Chương 4: Chapter 4: Sasuke's Wish
Chapter 4: Sasuke's Wish
Half an hour later.
Fugaku hurriedly rushed back home and checked on Giyu's body. The seriousness on his face immediately eased up.
Itachi's face grew solemn.
[It seems like I didn't guess wrong...]
He was familiar with that look on his father's face, the slight curve of his lips, a smile that wasn't really a smile. For the deeply contemplative Uchiha clan head, it was almost like laughing at the heavens.
"Dad..."
Sasuke leaned against Mikoto's embrace, tightly holding Giyu's hand, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes.
His pale face asked anxiously, "What happened to Giyu?"
"You don't need to worry about him."
Fugaku shook his head gently. "It's a good thing that Giyu is awakening. This is a positive development."
"What?!"
Mikoto lightly covered her mouth. Her expression was the opposite of Fugaku's "secret joy," more similar to Itachi's demeanor.
Their current mood could be described as perplexed and worried rather than happy.
"How is that possible?"
As an elite shinobi of the Uchiha clan, Mikoto naturally understood the significance of awakening the Sharingan.
The Sharingan, also known as the Mirror of the Mind, only awakens and evolves in clan members when they experience sudden and overwhelming negative emotions, particularly intense stimuli they cannot face.
Mikoto awakened her own Sharingan when she returned home one day and found her pet cat inexplicably dead, overwhelmed with grief.
At that time, she was still a genin and believed it was just an accident. But when the pets of other clan members started dying one after another, she guessed the truth her parents didn't want to reveal:
These pets that grew up with them since childhood carried the ultimate mission to force their children to awaken the Sharingan at the cost of their lives. So this was done by their parents and elders who needed them to awaken their Sharingan
urgently.
However, not all Uchiha children could awaken their Sharingan successfully.
To evolve the Sharingan, one needed both the "opportunity" and the talent. For example, Itachi awakened his Sharingan at the age of eight when his teammates were killed, already considered a peerless genius.
But Giyu had just turned five today!
Considering his usual indifference to his father's scolding, what kind of stimulus did he experience to awaken the Sharingan without even having chakra?
Thinking about the possibility that Giyu might have faced an overwhelming stimulus he couldn't handle at his current stage, but chose not to speak of it, Mikoto felt a wave of self-blame.
She should have made more effort to communicate with Giyu...
"There's nothing impossible."
Fugaku pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps it's because Giyu doesn't like to express himself and has accumulated his emotions. It's possible that he suddenly erupted due to some stimulus. This kind of thing has happened before, but those clan members were much older."
Speaking of this, he turned to look at his proudest eldest son.
"Itachi, you were with him at that time. What was Giyu doing before he passed out?"
Itachi calmed down and restrained his subconscious impulse. Instead of looking at the butterfly specimen on the kitchen windowsill, he casually replied, "Cutting vegetables. Just like usual."
Fugaku opened his lips and then closed them. He urged with some impatience, "What was he cutting?"
"Salmon," came the reply.
Itachi paused for a moment, then suddenly offered a hypothetical scenario that would be easier to persuade others, "Could it be that Giyu doesn't want me to disturb him in the kitchen but isn't good at expressing his anger, so he awakened his Sharingan?"
"..."
Apart from Sasuke, who was still somewhat ignorant, the other three fell silent, lowering their gazes.
Fugaku and Mikoto pondered the connection between the Sharingan and the kitchen, but their motivations for thinking were clearly different.
As Itachi looked at the closed eyes of Giyu, the turbulence in his heart was much more exaggerated than what he showed on his face.
Frankly speaking, he didn't like his father's attitude towards Giyu's Sharingan, nor did he like the clan's attitude towards the Sharingan in general.
These elders, for the sake of power and the so-called "Uchiha's glory," disregarded the suffering of the younger clan members, seeing the cost of awakening the Sharingan as a sacrifice to obtain power. They romanticized suppressing one's willingness to accept this cost as the "magnanimity" of a ninja.
