Chapter 354: The Arrogant Uchiha!
Chapter 354: The Arrogant Uchiha!
"I can take your son as my disciple!"
Dong Ping contemplated for a moment before giving an answer that thrilled Uchiha Tomoyuki.
"I'm extremely grateful!"
Uchiha Tomoyuki understood the significance of this offer.
However, before he could fully rejoice, Dong Ping interrupted him.
"Clan Leader Tomoyuki, I intend to take your second son, Uchiha Sasuke, as my disciple, and I have one condition!"
Dong Ping spoke in a slow and deliberate manner.
Yes, he had no intention of accepting Uchiha Daikichi as his disciple.
Even in his wildest moments, he wouldn't go that far.
Moreover, he had no interest in dealing with such an eccentric individual who constantly spoke of the 'Arrogant Uchiha' while being the most arrogant person himself.
He only saw the Uchiha's rebellious intentions without considering the circumstances that led to their discontent.
The village not only suppressed and marginalized them but also subjected them to constant surveillance by the ANBU and Root Ninjas, treating them like criminals.
It was no wonder the Uchiha felt compelled to rebel under such treatment.
However, in Daikichi's heart, he believed that the village's treatment of the Uchiha was justified, and their resistance was wrong.
This was the epitome of 'arrogance' and 'double standards'.
Indeed, he lived up to his title as the Young Clan Leader! Raised on Uchiha Clan rice, he looked down on his own people from the bottom of his heart.
"Ah..."
Uchiha Tomoyuki was stunned.
He had never expected Dong Ping to respond in such a manner.
In his mind, he had made a request, and the other party could either accept or decline. Who would have thought that they would take an interest in his second son?
It was common knowledge that his eldest son possessed Kage-level potential, rivaling even Kakashi in his prime.
Tomoyuki had entrusted the Uchiha Clan's dream of greatness to him, which was why he specifically asked Dong Ping to take him as his disciple.
But who could have guessed that Dong Ping would refuse to take him as a disciple and instead want to accept Sasuke, who was not even two years old, as his student? It was indeed puzzling.
"The condition is that Sasuke must graduate before officially becoming my disciple, and this matter cannot be publicized until then, or the deal is off!"
Dong Ping stated the condition without regard for the other party's complex expression.
This condition was problematic.
By the time Sasuke graduated, the Uchiha Clan might be who knows where, and there was a risk of them using Dong Ping's name to cause trouble.
"Agreed!"
Uchiha Tomoyuki nodded lightly after a moment of contemplation.
As long as the other party agreed to take his son as a disciple, he shouldn't think too much about the rest.
Graduation would occur when Sasuke was only in his teens, a crucial period for growth, so becoming a disciple then wouldn't hinder his development.
After settling this matter, they naturally chatted about some ordinary topics.
Only Daikichi remained quietly kneeling to the side, deep in thought about how to report these two matters to his superiors.
Firstly, the other party had urged his father to lead the clan in causing trouble!
This greatly displeased Itachi.
He felt that the clan members lacked a sense of the bigger picture.
The village had already treated them well, not holding the Nine-Tailed incident against them. Now, they were merely living a little farther away, and the villagers' attitudes were slightly less friendly. How could they lack the magnanimity to accept this?
Hmm!
As the Young Clan Leader, he would not be influenced, but the other Uchiha were already struggling to afford meals.
If not for the Longhouse's orders for Explosive Tags, some might have gone hungry.
Unable to afford meals, let alone the various resources needed to train ninjas.
It could be said that some people truly didn't know the hardships of others.
If the supply of materials to Daikichi were cut off, he wouldn't even be able to maintain his genius status, let alone compare himself to Kakashi.
The simplest point:
Chakra refinement required a tremendous amount of life force. Without sufficient nutrition in the cells, refining chakra once was equivalent to extracting life from the cells. One wouldn't know how long they could survive, let alone their potential.
What made Itachi even more dissatisfied was that the other party was unwilling to take him as a disciple.
