Chapter 148 Questioning and Disappointment
Having not slept all night, Uchiha Sasuke arrived at the dining table exhausted.
Today was no different from any other day. My father was sipping tea, my mother was preparing breakfast, and my brother had just finished his morning exercise and came over to sit down next to him.
Uchiha Itachi noticed the dark circles under his eyes and asked with concern, "Didn't you sleep well last night?"
"It's nothing, is my brother going to the Anbu later?" Uchiha Sasuke changed the subject to cover up his true feelings.
Unexpectedly, Itachi paused, then looked at Fugaku Uchiha, who had remained silent, and shook his head under Sasuke Uchiha's strange expression.
Seeing his unusual reaction, Sasuke asked in confusion, "What's wrong, brother?"
Fugaku Uchiha placed the teacup on the table, making a clinking sound. When Sasuke Uchiha subconsciously looked at him, Fugaku Uchiha stared back at him with a serious expression.
"Stay after breakfast; there are some things you need to know."
Uchiha Sasuke stared blankly at his mother, who was standing in front of the stove with her back to them, and his brother, who was unusually silent today. His heart sank.
What exactly happened...?
The family of four sat upright at the table, a rare sight, and the oppressive atmosphere made Uchiha Sasuke feel increasingly annoyed.
Fugaku Uchiha lowered his eyes and slowly spoke, "The Uchiha will launch a coup in the spring."
“What…” Uchiha Sasuke was stunned, completely unable to process his father’s words.
"This is the wish of all the clansmen: to seize control of Konoha and restore the original name of the Uchiha clan."
His father's calm words struck him, and Sasuke Uchiha's breath caught in his throat. Without thinking, he retorted, "How could you... Father, are you trying to start a war?!"
"This is an inevitable outcome, but we will strive to achieve a bloodless revolution." Fugaku Uchiha's expression was cold and solemn. "Sasuke, you should know the tension between the Uchiha and Konoha."
Sasuke Uchiha's palms involuntarily broke out in a cold sweat. He felt both fear and a vague sense of calm, after all, even a child like him could feel Konoha's exclusion of the Uchiha, let alone the many clan members.
However, he never considered, or rather, never imagined that the Uchiha would choose to betray Konoha.
The sudden revolution caught the naive Uchiha Sasuke off guard. He instinctively wanted to see his mother and brother's reaction, but when he found their silence and tacit agreement, Uchiha Sasuke felt a pang of sadness. They had known and accepted this all along.
"Brother!" Sasuke Uchiha grabbed Itachi Uchiha's sleeve tightly, unwilling to give up, eager to hear his response.
Fugaku Uchiha frowned and raised his voice: "Sasuke, you're a capable ninja now. Do you always look for others when you encounter problems? Don't disappoint me!"
His father's disappointment overshadowed all the wild thoughts in Uchiha Sasuke's mind. His face turned pale, and he finally let go of Uchiha Itachi's sleeve and sat up slightly.
Fugaku Uchiha stood up and left, leaving behind a sense of oppression, regardless of their feelings.
The usually gentle mother only reluctantly leaned down and patted his head this time, before leaving without a word, leaving only the inscrutable Uchiha Itachi and the confused Uchiha Sasuke sitting there.
For a long time, the room was deathly silent.
Sasuke Uchiha bit his lip and managed to say, "Why are you only telling me now?"
Itachi Uchiha's long hair obscured his expression until Sasuke Uchiha's anger grew stronger and stronger, at which point he spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Forgive me, Sasuke."
...
"Just ignore people who throw tantrums all the time!" Naruto Uzumaki said, resting his hands on his head in dissatisfaction.
Haruko Hayama lay down on the grass next to him. "As expected, Naruto, you're super worried about Sasuke too, right?"
"Huh?" Naruto sprang to his feet and retorted, "I wasn't worried about him at all! Who would worry about that pretentious guy!"
Haruko sat up straight and looked at him seriously, "Has Naruto thought of a solution after all this time?"
Under her clear gaze, Naruto unconsciously blurted out his thoughts, "Well... if you don't understand, just let everyone have fun together, it'll make you happy eventually."
"Great idea!" Haruko's eyes lit up, and she excitedly patted his shoulder. "Sasuke is incredibly lucky to have friends like us!"
Naruto, embarrassed by her praise, scratched his head, then suddenly realized, "Wait, I didn't try to make Sasuke happy!"
Ignoring Naruto's awkward rebuttal, Haruko Hayama decided to hold a small party so that everyone could participate, which Sasuke would definitely want to attend!
"I'm not going," Sasuke Uchiha said coldly, refusing her.
"Ugh—" Haruko Hayama looked dejected and leaned closer, "But if Sasuke doesn't go, he's isolating us!"
Sasuke Uchiha looked incredulous. "Me? Isolating you all?"
Naruto Uzumaki chimed in, "That's right, Sasuke, you're such a conceited tyrant!"
"What did you say? You utterly incompetent idiot!" So angry with him, Uchiha Sasuke momentarily forgot that they were still in a cold war.
Seeing that Naruto's provocation was a bit too successful, Haruko quickly stepped between the two of them and gave Sasuke Uchiha a smile that was as unpredictable as ever.
"It's settled! We'll meet at Naruto's house after dinner!"
After saying that, Haruko didn't give him a chance to refuse and quickly grabbed Naruto and ran away.
Uchiha Sasuke watched their departing figures, then turned around with mixed emotions.
...
"Choji, stop eating! If you keep eating, you'll finish all the snacks we brought!"
Yamanaka Ino was still setting up the room when she turned around and saw Akimichi Choji not only not helping but also secretly eating snacks, which made her furious.
Startled by her, Choji Akimichi, though his expression showed fear, continued grabbing the potato chips. "It's...it's okay, right? We brought so many..."
They are completely unrepentant!
Yamanaka Ino was about to step forward and punch him when Nara Shikamaru quickly pulled her back.
"It's already troublesome enough, don't create more trouble." Nara Shikamaru looked at them with deadpan eyes. "And you, Choji, stop eating and hurry up and help."
"Okay, okay..." Choji Akimichi replied, then added, "I'll be there after I finish this bag!"
After hearing his words, Yamanaka Ino's eyes blazed with anger again, making Nara Shikamaru unwilling to try to persuade them anymore. Out of sight, out of mind, he walked straight to Inuzuka Kiba and Akamaru, who were in charge of blowing up balloons.
"Hey you, it's one thing for Akamaru to play with balloons, but why are you doing it here too?"
Nara Shikamaru looked at Inuzuka Kiba, who hadn't blew up many balloons but had been throwing them at Akamaru, and closed his eyes in despair.
"Huh?" Kiba's excitement faltered as the balloon that Akamaru had knocked away floated past his hands, which he was about to catch, and gently landed.
Akamaru shouted excitedly, only to realize that Kiba Inuzuka had lost. He clutched his head in frustration, "Aaaaaah! It's all your fault, Shikamaru! I didn't even catch it!"
"...Don't try to shift the blame to others without permission, it's such a hassle." Nara Shikamaru felt that coming here was a mistake.
Kiba Inuzuka stopped pretending and asked in confusion, "But why are you suddenly so enthusiastic?"
"What can I do? They just push all the trouble onto me."
Nara Shikamaru really wanted to slap himself for the moment he answered Haruko Hayama's call to set up the party, but he stopped himself from imagining it and painfully wiped his face.
"Alright, Ya, hurry up and blow up the balloon, then you can play with it however you want."
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