UTBW: Ch. 64

"Very well, then we'll dismiss." Junichi waved his hand casually, as if he were the one in charge, announcing the end with a relaxed expression.

Hiruzen turned around without a word and was the first to leave. Koharu and Homura immediately followed.

Soon after, the Sarutobi clan members also exited.

Junichi watched their departing figures, but secretly he thought, You think this is over Naive!

This is a battle that won't end until one side is completely destroyed. Do you really think I'm stupid enough to wait for Jiraiya and Tsunade to return and start another tedious struggle?

It's better to settle everything in one go.

He looked in the direction of the village, the corner of his mouth curling up slightly.

Judging by the time, Yuki should have led his forces to finish wiping out the Shimura, Utatane, Mitokado, and Sarutobi clans by now.

Heh. Plus, with the subtle mental and cerebrovascular damage caused by the Eye Blade technique he just used, who knew if the three of them will pass out directly when they saw their clans destroyed?

Old people, after all. Getting too emotional and suddenly dropping dead wasn't that surprising.

The curve of his smile grew more obvious.

The others noticed too, but simply thought he was happy because he had decisively defeated the high-ranking officials targeting the Uchiha clan.

"Congratulations," the Inuzuka clan leader spoke first, laughing heartily. "Please take good care of us from now on."

Others quickly chimed in, "I know a little restaurant that serves amazing food, let's go try it sometime."

"Are you interested in Kyoto's art pieces?"

"My family runs a weapon shop specializing in premium swords. I'll send you a few membership cards later."

"I was an old friend of your father's..."

The once solemn ninja clan leaders all suddenly changed their faces, crowding around Junichi warmly. Even many civilian jonin came up excitedly to greet Junichi.

Even the Uchiha clan members standing nearby received flattery,
leaving them wide-eyed and flustered, completely overwhelmed.

When had they ever been so popular before?

"Thank you all for your kindness. In a few days, I'll book out the Yakiniku Q, please be sure to honor me with your presence," Junichi responded smoothly and confidently to everyone's goodwill.

This caused the jonin's impression of him to rise even further. After tonight, anyone with clear eyes could see: The Uchiha clan's rise was unstoppable.

This new clan leader was a sociable, steady-minded individual, without the usual Uchiha bad temper, yet with outstanding strength and ability.

Under his leadership, even if they didn't reach the Uchiha's peak golden age, it was almost certain they'd at least return to the heights of Kagami's era.

If you didn't cozy up now, when would you? The ninja clans decisively became opportunists.

As for Hiruzen... The so-called Hokage should now retire into history as a figure of nostalgia, not continue hanging around as an eyesore!

"We haven't shared a drink in ages either," Hiashi approached Fugaku with a smile.

"Ah…" Fugaku was stunned and quickly replied, "If you wishe, I'm always available."

"That's great," Hiashi nodded. "Let's put all the past misunderstandings behind us. What's important now is the future."

Fugaku gave Hiashi a slightly surprised look. He hadn't expected the Hyūga clan head to turn so quickly without hesitation.

In the past, because of the high-ranking officials' manipulations, the Hyūga clan had been pitted against the Uchiha clan, competing for the title of the top dōjutsu in the shinobi world.

Later, during the Kumo Incident, Hiashi shrank back and ended up sending his younger brother's corpse to appease the situation.

He had thought at the time that Hiashi must have been a complete coward, willing to retreat at the first sign of danger. But now, it turned out Hiashi was also someone with deep scheming and a smooth, adaptable personality.

"You're right. What's important is the future," Fugaku agreed with a nod, showing a somewhat complicated smile.

This time, it was Hiashi's turn to be surprised. He hadn't expected Fugaku to change his stance so quickly and firmly.

Had he really let go of the past just like that?

Before, he had thought Fugaku was nothing but a loyal servant to the Third Hokage.

"Hahaha, I think we'll have a lot to talk about," Hiashi couldn't help but laugh.

Fugaku smirked slightly. The two silently reached an understanding.

---

Inside the village, in the classroom of the Ninja Academy, two boys, one with golden hair and the other with black hair, sat bored at their desks.

In front of them, a teacher sat on a chair, tasked with watching over them. His arms were crossed, and his fingers tapped his arms nervously.

"Why do I have to stay at school?" the blond boy complained, pointing at the black-haired boy beside him with disdain. "And why do I have to be stuck with Sasuke!"

"I should be the one asking why I have to be stuck with a dead-last like you!" Sasuke snapped back, a vein popping on his forehead.

"What did you say, you stuck-up jerk?!"

"You wanna fight, dead-last?"

The two of them stood up at once, glaring at each other like two angry little calves.

Bonk! Bonk!

The teacher promptly gave them both a flick on the forehead.

"Ow!" Both boys clutched their heads, tears welling up from the pain.

"You two better sit down and behave! Don't cause trouble!" the teacher scolded them fiercely. "There's an unusual situation in the village tonight, staying at school is for your safety!"

Even though he was just a desk-ninja, he could still sense that something was wrong. Many ninja in the village were rushing out with grave expressions, and faint sounds of battle could be heard from a distance.

He had been ordered to keep the black-haired boy detained, and later the ANBU brought blond boy as well. The higher-ups wanted him to keep both of them calm until things settled down.

Naturally, he obeyed the orders.

Slide—

Just as he was thinking, the classroom door slid open, a young man with silver-gray hair, a lifeless, dead-fish gaze, and an overall lazy, slumped demeanor walked into the room.

"Kakashi?" The teacher immediately stood up straight and bowed respectfully.

"Iruka, I'll take over Naruto and Sasuke. Your mission is done," Kakashi said casually, waving his hand.

"Understood." Iruka hesitated for a moment, then chose to leave.

At that time, he hadn't yet formed a deep bond with Naruto,
and still held some bias against the Nine-Tails jinchūriki.

"You better behave yourselves, understand?" Iruka reminded Naruto and Sasuke before he left.

Naruto and Sasuke looked at Kakashi.

They couldn't tell at all that this sloppy-looking guy was a jonin.

"Did you hear me?" Iruka, not getting a response, asked again angrily.

"Yes!" Naruto and Sasuke answered in unison, though their expressions were still reluctant, both pouting secretly.

Sigh...

Kakashi watched their interaction and rubbed his face tiredly. He muttered inwardly that he really wasn't good at handling kids.

But for now… He adjusted his forehead protector, then gave them a relaxed smile and said in a cheerful tone, "Since you can't leave anyway and you've got nothing to do, want me to give you a little training?"

Naruto and Sasuke's eyes immediately lit up.

Now this they were excited about!

"Yes! Definitely!" Naruto nodded vigorously.

Sasuke, a bit shy, hesitated before mumbling, "M-Me too."

"Alright then, let's head to the little forest behind the school," Kakashi said, smiling with narrowed eyes.