Chapter 140: My Ties with the Uchiha Are Severed
Uchiha Fugaku looked at Uchiha Taiga, his eyes filled with confusion, his voice slightly strained. "What... do you mean by that?"
Uchiha Taiga did not answer immediately. He looked down at the black stone tablet and reached out to tap it lightly twice, producing a dull thud. A faint smile played at the corners of his mouth.
"Since Tsunade could tell you about this stone tablet, the rest of Konoha will inevitably find out as well."
He withdrew his hand, turned his head to look at Uchiha Fugaku, and smiled.
"Under these circumstances, you didn't choose the village. Instead, you brought the stone tablet out to find me."
He left the rest unsaid, but his meaning was already abundantly clear.
Uchiha Fugaku's expression changed instantly, turning grim. His lips pressed into a thin line, and a vein throbbed slightly on his forehead.
The expressions of the Uchiha clansmen behind him also shifted. Some furrowed their brows, some lowered their heads, and others seemed to realize something, looking uneasy.
Uchiha Mikoto stepped forward and stood beside Uchiha Fugaku. Her eyes still glistened with tears, but her voice was steady.
"Taiga, Fugaku only hoped to express his goodwill to you through this gesture."
Uchiha Taiga nodded.
"Yeah, I know. I felt the goodwill."
His gaze shifted from Uchiha Mikoto, swept across the faces of the Uchiha clansmen, and finally landed on Uchiha Fugaku.
Shaking his head, Uchiha Taiga's smile held no mockery, only a calm detachment, as if he had seen through everything.
"But I have no intention of accepting your goodwill."
As those words fell, the faces of the Uchiha who had traveled all this way to find him grew even uglier.
Some clenched their fists, some gritted their teeth, and one, seemingly unable to tolerate his attitude, took a step forward to speak.
It was a young Uchiha, looking to be in his early twenties, his face full of anger and indignation. He had just opened his mouth, but before a sound could come out...
*Thud!*
Uchiha Fugaku kicked out, sending the young Uchiha flying backward for two or three meters. He crashed into a large tree with a muffled thud, then slid to the ground, curling into a ball as he clutched his stomach, his face flushed red.
"Shut up!"
Uchiha Fugaku's voice was low and stern. The Three-Tomoe Sharingan had already manifested in his eyes—a crimson backdrop with black tomoe slowly spinning—as his gaze swept over the Uchiha clansmen.
Seeing this, the others all stiffened in awe. Some lowered their heads, some took a half-step back, and no one dared to speak again.
Uchiha Fugaku took a deep breath, turned around, and faced Uchiha Taiga. His hands hung by his sides, his back straight, and his expression serious and solemn.
He looked into Uchiha Taiga's eyes, his voice deep. "You're right. I was foolish. I only focused on the matter of Uchiha Madara and didn't think carefully about anything else."
Seeing Uchiha Fugaku like this, Uchiha Taiga was actually a bit surprised. He looked Fugaku up and down, his gaze moving from that serious face to his dust-covered clothes.
"How rare. You're actually admitting your mistakes. You've grown."
His words carried a hint of sarcasm and teasing.
In the past, Uchiha Fugaku would have definitely reacted—either putting on airs as the clan head, issuing a reprimand, or giving the cold shoulder in silence.
But at this moment, he did not retort. He turned a deaf ear to Uchiha Taiga's sarcasm, simply standing there like a stone statue.
Uchiha Fugaku's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately, nothing came out.
The silence lasted for a moment.
Uchiha Fugaku took a deep breath, his voice hoarse.
"Taiga, in the past, I neglected your feelings. I know it's too late to say this now, but... I'm sorry."
He bowed his head slightly.
Uchiha Taiga looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then smiled.
"Don't say things like that. It's meaningless."
Uchiha Fugaku merely nodded in silence, seemingly understanding something.
He straightened up and took two steps back. The Uchiha clansmen behind him also stepped back. No one spoke; no one moved.
The atmosphere was heavy with silence, broken only by the crackling of the campfire and the rustling of leaves in the wind.
Uchiha Taiga checked the sky. It was almost past noon, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting golden dapples on the ground.
He rubbed his stomach, as if gauging his hunger.
"Alright, you came all this way. No matter how unreasonable I am, I should still treat you to a meal."
He turned around and walked toward the edge of the woods, speaking as he went.
"There happens to be a river right nearby. Wait here, I'll go catch a few fish."
