It was obvious that Sarutobi Hiruzen was pressuring Uchiha Fugaku.
Similarly, Uchiha Taiga was doing the exact same thing.
Because of this, the atmosphere had grown rather bizarre. Uchiha Fugaku had arrived full of righteous fury, but now he found himself inexplicably nervous.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was one thing—he was the Third Hokage, after all. Using his authority to make such a statement in this situation, while not explicitly stated, was a very direct accusation.
But Uchiha Taiga...
"Stop messing around," Uchiha Fugaku said, instinctively adopting the imposing aura of a clan leader to reprimand Taiga before replying to the Hokage. "Lord Third, I am currently unaware of the specific details regarding your claims."
He was the clan leader, after all. He wouldn't be intimidated by a few words and naturally chose to stall for time.
Sarutobi Hiruzen gave a slight nod. "Very well. Now is indeed not the time for this. We will deal with this matter after tonight's crisis has been resolved."
Uchiha Fugaku visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
Watching this unfold, Uchiha Taiga chuckled. He gave Fugaku a thumbs-up. "Fugaku, you're really something. Truly."
Without waiting to see if Fugaku understood his sarcasm, Taiga picked up the grocery bag he had set down earlier and walked toward the clan compound without looking back.
Seeing this, Fugaku immediately wanted to speak up, but Hiruzen stopped him.
"Let the child go home. Tonight, Danzo was in the wrong and subjected the boy to an injustice. Fugaku, make sure to comfort him when you return."
Fugaku nodded. "I understand."
Since Uchiha Taiga had already left, he naturally didn't care how the scene played out behind him.
He could still hear the two men talking in the distance, their conversation centering around the Sharingan in Fugaku's hand, but listening to it only made Taiga want to laugh.
For the Uchiha clan to be stuck with a leader like that was truly a blessing earned over several lifetimes.
Tonight's events were just an accident for him.
If the Nine-Tails hadn't shoved its face right in front of him, he wouldn't have even lifted a finger. Furthermore, his recent self-destruction had depleted the vast majority of the natural energy he had accumulated in his body. He needed to go back and gather more.
Seeing Fugaku's hesitation just now, Taiga completely discarded any lingering expectations he shouldn't have harbored in the first place.
Whatever. Let them do as they please.
...
When Uchiha Taiga stepped into the clan compound, he was greeted by a chaotic scene.
It wasn't overly disastrous, merely the collateral damage caused by the Nine-Tails' rampage.
There were streaks of wet blood on the stone steps. Not much, and no one had bothered to clean it up.
Several clan members with activated Sharingan stood atop the walls, gazing in the direction where the Nine-Tails had appeared. Down on the streets, children were lined up in two rows, holding hands with the older clan members as they quickly marched toward the north gate.
No one cried, and no one asked why.
"Don't look back. Walk faster," a middle-aged man instructed in a low voice, his Sharingan glowing a deep crimson in the firelight.
A few awakened clan members leaned against a collapsed wall, searching the rubble for wounded, their Sharingan still active.
They didn't speak, only staring at the distant Hokage building.
"Why won't the village let us go out and help?" a young boy asked, his voice hushed.
"Heh, why else? They fear the power we possess," another replied, his tone laced with obvious dissatisfaction.
"Did the Hokage give the order himself?" someone else asked.
"Who knows. The ANBU relayed the command."
"Damn it, we are Uchiha, not prisoners."
"Shut up," an elder interrupted. "Just do your job."
The reprimanded youth was clearly indignant, but seeing the chaotic state of the compound, he tactfully kept his mouth shut.
Uchiha Taiga walked past them without breaking his stride, seemingly completely indifferent to everything around him.
Naturally, his behavior caught the attention of the bystanders.
"Where did you go?" someone asked him.
"To buy groceries."
Taiga's response was simple—so simple that it was as if the Nine-Tails had never even appeared.
Seeing his nonchalant attitude, the person grew furious and scolded, "Can't you see the state of the clan compound?"
Taiga stopped and looked at the man. "And so?"
The man clearly hadn't expected such an attitude. Enraged, the tomoe in his Sharingan spun faster as he closed the distance in a few quick strides, stopping right in front of Taiga.
"Is this the attitude an Uchiha should have? The clan needs help, and you just stand by and watch coldly?"
At those words, many people stopped in their tracks or paused their work, turning their gazes toward the commotion.
