Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

The silence lasted for a long time. Uchiha Obito's expression shifted repeatedly, but ultimately, he said nothing.

Black Zetsu looked at him. No emotion could be read on that stark black-and-white face, but a clear scrutiny lingered in his eyes.

"You were too impulsive this time."

Black Zetsu's voice wasn't loud, nor did it sound particularly reproachful; he was simply stating a fact.

But to Obito's ears, the words were humiliating.

Especially when he thought of Uchiha Taiga—a guy the same age as him, practically from the same graduating class.

Just thinking about it filled him with rage.

"From now on, you absolutely must not show your face in Konoha again," Black Zetsu added.

Obito's expression was incredibly grim.

His fist was still pressed against the tree trunk, his fingertips digging into the splintered bark.

"I know. I was careless this time. There won't be a next time."

His voice was kept very low, laced with suppressed anger.

He turned his head and cast a glance in Konoha's direction.

The village was miles away. From this angle, he could only see a blurry outline and a few wisps of smoke that had yet to dissipate.

Unwillingness churned in his eyes.

He had been so close.

If only the abilities of those eyes hadn't perfectly countered Kamui, if only he had a bit more chakra, if only he hadn't been so arrogant as to come alone—

But there were no 'ifs.'

A loss was a loss.

Gritting his teeth, he withdrew his gaze from Konoha.

Watching him act like this, Black Zetsu felt utterly speechless.

Of course, he didn't have a heart or lungs, but that didn't stop him from feeling sheer disgust toward the pawn standing before him.

'Who could possibly understand my suffering?' As the grand schemer of the Otsutsuki, dedicated to throwing the ninja world into chaos, he had never seen such a stupid pawn.

Truth be told, even among the entire Uchiha clan, this guy was exceptionally dense.

If he truly didn't lack other options, he would never have willingly chosen Uchiha Obito as his pawn.

The man was simply brainless.

And he was stupid without even realizing it.

He already possessed Hashirama cells, a Mangekyo Sharingan, and a heaven-defying Space-Time Ninjutsu like Kamui, yet he still managed to get beaten into this pathetic state.

Getting beaten up was one thing, but having his mask shattered in public and his true identity completely exposed was another.

If Uchiha Madara knew his name was being used by this kind of trash, he would probably crawl right out of his grave.

"Let's go."

Black Zetsu only said those two words. He really didn't have the energy to waste any more breath on Obito.

Obito took one last look in Konoha's direction before turning and walking into the depths of the dense forest. His figure was soon obscured by the trees, leaving only the rustling sound of his footsteps echoing through the woods.

Zetsu's body slowly sank into the ground, as if melting into the soil.

A moment later, silence returned to the forest clearing, as if no one had ever been there.

...

Inside Konoha.

Uchiha Fugaku led his clansmen on the road back to their compound.

His pace was a bit faster than usual, and his chest was puffed out a bit prouder.

"Today was truly satisfying."

One of the Uchiha clansmen couldn't help but speak up, his tone brimming with excitement.

"Yeah, did you see the looks on those two advisors' faces? It was like they had swallowed a fly."

Another chimed in, laughter evident in his voice.

"Lord Taiga's Susanoo... tsk, tsk, I still can't get it out of my head. That golden aura, that overwhelming pressure! That imposter's blue Susanoo wasn't even close to being a match."

"What imposter? That was Uchiha Obito. But none of that matters now. What matters is that someone in our Uchiha clan has finally awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan again, and at such a young age too."

The group chattered over one another, growing more excited by the second.

Listening to their words, the harsh lines on Uchiha Fugaku's face softened considerably.

He turned his head and looked at Uchiha Taiga walking beside him.

"Taiga, you did very well."

His voice was earnest.

"Truly worthy of being the genius of our Uchiha clan."

Carrying the ninja sword he had just picked up, Taiga merely gave a soft hum in response, not saying much else.

He had originally planned to have a proper debate with Sarutobi Hiruzen. Back at the battlefield, Hatake Kakashi had interrupted him, allowing Utatane Koharu to escape a harsher reckoning. Looking back on it now, he felt like he had lost out a bit.

But unfortunately, Hiruzen was an old fox who took the opportunity to slip away, giving him no chance to speak up again.

Truth be told, an old fox was still an old fox; he had to admit that much.

Fortunately, Taiga didn't care too much. Given the nature of those people, there would always be opportunities to ruthlessly put them in their place in the future.

At that moment, another clansman leaned in, his face full of smiles. "Lord Taiga, today you really forced those higher-ups to bow their heads. The Third Hokage personally ordered that woman, Utatane Koharu, to be suspended. That's completely unprecedented!"

"Yeah, even the Hokage backed down. Let's see who dares to look down on our Uchiha clan from now on."

Taiga's expression grew a bit strange.

'Bro, I haven't even let this go to my head yet. What have you guys been drinking to get this carried away?'

He looked at the man who spoke, then at the other Uchiha clansmen walking ahead, noticing the triumphant, vindicated expressions on all their faces.

It was as if the entire Uchiha clan had won today.

He didn't say anything, only twitching his mouth slightly.

He understood now. The Uchiha's signature arrogance was acting up again, and it was the kind that vicariously leeched off someone else's achievements.

The group arrived at a fork in the road.

To the left was the old Uchiha compound, where Taiga lived.

To the right was the new Uchiha compound, where Fugaku and the rest of the clan resided.

Taiga didn't stop walking, naturally heading down the left path.

After taking a few steps, he paused as if remembering something and turned around.

"Are you guys not coming in?"

His tone was completely casual.

Fugaku's footsteps halted.

The clansmen who had been chatting so excitedly just moments ago also froze.

Standing at the crossroads, they looked at the path on the left leading to the old compound, the expressions on their faces slowly turning awkward.

The old compound.

That was where Uchiha Taiga lived, not them.

They lived in the new compound.

The new compound arranged by the village, monitored by the ANBU, and surrounded by high walls.

But Taiga had refused to move there from the very beginning. He lived alone in the old compound, and no one could do a thing about it.

No one in the entire Uchiha clan could question his unwavering stance.

And what about them? They constantly preached about clan honor, but when it truly mattered, they had chosen to compromise.

And just a moment ago, they had been celebrating, thinking today was a massive victory, thinking the higher-ups had bowed their heads, and thinking the Uchiha could finally hold their heads high.

But all of this was brought about by Uchiha Taiga.

In the past, they had been angry with him, disgusted by him.

But now... standing at this fork in the road, they suddenly realized the truth.

The strong one was Uchiha Taiga, not them.

No matter how much they agreed with him, no matter how excited they were, no matter how proud they were of him, they still lived in the new compound.

And Uchiha Taiga was still Uchiha Taiga.

They were not on the same path.

Fugaku's lips moved, wanting to say something, but he found that he couldn't utter a single word.

Taiga looked at their expressions, as if he had expected this all along.

He smiled, turned around, and continued walking toward the old compound with his sword in hand.

Behind him, no one followed.

At that moment, Uchiha Fugaku truly felt that the young man had absolutely no sense of belonging to the Uchiha clan.

The moment that thought arose, a terrible feeling washed over him.