Uchiha Mikoto felt extremely wronged and unwilling. After all, she was only thirteen, at the prime of her youth, looking utterly pitiful. Her expression alone could invoke sympathy.
Haruto Saito, however, simply gave her a deadpan look. In his eyes, Uchiha Mikoto's acting was still too immature. By comparison, Uchiha Fugaku was an exceptional performer.
The Academy Awards owed him an Oscar!
"Hurry up! Stop dawdling and apologize to Haruto-san!" Uchiha Fugaku reprimanded once again.
"Yes! Yes!" Uchiha Mikoto, looking as though she had been startled like a little rabbit, quickly responded. She took a few quick steps forward and suddenly bowed deeply to Haruto. "I'm sorry, Haruto-san! Please forgive me!"
A perfect ninety-degree bow!
"Oh?" Haruto raised an eyebrow, then shrugged indifferently. "Alright… I don't forgive you!"
"Tha—" Uchiha Mikoto was just about to say, "Thank you for your kindness," but the words caught in her throat. Her head shot up as she glared at Haruto in disbelief.
Haruto flashed her a bright smile.
"You—" Uchiha Mikoto was on the verge of losing her mind.
Even Uchiha Fugaku looked a little embarrassed. This wasn't in the script! Wasn't Haruto supposed to accept the apology graciously?
"Get out! Stop being an eyesore!" Uchiha Fugaku suddenly barked, even kicking Mikoto's calf.
Haruto's eyelid twitched. Did he seriously just kick her? But this way, Uchiha Mikoto wouldn't blame Uchiha Fugaku for anything. She would instead direct all her resentment toward Haruto.
"Waaaahhh! What did I do wrong?! Waaaahhh!" Uchiha Mikoto ran out of the interrogation room in tears, her cries echoing through the hallway as she disappeared from sight.
Such exaggerated acting!
"What a drama queen," Haruto muttered under his breath before turning to Uchiha Fugaku. Leaning back slightly, he tapped his fingers on the small iron table. "Fugaku-san, are you here to interrogate me now?"
"Of course not, my dear Haruto-san. I believe this is all a misunderstanding. Let's change locations first. You must not have eaten dinner yet, correct? Let's eat and talk."
Haruto suddenly felt that Uchiha Fugaku was more suited to theater than politics.
—
Not long after, deep within the Konoha Police Department, in a luxurious suite-like lounge…
The bright tabletop, flickering candlelight, and the fragrant aroma of grilled meat—if not for the fact that Uchiha Fugaku was sitting across from him, this could have been quite the romantic candlelit dinner! But reality was harsh, and the man sitting across from him was indeed Uchiha Fugaku.
"Fugaku-san, when do you plan on letting me go?"
"Very soon. There are just a few formalities to go through, and the Hokage himself is paying attention to this case. We need his approval."
"Oh, I see… So, Fugaku-san, have you eaten dinner yet?"
"I already ate."
"Then can you leave? I'd like to eat in peace, alone."
The room fell silent.
Haruto had blatantly told him to get lost. He really didn't want to have a candlelit dinner with another man. No need for pleasantries!
But Uchiha Fugaku remained composed. He wasn't the least bit angered by Haruto's words and continued slicing his grilled meat with a smile. "Haruto-san, I can sense your hostility, but I believe it's unnecessary. From beginning to end, the Uchiha clan has never had any conflict with you. Mikoto was simply an accident—she has never suffered much before."
"Mmm-hmm," Haruto nodded, though he discreetly rolled his eyes.
"Haruto-san seems to have gotten quite close to Tsunade-sama recently."
"Yeah, that crazy woman won't stop bothering me."
"Pfft—" Uchiha Fugaku spat out his drink, coughing violently. Fortunately, he turned his head in time and didn't spray the table.
"What's wrong?"
"Cough, 'crazy woman'? I think you misheard yourself. I was talking about Tsunade-sama!" Uchiha Fugaku emphasized Tsunade's name heavily.
"That's right. Tsunade, that crazy woman!" Haruto blinked at him innocently.
Uchiha Fugaku blinked back. He suddenly realized he had overlooked something important—Haruto's relationship with Tsunade. This kid had no hesitation in calling Tsunade names right in front of someone who might report it back to her.
A true expert in the art of self-destruction!
"Haruto-san seems to dislike Tsunade-sama quite a bit."
"Absolutely. That woman is crazy. Her brain has holes in it."
"Cough cough cough… Let's change the subject."
"Alright. Hmm… this meat is pretty good. What sauce did you use?"
—
The long night passed.
The two of them ended up eating for three whole hours.
Haruto had originally expected Uchiha Fugaku to extend some sort of invitation—perhaps to join the Uchiha clan, cooperate, or even apply some form of coercion. But to his surprise, Fugaku never mentioned any of it—not a single word!
They just chatted about anything and everything.
This made Haruto view Uchiha Fugaku in a different light. His patience and depth of character were beyond what Haruto had expected.
This kind of "befriend first" strategy… Even though Haruto knew full well that Fugaku had ulterior motives, he couldn't bring himself to dislike him. This man, who would one day inherit the Uchiha clan and, two decades later, sacrifice his entire clan for Konoha's stability, was truly remarkable.
After dinner, Haruto was assigned to stay in the luxurious rest area. Technically, he was still under arrest, but the treatment felt more like a hotel stay. Aside from being unable to leave, he faced no other restrictions.
—
The next morning, at the Hokage's office…
Hiruzen Sarutobi signed a document with a stern expression before looking up and stating, "No nonsense."
"Got it, Sensei," Tsunade grumbled. She then snatched the document off the desk, performed a quick hand seal, and vanished on the spot.
Moments later, inside the Konoha Police Department building…
Tsunade suddenly materialized in the captain's office and slammed the document onto the desk. Her face was full of irritation. "Release him!"
Her arrival was so abrupt that Uchiha Fugaku, who had been reviewing confidential police department files in place of his father, was startled. He looked up at her, momentarily stunned, then quickly composed himself and picked up the document.
A special pardon order!
Signed by the Hokage himself!
An unconditional release for Haruto Saito, ending all investigations, with no further pursuit of the matter allowed.
"Tsunade-sama, please follow me!" Uchiha Fugaku immediately stood up and gestured for her to follow.
As they walked down the corridor, Fugaku frequently glanced back at Tsunade. He treaded carefully because he had noticed something important—Tsunade was in a terrible mood, on the verge of an outburst.
"This isn't the way to the detention cells?" Tsunade suddenly asked. Fugaku was leading her upstairs, but the cells were underground.
"Ah, yes, Haruto-san isn't in a cell. He wasn't feeling well yesterday, so we placed him somewhere more comfortable."
What a blatant lie!
When had the Uchiha clan ever been so compassionate?
Tsunade didn't bother calling him out, though. She had other things on her mind—specifically, Haruto Saito. Should she bury him alive and carve "Ultimate Lying Bastard" onto his gravestone?
Haruto was in for a rough morning.