Chapter 51: The Quarrel Between Father and Daughter
Uchiha Itachi squatted in a corner, sobbing...
In the throes of great sorrow and joy, he didn't know what he had obtained. Even if he knew, he probably wouldn't care... He had just said he never wanted this kind of power, yet he obtained it right after leaving the house?
Wouldn't that be too much of a slap in the face...
The three-tomoe Sharingan in Itachi's eyes gradually spun wildly like a pinwheel, eventually fading into nothingness.
The next time he activated his Sharingan, he would truly realize what he now possessed... But during this period, the little boy definitely wouldn't have any thoughts of using the Sharingan.
So, those who can speak should say more, and those who can't speak should learn that silence is golden.
Fugaku also didn't know that his one sentence had caused Itachi's emotions to fluctuate wildly. Concepts of protection and abandonment, sorrow and hope, were all conditions that could promote the evolution of the Sharingan.
Pretty much, Uchiha Itachi met all the conditions tonight... When he resolved to abandon the identity of a fallen clan, Fugaku displayed the broad-mindedness of a father.
The little boy's emotions gradually calmed down. He suddenly looked at the crow, "Kitahara, are you hungry?"
"..."
The crow looked at the little boy in disbelief. At this time, shouldn't you go back, then hug Fugaku's thigh and cry, saying 'I shouldn't have doubted you'... Isn't it good for a family to be harmonious and happy?
At this time, you ask me if I'm hungry... Uchiha Itachi, you really are well-behaved, clever, and exceedingly smart!
"Caw..."
It was indeed hungry.
Uchiha Mikoto had clearly prepared a sumptuous dinner, yet it could only wander the streets with Itachi. It didn't know what this cub was thinking.
It was very late.
A little boy with a crow slowly ambled through the streets, looking as if he had been kicked out of his home. Coupled with the crow's occasional caw, it added a few more touches of desolation...
Until they reached their destination: Ichiraku Ramen.
Ayame looked at the little boy sitting at the table in surprise and said casually, "Oh? Uchiha Itachi, are you already a ninja now? You didn't sneak your ninja headband from home, did you? Be careful you don't get a beating!"
She had seen many little brats steal ninja headbands from home and wear them outside to show off... They all inevitably received their parents' "loving education" when they returned, some even getting a beating right on the street.
However, she still knew the news that Uchiha Itachi had graduated immediately after one day of school. She was purely teasing the little boy because he was young.
"Dad and Mom would never hit me... No, actually, I'm already a ninja."
Uchiha Itachi shook his head to himself. Ever since he could remember, Fugaku and Mikoto had never resorted to violence.
They hadn't even said a single harsh word.
Besides...
Ayame didn't know what was going on today. In the past, when she saw Itachi, she mostly ignored him, but today she seemed exceptionally enthusiastic.
The little girl actually pulled over a stool and sat beside him, "How come you came to our shop to eat? I saw Auntie Mikoto buying a lot of things when I went to buy ingredients today..."
"...I..." The little boy paused for a moment, his voice gradually becoming low, "I had a fight with my father."
Kitahara cawed disdainfully, "Caw..."
How dare you say that was a fight? It was clearly a child unilaterally venting his dissatisfaction... But speaking in detail, Fugaku was indeed at fault in this matter... After all, who made him the clan head?
Little Ayame was even more outrageous, actually saying happily, "That's great... I just had a fight with my dad too..."
"..."
Kitahara was a bit confused. Is this kind of thing something to be proud of?
Uchiha Itachi was also a bit speechless. He looked at Ayame reproachfully. Uncle Teuchi had a kind personality; the little girl must have angered him greatly.
"Your gazes are very impolite!" Ayame looked at them irritably for a while, then could only admit defeat helplessly, "Alright, alright, actually I just saw Dad working too hard and wanted him to..."
"..."
Uchiha Itachi remained silent. Although he was young, he had already seen Ayame's true nature... Girls, well, they always have some privileges to be willful...
This little girl's temper was quite something!
Once she became willful, even customers would yield a bit... Not to mention others, he and Kitahara had been treated with hostility by her many times...
She was here saying she sympathized with Uncle Teuchi's hard work, yet she also said she had fought with Uncle Teuchi. It just felt strange somewhere...
Seeing the little ninja's unchanging gaze, the little girl could only say dejectedly, "...Since you don't believe what I said, then I'll tell the truth..."
"..."
Itachi no longer knew what expression he should wear. She actually really wanted to deceive someone!
Deceiving even children, won't your conscience hurt?
The reason Ayame and Uncle Teuchi argued was simple: she wanted to change Ichiraku Ramen shop to sell shajikomi gohan (community-cooked rice)... which was essentially pre-made fast food.
Ichiraku Ramen was open for very long hours every day. Sometimes, because customers were in the shop, it often had to stay open late into the night. Uncle Teuchi indeed worked very hard.
Speaking of this, Ayame even said indignantly, "Look at that sweet shop, they can close and rest very early every day, but we have to work until very late..."
"...Mm, indeed."
Uchiha Itachi rarely agreed, but he was also very dissatisfied with that sweet shop's business hours.
The two children, talking at cross-purposes, actually started chatting like this. After criticizing the sweet shop for a while, Ayame discovered Itachi's little scheme.
The little girl tilted her head, "...So, your suggestion is for us to make Three-Color Dango too? How is that possible!"
Itachi, whose thoughts had been exposed: "..."
"Wait, why am I asking for your opinion! Dad hasn't even agreed yet!" Ayame finally realized she had been led around...
"Weren't you asking for the customer's opinion..."
"Ask what! Since you've already become a ninja, I wanted to ask if you would accept my commission..."
Ayame's meaning was that she wanted to run away from home for a period to learn how to make shajikomi gohan, but if a little girl like her went out to study, she would definitely need a ninja escort.
The problem was, the price at the Konoha Mission Assignment Post wasn't something a little girl could afford... The cheapest was five thousand ryo... This expense exceeded her budget.
So, that newly graduated little ninja was targeted as soon as he came to the shop... Such a young ninja should be very cheap, right...
"Two thousand... no, three thousand ryo!"
The lowest-grade escort mission cost five thousand ryo. The little girl, truly from a business family, was a good bargainer...
After all, it didn't go through the Mission Assignment Post's commission cut, but if something happened during the mission, Konoha wouldn't be responsible for compensation or cleanup...
If such a ninja who privately accepted missions had bad intentions, they could totally take the money and not do the job, or even do bad things. So Ayame was actually very shrewd, recognizing that Itachi's character wasn't bad.
Precisely because his character was upright, Itachi was even less likely to let the little girl run away from home, "You're only six or seven this year, right..."
"Aren't you only six too? I trusted you just like that!"
The sharp-tongued Ayame was clearly not someone Itachi could handle.
Fortunately, at this moment, Uncle Teuchi inside finally couldn't sit still any longer. Disregarding everything, he grabbed his daughter by the collar and dragged her to the back.
"Little Itachi, please wait a moment, your noodles will be up soon... You don't mind, do you? It's so late, we only have chashu ramen left in the shop?"
"Thank you."
Uchiha Itachi nodded politely.
(End of this chapter)