Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 33: Disciplining the Protagonist's Father

The next day.

From now on, Aokiji needs to return to a normal sleep schedule. But when he was forced to switch back all of a sudden, he started having insomnia.

When I woke up, the sun was already high in the sky.

He was going to be late anyway, but Aokiji didn't take it to heart. It wasn't the first time he'd been late. After finishing his breakfast, he leisurely went to school.

Pushing open the door, Aokiji was prepared to be criticized, but the teacher in the class looked completely bewildered.

"Aokiji, what are you doing at school?"

Aokiji asked, puzzled, "I came here to study."

"Your family members came early this morning to complete your graduation procedures. Why didn't they notify you?"

Aokiji: ...

Do we have to hurry?

Suddenly graduating left Aokiji feeling somewhat lost and disheartened.

Normally after graduation, he would be out hanging out with two friends and a supervising Jonin.

But in his current state, he seems to have dropped out of school midway and doesn't appear to be receiving any guidance from Jonin. He should return to his clan's territory first and see how his clan members plan to arrange things for him.

Where he came from, he returned to where he came from. Aokiji arrived at the clan's territory and found Elder Itachi to ask him what he should do next.

"Let's make this clear beforehand. I'm willing to train because you promised I could become a medical ninja, which is why I reluctantly agreed to come."

Faced with such rude remarks, Elder Itachi remained silent, leaning on his cane. However, the middle-aged man standing beside him couldn't help but speak up: "Aokiji, you really don't know what's good for you. Many people would beg for this opportunity."

This middle-aged man had a square face and a stern expression, thick and stiff eyebrows, and was around thirty years old. His eyes were piercing, and he looked like the type who was very difficult to talk to. His name was Uchiha Akane, a hardliner from the Uchiha clan.

He is proficient in fire-style ninjutsu. Because he likes to shape his fire-style techniques into the shape of a dog, and because he bites hard like a dog once he is targeted, he is nicknamed Red Dog.

Aokiji clasped his hands together and bowed deeply in gratitude: "Thank you so much, you think so highly of me."

Uchiha Akari opened his scarlet eyes, his brows furrowed in anger.

Aokiji immediately changed his attitude, lowered his head and bowed, and quickly apologized: "Big brother, I was wrong."

"snort."

It seemed his intimidation had worked. Before Uchiha Akira could even feel relieved, someone muttered under his breath, "A wise man doesn't fight a losing battle. One day I'll smash your dog's head in." This instantly made him want to beat the brat up.

Fortunately, Elder Itachi intervened in time: "Enough, stop arguing. You can't fight when the strength is disproportionate; you have to pool your resources. I think what Aokiji said is correct, but you should keep these words to yourself and not say them out loud."

Aokiji kept making "ooh ooh" sounds, deeply realizing his mistake and seriously reflecting on it.

Uchiha Akira:......

Elder Itachi said in a deep voice, "The medical department has already been notified, and you can report for duty this afternoon. But before that, I'd like to see your true strength, is that alright?"

Aokiji shrugged: "What do you want me to do?"

Elder Itachi turned his head slightly and gestured with his chin toward a six-year-old child: "You and Fugaku will have a rematch."

Fugaku frowned.

Although he is only six years old, his personality is much more mature than that of ordinary children. This is thanks to his father sending him to the battlefield when he was only four years old to experience the cruelty of war.

He felt insulted and somewhat unhappy when he learned that Aokiji had gone easy on him last time.

"This is such a hassle."

Looking at Fugaku, whose face practically screamed unhappiness, Aokiji scratched his head. Fighting a kid five years younger than himself just didn't inspire him.

The two stood facing each other, making a sign of opposition.

Before the fight officially began, Fugaku suddenly said, "I hope you can fight me seriously this time and not hold back again."

"You're wrong. I didn't hold back in our last match," Aokiji exclaimed. "I actually... let the sea through."

Release it into the sea?

This word was unfamiliar to Fugaku. Fugaku was a smart child, and with a little context, he quickly analyzed its meaning. His face tightened. He had never been insulted like this before. His wide eyes stared intently at the other person.

Suddenly, Aokiji craned his neck to look around, his expression as if he were looking at something, muttering to himself, "Strange, what is that?"