Who could give up their beloved things and accept such suffering in exchange for strength? That person would be a "magnanimous" clan member, hence having boundless prospects.
Many of the clan's children grew up with this creed, only to pass it on to the next generation, subjected to further torment...
In this strange and distorted logic, every clan member ceased to be a person and became a tool for the evolution and propagation of the Sharingan itself. It seemed that in the eyes of the clan members, any sacrifice was worthwhile as long as it could evolve to the level of Uchiha Madara back in the day.
Now, his father's excitement over awakening Giyu's Sharingan at the age of five filled Itachi with strong anger.
Especially when Sasuke saw the look of longing and envy in his father's eyes directed toward Giyu, it caused even more pain in Itachi's heart. He involuntarily clenched his fist.
[Sasuke, you have no idea what these eyes truly mean!]
Just as this eerie silence seemed to continue, Giyu's eyelids trembled. It was a sign that he was about to wake up.
"Giyu!"
Mikoto let out a relieved shout, but Fugaku's actions were quicker.
It seemed like he wanted to express his love for this son who caused him the most trouble. He reached out toward Giyu's pillow area, intending to lift him up.
However, just as he was about to touch Giyu, the latter suddenly opened his eyes and swiftly grabbed hold of his father's wrist.
Fugaku frowned.
He felt the pain, surprised by Giyu's unexpectedly strong grip. He continued to reach forward with force, but Giyu's hand was like a tightly screwed nut, preventing him from moving any further.
[What's this?]
The shock in Fugaku's heart was indescribable.
This means that, even without using Chakra to enhance his hand strength, Giyu's physical strength is actually not inferior to his?
What exactly is going on with this child?
Why is he so strong?
If it weren't for this child's striking resemblance to Sasuke, one would question whether he is truly from the Senju or Uchiha clan.
Fortunately, Giyu quickly recognized who he was and released his hand expressionlessly. He was cautious because his father's presence was the most unfamiliar to him.
He didn't say anything and didn't know what to say. In fact, Giyu's mind was in chaos. He didn't know if the voice he heard before fainting was real or not, nor did he know how to verify it.
After his deep gaze scanned each person's face, he stood up directly from the tatami floor and looked at the clock hanging on the wall.
It was 7:30 in the evening.
It was exactly half an hour since he put the ingredients in the stew pot.
"We can eat now."
After uttering these words, he was about to go to the kitchen to turn off the gas stove when Fugaku grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop.
"Wait."
Looking at his son, who had a calm expression, Fugaku frowned. "Giyu, do you know what happened to you just now? Do you know why you fainted?"
His son's indifference went beyond simply lacking interest in external things. It was as if he didn't care about his own body at all.
"I lost my balance."
"It's not as simple as losing your balance."
Fugaku pointed at Giyu's eyes and patiently explained, "You awakened the Sharingan, but your body didn't have enough chakra to control it, resulting in an excessive burden on your body and causing you to faint. Do you understand?"
Itachi and their mother exchanged glances, knowing what their father was going to say next.
"Although it is still unclear what level of Sharingan your eyes are, once you learn to harness chakra, you will soon have the abilities of a Genin."
A trace of pride emerged on Fugaku's face. "This is the power of the Uchiha clan, the strongest bloodline limit in the ninja world."
"And Giyu, I have never heard of a child your age opening their eyes. Perhaps your talent is even better than Shisui and Itachi..."
Fugaku held Giyu's shoulders, his eyes shining with anticipation.
"As long as you are willing to train diligently, you will soon become a powerful and capable ninja. By then..."
"No need to say more."
Giyu was not at all affected by his father's unusually fervent words. His eyes were cold. "I have no interest in becoming a ninja."
He had memories from an early age, so he witnessed how young Itachi returned home covered in blood.
Especially when he was eight years old, Itachi often couldn't sleep at night. He would sit outside the window, lost in thought, occasionally shedding tears. He had lost his teammates but couldn't show weakness in front of his father, so he silently endured it all.
Giyu had always kept this in mind and felt uncomfortable whenever he thought about it.
