Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

Uchiha Taiga felt a bit numb. This scene was incredibly easy to misinterpret, so he couldn't really blame Uchiha Fugaku for his reaction.

Anyone who saw their wife nestled in another man's embrace right in front of them would likely react no better than Uchiha Fugaku. It was simply human nature.

Although Uchiha Taiga was only fourteen—hardly a man, more of a boy—he stood over 1.7 meters tall. With his handsome features, fair skin, and slender build, he was young, but he was already a sharp blade capable of drawing blood.

And Uchiha Mikoto? She was twenty-three or twenty-four, with fair skin, stunning beauty, and a gentle, kind, and considerate personality, complemented by her long, straight black hair. As a mother of two, she exuded a maternal aura that was fatally attractive to a teenager like Taiga.

Alone together in the same room, it was a meeting of a woman in her prime and a young man at his most vigorous.

Uchiha Fugaku didn't even dare to imagine what might have happened between them tonight if he hadn't shown up. For some inexplicable reason, his head felt heavy, a nagging phantom weight gnawing at his mind as if he were being made a fool of.

"D-Dear..." Uchiha Mikoto's body trembled slightly. As if realizing how this looked, her face paled.

She hurriedly pulled away from Uchiha Taiga's embrace, stood up, and started walking toward Uchiha Fugaku.

But Uchiha Fugaku merely stood in the courtyard. His silhouette was faintly visible in the darkness, his face illuminated by the light spilling from the room, yet completely devoid of expression.

Uchiha Mikoto paused, trembling even harder. She looked at Uchiha Fugaku, her eyes pleading.

"Dear, it's not what you think..."

Uchiha Fugaku looked at her. "Why are you here? What about Itachi and Sasuke? Don't they need looking after?"

"I..." Uchiha Mikoto didn't know how to answer. She took a deep breath and said, "Itachi is at home. He's watching Sasuke, so there won't be any problems."

"Is that so? You left a four-year-old child to look after an infant?" Uchiha Fugaku asked expressionlessly.

"I..." Uchiha Mikoto was at a loss for words.

Uchiha Taiga couldn't stand watching this anymore and clicked his tongue. "Clan Head Fugaku sure has a big temper. What, is Sister Mikoto not allowed to visit my place?"

He was naturally full of confidence. Let alone the fact that nothing had happened between him and Uchiha Mikoto, even if something had, so what? If he wasn't so young, an old man like Fugaku wouldn't even have a chance!

These were Uchiha Taiga's true thoughts, but Uchiha Fugaku was clearly infuriated by his tone, his facial muscles twitching.

"Taiga, stop talking." Uchiha Mikoto hurriedly interrupted Uchiha Taiga and quickly tried to explain to Uchiha Fugaku. "I came to find Taiga-kun because I hoped he could contribute to the clan. I know how hard you've been working lately, and I just wanted to help you."

Hearing this, Uchiha Fugaku's expression softened slightly. He had known Uchiha Mikoto for years and lived with her for a long time after their marriage, so he naturally knew her character. However, as a man, he simply couldn't tolerate his wife being overly intimate with another man—even if that man was underage.

"This isn't a place you should be. Don't come here anymore unless it's absolutely necessary. I can handle the clan's affairs."

Uchiha Fugaku's words were undoubtedly a warning to Uchiha Mikoto, and saying them right in front of Uchiha Taiga was something the teenager absolutely could not tolerate.

"Oh my, the Clan Head is so imposing." Taiga sneered. "What, I've known Sister Mikoto since I was a child, and she took care of me for years. Just because she married you, she has to obey your every word? I never knew the Clan Head was so domineering."

"If you're really so domineering, why haven't I seen you manage the clan properly or handle the relationship between the clan and the village? Do you only dare to throw your weight around in front of women?"

At this point, Uchiha Taiga felt someone tugging at his sleeve. He naturally knew who it was, so he reached back and grabbed Uchiha Mikoto's hand.

"Don't worry, Sister Mikoto." He even patted the back of her hand. Looking at Uchiha Fugaku, he continued his verbal assault, completely ignoring the man's ashen face and the Sharingan that had already flared to life in his eyes.

