaze Hatake returned home at his own leisurely pace, entirely unaware that his brief encounter had sown the seeds for Fugaku Uchiha's awakening.