To him, a ninja was someone who did dirty work for others in exchange for rewards. Regardless of whether the target was innocent or not, as long as the employer's request did not conflict with the village's interests, a ninja would unhesitatingly take lives, disregarding human emotions. This was considered the basic quality of a ninja, replacing the fundamental conscience of being human with professional ethics.
In Giyu's mind, if a ninja's identification with their profession surpasses everything else, such as their own kin like their father and brother; like Uzui's father and younger brother, they would not hesitate to kill their closest relatives.
The demons prey on humans for survival, and Giyu cannot forgive them. However, he can still see them as a type of wild beast capable of communication. After all, if they stop eating humans, they cannot survive.
But ninjas possess great power, yet they take lives for rewards, kill to keep secrets, and in some ways, they are even worse than demons.
This makes it difficult for Giyu, who has always considered protecting people's lives as his responsibility, to accept becoming a part of it.
"You're confused! Do you think this is merely a matter of interest?"
Fugaku's face darkened. "You are my son, a rare genius. You naturally carry the duty of honor for the Uchiha clan. For the sake of the clan's future and the balance with the village, you must become a ninja!"
"My duty is to take care of my family."
Giyu frowned and simultaneously pried his father's hands off his shoulders. He spoke slowly and deliberately, "This ends here."
This time was different from the past.
When Giyu said these words, he exuded a sense of unprecedented dignity, carrying an undeniable air of authority.
This was the unshakable aura of the Water Hashira, something that should not be present in a child.
Honestly, for Giyu, it always felt somewhat uncomfortable to respect these two people who were only about ten years older than him (Giyu's past and present combined make him 28 years old, but his mental age fluctuates between 8 and 80). However, he persisted for five years.
This was his first conscious confrontation with Fugaku.
"You!"
Being confronted on the spot and combined with various past frictions, Fugaku grew furious. The Sharingan, with its three tomoe, suddenly activated, rapidly spinning like an electric fan in his eye sockets. "Do you even consider me, your father?"
"Husband!"
Mikoto quickly stood between Giyu and Fugaku, her expression carrying a subtle yet unmistakable wariness, like a poised lioness.
"Giyu is still just a child."
Her words and stance, like icy snow water, soaked into Fugaku's heated brain.
He instantly calmed down, coldly snorting and leaving in a huff.
"Hmph. I'll go take a shower, you all can eat first!"
With that, he went to the bathroom without looking back, while Giyu went to the kitchen on his own.
In the room, the mother and her two sons collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Sasuke was simply scared; he had never witnessed his father's furious outbursts since he had never attended clan meetings.
As for Itachi and Mikoto, they were worried that Fugaku, in his anger, might use some genjutsu on Giyu, who had no chakra, causing irreversible mental harm.
"Itachi, although I also want Giyu to follow his own path and live as an ordinary person, you know that your father will never let it go. If the clan members find out about Giyu's awakening, they will pressure your father as well."
The Uchiha clan was known for its exclusivity, which meant they upheld the logic of "family first" with strong internal unity.
Although Giyu was the clan leader's son, in reality, he, like Itachi, was the "common property" of the clan. The clan would never allow a five-year-old genius with awakened Sharingan to waste their talents due to a child's playful nature.
If the higher-ranking shinobi in the clan applied pressure, Fugaku would find himself in an awkward situation. He would likely be forced to use "special measures" against Giyu. Even some elders might seize the opportunity to secretly use genjutsu on Giyu.
Mikoto's face was filled with concern as she quietly said to her clever eldest son, "Can you try to persuade Giyu? Even if it's symbolic, at least teach him how to extract chakra. Otherwise, controlling just the Sharingan will be difficult..."
"I will find a way. Please don't worry."
Itachi reassured her, "And please keep this matter a secret from the clan."
"I understand. Thank you, Itachi. It's so good to have you..."
And so, the mother and son reached an understanding on this matter. Although Sasuke seemed to only partially understand, he grasped one thing at least—
Giyu's exceptional talent and his reluctance to become a ninja were causing great distress to his father, mother, and brother.
