Chapter 49. The Birth of Stay-At-Home Itachi

Chapter 49. The Birth of Stay-At-Home Itachi

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Several days had passed since the conclusion of the Chunin Exams, and the various ninja teams had begun leaving the village for missions. As a result, the village had returned to its usual calm.

The light snowfall over the past few days added to the stillness. Even the village's dance troupe had canceled their activities due to the weather, making everything noticeably quieter.

Occasionally, Yuto could even spot the Chief Elder and some old lady at Yuto BBQ.

There were even rumors that they'd been seen at the milk tea shop.

Seriously? At their age? Drinking sweet stuff? Aren't they worried about diabetes?

Of course, what the elderly choose to eat or drink is none of Yuto's business—he's just a regular rich guy.

Today, Yuto returned to the Uchiha compound.

For the first time in a while, he saw Itachi and… his perpetually stern-faced older brother, Fugaku, who didn't seem thrilled to see him. Yet, somehow, Yuto felt a sense of relief.

"Come, have some tea! Wait—hold it. Kids shouldn't be drinking tea. Here, have some milk tea instead. It's made with real milk—nutritious and delicious."

He shoved the prepared milk tea into Itachi's hands, chuckling as he glanced at Fugaku's speechless expression. Yuto sighed dramatically. "Brother, I keep telling you, you can't let kids starve! Look at Itachi, it's such a short time—he's gotten so thin!"

"...Get lost," Fugaku muttered, his lips twitching. He picked up a cup of hot tea from the table, took a sip, and said coolly, "Itachi will become an excellent ninja, unlike you… a disgrace to the Uchiha name."

"What makes me a disgrace?"

Is making money such a crime?

Since when did earning an honest living count as disgraceful?

You have to know that he, Uchiha Yuto, earns every penny legitimately!

Sighing helplessly, he said in a heartfelt tone, "You can't force children, Brother. You need to respect their choices!"

[T/L: I wish that's what my parents said.]

Ignoring Fugaku's twitching eyelid and his obvious urge to hit him—he was used to it anyway—Yuto turned to Itachi.

He squatted down and pinched Itachi's chubby cheeks with a warm, uncle-like smile, then ruffled his hair. "Itachi, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

"A ninja!" Itachi answered without hesitation.

"What's so great about being a ninja? Don't be a ninja. Right now, there's an opportunity in front of you. All you have to do is call me… uh, ahem."

Yuto caught his older brother's menacing glare mid-sentence and chuckled awkwardly before turning back to the confused Itachi. "Just call me Uncle. Whatever you want, Uncle will buy it for you!"

"???" Itachi blinked, puzzled. Isn't that what he always calls him?

After some hesitation, he said, "Uncle?"

"Ah!" Yuto let out a satisfied laugh, patting Itachi's head again. Then, turning to Fugaku with a serious expression, he said, "Brother, Itachi has a natural talent for business. He just told me he wants to work and do business with his uncle!"

"...Get lost." Fugaku rolled his eyes.

Calling you "Uncle" suddenly makes him a business prodigy? Do you think I, Uchiha Fugaku, am blind?

"All right, stop talking nonsense," Mikoto interrupted with a wry smile as she walked in wearing an apron. "It's time to eat, Fugaku, Yuto."

The two brothers… really.

But it's true—Yuto had changed a lot. He used to be so passionate about becoming a ninja, tirelessly training day and night. Sometimes Fugaku would even teach him seriously. No one could have predicted he'd turn out like this.

Perhaps no one ever imagined it.

Watching Yuto cheerfully head to the dining room, Mikoto asked curiously, "Where's Suzune? Why didn't she come today?"

"Oh, her? Something came up in the clan—she had to attend a meeting," Yuto replied, already announcing [Itadakimasu] and casually grabbing a small mountain of fatty meat to place on Itachi's plate.

"Eat more!"

If you eat enough to become chubby and lazy, you won't have time to overthink things.

Kids need to eat a lot!

Then, looking at Fugaku quietly eating across from him, Yuto said, "It's probably about the war. After all, Suzune is a member of the Hyuga clan."

Due to the Second Hokage's policies back then, the Uchiha clan rarely left the village. However, as the war escalated, Fugaku eventually led the Uchiha clan to participate in the conflict.