His pace was brisk, reaching the edge of the woods in just a few steps.
But before he could step out, a figure blocked his path.
Yugito Nii stood before him expressionlessly, her arms crossed over her chest and her chin slightly raised, looking at him calmly.
"Don't go. We have enough ingredients."
Uchiha Taiga's mouth twitched. He looked down at his hands, then back up at Yugito Nii's deadpan face.
"You don't believe me?"
Yugito Nii didn't speak; she just looked at him.
Uchiha Taiga's voice rose a pitch.
"I really can catch some!"
Yugito Nii still didn't speak, just staring at him blankly.
"Ask yourself that first."
"Damn it!"
Uchiha Taiga gritted his teeth, turned around, and returned to the campfire, sitting down in a huff.
With his arms crossed, he glared at the fire, looking as if someone owed him millions of ryo.
Yugito Nii rolled her eyes at him, then turned to fetch the ingredients.
She took out rice, vegetables, dry rations, and a few pieces of cured meat from her backpack and got to work.
Yugito Nii moved quickly. Chopping vegetables, washing rice, stoking the fire, and setting up the pot—she did it all in one smooth motion.
Seeing this, Uchiha Mikoto stepped forward and softly asked if she needed help.
Yugito Nii glanced at her, nodded, and handed her the washed vegetables.
The two women crouched by the campfire, cooking in silence.
The other Uchiha clansmen rested where they were. Some leaned against tree trunks, some sat cross-legged on rocks, and others took out canteens from their backpacks to drink.
No one took the initiative to speak, leaving the atmosphere heavy.
Someone stole a glance at Uchiha Taiga, then quickly looked away.
Someone stared at the campfire, lost in a daze watching the flames.
Someone had their eyes closed as if dozing, but their eyelids still twitched slightly.
Everyone had their own thoughts, but no one spoke up at this moment.
Uchiha Fugaku sat on a rock not far from Uchiha Taiga. His hands rested on his knees, his back perfectly straight. His gaze was fixed on the campfire, making his expression hard to read.
His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately closed again.
After a while, they moved again, then closed. This repeated several times, but in the end, he remained silent.
The food was ready quickly.
Yugito Nii and Uchiha Mikoto portioned out the food, giving everyone a share.
It was white rice with stew and roasted cured meat. The food was ordinary, but having a hot meal out in the wild was already quite a luxury.
Everyone held their bowls, sitting on the ground and eating in silence. No one spoke.
The atmosphere was oppressive, making the food taste bland and flavorless.
Uchiha Taiga, however, ate with relish. His face showed no sign of discomfort, as if the Uchiha clansmen didn't exist and the previous conversation had never happened. He had a great appetite.
Finally, Uchiha Taiga set down his bowl, wiped his mouth, and smiled.
"Alright, go back."
His tone was casual.
"You know it. My ties with the Uchiha are severed."
Uchiha Fugaku's hand paused while holding his bowl. He looked up at Uchiha Taiga, opening his mouth to speak, but ultimately said nothing.
He lowered his head, scarfed down the rest of his rice in a few bites, and stood up. He placed the bowl on the ground and then resealed the stone tablet back into the scroll.
"Let's go."
His voice was soft, yet heavy.
The Uchiha clansmen stood up one after another. No one spoke, and no one complained. They simply followed behind Uchiha Fugaku in silence.
Uchiha Mikoto walked up to Uchiha Taiga and stopped.
Her eyes were red again, tears swirling within them, but she bit her lip to keep them from falling. She just reached out and gently patted Uchiha Taiga's shoulder.
"Take care of yourself."
Uchiha Taiga nodded.
"Yeah."
Uchiha Mikoto withdrew her hand, turned around, and walked in Uchiha Fugaku's direction.
"By the way, don't believe everything on the stone tablet. There might be... something strange about it."
Uchiha Fugaku's footsteps paused, but in the end, he didn't turn around. He merely nodded.
Hearing this, Uchiha Mikoto lowered her head and began wiping away her tears.
The group walked far away. The campfire was still burning, its light reflecting on Uchiha Taiga's face.
Yugito Nii stood beside him, watching the direction where the Uchiha clansmen had disappeared, and remained silent for a moment.
"Are you really not planning to go back?"
Uchiha Taiga shook his head, picked up the ninja blade he hadn't finished cleaning, and continued wiping it.
"Go back for what? That place is no longer my home."