Following the gaze, Fugaku subconsciously turned his head, only to find nothing there. Full of suspicion, he suddenly saw a dark shadow rushing towards him.

Fugaku: ? ? ?

He was shocked.

He actually went to deceive and ambush this six-year-old child.

Without even a moment to gasp for breath, Aokiji made no move to react. He launched himself with a single blow, sending Fugaku flying.

As Fugaku flew through the air, Aokiji confidently turned around, as if he had just shot a three-pointer, not a person.

"Tsk tsk, kids will always be kids, they're so easy to fool."

Uchiha Akabane's eyebrows twitched. It was true that ninja battles were not bound by formalities, but he had never seen anyone like Aokiji who started by deceiving people. He couldn't help but say, "You little brat, you're really despicable."

Like a gentle autumn breeze, Aokiji scratched his ear and casually blew on his little finger: "What do you mean by despicable? You make me sound like a bad guy. I hate fighting the most, okay?"

Uchiha Akara retorted, "What kind of hatred for fighting is this?"

"How can it not be considered hating fighting? If I finish the battle early, doesn't that mean I hate fighting? Only a lunatic likes to fight all day long."

Aokiji explained logically and with evidence.

Uchiha Akari suspected that Aokiji was making veiled accusations against him, because he was the kind of person who loved to fight. However, he lacked evidence and wanted to argue back, but then he thought about his age and wondered why he was arguing with a child, so he gave up in the end. What was frustrating was that Aokiji's twisted logic actually made sense.

Elder Itachi narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze deep.

"Cough cough..."

As they were talking, a violent cough came from behind Aokiji. Aokiji turned around and was surprised to find that Fugaku was clenching his teeth and standing up shakily.

Aokiji had held back his strength just now, fearing that his punch would have lasting effects, which allowed Fugaku to stand up again. It has to be said that the father who gave birth to the protagonist has a vitality comparable to a cockroach.

"hateful……"

Fugaku looked at Aokiji with eyes full of resentment: "You're such a despicable guy."

"Fugaku, you don't need to talk to him..."

Uchiha Akane wanted to say something, but Elder Itachi stretched out his hand and gestured with his eyes, indicating that he should not interrupt and let the two continue their conversation.

"It doesn't matter. If this makes you feel better, then so be it. Let them scold me a couple of times. It's not like I'm going to lose a piece of my flesh."

Aokiji's attitude was as stubborn as a dead pig unafraid of boiling water.

The young Fugaku roared, "What do you think of a ninja's honor, you despicable bastard?"

Aokiji was silent for a moment, then asked, "How much does honor cost per pound?"

"You..." Fugaku was speechless, seemingly having never heard such an answer before.

Aokiji's lips curled into a sneer: "What honor? Don't try to fool me with that. I like practical things, like... well, money."

"Superficial; enough money is enough."

It's obvious that Fugaku has been used to a life of luxury since childhood, which is why he says such Versailles-like things. No wonder he's so naive.

It seems we need to educate him properly, lest he be misled by the Konoha higher-ups one day.

Aokiji silently pulled two banknotes from his pocket and deliberately waved them in front of him: "I have two bills in my hand now. Can you tell me which one is noble and which one is superficial?"

Fugaku was speechless.

Aokiji grinned crookedly: "Can't say it, can you?"

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

"What I want to say is, can you please stop thinking like a ninja? It's because of naive kids like you that people keep popping up that everyone is getting poorer and poorer, and in the end, they can only desperately try to earn that little bit of money through bloodshed."

Aokiji wanted to find a stool, sit down slowly, drink a cup of tea, cross his legs, and show off, but since there was no chair, he could only plop down, cross his legs, and rest his chin on the back of his clasped hands, saying calmly, "Do you know why ninjas always end up fighting each other and dying a violent death?"

Why?

Aokiji replied, "Because we're poor. Otherwise, who would be so bored as to undertake such a difficult and risky mission?"

