Chapter 582: The Drama of a Kind Father and Filial Son Plays Out Once More

"The ninja world is so vast; it's perfectly normal to have one or two people who look alike."

Just as Izuna Uchiha was frowning in thought, Gin Uchiha, who had popped up from nowhere, patted his shoulder with a calm expression.

"Take me, for example. There's an actor named wyz who looks eighty percent like me. Last time I went to the capital of the Land of Fire, it caused quite a scene; the main street was blocked solid. The female onlookers, regardless of race or age, all twitched until they fainted. After the chaos subsided, the ground on both sides of the main street was as wet as if it had rained heavily."

"Big cousin, that's enough."

Do you think you're a reader?

Distracted by Gin Uchiha's interruption, Izuna Uchiha did not continue to investigate why the old man in front of him looked so familiar. Perhaps, as his big cousin said, he was just an ordinary person with a striking resemblance.

After all, that old man in his memories had sacrificed himself more than twenty years ago.

The elderly official from the Land of Waves, who was actually Miao Uchiha in a simple disguise, exchanged a look with Gin Uchiha in the crowd, which counted as a greeting.

"Everyone, please follow me."

Following the trade delegation of Miao Uchiha, Izuna Uchiha, who felt uneasy in his heart, whispered to his son beside him.

"Fuyu, who is this old man?"

"Father, he is Master Sanshui, the State Preceptor of the Land of Waves. He is a big shot in this country, second only to one and above ten thousand."

Due to close contact with the high-level officials of the Land of Waves in recent years, Fuyu Uchiha had made friends with many sensible dignitaries, including the steady-looking old man in front.

"State Preceptor?"

Izuna Uchiha raised his eyebrows upon hearing this. He hadn't expected the Daimyo of the Land of Waves to value their Uchiha trade firm so highly that even the State Preceptor was sent to welcome them.

"That's right. Master Sanshui is a wise elder. He is not only learned and knowledgeable but also skilled in invention and creation. Many of the technologies in the Land of Waves came from his hands."

As he spoke, a rare look of respect appeared on Fuyu Uchiha's face; it was clear he truly held Master Sanshui in high regard.

"I never imagined there could be two people in this world who look so much alike."

Since the other party was the State Preceptor of the Land of Waves, he naturally had nothing to do with the Miao Uchiha who had died of illness in his memories.

Besides, even if Elder Miao hadn't died of illness, he couldn't have lived until now; after all, no one can escape the ravages of time.

Soon, the group was led into the imposing and magnificent Daimyo's Mansion. Witnessing the gold and jade splendor inside, the look of amazement on Izuna Uchiha's face only grew.

"Tsk tsk tsk, just how rich is this Land of Waves? The decor is even more imposing than the Daimyo's Mansion in the Land of Fire."

Izuna Uchiha complained sourly, forcibly pulling his gaze away from the golden walls beside him.

"Add one more charge to that old pervert: unrighteousness despite wealth!"

As he spoke, the leading Miao Uchiha stopped in front of a large door. The two guards at the entrance saw this and immediately opened the gates.

"The Daimyo only summons the three of you; the others, please go to the side hall to rest."

Miao Uchiha stood at the entrance, his gaze sweeping over Gin Uchiha and the other two, and he spoke softly.

"Lord Izuna!"

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do. You have traveled a long way and should get some rest."

Signaling his clansmen behind him not to be agitated, Izuna Uchiha shook his head and waved for them to leave first.

"Father, please stand up for me later!"

With his father as his backing, Fuyu Uchiha, stepping into the Daimyo's reception room again, swept away his previous caution and eagerly begged Izuna Uchiha to avenge him.

"Clack!"

"Bang! ~"

No sooner had they stepped inside than they heard several loud noises by their ears. Izuna Uchiha's heart tightened, and he immediately assumed a defensive posture.

"Careful!"

The next moment, colorful ribbons filled the air. Izuna Uchiha looked at the ribbons of various colors at his feet, his face full of bewilderment.

"Welcome, welcome, a warm welcome!"

Before he could ask, the Land of Waves welcoming party, which had been waiting in the reception room for a long time, popped out. Seeing the welcome banners held high by the crowd, Izuna Uchiha, who was shocked, frowned at the sight.

What kind of game is this?

"Fuyu, is this how people in the Land of Waves greet others?"

"No, it was very normal when I came before!"

Fuyu Uchiha, also startled by the Land of Waves welcoming party, turned his head and answered with a confused look.

Although he had been here many times, he had never encountered this kind of formation.

"Everyone, don't worry. This is a welcome party arranged by the Daimyo. Please take your seats."

