The next morning, Renzou awoke feeling invigorated, the lingering aches from his Sage Art training gone. After his reflections the previous night, he decided to postpone any further contact with Orochimaru for now, focusing instead on finalizing one particular matter today. Stepping into a local gift shop, Renzou, guided by the clerk's enthusiastic recommendations, selected a few choice fruits before heading towards the Uchiha Clan compound.
"Halt! Who are you and what business do you have here?" Renzou, having just entered the Uchiha grounds, stopped and turned, a touch of confusion on his face. A man in the Konoha Police Force uniform, the Uchiha flame fan emblazoned on his back, stood with arms crossed, a cold gaze fixed upon him.
"Hello," Renzou replied with a polite smile, undeterred by the man's stern demeanor. "I'm here to visit Uncle Yusuke's family. Is there a problem?"
"You… you're the boy who sparred with Shisui last time, aren't you?" Recognition dawned on Uchiha Ye's face, his expression softening considerably. He'd been present during Renzou's bout with Shisui and knew of the boy's connection to Elder Yusuke's household. The fruits Renzou carried suggested a friendly visit to the elder's family.
"Yes, my name is Uchiha Renzou. Nice to meet you."
"Renzou? Uchiha… are you Shanzhou-senpai's child?"
"Yes, my father is Uchiha Shanzhou."
A flicker of warmth crossed Uchiha Ye's eyes. "So you're Senior Shanzhou's son. My name is Uchiha Ye. If you ever need anything within the police station or the Uchiha compound, feel free to find me."
"Understood, Senpai Ye. Please excuse me." Renzou gave a slight nod, then turned and followed the path indicated by the officer. The last time he'd been here, Uchiha Yusuke had guided him. The sprawling compound, with its winding paths, could be quite disorienting.
Watching Renzou's retreating figure, Uchiha Ye murmured, "As expected of Shanzhou-senpai's child. It makes sense he could hold his own against Shisui." With that, he resumed his patrol.
"Ding-dong." After pressing the doorbell, Renzou waited quietly.
"Coming!" A moment later, the door swung open. "Renzou! You're here to see Yusuke? Come in, come in. That boy never brings anything with him." Uchiha Nishitsuki's surprised expression melted into a warm smile as she took the fruits from Renzou's hands and ushered him inside.
"Hello, Aunt Nishitsuki. I noticed Yusuke wasn't at school yesterday and was a little worried, so I came to check in. Sorry for the intrusion," Renzou said, scratching the back of his head as he slipped off his shoes.
"Yusuke's fine. He's in the living room," Nishitsuki chuckled softly, leading the way. Renzou followed. "Yusuke, Renzou's here to see you." Nishitsuki announced as they reached the living room door, then turned to Renzou with a smile. "Renzou, please go on in and sit down. I'll get some snacks."
"Thank you, Aunt Nishitsuki." Renzou entered the living room, surprised to find not only Uchiha Yusuke but also Shisui sitting at the table.
"Renzou? What brings you here?" Uchiha Yusuke looked up, a hint of confusion in his voice.
"Seeing that you weren't at school, I came to see if you were still upset. Don't you welcome my visit? If not, I'll just leave," Renzou said playfully, rolling his eyes before taking a seat, then turning to Shisui. "Shisui's here too. Sorry I haven't been able to train with you these past couple of days."
"It's alright, Brother Renzou. I'm almost used to it. We can train after you're done here," Shisui said quickly, waving his hand dismissively.
"So, what's on your mind?" Uchiha Yusuke asked, looking at Renzou, a hint of amusement in his tone.
"Ah, right, business first." Renzou stretched, his expression turning serious as he looked at Uchiha Yusuke.
"Should I… excuse myself?" Shisui glanced between the two, rising as if to give them privacy.
"It's okay, Shisui, it's not a big deal. Stay," Renzou said, patting Shisui's shoulder and motioning for him to sit back down. "I came here today, firstly, to see how you were doing. You seem well. Secondly…" Renzou paused for a moment. "How about we both graduate early?"
"Huh? You finally decided?!" Uchiha Yusuke exclaimed, a mixture of surprise and elation on his face. They had both possessed Genin-level skills for over a year. Yusuke had often urged Renzou to graduate early, but Renzou had always resisted. For reasons Yusuke hadn't understood, he had eventually acquiesced. His father's advice had been to focus on training. Over the past two years, Yusuke had brought up early graduation several times, only to be turned down. Was the sun rising in the west today?
"Yes, that's right. Ninja school can no longer offer us significant improvement. What we need now is to grow stronger quickly. What we lack is practical combat experience."
"Okay, then let's go to the teacher to apply on Monday!" Yusuke nodded excitedly. Suddenly, a voice came from the doorway.
"You two are… graduating early?" Uchiha Yusuke, having just returned from his training mission, had overheard their conversation as he entered the living room.
"Uncle Yusuke,"
"Uncle Yusuke,"
"Father, you're back," the three boys said, quickly standing to greet him.
Yusuke Uchiha waved a hand, gesturing for them to sit. He walked to the table and sat down as well, looking at the two younger Uchiha. "Have you two really thought this through? It's not a trivial matter."
"I have thought about it, Uncle Yusuke," Renzou affirmed.
"I've decided too, Father," Yusuke echoed.
Uchiha Yusuke was silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping between the two boys. "If that's what you truly want, then do it."
A wave of relief washed over Uchiha Yusuke. His own agreement without his parents' approval would have been meaningless. He'd considered the "ask for forgiveness later" approach, but his father had overheard everything. Thankfully, his father had agreed.
"Mother…" Renzou, who had just relaxed, saw his mother standing in the doorway with a tray of sweets, and his heart skipped a beat.
"Go if you wish," Nishitsuki said gently, placing the tray on the table.
Yusuke stared, surprised, at his mother. "Boys need to go out and make their way in the world. Becoming ninjas is only a matter of time. Renzou and Yusuke, you two look out for each other. Once you're ninjas, be careful in everything you do."
"Don't worry, Aunt Nishitsuki, I'll take good care of Yusuke," Renzou assured her.
"Hmph, who needs you to take care of me? I can take care of you!" Yusuke scoffed playfully.
Uchiha Yusuke watched the two boys, a nostalgic glimmer in his eyes.
A genius combination of Uchiha and a Uchiha-Hyuga hybrid? They truly resemble the two who founded Konoha…
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End of Chapter 30