Father and Son Conversation
Uchiha Residence, Late Night
The wooden floors creaked faintly as Masaki Uchiha and his son, Fugaku, stepped into the clan compound. Neither sought sleep. Instead, they sat cross-legged across from one another in contemplative silence, the flicker of the oil lamp casting long shadows between them.
After a long pause, Masaki finally broke the silence.
"Fugaku… this boy, Chi Yu—what do you make of him?"
Fugaku glanced up at his aging father.
"Are you asking about his strength… or something deeper?"
Masaki's gaze did not waver.
"Tell me everything."
Fugaku took a deep breath. His voice was low and measured.
"I don't know him personally. By the time he entered the Academy, I was already in my third year. But you still hear things… stories. Chi Yu's name isn't unknown among the younger students."
He leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowing as he recalled.
"Because he isn't officially recognized by our clan, the resentment people have for the Uchiha gets redirected at him. In his first year, he was bullied constantly."
Masaki's brows furrowed.
Fugaku continued, "But by the second year, that changed. In his class was a prodigy—Minato Namikaze. Jiraiya-sama took him as a personal disciple. Despite that, Chi Yu was second only to Minato. Eventually, people stopped targeting him physically… because they couldn't win. So they turned to words. Mockery. Insults."
Masaki's tone sharpened.
"And how did he respond?"
"He never retaliated. Never fought back—not once. He let them talk."
Masaki's eyes narrowed.
"He has strength, yet tolerates humiliation. That's not weakness—that's restraint. Patience."
Fugaku nodded.
"Only once did he lash out. And it caused a stir."
Masaki's interest piqued.
"Go on."
Fugaku leaned back.
"In his third year, a transfer student arrived. A girl—fiery red hair, strong personality. She got into frequent fights because of her hair and her temper, but she always won. Eventually, some students tried to take revenge. One of them brought his older brother, a genin. It's said Chi Yu stepped in."
His voice turned cold.
"He nearly severed that genin's arms."
Masaki stiffened.
"He crippled a fellow Konoha ninja?"
"Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama happened to be in the village and intervened before it went further. It was said Chi Yu revealed his Sharingan in that fight."
Masaki's frown deepened. He began calculating timelines in his mind.
That incident… it occurred shortly before Chi Yu submitted the Lightning Body Flicker Technique to the Hokage's office. A technique that merged high-speed movement with precision chakra control—an offering, seemingly out of nowhere.
"To hush it up… he handed that technique over to Hiruzen." Masaki murmured.
Fugaku nodded slowly.
"There's more. That day… Minato Namikaze was also present. And he lost."
Masaki's eyes snapped up.
"He lost to Chi Yu? Even after training under Jiraiya?"
Fugaku's expression was solemn.
"Yes. That was their last confrontation. Minato graduated shortly after to begin direct tutelage under Jiraiya-sama. But even in that final duel, he couldn't defeat Chi Yu."
Masaki's face was grim with realization.
"Orochimaru took Chi Yu as his apprentice just last month… You're saying that even before that—before he had any backing—he could outmatch Jiraiya's student?"
Fugaku nodded again.
"Without a mentor, without clan support. He still stood at the top."
Masaki's voice turned quiet.
"Even without the Sharingan… that level of talent is monstrous."
Then he asked:
"The red-haired girl—do you know her name?"
Fugaku paused, thinking.
"Uzumaki Kushina, I believe."
Masaki froze.
Fugaku noticed his father's expression twist into something unreadable.
"Father… is she someone important?"
Masaki inhaled deeply.
"Fugaku. One day, you'll lead this clan. So it's time you knew. That girl—Uzumaki Kushina—is no ordinary kunoichi. She's crucial to Konoha's future."
Fugaku listened intently.
"You know of Uzumaki Mito, yes?" Masaki asked.
"The first jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails."
Fugaku nodded.
"Yes. She sealed the beast within herself after the founding of the village."
Masaki continued.
"Mito-sama is old. Her chakra is fading. Konoha needed a successor—someone from the Uzumaki bloodline, known for their vitality and sealing prowess."
He let the words hang in the air before stating the truth.
"Kushina is the next jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails."
Fugaku's eyes widened in shock.
"Then… if Chi Yu is close to her—"
Masaki cut in, his tone heavy.
"Then there's no possibility of reclaiming him. The Hokage won't allow any clan to draw too near the Nine-Tails. The jinchūriki must remain politically neutral—and closely watched. If Chi Yu is tied to her, it means Hiruzen has plans for him."
He clenched his fists.
"And now Orochimaru's taken him under his wing…"
Fugaku, however, understood what his father could not accept.
"Even if the Uchiha extended a hand now… Chi Yu wouldn't take it."
Masaki's gaze hardened.
"Because of Uchiha Yuren and Ichima."
Fugaku nodded.
"Chi Yu shattered both their arms. In front of witnesses. And he used the Sharingan doing it. He didn't hide anymore… because he no longer cared."
There was silence between them again.
Fugaku's voice was quiet, but final.
"Even if the Uchiha wished to reconcile… Chi Yu never will. That bridge was burned long ago."