It was common knowledge within the clan that he was a recognized genius, with no rivals even at the Ninja Academy. He even sent his Shadow Clone to attend classes while training his true body himself.
Despite being a genius, Itachi was somewhat displeased that someone was unwilling to take him on as a disciple, a rare occurrence for someone as praised as he was.
While Douhei was chatting with Uchiha Tomoyuki, his attention was primarily focused on Daikichi.
It was obvious that his demeanor was feigned.
The reason for this pretense was self-evident.
Douhei wasn't concerned about the village finding out about today's events.
At most, he would encourage the Uchiha to cause a stir, seeking fair treatment, and he would also bring up the matter of taking on disciples.
While it was crucial for powerful shinobi like him to take on disciples, it was only a verbal agreement, and he would wait until the student graduated before officially accepting them. With this in mind, it was understandable that it wasn't a pressing concern.
Unfortunately, Douhei didn't anticipate that his thoughts were those of a normal person. If he were abnormal, his thoughts might have been different.
In a dungeon deep within the Root's headquarters, a masked Root ninja reported Douhei's recent activities, even revealing the content of their conversation.
The cell where the two were held had two Root ninjas standing guard outside, tasked with keeping an eye on Danzo.
Due to his involvement in the Wood Style experiments, Danzo had not only been stripped of his leadership position in Root but was also confined to this cell.
However, being imprisoned within Root was no different from being free.
The Root ninjas only recognized Danzo's authority, and even Hari could command them because Danzo had given prior orders. Otherwise, no one would heed the Hokage's commands.
Indeed, Root was that terrifying.
Danzo, half of his body wrapped in bandages, listened to the report and then angrily exclaimed,
"Damn those Uchihas! What are they up to?"
He genuinely feared an alliance between the Uchiha and the Heavenly Fortress, which would be detrimental to the Leaf Village.
Consequently, he felt compelled to take action.
"Hmph, Uchiha Douhei, don't blame me. If you must blame someone, blame yourself for getting too involved with the Uchiha Clan!"
Danzo suddenly calmed down and muttered to himself.
Yes, he had already devised a plan to deal with the Heavenly Fortress.
He was confident that this operation would succeed.
The sky cleared, the rain stopped, and Danzo felt empowered once again.
A storm was brewing in the shadows.
This was an inevitable development.
As long as Douhei didn't submit to the Leaf Village and cut ties with the Uchiha, he would face suppression from the Hokage Clan.
Even Hari, the Hokage, would verbally oppose actions against the Heavenly Fortress but would tacitly approve of Root's operations.
A classic case of saying one thing and doing another.
The Heavenly Fortress was growing too rapidly and had begun to influence the Leaf Village.
In the past, merchants would always prioritize the Leaf Village when conducting business.
But now, they were shifting their focus to the Heavenly Fortress.
Don't underestimate the importance of merchants.
The Leaf Village relied heavily on them for supplies, collected taxes from them, and they often offered escort missions. It was a lucrative arrangement.
The Leaf Village's financial strength came not only from the Daimyo's funding and mission requests but also from its commercial activities.
With the commercial sector now being affected by the Heavenly Fortress, it was only natural for Hari, the Hokage, to seek ways to counter this influence.
The only reason he couldn't take drastic measures was that the Heavenly Fortress was part of the Leaf Village. If it were an external clan, he might have dispatched the ANBU to eliminate them without hesitation.
Did he truly care about the villagers, or would he treat competitors the same way?
After visiting the Uchiha, Douhei didn't return to the Uchiha Clan's territory but instead stayed in the village to observe the commotion.
After all, Orochimaru's defection and the emergence of the Wood Style were events of immense significance.
Especially the Wood Style! Even though only the clan leaders and the village were aware of it, foreign spies were also frantically gathering information.
However, before he could enjoy the spectacle for long, he had to return to the Heavenly Fortress.
Because something had happened.
(End of Chapter)
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