Just as everyone was suspicious, the old man who had led the way appeared out of nowhere. Only then did Izuna Uchiha notice that a sumptuous banquet had already been set up in the reception room, with all kinds of delicacies.

"What is this..."

Izuna Uchiha's brows were tightly locked. For some reason, he always felt that these people from the Land of Waves who came to welcome them had a sense of familiarity.

"Little cousin, hurry up! The food is going to get cold~"

But before he could voice his doubts, a voice interrupted his thoughts. Gin Uchiha, who had sat down at the table at some point, was eagerly urging him to take his seat.

With no other choice, Izuna Uchiha had to suppress his doubts for now, planning to investigate thoroughly after dealing with the Daimyo of the Land of Waves.

"The Daimyo arrives!"

Not long after sitting at the table, several guards surrounded a plump old man as he walked in. Izuna Uchiha's gaze sharpened, and his long-hidden killing intent suddenly emerged.

Good for you, you old pervert, you finally showed your face!

"Eh?"

Madara Uchiha, who was immersed in the beautiful fantasy of father and son reuniting, keenly felt a killing intent directed at him. The expression on his smiling face stalled, and a flash of predatory red light flickered in his tightly squinted eyes.

"Greetings, Daimyo~"

Miao Uchiha, disguised as the State Preceptor, spoke first, followed by the others around him. The sounds of greeting rose one after another.

"Daimyo, I hope you have been well."

The silent members of the trade firm appeared extremely abrupt among them. Fuyu Uchiha thought it over and decided to step forward and bow. Izuna Uchiha did not follow suit; instead, he stared with a pair of scarlet eyes, curiously examining the old man who radiated an inexplicably familiar aura.

As for Gin Uchiha, he didn't even stand up; he was still busy battling the delicacies on the table, not forgetting his original intention because of the uncle's appearance.

"If you guys aren't going to eat this Eight-Treasure Rice, I'm going to eat it~"

"Little brother Fuyu, it's been a while. I've really missed you."

Madara Uchiha stepped forward with a smile, grabbed Fuyu Uchiha's hand very familiarly, and was overly enthusiastic.

"Uh..."

Being touched like this by such a greasy stranger, the fact that Fuyu Uchiha didn't lose his temper on the spot was enough to show his exceptional self-restraint.

He unobtrusively pulled his hand from the Daimyo's thick, greasy grip and took a step back, standing beside his father.

"Father, did you see that?"

The overly intense gaze of the Daimyo of the Land of Waves made him feel uncomfortable. He had to prove to Izuna Uchiha that he wasn't lying; he had indeed been molested by the Daimyo of the Land of Waves.

"I saw it. I will avenge you right now."

Although he had doubts, getting justice for his son was more important.

Izuna Uchiha immediately stepped forward, blocking the space between Fuyu Uchiha and the greasy Daimyo of the Land of Waves, looking down at the plump old man in front of him with his scarlet eyes.

"Hmph! So you're the old pervert who took advantage of my son?"

"Huh?"

On the other side, looking at his second son blocking his way, Madara Uchiha didn't know how to explain it to him and was momentarily speechless. Before he could speak, the other's unruly voice reached his ears.

"Say that again, kid."

"Don't think you're something special just because you're the Daimyo. If you mess with us Uchiha, you've kicked an iron plate."

Izuna Uchiha didn't want to waste any more breath. For such an ordinary person who thought too highly of himself, a single look would be enough to teach him to repent and turn over a new leaf.

Cold and obscure ocular power poured out instantly. He wanted to make this old pervert who coveted his son taste what true, extreme fear was.

"Regret your fate of not having the Sharingan!"

Izuna Uchiha, looking smug, did not use his full strength. No matter how detestable the old pervert in front of him was, he was ultimately just an ordinary person with no power to truss a chicken; a small punishment would suffice.

"Father, just give him a little warning. Don't take his life."

Fuyu Uchiha behind him sensed the overflow of terrifying ocular power and instantly became nervous. The Land of Waves was an important partner of their Uchiha trade firm, and there was still a lot of capital that hadn't been recovered. If they fell out with the Land of Waves now, the money their firm had invested would go down the drain.

"I know what I'm doing."

Izuna Uchiha said without looking back, and only then did Fuyu Uchiha let out a long sigh of relief.

"This really is a case of a kind father and a filial son~"

Gin Uchiha, who witnessed all of this, chewed the sweet Eight-Treasure Rice in big mouthfuls. He let his gaze wander back and forth between the father and son who were staring each other down for a moment, then shook his head quite helplessly.