Although he felt a little uneasy when he heard his father say that Giyu would be more capable than his older brother, it wasn't much. It was rare for his younger brother to be acknowledged by their father, and he was also happy for Giyu.
But what really troubled Sasuke was why Giyu disregarded everything he desired...
He paid no attention to his brother's favoritism, his father's expectations, or even their family's ninja techniques.
"My mission is to take care of the rest of the family."
He remembered this sentence very clearly, and he could see the seriousness on Giyu's face. It wasn't just empty words.
He thought about it extensively and eventually arrived at one conclusion.
Giyu probably only cared about his brother and himself!
And considering their mother's recent request to his brother, an idea suddenly came to Sasuke's mind.
If it were him making a request to Giyu, would he agree?
...
After taking a shower, Fugaku came out to find that Mikoto and their three sons had already eaten half of the meal.
Seeing that no one was waiting for him, a faint sense of frustration appeared on Fugaku's face. He glanced at Giyu, who silently poured soup for him, sat down with a stern expression, and then picked up his spoon to sip the milky fish soup.
"It tastes great."
Although he took a sip, his mood didn't improve; in fact, it worsened.
"Considering he started dividing his focus between cooking and training when he was three years old, he should have the skill level of a six or seven-year-old by now."
He didn't forget the strength Giyu displayed when he grabbed his wrist earlier.
And considering that Giyu had just woken up from a coma at that time, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he had exceptional talent, right? Superb physical strength, coupled with the Sharingan at the age of five...
Using such incredible talent for cooking? Uchiha Madara in heaven wouldn't forgive such a thing.
However, after taking a shower, Fugaku became calmer.
Past experience taught him that forcing children like Giyu, Itachi, and Shisui, who had their own thoughts, was futile. If he wanted Giyu to train, Giyu had to desire strength on his own.
But how should he go about it specifically...
"My mission is to take care of the rest of the family."
"That's what he said before, right?"
Fugaku calmly drank the fish soup while his eyes moved back and forth between Itachi and Sasuke. After all, there were only these two children in the family who needed Giyu's care.
"If he understands that taking care of Itachi and Sasuke only involves cooking and doing laundry, then it's far from enough."
Numerous dark thoughts belonging to the clan leader surged in his mind, but they were quickly buried by his sense of fatherly responsibility. Though not fully formed, he at least had a direction.
At that moment, Sasuke suddenly spoke, "Mom, did you buy wishing candles today?"
"Ah, Sasuke, have you already decided on your wish for this year?"
Finally, there was a slightly heartwarming topic, and it brought a smile to the worried Mikoto's face. "Try not to eat too much, both you and Giyu. I'll go get the cake now."
She got up and went to the kitchen, taking three triangular small cakes out of the refrigerator. She inserted five candles into two of them and then distributed the cakes to the three children.
"Here, this one with strawberry flavor is Sasuke's."
"The one with wisteria flower flavor is Giyu's."
(Just to clarify, there are many types of wisteria pastries, and the toxicity is mainly in the seeds.)
"And this chocolate-flavored one is Itachi's."
After placing the three cakes, she stood up and positioned herself next to the light switch, facing her father, who had a serious expression on his face. She said, "Dad, I'll leave the candle lighting to you."
Itachi burst into laughter immediately.
He remembered Giyu's evaluation of Sasuke's "Great Fireball Technique."
"To think he would use the best Fire Release from Konoha on this..."
After making a sarcastic comment, Fugaku, symbolically, said to Sasuke and Giyu, "Pay close attention to the hand seal I'm about to make. This is the Tiger Seal, a special hand seal that converts chakra into flames. Almost all Fire Release ninjutsu end with this seal."
Sasuke's eyes widened in excitement upon seeing the familiar gesture, while Giyu showed no reaction at all, his gaze resembling that of a sparrow pecking at food.
[This kid...]
Fugaku noticed and felt irritated. After forming the hand seal, he expelled two blue, low-temperature flames in the shape of flower buds. The flame buds flew above the two cakes and bloomed into fleeting lotus flowers, simultaneously igniting the ten candles.
