Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

Uchiha Taiga was taken aback for a moment, his expression turning strange.

"Do you even hear yourself? Sending a kid this small to the battlefield—are you insane?"

His voice wasn't loud, but every word dripped with mockery.

Uchiha Fugaku seemed to have anticipated this reaction. His expression remained unchanged, his tone steady.

"You know his talent. With just normal training, it will be difficult for him to make any real progress. As an Uchiha, experiencing the cruelty of the battlefield is the only way to truly master his power."

"Experiencing the cruelty of the battlefield?"

Taiga looked as if he had just heard a hilarious joke.

"I originally thought you were just bowing to the village's pressure, acting a bit indecisive on a daily basis, but at least still caring for the Uchiha clan. But now it seems..."

He paused, looking straight into Fugaku's eyes.

"You're just a complete fucking idiot."

Fugaku's face instantly darkened.

Being cursed out to his face by Taiga, especially in front of his own son, was somewhat unacceptable to him.

As a man, he naturally had his pride. Especially as the clan head, he couldn't just remain indifferent to such words.

But the youth before him wasn't just the clan's most outstanding junior; he also possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan. That fact alone forced Fugaku to swallow the insult.

His brows furrowed tightly, the creases around his mouth deepening as he clenched his jaw.

"I am doing this for Itachi's own good."

His voice was kept very low, carrying obvious anger. "As my son, he must shoulder the responsibilities of the clan heir. This is my duty, and it is his as well."

"For his own good?"

Taiga sneered.

His eyes shifted. The pitch-black pupils were dyed scarlet as three tomoe slowly surfaced. The Sharingan.

Those eyes stared fixedly at Fugaku, as if trying to see right through him.

"I know exactly what you're plotting. You want to take him to the battlefield, let him witness the bloodshed, and stimulate him into awakening his eyes, right?"

Fugaku's pupils shrank slightly, but he remained silent.

Taiga continued, "Are you sure doing this won't cause irreversible damage to Itachi?"

His voice grew cold.

"As his father, you should know what kind of child Itachi is. He's smarter than his peers, but also far more sensitive. Aren't you afraid the battlefield will affect him, twisting him into something extreme in the future?"

He took a step forward, his three-tomoe Sharingan gleaming with a scarlet light under the setting sun.

"Don't tell me you don't know the price of awakening the Uchiha's eyes. Loss, pain, despair... You want a four- or five-year-old child to endure all of that? He can't handle it, and you know it."

Fugaku's expression turned solemn.

He fell silent for a moment before speaking, his voice so steady it bordered on stubbornness.

"Itachi has the talent for this. I believe in him."

Hearing this, Taiga fell silent for a couple of seconds.

Then, he laughed.

The laughter wasn't loud, but it carried an indescribable quality. It lacked the expected anger; instead, it sounded more like sudden relief.

"Fine, fine, fine."

He repeated the word three times.

"He's your son. It's none of my business. Do whatever makes you happy."

He paused.

"I just hope you don't regret this later."

Fugaku's expression remained unchanged, as if he had long anticipated these words.

"I won't regret it."

His voice sounded very calm. "Everything is for the sake of the Uchiha clan."

As the clan head, he bore pressure from all sides—from the village, from within the clan, and even from the person standing right in front of him.

But that kind of pressure was manageable.

And now? The youth before him possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan, yet he remained at odds with the clan. Even though he, as the clan head, had made up his mind to mend their relationship, he knew it was utterly futile.

Simply because this youth had his own thoughts and his own strong opinions; he wasn't someone who could be swayed by a few words.

The tension between him and the Uchiha clan would remain unresolved.

Under these circumstances, Fugaku's pressure only grew heavier.

He knew his own limits. He couldn't change Uchiha Taiga at all, and even attempting to ease the tension depended entirely on the youth's willingness.

Given this situation, his gaze naturally shifted to the next generation.

As it happened, he was very clear on Uchiha Itachi's talent. While he wouldn't dare say it was entirely comparable to Uchiha Taiga's, compared to the rest of the clan—or even the entirety of Konoha—such talent was top-tier.

So why not cultivate a genius of their own? A genius whose heart belonged to the clan!

He was confident he could achieve this, because he saw hope in Uchiha Itachi.

Taiga looked at him, the smile on his face gradually fading into silence.

He suddenly raised his hand and threw the three stacks of banknotes directly into Fugaku's face.

The bills scattered, fluttering through the air like large snowflakes. A few landed on Fugaku's shoulders, while the rest drifted to the ground.

"Fuck off, you fucking idiot."

Taiga's voice wasn't loud.

"Don't show your face around me anymore. Just looking at a fool like you pisses me off."

Fugaku's face turned livid.

His fists clenched at his sides, his knuckles turning white, but ultimately, he didn't lash out.

He just stood there motionless, a few stray bills still clinging to his face.

"Taiga-sensei..."

Uchiha Itachi's voice rang out, carrying a trace of unease.

Taiga had already turned around and was walking back toward the old clan compound. Hearing Itachi's voice, his footsteps paused for a moment.

He didn't look back.

"I can't help you."

His voice drifted back from ahead, so calm that no emotion could be discerned.

"This is your fate. Being stuck with a father like that—just accept it."

With that, he continued walking, his pace neither fast nor slow, and soon disappeared into the depths of the old compound's streets.

Truthfully, he naturally had the power to change Fugaku's mind. For instance, he could use absolute force to suppress him, and he was certain Fugaku would make the 'correct' choice.

But he didn't do that.

Because there was no need.

He was just a training instructor who took money to do a job.

At this moment, Taiga became even more resolute in his decision not to form bonds with others.

Sure enough, sometimes the meticulous scheming of a villain couldn't compare to the sudden 'inspiration' of a fool.

In his eyes, Uchiha Fugaku had been thoroughly categorized as a complete moron.

For some people and some matters, he only needed to watch from a distance. Respecting the fate of others was perfectly fine, wasn't it?

As for what Itachi would become in the future, or whether he would go astray...

Taiga could only conclude that with a father like this, certain outcomes were already set in stone.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Itachi stood rooted to the spot, watching the retreating figure. His lips moved, but in the end, he said nothing.

Fugaku remained silent for a long time before bending down to pick up the scattered banknotes from the ground, one by one.

His hands trembled slightly, but his movements were slow and meticulous.

Itachi looked up at his father.

"Father."

His voice was very soft, yet clear.

"Do I really have to go to the battlefield?"

Fugaku's movements paused.

For a brief moment, a flash of struggle crossed his eyes.

His hand hovered in midair, fingers trembling slightly, as if he were making a decision he didn't want to face.

But that moment quickly passed.

He straightened up, neatly folded the collected bills, and placed them in his pocket. Then, he looked down at his eldest son.

"I'm sorry, Itachi."

His voice was a bit hoarse.

"This is the path you must take to become strong, and it is the destiny of the Uchiha. Do not blame me."

Itachi was silent for a long time before nodding.

He didn't speak again.

In that instant, he seemed to have grown up, yet it also felt as though nothing had changed.

But some things had already quietly shifted.