When they saw that Uchiha Taiga was one of the people arguing, several expressions instantly changed.
Some looked at Taiga with sheer apathy, while others glared with undisguised disgust.
The reactions varied, but the sentiment was clear.
It was obvious that even among the Uchiha, Uchiha Taiga was considered an anomaly.
"Otherwise what?" Taiga retorted, glancing at the crowd before fixing his gaze back on the young man in front of him. "Do they need my help? Haven't you all never cared anyway?"
With that, Taiga said no more. He simply walked forward, his shoulder bumping the young Uchiha out of the way.
"Enough, Tekka."
An older Uchiha spoke up, stopping the youth and watching Taiga's departing back with an unreadable expression.
"Uncle Hadai, look at that guy!"
The youth, Uchiha Tekka, was clearly infuriated by Taiga's words and actions, looking as though he wanted nothing more than to rush up and teach him a lesson.
"Just ignore him," Uchiha Hadai said, shooting him a rather stern look.
Uchiha Tekka had no choice but to shut his mouth.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Taiga continued his leisurely stroll down the compound's streets.
On both sides were slightly panicked ordinary clan members, both adults and children, as well as awakened members who had stopped in their tracks. Without exception, all of them cast their gazes upon him.
Under the moonlight, the awakened Uchiha lining the streets had eyes as crimson as blood, gleaming with an eerie light in the dark.
Being stared at by so many pairs of those eyes would have made anyone else incredibly nervous, perhaps even terrified.
But Taiga acted as if he didn't see them at all. Carrying his grocery bag, he just kept walking, completely ignoring the glares from both sides.
"It's that guy."
"He doesn't deserve the name Uchiha."
"That bastard, he should be kicked out of the clan."
"He's absolutely disgusting."
Low whispers echoed from the sides of the street, all of them pointing their hostility directly at Uchiha Taiga.
These words fell on his ears, but he continued to ignore them.
From this alone, it wasn't hard to see Taiga's situation within the Uchiha clan.
He was isolated.
No!
To be precise, Uchiha Taiga had actively isolated himself from the entire Uchiha clan.
In the eyes of the rest of Konoha, Taiga was a complete anomaly—eccentric and self-centered.
Within the Uchiha clan, he was equally an anomaly—unsociable, aloof, and completely lacking the pride that an Uchiha should possess.
Over time, the clan members had built up a significant amount of resentment toward him.
However, these people only dared to whisper behind his back. No one actually dared to step forward and accuse him to his face.
Hotheads like Uchiha Tekka were in the minority.
The root cause of all this was simply that Uchiha Taiga refused to contribute to the clan.
As for why he refused?
The reason was simple.
After he blew up the ninja academy at the age of six, the Uchiha clan recognized his talent. Believing him to be a gift from the heavens, the entire clan placed high hopes on him, expecting him to become the Uchiha's sharpest spear.
Unfortunately, Uchiha Taiga had absolutely no interest in that.
As a result, the conflict between the two sides deepened over time, reaching a point where it was now somewhat irreconcilable.
But Uchiha Taiga was simply too good at fighting.
Although he couldn't use ninjutsu, his terrifying strength and powerful physique had caused the troublemakers within the clan to suffer greatly.
In the past, anyone who dared to provoke him had, without exception, tasted the weight of his fists. Their fates went without saying.
And the more this happened, the more the other clan members despised him.
Over time, it had devolved into the current situation.
Uchiha Taiga suddenly stopped in his tracks, and the whispers instantly ceased.
"Are you all that bored?"
Some faces twitched, but they still averted their eyes.
Others lowered their heads, refusing to look at him.
A few others showed visible anger on their faces.
"A bunch of trash," Taiga remarked flatly. He resumed his pace, no longer sparing them a single glance as he headed toward his home.
Only after he left did the whispers start up again.
"Damn it, what's with that attitude!"
"That bastard, I'll show him one day!"
"A disgrace to the Uchiha."
Uchiha Taiga ignored all these voices.
He had heard it too much growing up. It could no longer stir any emotional fluctuations within him; he only found it amusing.
To expect him to have any affection for an Uchiha clan like this was, frankly, asking far too much of him.
If it hadn't been for Shimura Danzo tonight, he wouldn't have wanted to get involved in this mess at all. That was exactly why he had walked away so decisively earlier.