Sasuke exclaimed in amazement at the subtle control of chakra, and even Itachi wore a slightly admiring expression. What their father demonstrated was an exceptionally advanced transformation of Fire Release using chakra. It was unlikely that there would be anyone stronger among the Konoha shinobi.
As for Itachi, he still had a long way to go to reach that level of Fire Release.
Giyu, on the other hand, was puzzled because he heard the same voice he heard before fainting.
[Fugaku used Fire Release ninjutsu near you. fire Breath analysis level +0.04%.]
Click
Mikoto turned off the lights, and the candles on the two cakes became the most prominent source of light in the darkness, illuminating only the faces of the twin brothers.
Itachi noticed that even in this situation, Giyu's eyes still didn't reflect any light.
[So, this is what they mean by a black hole.]
"After making your wish, you can blow out the candles."
Mikoto spoke softly, "So, who will go first? Giyu is the younger brother, so..."
"I'll go first, I'll go first!"
Sasuke had been ready for a while.
Mikoto glanced at the indifferent Giyu and nodded helplessly, "Alright, Sasuke, you go first."
"My wish is..."
Sasuke seemed to have forgotten the rule that "wishes must be said in your heart to come true" and loudly proclaimed to the cake, "I hope that when my brother teaches me how to train, Giyu can join us!"
After finishing his wish, he didn't wait for the others' reactions. With a "puff," he blew out the candle. His two jet-black eyes remained hidden in the darkness, fixedly staring at Giyu's face illuminated by the firelight.
Itachi and Mikoto were both surprised. They didn't expect Sasuke to make such a wish.
On the other side, Fugaku almost burst into laughter.
He really wanted to pat Sasuke's shoulder and shout, "Truly my son!"
Sasuke's attack was not over yet.
"Mom, you said it, birthday wishes will definitely come true, right?"
"Well... unless it's too unreasonable, then it should be like that."
[But you previously made wishes for us and Itachi.]
"Well, Giyu will definitely agree, right?"
"Well, that depends on Giyu's own thoughts."
Mikoto raised an eyebrow. This child Sasuke was much more cunning than she had imagined, using this method... to pressure Giyu?
The whole family fell silent, waiting for Giyu's answer.
After a long time, Giyu uttered a few words, "Then we'll have to eat outside for lunch from now on."
[He agreed!]
The other four people had the same thought in their minds.
"Okay, it's settled then."
Sasuke looked around, "Big brother said he would continue teaching me the secrets of the Fireball Jutsu tomorrow. Giyu, you'll come too, right?"
"Sure."
Giyu nodded.
Seeing this scene, Fugaku couldn't help but want to lift Sasuke up high.
As long as Giyu saw all the various ninjutsu demonstrated by Itachi, he didn't believe this child wouldn't be moved at all!
Moreover, Sasuke and Itachi usually trained in the training field outside the village to avoid some trouble-seeking young clan members. This meant that Giyu would finally expose himself to a relatively "dangerous" area.
It would be much more convenient for him to arrange things at that time.
"Now it's Giyu's turn to make a wish."
Mikoto blinked and said, "Just like Sasuke, it's okay to say your wish."
Everyone's spirits were lifted.
They all wanted to know what Giyu's wish would be like.
Giyu stared at the candle in front of him, not knowing what to say...
Suddenly, he remembered that voice that seemed to have said before in his mind, something about being able to revive Kyojuro Rengoku, the Flame Pillar.
[Who is speaking? A god?]
[Is what he said true?]
[If Rengoku can be revived, what about other deceased people?]
[Uzui, Shinobu, Genya, and that child Tokitou, will they all be able to meet me in this world?]
Although Giyu was skeptical of the content of that voice, an idea gradually formed in his mind, and he spoke up:
"My wish is...
"Not to be disliked by them."
[If they can really be revived.]
Then, in a way that Sasuke couldn't understand at all, he gently waved his hand and extinguished the candle.
As if an invisible god had responded to this wish.
====
Power stones are required for motivation.
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