Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

The atmosphere in the village grew heavier by the day.

There were more ninjas patrolling the streets, their footsteps much faster than before.

The young men and women wearing green flak jackets no longer wore their usual relaxed expressions, replaced instead by a palpable tension.

Affected by this mood, the smiles on the faces of pedestrians also dwindled.

The elderly who usually basked in the sun at the alley entrances rarely came out anymore. Children were warned by their parents not to wander far, restricted to playing right outside their doors. Shop owners kept their businesses open, but customer traffic had noticeably thinned; the occasional patron would just buy what they needed in a hurry and leave.

It had only been a few years since the end of the Third Great Ninja War, and the memories of wartime had not yet fully faded. Now, there was movement at the border again. Kumogakure was massing its forces, and Konoha was deploying its troops. No one knew if a war would actually break out this time, and no one knew what would happen if it did.

Walking down the street, Uchiha Taiga didn't feel much about these changes.

He certainly knew that another clash between Konoha and Kumogakure was likely to happen very soon, but to him, it had nothing to do with him.

He wasn't a ninja. He didn't have to go to the battlefield, and he didn't have to go to the border to die.

It didn't matter. As long as it didn't involve him, he could remain completely unbothered.

This morning, Uchiha Taiga woke up a bit later than usual.

After washing up and changing into clean clothes, he dug out a fishing rod from the utility room and found a box of hooks and lines in a cabinet.

These things were left behind by his father in this life.

Yes, he planned to take a break.

He did have a yearning for ninjutsu, but that didn't mean he would spend all his time and energy on it.

He had basically finished learning the jutsu on the scroll Orochimaru gave him. All that was left was to build proficiency over time and perhaps create some innovations of his own.

These things couldn't be rushed, and rushing wouldn't help anyway.

Only with a good mindset could one go far.

Carrying the fishing rod, he walked all the way to the main gate of the clan compound, where he suddenly stopped.

Uchiha Itachi was standing outside the gate.

Wearing dark clothes, he stood perfectly straight, empty-handed.

At this moment, the young boy's face was slightly flushed, and the tip of his nose was a bit red, indicating he had clearly been standing there for a while.

The early morning wind was a bit chilly, gently rustling his hair, but his body remained motionless.

Uchiha Taiga raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you here?"

Uchiha Itachi lowered his head slightly, his voice very soft.

"I came to say goodbye."

Uchiha Taiga fell silent for a moment. Looking at the four or five-year-old child in front of him, he originally wanted to say something more, but seeing Itachi's calm eyes, he swallowed the words back down.

"Wait here."

He turned and went back into the compound, emerging a moment later with an extra ninja tool pouch in his hand. The dark blue fabric was bulging, clearly packed with quite a few items.

He handed the pouch to Itachi.

"Take this. You were my student for a while, after all. Even if I can't teach you anything else in the future, I hope this keeps you a bit safer on the battlefield."

Itachi took the pouch, holding it with both hands, and nodded solemnly.

"Yes."

He tied the pouch to his waist and then looked up.

"Thank you for your guidance all this time, Taiga-sensei."

He took a step back and bowed deeply.

"I will always remember your teachings."

Uchiha Taiga looked at him and didn't say anything.

He had certainly put effort into teaching him, partly out of respect for Uchiha Mikoto, but what he taught was merely knowledge about chakra and ninjutsu—things anyone could teach.

As for anything else, he hadn't said much; the child was still too young.

So now that their teacher-student relationship was officially over, he didn't feel any regret. Instead, he felt a sense of relief.

Uchiha Itachi straightened up, took one last look at him, and then turned to leave.

His pace was neither fast nor slow, and his small silhouette soon disappeared at the end of the street.

Uchiha Taiga stood at the gate, looking in that direction, and gently shook his head.

Thinking of Uchiha Fugaku, he curled his lip in disdain.

No one was going to interrupt his fishing.

Fishing rod in hand, he headed out of the village.

...

...

Afternoon.

Uchiha Taiga walked back into the village carrying an empty bucket. His expression was rather sour.

After all, anyone who sat around for most of the day without a single catch would definitely be annoyed.