"Eh? Why hasn't the genjutsu taken effect yet?"

Izuna Uchiha, who had cast a genjutsu using his Sharingan, blinked his dry eyes in confusion after staring for a long time.

Even an ordinary Jonin couldn't last ten seconds under his genjutsu. How could this white-haired, fat old man have no reaction at all?

"Father, are you okay?"

His son's questioning made Izuna Uchiha lose face, so he immediately increased the intensity of his ocular power.

"Damn it, hurry up and call me Daddy!"

That's right, Izuna Uchiha, this rebellious son who defied the heavens, wanted to use the power of the Sharingan's genjutsu to make the Daimyo of the Land of Waves call him Daddy in public, so as to vent the hatred in his heart.

"Bakayarou! You rebellious son!"

As soon as the words fell, Madara Uchiha, who had been secretly using his ocular power to resist the other's genjutsu, had blue veins bulging on his forehead. A tyrannical ocular power poured out, swallowing the astonished Izuna Uchiha.

"You are..."

A second before surprise appeared on his face, the light in Izuna Uchiha's eyes suddenly extinguished. From those dull, lifeless pupils, it was clear he had fallen into a genjutsu.

"Father!"

Seeing this, Fuyu Uchiha immediately flashed in front of Izuna Uchiha. Looking at his father's vacant eyes, alarm bells rang in his heart. He pulled out a kunai hidden in his sleeve and scanned the surroundings with a wary look.

"You ghost-playing charlatan, show yourself at once!"

He would rather believe that someone was hiding in the shadows to ambush his father than suspect that the rotund old man before him was the culprit behind Uchiha Izuna falling into a genjutsu.

"Relax, relax, don't get excited. Put your weapon away; it wouldn't be good to hurt the flowers and plants."

Suddenly, a ghostly figure appeared beside the on-guard Uchiha Fuyou. Uchiha Gin, holding half a bowl of eight-treasure rice, smiled and comforted him, showing not a hint of tension.

"Grand-uncle, Father, he..."

Uchiha Fuyou no longer had time to think about how Uchiha Gin had managed to sneak up on him. His palm, gripping the kunai, was slick with sweat, and his forehead was beaded with sweat from his intense nerves.

"This kid brought it on himself; letting him suffer a little is for the best."

Raising a hand to pat his grand-nephew on the shoulder, Uchiha Gin turned his head to look at the vacant-eyed Uchiha Izuna, a look of disappointment at his lack of progress on his face.

"Grand-uncle, have you been caught in a genjutsu too?"

Looking at the uncharacteristically acting Uchiha Gin, only despair remained in Uchiha Fuyou's heart. The enemy lurking in the shadows truly had remarkable methods, having hypnotized others without his knowledge.

"Perhaps this world itself is just a genjutsu."

Uchiha Gin shook his head, quickly polished off the eight-treasure rice in his hand, then turned to look at the displeased, rotund old man, teasing him with a smile at the corners of his eyes.

"Old Uncle, surprised? Unexpected, right?"

"This brat, relying on his Mangekyo Sharingan to be so careless. It's fortunate he met me; if it were a real enemy, he'd likely have had his kidneys gouged out."

Having completely shed his disguise, Uchiha Tajima curled his lip, his gaze falling upon his most beloved son, his eyes filled with heartache.

He hadn't expected that after he left, this kid would have made zero progress. He had told him long ago to treat every enemy equally, otherwise, capsizing in the gutter was only a matter of time.

"You... you two know each other?"

Still completely in the dark, Uchiha Fuyou looked at the two familiar figures in surprise. After a brief moment of confusion, he asked in an uncertain voice.

"Fuyou, let me introduce you. He is your father's father."

Hearing this, Uchiha Gin turned his head, pulled Uchiha Fuyou over, and pointed at the somewhat annoyed old man, thoughtfully introducing him.

"Huh? Didn't my grandfather die before I was born?"

Hearing this news for the first time, Uchiha Fuyou's face was full of disbelief. Although he had never met his grandfather, he had heard plenty of heroic deeds about this former clan leader from his elders.

Put it this way: if there were no grandfather, there would be no Uchiha Fuyou.

Uh... when put that way, it really didn't seem wrong.

After revealing his identity, Uchiha Tajima no longer hid anything. He closed and opened his eyes, and the aura unique to the Sharingan was revealed—it was actually the peak of Kage-level.

"A mere brat from the Senju clan, how could he possibly kill me? If it weren't to fulfill your uncle's wishes back then, why would I have chosen to fake my death to escape?" (End of chapter)