After a few polite exchanges, everyone settled down.
"Ding dong." The doorbell chimed again. Uchiha Nishitsuki, who had just taken a seat, rose once more to open the door. A moment later, a man with a dignified presence entered. It was her husband, Uchiha Yusuke, who looked around the guest room, a hint of surprise on his face. "Oh? Guests today?"
Uchiha Nishitsuki replied, "I invited little Shisui over yesterday. And coincidentally, Kai brought Shanzhou and Mina's child home as well."
At the mention of Renzou's name, Uchiha Yusuke's gaze instinctively turned towards the living room. Seeing Renzou's figure, Yusuke's stern expression softened considerably. "Is that Renzou?"
Hearing Uchiha Yusuke's voice, Renzou quickly stood up. Seeing the gentle expression on his uncle's face, he bowed respectfully. "Uncle Yusuke, it's me."
Looking at Renzou's youthful face, Uchiha Yusuke felt a pang of nostalgia. He looks more and more like Shanzhou. As Shanzhou's former superior and close friend, Yusuke still carried a weight of regret for not having done more when Shanzhou was ostracized. He had stood by helplessly as his comrade, a brother in arms, was exiled. He hadn't even had the chance to meet Renzou before Shanzhou's passing. Perhaps this was why Yusuke felt such a gentle inclination towards the boy.
Turning to his son, Uchiha Kai, he asked, "Kai, did you train diligently today?"
Kai immediately straightened up. "Father, I've been training hard."
"Good. That's my son," Uchiha Yusuke said with a nod of satisfaction.
At this, Shisui piped up eagerly, "Brother Kai, I feel like I've gotten stronger lately. Do you have time to spar and give me some pointers? Let's compare notes!"
"Spar with me?" Kai pointed to himself, surprised. Then he shook his head. "Nah, I just finished training and I'm exhausted. Why don't you ask Renzou? He's better than I am."
"Huh? Brother Renzou is stronger than Brother Kai?" Uchiha Shisui's eyes widened, flicking back and forth between Kai and Renzou.
Renzou, who was still finishing his three-colored meatballs, was also a little taken aback. After swallowing the last bite, he stood up, nodded, and smiled. "How about it, Shisui-kun? Would you like to spar with me?"
"Ah? Ah! Oh, then I'll be in your care, Brother Renzou," Shisui stammered, snapping out of his surprise.
"Sparring, eh? Then let's head to the Uchiha training grounds. There's still some time before dinner. I'll be the referee. Let's go watch this showdown between young talents," Uchiha Yusuke announced, a hint of amusement in his voice.
Everyone agreed and headed out together. The Uchiha clansmen they encountered greeted Yusuke's family and Shisui, their gazes lingering on Renzou. When asked their destination, Uchiha Yusuke simply smiled and said he was going to referee a friendly match between two promising youngsters.
The news spread like wildfire. This was the first time they'd seen Yusuke Uchiha officiate a spar. Curiosity piqued, the Uchiha called out to their friends and family, and a small crowd began to converge on the Seventh Training Ground.
When Renzou and his group arrived, they found a considerable gathering of Uchiha already present, their eyes fixed on the newcomers. Even Uchiha Yusuke looked slightly surprised. It seemed half the clan had turned out. Anyone unfamiliar with the situation might have thought they were holding a clan meeting.
"Yusuke, this is quite the turnout. You managed to summon the entire clan for a little game," a voice called out from the Uchiha ranks. The crowd parted, revealing Uchiha Fugaku, the clan leader, with his wife, Uchiha Mikoto, at his side. This is the father of Sasuke and Itachi, the "Evil Eye Fugaku," one of the few to possess the Mangekyō? And beside him, Mikoto, wife of Uchiha Fugaku and mother of Sasuke and Itachi in the future. Renzou's gaze flickered to Mikoto's slightly rounded stomach. Is that the soon-to-be-born Itachi? He quickly composed himself, observing the unfolding scene.
"Clan Leader!" Uchiha Yusuke greeted with a nod. "It's nothing significant. I just wanted to referee a spar between two young ones on a whim. I didn't expect such a crowd."
"Oh? Who's competing with whom? Shisui versus Kai? That would certainly be interesting," Uchiha Fugaku mused, looking at the children before him.
"It's not me, Uncle Fugaku. It's Renzou and Shisui who will be sparring today," Uchiha Kai clarified, scratching his head.
"Oh? Renzou?" A flicker of a long-forgotten memory crossed Uchiha Fugaku's face. "Boy, are you a child of Shanzhou?" He looked intently at Renzou, who now stood not far away. Under the bright sunlight, Renzou's figure seemed to momentarily overlay with another, taller silhouette. *"Shanzhou…" *
By then, Renzou had stepped forward. "Hello, Patriarch Fugaku. I am Renzou." He was acutely aware of his family's expulsion. What right did the clan leader have to acknowledge him as a Uchiha?
"Are you a child of Shanzhou?" Uchiha Fugaku's voice had lost its usual sternness, now carrying a neutral tone, almost like he was addressing his own kin.
"Yes, Patriarch Fugaku. My father was Uchiha Shanzhou," Renzou affirmed.
Uchiha Fugaku visibly started. At the same time, a murmur rippled through the assembled Uchiha. "He's Captain Shanzhou's son?" "He really does look like him." "Shanzhou… wasn't he the one who married the Hyuga girl?" "So, that's Shanzhou's kid."
Hearing the surrounding chatter, Renzou, though outwardly unperturbed, felt a prickle of annoyance at the intrusive whispers. Uchiha Fugaku, sensing the boy's discomfort, said, "Don't concern yourself with what others think. Just be yourself. You two continue. I'll step aside with my wife and wait for the match to begin." With a nod to Uchiha Yusuke, he moved to the edge of the gathering with Mikoto.
"Alright, let's get started. Kai, take your mother to watch first," Uchiha Yusuke said, looking at the two young competitors. "You two, get ready. It starts in five minutes."
Renzou and Uchiha Shisui nodded, moving to opposite sides of the open space. Yusuke Uchiha stood in the center, closing his eyes to focus.
"Kai, is Senior Shanzhou's son strong?" a nearby Uchiha clansman asked, eager for information. "I heard Senior Shanzhou was incredibly powerful in his youth."
Uchiha Kai glanced at the man. "He's my friend. And though I don't like admitting it, he's stronger than me."
"Huh?!" A wave of surprise rippled through the surrounding Uchiha.
… Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing? Without the support of clan resources, relying solely on civilian stipends, how could he have grown so strong? A flicker of surprise crossed Uchiha Fugaku's usually serious face. Is this child that powerful?
"Let's not jump to conclusions. We should wait until after the spar to make any judgments. While Shisui is young, his strength is already close to Chūnin level. He should be a good test of this child's abilities," Uchiha Fugaku said, his voice carrying authority. The somewhat noisy crowd immediately quieted, their attention now fully fixed on the impending clash of young talents.
In the training area, the two boys, having finished their warm-ups, looked towards Yusuke Uchiha, their referee, waiting for his signal. Uchiha Yusuke, his eyes now open and focused, looked at them both.
"Are you ready?"
They nodded, lowering their stances, eyes locked on their opponent. Ready.
"Start!"
The battle was about to begin!
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End of Chapter 9