“I just said a couple of things to him, so what?” the commoner struggled, “He bumped into me first, how can you arrest me!”
“So what if you’re arrested?” Toka sneered, “Being arrested by the Uchiha Clan is your honor!”
“You!” The commoner’s face turned red with anger.
The people around could no longer hold back.
“Is the Uchiha so great?”
“Exactly, do you still have reason after arresting the wrong person?”
“Can the Military Police Force just arrest people casually?”
Toka glanced at them.
“What, unconvinced?” He released the commoner, placing his hand on his ninja tool pouch, “Step forward if you’re unconvinced, and I’ll arrest you all together!”
The crowd instantly went quiet, and no one dared to speak.
Obito couldn’t watch anymore, and he took a step forward.
“Toka, you…”
Before he finished speaking, Uchiha Makoto pulled him back.
“Brother Makoto?” Obito turned around.
“Stay out of it,” Uchiha Makoto said in a low voice.
“But…”
“I said, stay out of it.”
Obito looked into Uchiha Makoto’s eyes.
In those eyes, there was no anger, no excitement.
Only calmness, a calmness that made one’s blood run cold.
Obito gritted his teeth and retreated.
Toka glanced at them, sneered, and walked away dragging the commoner.
The crowd dispersed, discussing animatedly.
“The Uchiha are getting more and more outrageous.”
“Exactly, arresting people over trivial matters.”
“Is the Military Police Force run by their family?”
“It literally is run by their family.”
Obito lowered his head, his fists clenched tightly.
“Brother Makoto, why not interfere?”
Uchiha Makoto did not answer.
He pulled Obito and Might Guy, walking toward home.
After walking a distance, Obito asked again: “Brother Makoto, why didn’t you let me interfere?”
Uchiha Makoto stopped in his tracks and looked at Obito.
“What do you want to interfere with?” he asked.
“To… to stop him from arresting people randomly,” Obito said.
“The Military Police Force is meant to maintain public security, not to bully people.”
“Well said,” Uchiha Makoto nodded.
“But do you know why the Military Police Force was handed over to the Uchiha?”
Obito was momentarily stunned.
“Because… because the Uchiha are strong?”
Obito widened his eyes.
Might Guy was also stunned.
“Konoha handing the greatest power to the Uchiha is not trust; it is setting them up for destruction with excessive praise,” Uchiha Makoto continued.
“Holding this power, the Uchiha offend everyone. The commoners hate you, other clans hate you, and the higher-ups are happy to see it happen.”
“When the Uchiha have offended enough people, Konoha can rightfully claim that the Uchiha are abusing their power, oppressing the commoners, and are unworthy of running the Military Police Force.”
“Then they will take back the power, suppress, marginalize, and finally—”
He didn’t finish, but Obito understood.
“But… but we can change it,” Obito said.
“We can use this power properly and not bully people.”
“What use is it for you alone to change?” Uchiha Makoto asked.
“Will Toka change? Will the other Uchiha change? They will only think you’re foolish and that you’ve betrayed the clan.”
Obito stopped speaking.
He lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly.
“Obito,” Uchiha Makoto patted his shoulder.
“If you want to change things, become strong first.”
“Strong enough that when you speak, people listen.”
“Strong enough that what you do is watched.”
“Strong enough… that you can protect the people you want to protect.”
Obito raised his head, his eyes slightly red.
“Then… how strong do I need to be?”
“Strong enough…” Uchiha Makoto thought for a moment, “Strong enough that Konoha wouldn’t dare move against you.”
“Strong enough that the Uchiha wouldn’t dare curse you.”
“Strong enough… that you can do whatever you want.”
Obito fell silent.
Might Guy also fell silent.
The three of them continued walking forward.
“Brother Makoto,” Obito suddenly spoke up.
“I will become strong.”
“Very, very strong.”
“Strong enough… to change all of this.”
Uchiha Makoto glanced at him.
“Yeah! I believe you.”
Recently, things had returned to their usual daily routine.
“Brother Makoto, what’s wrong with your eyes?”
At the training ground, Obito stared at Uchiha Makoto’s face, looking very worried.
Uchiha Makoto blinked and then rubbed them.
“I don’t know, lately they’ve always been a bit itchy and swollen,” he said feigning innocence, “It feels like something is about to grow out.”
Obito was stunned.
Eyes itchy?
What else could grow in the eyes of the Uchiha Clan besides the Sharingan?
“Brother Makoto!” Obito suddenly grabbed Uchiha Makoto’s shoulders, his voice shaking, “Are—are you about to awaken your eyes?”
“Awaken my eyes?” Uchiha Makoto put on an expression of “what are you talking about, I don’t understand at all”, “Awaken what eyes?”
“The Sharingan!” Obito’s face turned red with excitement, “The Sharingan of our Uchiha Clan! Eye discomfort should be the precursor to awakening your eyes!”
Uchiha Makoto rejoiced inwardly.
He took the bait.
But his face still carried an expression of “stop teasing me”:
“No way, right? I’m only six years old. Besides, don’t people usually awaken the Sharingan only after suffering a strong shock? I’ve been eating well and sleeping well these past few days, where would any shock come from?”
“That’s not necessarily true!” Obito shook his head, “Brother Makoto, you’re a genius! Can a genius awakening their eyes be the same as an ordinary person? Maybe you’re that kind of… that kind of natural progression type!”
Natural progression type.
Uchiha Makoto almost couldn’t hold back his laughter.
This term was actually quite apt.
“All right, all right,” he waved his hand.
“Stop guessing wildly, it’s probably just that training has been too tiring lately, and my eyes are a bit fatigued.”
“No! It definitely is!” Obito insisted.
“Brother Makoto, this matter has to be told to the clan head and the elders. Awakening your eyes at six years old is a big deal!”
Uchiha Makoto’s heart tightened.
Tell the clan head?
Tell the elders?
That would be terrible.
He hurriedly held Obito down: “Don’t! Absolutely not!”
“Why?” Obito was puzzled.
“Awakening your eyes at six, how glorious is that? The clan head will definitely be happy, and might even reward you!”
“Reward my ass,” Uchiha Makoto rolled his eyes.
“My eyes just feel uncomfortable right now, I haven’t actually awakened them. If you go around saying I’m going to awaken my eyes, and then a few days later it turns out I just have a simple eye inflammation, wouldn’t I become a joke?”
Obito opened his mouth and didn’t speak.
“Think about it,” Uchiha Makoto continued to fool him.
“The whole clan knows that Uchiha Makoto is going to awaken his eyes, and the elders come eagerly to see, only to find out it’s just an illness. Then I won’t be able to hold my head high in the clan anymore.”
Obito thought about it, and it seemed…
to make sense.
“But…” He was still a bit unwilling, “What if you really awaken your eyes?”
“Let’s talk about it if I actually awaken them,” Uchiha Makoto patted his shoulder.
“Nothing has even started yet, so don’t go shouting everywhere. Keep a low profile, understand? Keeping a low profile is the ultimate truth.”
Obito struggled for a long time before finally nodding.
“All right,” he said.
“I won’t say anything.”
“Right, don’t say it,” Uchiha Makoto breathed a sigh of relief.
“Don’t even tell Rin.”
“Can’t even tell Rin?”