"You say you can handle the clan's affairs yourself, which is a joke. Don't you know exactly what pathetic state the clan is in right now? Don't you know what the final result of the clan meeting was? Why did you come to my place so late at night?"

"Don't tell me you didn't come here specifically to win me over? The clan meeting didn't produce any countermeasures, did it? The clansmen are hard to placate, aren't they? Do you want me to step forward and negotiate with the village elders?"

"Look at you. Even now, you still can't make a decision."

"You can fool everyone else, but don't lie to yourself."

If one were to ask who Uchiha Taiga had the biggest problem with in the entire Uchiha clan, it was naturally the man standing in front of him, Uchiha Fugaku.

For no other reason than the fact that he was Uchiha Mikoto's husband. Because he lacked the ability to handle the relationship between the clan and the village. Because he was foolish and completely unaware of it.

"Taiga, stop talking, I'm begging you..." Uchiha Mikoto's eyes welled with tears. Caught between Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Taiga, she was in immense pain.

Uchiha Taiga also activated his Sharingan at this moment, though upon hearing her words, he rolled his eyes so hard they nearly turned completely white like a Hyuga's Byakugan.

"You're hopeless too." He poked Uchiha Mikoto's forehead in frustration. "You've got a pretty face but absolutely no brains. What, does being married give you rose-tinted glasses? Don't you know what his personality is like?"

Saying this, Uchiha Taiga pointed directly at Uchiha Fugaku. "I saw through this guy a long time ago. He's indecisive, confused, and blind to the current situation. The Uchiha clan has absolutely no future in his hands."

"Taiga!" Uchiha Mikoto shook her head at him, her expression sorrowful.

"Forget it, whatever." Uchiha Taiga was speechless.

He looked back at Uchiha Fugaku, who stared fixedly at him for a moment before turning and walking away without a single word.

"Dear!" Uchiha Mikoto hurriedly chased after him.

Uchiha Taiga didn't stop them. A fight was fine; he didn't feel any guilt anyway. He didn't care whether the Uchiha clan lived or died. If things really went south, he would just save Uchiha Mikoto and be done with it.

His evaluation of Uchiha Fugaku just now was also genuine. In his eyes, Uchiha Fugaku couldn't see the reality of their situation, no different from those clansmen who had awakened their Sharingan. He looked at problems too superficially, lacked courage, lacked ability, and was far too limited.

Yet this man loved to put on airs as the Clan Head, especially in front of him, which Uchiha Taiga found incredibly irritating.

If it weren't for Uchiha Fugaku's tacit approval as the Clan Head, Taiga wouldn't have faced so much targeted hostility in the clan in the past. He had ignored it before for Uchiha Mikoto's sake, but cursing right in Uchiha Fugaku's face today was his way of knocking some sense into the man's thick skull.

Uchiha Fugaku, who was walking out, paused and turned around, his eyes a sea of crimson. "Uchiha Taiga, I will remember your words."

Uchiha Taiga smiled and nodded. "Good, as long as you remember them. If you act like a fool again next time, I'll curse you out to your face again."

Uchiha Fugaku said nothing more. With a Body Flicker Technique, his figure vanished.

Uchiha Mikoto chased after him, but before she left, she also glanced back. Her gaze was filled with unease.

"Tsk." Uchiha Taiga clicked his tongue, feeling a bit exasperated, but still called out, "If that guy dares to lay a hand on you when you get back, Sister Mikoto, tell me. I'll stand up for you."

By now, Uchiha Mikoto had realized that Uchiha Taiga's actions just now were deliberately meant to anger Uchiha Fugaku. She could only point a finger at him. "You're going to be the death of me."

After saying that, she wiped the corner of her eye. Her expression returned to normal, devoid of any weakness, and she also vanished with a Body Flicker Technique.

"Right, she's someone who became a Jonin at sixteen. Who was she putting on that weak act for?" Uchiha Taiga muttered, then chuckled softly. "Well then, the clan compound is going to be lively starting tomorrow. There's a good show to watch."