Chapter 102: Kurama: Is That Fox a Nine-Tailed One Too?

Honor and responsibility? Who's he trying to fool?

"…"

Realizing he was getting a bit too heated, Fugaku Uchiha took a deep breath and raised his hand to calm the situation.

"That's not what I meant. I just hoped we could sit down and have a calm, reasonable conversation."

"There's nothing to talk about. The honor of the Uchiha Clan doesn't belong to me, and neither does its responsibility," Takuya replied, shaking his head as he lifted the basket of groceries.

"I've said everything I need to. I hope, Young Master, that you won't trouble me any further. Otherwise, I'll have to ask you to spin around here and show off your dancing skills for everyone."

Trust me, if you try it, you'll regret it. Regret it so much, you'll wish you could turn back time.

"I'll be back," Fugaku gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and turned to leave.

People around them started to notice, some whispering among themselves.

"Isn't that the Uchiha Clan's Young Master?"

"Honor and responsibility of the Uchiha? What a joke. Besides bullying villagers, what else do they do?"

"Exactly! My brother-in-law got drunk and spat in one of their faces, and they locked him up for three months. He lost so much weight, and we had to pay a hefty fine."

"…"

Your brother-in-law is lucky he didn't get beaten to death.

Hearing this, Takuya couldn't help but roll his eyes.

It was true that the Uchiha's role in the police force had earned them a lot of animosity. They were blamed for everything, even though some of it was pushed onto them by the higher-ups. Still, it was clear—the police force was far from beloved.

Always dealing with the dirty work, earning the villagers' respect and affection was almost impossible.

"Did you finish your little chat?" Tsunade asked as she approached, carrying some groceries and looking like she was done with life. Kushina, on the other hand, was all smiles.

Why do I have to be dragged out to buy groceries first thing in the morning? Tsunade thought, annoyed. And she had been threatened with no food if she didn't go.

"What chat? Do you think I'm stupid enough to rejoin the Uchiha?" Takuya chuckled.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow, suddenly intrigued. "Really? I heard the Uchiha have some forbidden techniques related to the Sharingan. If you don't rejoin, you might never have a chance to learn them."

Takuya looked at her in surprise. "As the granddaughter of the First Hokage, whose brother was practically a walking encyclopedia of forbidden jutsus, how many of those jutsus have you learned? Are you really from the Senju Clan?"

"…"

You get back here! You're not getting away with saying that! We're not done!

Does Tsunade lack jutsus? Not at all.

Tobirama Senju left behind many notes, now in Tsunade's possession, along with various scrolls containing all kinds of jutsus. But how many has she mastered? It was clear—very few.

The market was a chaotic mess, with Tsunade accidentally breaking several items, ending with her having to pay for the damages.

So this is what it feels like to regret something so much that you wish you could turn back time, Tsunade thought, lamenting the loss of several tens of thousands of ryo that she'd just earned from the hospital. The pain in her heart was real.

Money!

As expected, the news of Takuya's meeting with Fugaku Uchiha quickly made its way to the Third Hokage, courtesy of the ever-watchful Anbu.

With Takuya tagging along as Tsunade and Kushina did their grocery shopping, it was hard for the Anbu to go unnoticed. And considering that Fugaku was a person of interest, it was no surprise he was being watched.

Of course, Takuya thought. Fugaku Uchiha wasn't exactly subtle, suggesting a more "private" place to talk. Yeah, right. If I'd gone with him, it wouldn't matter what I said—no one would believe I wasn't involved with the Uchiha.

"Looks like the Uchiha haven't given up yet," muttered the Third Hokage.

"You're dismissed. No need to inform the elders about this."

"Yes, Lord Hokage," the Anbu ninja responded before leaving. The Third Hokage then pulled out his crystal ball, observing Takuya's every move.

"Master, someone is watching us from the shadows. Should I remove them?" came Snowy's voice.

"…"

If you remove this particular watcher, the entire village will explode.

There was no need to guess—it had to be that old pervert, the Third Hokage, using his telescope jutsu to spy on people again.

Takuya hadn't expected the old man to move this fast. It hadn't been long since the meeting, and already he was being watched.

"Don't worry about it," Takuya replied.

"What's wrong?" Tsunade asked, noticing Takuya looking around, his brow furrowed. Kushina, holding her basket of groceries, looked curious too.

Takuya smirked, pretending to be serious. "I don't know if it's just me, but I feel like someone's watching us."

"Kushina, your sensory skills are pretty sharp. Do you sense anything?"

"Nope, nothing," Kushina shook her head. Her sensory abilities were indeed strong, but she genuinely couldn't feel anyone watching.

"Wait a sec," she said, handing her basket to Takuya. Kushina then entered her inner space, addressing the Nine-Tails who was bound within.

"Hey, big fox, could you help me out with something? If you do, I'll let you call the shots during our next card game."

"Hmph, foolish brat. Do you really think I'd agree to such a ridiculous condition?" the Nine-Tails scoffed, turning its head away, flatly refusing.

"That's a shame. I was planning to let you out for some fresh air and a bit of learning," Kushina teased. "But since you're not interested, I'll just tighten these chains a bit. You don't mind, do you?"

"Foolish brat! Are you threatening me?" the Nine-Tails roared, its fur bristling in anger.

"Yep, I'm threatening you," Kushina replied, matter-of-factly. "Since you won't help, I don't have a choice. Who told you to be so uncooperative?"

"I'll devour you, you brat!" the Nine-Tails bellowed.

"You really are just an evil fox," Kushina said as she exerted more control over the chains in the seal. She figured it was time to give the Nine-Tails a little lesson.

"Foolish brat!!!" the Nine-Tails roared in frustration, struggling against the chains. As it did, the seal loosened momentarily, giving the Nine-Tails a glimpse of the outside world.

Its eyes fell on Takuya and Tsunade standing beside Kushina. What really caught its attention, though, was the small white fox perched on Takuya's shoulder.

The fox had nine adorable tails swaying gently in the air.

What's that? The Nine-Tails thought, its rage forgotten for a moment as it stared at Snowy, who seemed vaguely familiar.

A nine-tailed fox?

Snowy suddenly looked up, noticing the gaze from the sealed space. She glanced toward Kushina's stomach, then yawned lazily before snuggling back against Takuya's face, falling asleep.

Did I just get looked down on? The Nine-Tails thought, suddenly feeling uneasy.

Before it could figure out what was happening, the seal tightened again, cutting off its view of the outside.

Ignoring the chains tightening around it, the Nine-Tails shouted, "Hey, Kushina! What was that creature on your beloved's shoulder?"

"If you answer me, I might just help you out."

"Huh?"

"Beloved?" Kushina's mind went blank for a moment, her face quickly turning red as she stammered, "What are you talking about? He's not my beloved."

"And that's not just some 'creature.' That's Snowy, Takuya's summon. She's a nine-tailed fox, and she's a girl, too. Really cute, and she smells nice, unlike a certain smelly fox."

A fox!

Smells nice!!

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<A chapter for flea23 as apologies>