It was during this war that Fugaku awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. At the same time, a certain four-year-old began to show signs of… mental illnesses.

As expected, war was far too cruel for children. They hadn't read many books yet, their values weren't fully developed, and upon witnessing such disaster and brutality, they began to question life itself.

Yuto hesitated for a moment. "Will the Uchiha participate in the war?"

Upon hearing this, a flash of doubt crossed Fugaku's eyes. He didn't understand why Yuto would ask this since the Uchiha clan—except for a few on missions—were mostly part of the police force.

Of course, it would be good if they could participate. Perhaps by earning merit in the war, the Uchiha could regain Konoha's acceptance.

Unfortunately… that seemed impossible.

Fugaku's expression returned to his usual stoicism as he replied flatly, "No…"

Before he could finish, Yuto sighed and said earnestly, "If you have to go to war, Brother, don't worry about the family. I'll take care of Sister-in-law and Itachi!"

"..."

Though his words seemed sincere, something about them made Fugaku feel uncomfortable—he suddenly had the urge to punch this brat.

Fugaku's mouth twitched as he looked at Yuto's "earnest" expression. Finally, he muttered, "...Get lost."

"Don't worry! This Uchiha Yuto is a businessman, and integrity is everything to me. I always keep my promises. I guarantee you won't have any concerns." Yuto smiled, completely unfazed.

And for this Itachi wanting to go to war?

No chance!

Stay home, eat well, and live comfortably!

As if remembering something, Yuto turned to Mikoto and said, "Oh, by the way, I recently opened a mahjong parlor in the village. If you're bored, Sister Mikoto, you can come and play a few rounds. It's really fun. Of course, you can come too, Brother Fugaku."

Sighing, he added, "Though with that sour face of yours, you'd probably just lose all your money!"

Fugaku's eye twitched. Calmly, he took a bite of his food and said, "No time. There's always something to handle in the police force."

"Thank you, Yuto." Mikoto smiled apologetically. "Itachi is still young, and…" She glanced at Fugaku. "There is someone at home who needs to be taken care of. How can I go out to play?"

"It's fine." Yuto ruffled Itachi's hair with a doting grin. "Leave Itachi to me. I'll take good care of him for you."

Without hesitation, Fugaku immediately repeated, "Get lost." This time, his stoic expression cracked as he raised a brow and rolled his eyes in irritation.

Leave Itachi to this guy? Itachi would never become a ninja at this rate.

Fugaku glanced at Mikoto beside him, hesitating for a moment. "Mahjong?"

"It's a gambling game," Yuto explained with a grin. "It's similar to the card game we played last time, but this one is for four players. It's a good way to build relationships. Many wives from different clans come and play it, and even some clan leaders join in for a few rounds."

Maybe one day, once mahjong becomes more popular and the war ends, he could even host a Ninja World Mahjong Tournament!

Any grudges? Settle them at the mahjong table!

"Sister Mikoto, you've been stuck at home doing chores every day—you must be exhausted. Go out, play a few rounds, and relax. There haven't been any dance activities lately anyway. I'm also planning to use this to give those old guys in the village something to enjoy."

Setting down his chopsticks, he wiped his mouth and stood up. "I'm full. There are some things I need to take care of, so I'll head out now."

"Just get out of here!" Fugaku growled impatiently.

But, of course, the daily routine couldn't end without a final act.

Yuto affectionately took out a wad of cash and handed it to Itachi. "Here, take it. Buy whatever you want, Itachi."

Then…

Without paying any mind to Fugaku's twitching eyelid, Yuto chuckled and walked away, leaving behind a hee-hee laugh.

"This brat…" Uchiha Fugaku shook his head helplessly, hesitated for a moment, then returned to his expressionless face, ate slowly, and said lightly, "Mikoto, why don't you…"

"No, Itachi is still young." Mikoto shook her head and said softly, "I will take good care of you and Itachi."

"..." Fugaku was silent for a moment and said nothing. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and then he looked at the stack of money in Itachi's hand and sighed helplessly.

At that moment, Mikoto seemed to understand what she needed to do. With a gentle smile, she walked over to Itachi, exuding motherly warmth.

"Itachi, you're still young…"