Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

Hyuga Neji's emotions were in turmoil.

He knelt on the tatami mat, his hands still pressed against the floor and his forehead resting on the ground, maintaining a formal dogeza posture.

His body remained still, but his mind was racing.

Reaching this point, he had thought his age and talent would be enough to make anyone look at him with newfound respect. He believed that with these qualities, he might be able to become Uchiha Taiga's follower, learning and growing by his side until he too became a powerhouse.

But looking at it now, the man simply hadn't taken a liking to him at all.

The rejection wasn't subtle in the slightest. It felt like a basin of freezing water had been poured directly over his head, chilling him to the bone.

To make matters worse, he had nowhere to vent his grievances.

What could he even say?

Uchiha Taiga paid absolutely no mind to Hyuga Neji's reaction, simply picking up his teacup to take a sip.

"Alright, his matter is settled."

He shifted his gaze away from Hyuga Neji, letting it fall upon Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke, sweeping back and forth between the two brothers.

"What about you two?"

He paused, as if giving them time to process everything.

"Let me make this clear first—don't ask for anything too difficult."

Uchiha Itachi was actually somewhat surprised. In his impression, the man before him had never been easy to talk to.

Ten years ago, when he was still just a child, he had followed Uchiha Taiga to learn from him. Naturally, he knew his personality—silent, stern, and reticent, always carrying an aura that kept everyone at arm's length.

But now, he was actually offering to help others on his own initiative. This was completely different from the man in his memories.

Uchiha Taiga met his gaze and merely offered a faint smile.

"That look in your eyes, Itachi-kun. You seem quite surprised?"

There was a teasing tone in his voice.

Uchiha Itachi remained silent, hesitating over whether to tell the truth. Ultimately, however, he nodded.

"Yes, it is a bit surprising."

Uchiha Taiga chuckled. "I'm a man pushing thirty. Naturally, my mindset is different from when I was younger."

Uchiha Itachi didn't buy that for a second.

Even though he had been young ten years ago, just a few years old, his memories of Uchiha Taiga were still vivid.

He still remembered Uchiha Taiga's tone, his demeanor, and the personality he displayed back then. Everything pointed to him being an incredibly self-centered person—doing whatever he wanted, saying whatever he pleased, without caring about others' opinions or feelings.

That kind of personality was ingrained in his bones. It wouldn't change with age; time would only sharpen its edges.

But he wasn't about to actually voice his disagreement right now.

After all, the other party was a true powerhouse, one standing at the very pinnacle of the ninja world. Even if a powerhouse spoke nonsense, sometimes people still needed to interpret it carefully.

Uchiha Itachi fell silent for a brief moment before dropping straight to one knee. There was no hesitation or delay, as if he had already made up his mind long ago.

"Taiga-sensei, please help resolve the conflict between the Uchiha clan and the village."

His tone was sincere, and his attitude was resolute.

Uchiha Taiga wasn't surprised by this request. He merely countered with a question, "Why would you seek out an outsider like me for something like this?"

Uchiha Itachi answered bluntly, "Taiga-sensei is not an outsider."

His tone was filled with absolute certainty, as if stating an unquestionable fact.

Uchiha Taiga let out a soft laugh.

"You."

He shook his head.

"You're still taking things too much for granted."

Uchiha Itachi fell silent once more.

Uchiha Taiga looked at him and spoke again.

"The ultimate resolution to this kind of matter still rests upon yourselves. If you are strong, no one will dare provoke you."

"Furthermore, the fact that you were able to come to me without your father stepping in to stop you suggests that there might be certain hidden foundations within the Uchiha clan that even you aren't fully aware of."

He didn't spell it out completely, but his meaning was already quite clear.

Uchiha Itachi froze upon hearing this.

His brow furrowed deeper as he fell into deep thought. In that moment, he thought of many people and events, as well as numerous details he had previously overlooked.

The more he thought about it, the more clueless he felt.

Yet, he couldn't bring himself to doubt Uchiha Taiga's words, because the man had no reason to lie to him, nor would he stoop to doing so.

Based on Uchiha Itachi's understanding of Uchiha Taiga, as long as the man said something, it was bound to hold truth.

If he said it, then the Uchiha clan truly possessed some hidden foundation that he himself was unaware of.

Uchiha Sasuke stood to the side, having remained mostly quiet. Watching his brother kneel on one knee, his hands unconsciously clenched into fists.

At a certain moment, he suddenly took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Please teach me how to become stronger, my lord."

Uchiha Taiga looked at the kid with a peculiar expression, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Uchiha Itachi snapped back to reality and hurriedly said, "Sasuke, stop messing around."

But Uchiha Sasuke replied, "Brother, I can help you!"

His voice was loud, his gaze unwavering.

Uchiha Itachi was left speechless.

"This matter has nothing to do with you."

He lowered his voice, his attitude inexplicably softening.

Uchiha Sasuke looked at him, his gaze not dodging in the slightest.

"I am also an Uchiha."

His voice wasn't loud, but his words carried heavy weight.

Uchiha Itachi fell silent. Looking into Sasuke's resolute eyes, he remained quiet for a long time. In his heart, there was a sense of relief, but also a melancholy realization that his younger brother was growing up.

Uchiha Sasuke just kept looking at him, not dodging, not flinching, and not backing down.

Watching this scene unfold, Uchiha Taiga only found it amusing.

Sasuke's personality was already beginning to show its true colors.

Although it was slightly different from the original storyline, the difference wasn't huge. He was still just as stubborn and unyielding; once he set his mind on something, wild horses couldn't drag him away.

The standoff between the two brothers was quite interesting.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and was just about to speak up to stop them.

A voice came from outside the door.

"Do we have guests?"

The voice wasn't loud; it was gentle, like a warm breeze.

A woman walked in.

She wore light-colored casual clothes, her beige straight hair tied into a braid that draped over her shoulder. Her skin was fair, her features delicate, and there was a hint of heroic spirit between her brows.

As everyone looked over, they saw that she was holding a young girl in her arms.

The girl looked to be about two or three years old. She had jet-black hair and large, bright black eyes that looked like freshly washed glass beads.

Her skin was incredibly fair, as white as milk, and her cheeks still held some baby fat—pudgy and rosy. She wore a little floral dress and tiny shoes on her feet.

Upon seeing Uchiha Taiga, the little girl's eyes lit up. The corners of her mouth curled into a wide grin, revealing a few small upper and lower teeth.

She reached out her two small hands and lunged in Uchiha Taiga's direction.

"Papa!"

The little girl's voice was crisp, carrying the innocent joy of a child.

Uchiha Itachi's body trembled slightly.

His eyes widened slightly as his gaze shifted from the little girl to Uchiha Taiga, and then back to the little girl again.

*Papa?*

He instinctively cast a glance at Uchiha Taiga, his eyes filled with obvious astonishment.

The others had similar reactions.

Uchiha Sasuke's mouth hung slightly open. Hyuga Neji straightened up from his dogeza posture. Uzumaki Karin, who was standing by the door, uncrossed her arms and immediately went over to greet them.

"Ah, Reiko!"

Uzumaki Yumiko stood next to Karin, still holding a tray in her hands. Looking at the little girl, a gentle smile graced her face.

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