He paused, a strange look on his face. "Honestly, when I was in school, I always wondered why we ninjas, who are so powerful, would work as mercenaries for others to earn such meager sums. I'd heard that businessmen could make tons of money just by lying down, but for ninjas like me, let alone making money while lying down, we'd easily risk our lives even if we tried to make money standing up, and we'd earn so little. So why don't we ninjas go into business ourselves? After all, the ultimate goal is money."

Aokiji really wanted to use the daimyo as an example, because that's what it means to make money all day long while lying down, raking in money like water from a pig's cage, and there's practically no cost involved, which is just outrageous. But saying that out loud might be too sensitive, so he didn't dare to use it.

Fugaku was still young and didn't feel much, but Uchiha Akane and even Uchiha Madara, who secretly controlled Elder Itachi, were deeply affected.

Yeah, isn't the real reason they become ninjas to make money?

Otherwise, who would be crazy enough to hire someone as a mercenary? Is that fun?

Being a ninja is so risky; you never know when you might die.

It also easily leads to feuds and endless killings.

"Nonsense."

Fugaku didn't want to pay attention to any of that; all he remembered now was how Aokiji had tricked and ambushed him.

"You can't talk about ice with a summer insect." Aokiji sighed. "I just want to make a lot of money so that no one will fight and lose their lives over food, clothing, and shelter. If you think that's a problem, then I have nothing to say."

Fugaku: ...

He might not have understood the beginning, but when it came to the life and death of his family, he couldn't pretend he hadn't understood.

His mother died in the war...

Aokiji stood up, patted his butt, and continued, "Alright, enough of that. Let's get back to the point. I'm not really interested in fighting. If a fight has to happen, I'll use the simplest and most efficient method to resolve it, even if you think it's despicable and shameless. You can curse me or hit me if you want... Oh, by the way, you can't beat me."

Fugaku: ...

"I don't care. As people grow up, they develop unique values ​​due to their environment, family, and personal circumstances, and then they move firmly in that direction. Ninjas call this the way of the ninja. I'll consider myself a ninja now. 'Better to live a miserable life than to die a good death' is my way of the ninja. My deceased father, mother, and grandmother brought me into this world hoping that I would live well. Since that's the case, I must live well and not let them down."

"In this process, I will inevitably use some things that others consider low-class, and then be labeled as despicable or filthy."

"But let me tell you, this thing is just something some people come up with out of boredom and with ulterior motives to restrict others. Because, if you don't restrain yourself with these rules and regulations, how can they act lawlessly under them?"

"Honor is utterly ridiculous. In my eyes, it's nothing more than a shackle created by those people to bind others."

"I understand you seem to be bothered by my sneak attack earlier, but haven't you considered your own shortcomings?"

"Myself?"

Although Fugaku was relatively mature, it was still relative. How could a six-year-old child have heard such principles? He was confused by a series of grand theories. How could he be the one who was wrong when Aokiji ambushed him for no reason?

In fact, not only Fugaku, but even Uchiha Akane standing to the side and Uchiha Madara behind Elder Itachi were shocked by Aokiji's words, looking at him as if he were a monster.

This is truly something a 10-year-old child could say, especially considering that even a brute like Uchiha Aka couldn't say it so fluently.

Aokiji said loudly, "That's right. Blame yourself for not being strong enough. True strength is never afraid of sneak attacks or challenges."

"If you insist on talking to me about ninja honor..."

He paused, crossed his arms, and said, "Foolish Fugaku, if you want me to acknowledge you, then you should work hard, grit your teeth, and desperately become stronger. Then, when you have the same strength as me and can defeat me head-on, then come and talk to me about lofty theories."

Fugaku paused for a moment, then said, "May I take that as encouragement?"

Aokiji nodded: "Pretty much. I'm not really interested in ninjas, I just want to make money and live a life where I can't spend all my money. I think you seem to have a lot of talent, and the position of the Uchiha clan leader in the future is definitely yours. My company might be short of people then, so could you send some Uchiha clan members to work for me, oh no, as bodyguards? You can give me a 30% discount, oh no, a 20% discount."

After saying that, Aokiji blinked very cleverly.

Uchiha Fugaku: ...

Elder Itachi (Uchiha Madara): ...

Uchiha Akira:......

This Uchiha is clearly very strong and intelligent, but his mind seems to be abnormal.

(End of this chapter)