Chapter 23: He’s Not “loyal!” Enough To The Uchiha Clan!
Uchiha Setsuna couldn’t help but grip the top of his cane tightly, his five fingers covered in dense age lines appearing quite pale from excessive force.
A pair of turbid eyes had already crawled with crimson, that pair of three-tomoe Sharingan staring dead at Uchiha Ikeizumi in front.
“Ikeizumi, you… say that again?!” His tone sank slightly, his dark expression appearing quite oppressive.
Uchiha Ikeizumi did not repeat it as he said.
He merely activated a pair of three-tomoe Sharingan as well.
But this attitude and meaning were also very obvious.
“Uchiha Ikeizumi! Are you still one of our Uchiha Clan members?” Another Hawk Elder of the Uchiha Clan pointed at Uchiha Ikeizumi.
He said angrily, “Everything we are doing now is for the future of the Uchiha Clan! You blocking here now, do you want to betray the Uchiha?”
“Moreover… it was you who originally caught the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki at the Uchiha Clan Compound. Now you’re turning around to block us from going after that demon fox incarnation? What exactly do you mean?”
Although he said a lot, he didn’t dare take another step forward.
Uchiha Ikeizumi finally spoke: “In your eyes, everything I’m doing now seems contradictory?”
The other blew his beard and glared, cold-snorting: “Hmph! It is self-contradictory!”
Uchiha Ikeizumi said calmly: “But that smooth brain of yours without a single wrinkle seems not to have considered it from another angle—I have never stood on the same stance as insects like you who harm the Ninja World.”
As he spoke, he slowly walked forward: “But don’t misunderstand, I’m not on the same stance as the Clan Head either.”
Uchiha Setsuna’s eyelids twitched fiercely: “Insects…”
He had worked diligently and conscientiously for the future of the Uchiha Clan, considering himself blameless.
Back then, he had even been thrown into Konoha Prison by that damned Second Hokage for it.
And yet in Uchiha Ikeizumi’s eyes, he had become an insect of the Ninja World?
Uchiha Setsuna’s anger was about to burst out.
“You bastard!!” The rest of the Hawk Uchiha were riled up.
Uchiha Ikeizumi’s eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze lingering on the opponents’ necks, hearts, foreheads… and other vital spots.
“Enough!!!”
A loud shout came from behind Uchiha Ikeizumi: “If outsiders see our Uchiha Clan engaging in infighting, what decency is that? Put away your ninja swords!!!”
Uchiha Fugaku appeared, having noticed the commotion outside.
He walked to Uchiha Ikeizumi’s side, staring at the several Hawk Elders ahead with a paralyzed face, and said: “Everyone, I am the current Uchiha Clan Head. I have my own considerations regarding the conflict between the village and the Uchiha. And that child Uzumaki Naruto—no one is allowed to touch him casually!”
“Fugaku…” Uchiha Setsuna furrowed his brows tightly.
But before he could speak, Fugaku interrupted: “Senior Setsuna, I respect your seniority in the clan and call you ‘senior,’ so please respect my decision.”
“Moreover, what I’m doing is also for the greater good of the Uchiha. Besides, I’ve already sent someone to take Uzumaki Naruto to Konoha Prison, so it’s useless for you to come now.”
Fugaku had long anticipated this situation occurring.
So he immediately sent someone to take Naruto away.
Forcefully ignoring the grim expressions of the Hawk Elders, Fugaku turned his head and said sternly to Uchiha Ikeizumi: “Ikeizumi, put away your sword too—this is an order from the Clan Head.”
Uchiha Ikeizumi let it go in one ear and out the other.
Fugaku: “…”
He noticed that the killing intent in Uchiha Ikeizumi’s eyes had not diminished at all.
He even had the illusion—if he said one more word to him, Ikeizumi would turn around and slash at him and his side with a single stroke.
Having such a subordinate…
Was truly headache-inducing!
“Senior Setsuna, you should withdraw now.” Fugaku changed his target of pressure, staring straight at Uchiha Setsuna, and said in a deep voice: “Do you still want to standoff here with Ikeizumi and me?”
“Fugaku.”
Uchiha Setsuna took a deep breath: “You’re too indecisive. One day, you will regret today’s decision. This is pushing the Uchiha’s future completely into the abyss.”
“Senior Setsuna, I am the Clan Head.”
Fierce-eyed Fugaku was obsequious to the outside world but unequivocal internally.
At least…
For now, he hadn’t been completely pushed to the limit by the Hawk faction.
“Hmph!!!”
Uchiha Setsuna’s shifting gaze lingered for several seconds on Uchiha Ikeizumi’s cold, young face.
As if to etch this unusual, out-of-place young Uchiha Clan member firmly in his mind.
“We’re leaving!”
……
“Phew…”
This tense atmosphere had Senior Izumi so nervous she nearly collapsed; now she could finally catch her breath.
She feared that after Senior Ikeizumi had just bloodily fought the Root Ninjas, he would now have to fight his own clan members again.
A life believing in 「absolute justice」 would be too stimulating otherwise.
It was just like being enemies with everyone in Konoha!
“Hm?”
“Eh!”
Suddenly, Izumi saw Senior Ikeizumi toss the ninja sword toward her, startling her into quickly reaching out to catch the hilt, then carefully sheathing the ninja sword.
At this moment.
Izumi heard Clan Head Fugaku speak: “Ikeizumi, that killing intent you showed them earlier… was it serious?”
Uchiha Ikeizumi replied: “I always mean what I say. If they took one more step forward, they would have to die.”
Fugaku took a deep breath: “Though their actions may be somewhat extreme, they are still your fellow clansmen no matter what. Sometimes, there’s no need for you to show such hostility to your own clansmen.”
What Fugaku said was actually pointed, hinting at Uchiha Ikeizumi’s inexplicable hostility toward his eldest son “Uchiha Itachi.”
At least, Fugaku could never figure out what Itachi had done to offend Ikeizumi.
He remembered that Itachi was not the type to offend others.
Uchiha Ikeizumi said indifferently: “I don’t want to explain a second time something I’ve already explained once today.”
Fugaku was stunned.
“You mean… 「absolute justice」 makes no distinction between public and private?” He recalled what Uchiha Ikeizumi had said to him.
“Phew, you really were serious…” Even though he had long guessed Ikeizumi was serious, the psychological impact of speculation versus actually seeing it was entirely different.
Fugaku was silent for a moment.
He reminded: “Though our ideals differ, at least you differ from them too. At the very least, you don’t want the village to fall into chaos either. But you’d best be careful—Uchiha Setsuna and the others can be very extreme at times.”
Uchiha Ikeizumi countered: “Among all the Uchiha Clan members who have awakened their Sharingan, which one is not extreme?”
Fugaku was choked.
It seemed…
Indeed true.
Uchiha Ikeizumi also coldly reminded: “I still suggest you have that son of yours see a psychologist; I’ve always suspected there’s something wrong with his head.”
Fugaku: “…”
……
“Never has a junior dared to disdain me like this! That guy… that look earlier, he even wanted to kill me!”
The already distant Uchiha Setsuna was viciously stabbing the ground with his wooden cane, producing a rapid “bang bang bang” sound.
His wrinkled old face was shrouded in gloom.
“He… is disloyal to the Uchiha!!!”
……
……