'I'll try a different river next time. The one to the west is no good. It must be affected by the new Uchiha compound. What terrible luck.'

He walked back along the familiar streets. As he passed by the new Uchiha clan compound, he saw a large crowd gathered at the entrance from afar.

The people were dressed in various outfits—some in ninja uniforms, others in ordinary dark civilian clothes.

Some were conversing in low voices, some were checking their ninja tools, and others stood in silence, gazing at the distant sky.

Uchiha Fugaku stood at the very front of the crowd.

He wore the Konoha flak jacket uniform, a ninja sword hanging at his waist, his face devoid of expression.

Beside him stood several elderly clansmen, speaking to him in hushed tones. He would occasionally nod and reply with a word or two.

Uchiha Itachi was there as well.

He stood behind Uchiha Fugaku, the ninja pouch from this morning hanging at his waist, and a short sword strapped to his back. His expression was calm—showing neither nervousness nor fear. He just stood there quietly, like an adult who had already grown accustomed to all of this.

Uchiha Taiga's appearance drew some attention.

Someone spotted him, their expression shifting slightly before they lowered their head.

Someone else sneaked a glance at him, then quickly looked away.

Another person stood rooted to the spot, a complex look on their face, as if hesitating whether to step forward and greet him.

A few young Uchiha clansmen had a noticeable gleam in their eyes when they saw him—a look filled with admiration, longing, and even a hint of fanaticism.

But that was all; no one approached him.

Uchiha Taiga's gaze swept over the crowd, not lingering on anyone.

He only looked at Itachi and gave a slight nod in greeting.

Itachi saw him too and bowed slightly in return.

Then, Uchiha Taiga walked away with his bucket. He acted as if he couldn't feel the gazes landing on his back at all.

Walking all the way back from the west side of the village, he bought two fish along the way. He was determined to eat fish today, no matter what. Finally, he turned into an alleyway.

The alley wasn't long, flanked by high walls with only a narrow strip of sky visible above. Sunlight couldn't reach inside, making the passage seem rather gloomy.

He hadn't taken many steps before he stopped.

A figure emerged from the shadows.

The man was tall and slender, with pale skin and long black hair cascading over his shoulders.

Orochimaru.

Uchiha Taiga narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Orochimaru."

His voice was calm. "Are you here to fight me again?"

As he spoke, his gaze fell on Orochimaru's right arm.

He had severed that arm once before, but now it looked perfectly intact, with no visible marks beneath the sleeve.

Quite a masterful trick.

Orochimaru chuckled softly, his voice raspy. "I wouldn't dare fight you again, Taiga-kun."

He stood there, neither advancing nor retreating, just looking at Uchiha Taiga with a smiling face.

"Have you considered my previous proposal, Taiga-kun?"

Uchiha Taiga shook his head. "Not interested."

His tone was blunt, leaving no room for negotiation.

"It's best if you stop coming to look for me from now on."

When dealing with a suck-up, a direct rejection was the best approach.

Orochimaru's smile didn't waver as he licked his lips. "If you're not interested, then why did you learn the jutsu from my scroll?"

There was a hint of smugness in his tone, as if he had caught him red-handed.

He had expected Uchiha Taiga to be at a loss for words, or at least show a trace of guilt.

But Uchiha Taiga merely glanced at him and spoke with absolute self-righteousness. "That was your compensation. Otherwise, did you really think I would have let you walk away last time?"

Orochimaru's expression froze slightly.

Looking at Uchiha Taiga's matter-of-fact face, he was momentarily at a loss for words.

The logic of the young man before him possessed a profound, heartfelt sense of entitlement.

Orochimaru fell silent for a moment, then let out a sinister laugh.

"In that case, as a show of sincerity, I'll give you another piece of information."

Uchiha Taiga didn't speak, just watching him.

Orochimaru lowered his voice. "Shimura Danzo has been secretly in contact with Uchiha Obito. You'd better be careful."

With that, his figure took a step back, seemingly melting into the shadows until he gradually blurred out of existence.

Silence returned to the alleyway.

Uchiha Taiga stood in place, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Shimura Danzo.

Uchiha Obito.

He let out a scoff, his eyes glinting.