My Name Is Uchiha Kuragami, I Beat The Villagers And Made Them Scream

After leaving the Yamanaka Flowers shop, Kuragami Uchiha returned to the Uchiha Clan's district.

Instead of going straight home, he headed to Fugaku Uchiha's residence.

Fugaku was surprised by Kuragami's unexpected late-night visit but still invited him inside.

After serving tea to the two men, Mikoto Uchiha quietly left the room.

Fugaku looked at the young man who had taken the position of clan head from him. 

Surprisingly, he harbored no resentment toward Kuragami for the power shift. 

In truth, he had long wished for someone else to take over the burden of leading the Uchiha Clan. Moreover, Kuragami had managed to consolidate the clan's unity in no time and suppress the voices advocating for rebellion. 

Even Fugaku had to admit that Kuragami's methods were impressive.

"Kuragami, the Konoha Military Police Force has put up recruitment notices for civilian ninjas as per your instructions. However, most civilian ninjas in the village are still hesitant, so there are very few applicants today; they are mostly just freshly graduated Genin." 

Fugaku reported.

"For catching petty thieves and managing street patrols, Genin will do just fine." 

Kuragami replied. "Besides, with the clan providing jutsu, we won't have to worry about a lack of recruits for long."

"As long as you're aware of the situation. But Kuragami, I have done some calculations today. If we follow the budget you set yesterday, the clan's funds will last no more than three months. After that, we'd have to start selling off ancestral property." Fugaku warned.

"I already told you, don't worry about the money. I've secured funds, and in a few days, someone will deliver them to us." 

Kuragami said calmly after taking a sip of tea.

"Then, your reason for coming here tonight…" Fugaku was puzzled. Surely, Kuragami hadn't come all this way just for a cup of tea.

"I came to talk about Itachi." 

Kuragami stated.

"Itachi…" 

Fugaku sighed. "I've already heard about what happened outside the Shimura clan territory today. Sending him to the Anbu was a mistake on my part."

"Having him join the Anbu wasn't necessarily a bad decision." 

Kuragami said. "However, sending him to the battlefield at such a young age was the real mistake."

"You think so?" 

Fugaku asked while pursing his lips.

"Itachi was gifted from a young age, but you exposed him to the dark side of the world too soon. He's an overthinker, but when one's knowledge isn't sufficient to support their thoughts, those thoughts become dangerous." 

Kuragami explained. "I once heard a wise saying: 'Learning without thinking is futile; thinking without learning is perilous.' that applies perfectly to him."

"In the end, it's my failure as a father." 

Fugaku sighed heavily. Then, without turning his gaze, he spoke toward the closed door: "Since you're here, you might as well come in."

The door to the courtyard slid open, and Itachi Uchiha entered. He was still wearing his Anbu uniform.

"Father, Clan head." Itachi greeted them both with a bow.

"No need to be so formal when you're off duty." Kuragami waved him off.

"Kuragami-nii." Itachi acknowledged him with a nod.

"You heard everything your brother just said, didn't you?" Fugaku asked.

Itachi lowered his head in silence.

Fugaku sighed again. He had never been good at communicating with his son. Itachi's worldview was already set, and mere words wouldn't change his mind.

"Kuragami-nii, i have a question." Itachi suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.

"Go ahead."

"If one day, the clan and the village were to come to blows, what would you do?" Itachi looked Kuragami directly in the eyes.

"That day will never come as long as I'm here." 

Kuragami replied.

"But if it did?" Itachi pressed.

"Itachi, that's enough." 

Fugaku said sternly, his voice low with anger.

Kuragami smiled calmly. "The village sent me to the battlefield when I was nine. It was my Kekkei Genkai that gave me the strength to survive."

"If that day ever comes, I will do everything in my power to stop you." Itachi declared with an unwavering gaze.

"You're out of line, Itachi." Fugaku, who had long suspected that Itachi's allegiance was no longer with the clan, was still shocked by his outright defiance. Even his usual restraint couldn't keep him from losing his temper.

"It's fine." Kuragami gestured for Fugaku to calm down. Then, with a smile, he turned back to Itachi.

"You are a prodigy of the clan, Itachi. I believe that one day, you'll awaken eyes like mine. But you cannot stop the course of fate. Perhaps you don't yet understand what I mean by that. When you do, you'll no longer be troubled by such questions."

With that, Kuragami stood up and turned to Fugaku. "Elder Fugaku, I won't take up any more of your time. Please continue to oversee the Konoha Military Police Force affairs."

Then, without another word, he left.

By the time Kuragami returned to his small room, it was already past midnight.

The clan was in the process of preparing a new residence for him as the clan head, but for now, Kuragami had to make do with his cramped quarters.

After lighting a lamp, he carefully began maintaining his Chakra blade.

As a Jonin, even though he was stationed at the Konoha Military Police Force and didn't take on many missions for the village, he still shouldn't have been living in a room smaller than 30 square meters. But this sword, his cherished Swift Thunder, was the reason why. 

It was forged entirely from Chakra Metal, which had cost him every bit of his savings.

"Well, since you're already here, you might as well show yourself." Kuragami suddenly said without lifting his gaze from his sword.

Silence, there was no response.

"I don't know if my blade will kill you, but if I have to swing it, you're paying for the damage." 

Kuragami chuckled as arcs of electricity flickered along the surface of his sword.

At this time, a shadow dropped from the ceiling.

The newcomer had messy white hair, a face mask, and his headband tilted to cover his left eye. 

It was none other than Kakashi, whom Kuragami had briefly encountered that morning.

"So, it's you, Kakashi-senpai. I thought you'd take a little longer before coming to find me." 

Kuragami smiled, sheathing his blade. "Sit."

Kuragami gestured for Kakashi to sit across from him, then calmly laid out a set of teacups and started boiling water.