[NTU] [ARC-10-UCHIHA] Chapter : 138 (Patreon)

"Toshiro, this time you..."

Fugaku and Toshiro were walking side by side on their way back to the clan compound. Fugaku hesitated, glancing at Toshiro.

"Fugaku-san, do you think my attitude towards the Sandaime and the others is inappropriate? That it’s not conducive to...the harmony between the clan and the village?"

Seeing Fugaku's pained expression, Toshiro directly addressed his concerns.

"Do you believe I shouldn't pursue Danzo's assassination attempt? That I shouldn't use this incident to obtain the Flying Thunder God Jutsu?"

Seeing that Fugaku remained silent, Toshiro continued: "Are you worried that certain individuals within the clan will be unsettled knowing I have mastered sage mode and might develop ambitions they shouldn't?"

He knew exactly what Fugaku was thinking. Fugaku was indeed worried about all the things Toshiro has mentioned.

Faced with Toshiro’s question, Fugaku did not shy away but voiced his inner thoughts.

"We Uchiha are one of the two founding clans of Konoha. Maintaining the peace and prosperity of the village is our responsibility as well."

"If we persist in this mutual distrust with the village’s leadership, it won’t benefit us, Uchiha..."

He observed Toshiro’s face, trying to gauge his reaction, but Toshiro remained expressionless. Fugaku continued, "The Uchiha clan is part of Konoha. Preserving harmony between our clan and the village leaders is essential for both the village and the clan."

"That's quite a sense of responsibility, Fugaku-san!"

"This is indeed true, and the previous leaders of our clan have done this, but what was the result?"

"For decades, you’ve tried to maintain relations with the village’s elders and the Hokage. What did they do when the Kyuubi appeared?"

Toshiro’s tone turned sharper as he saw Fugaku still prioritizing the overall situation. He often wondered where Fugaku’s sense of ownership stemmed from, given that the Hokage and the elders did not consider the Uchiha as part of Konoha.

"The path taken by past patriarchs is a dead end. As the clan leader, it's time to reconsider how we should interact with the villagers, ninjas, and elders."

"And to achieve this, strength is indispensable."

After listening to Toshiro’s words, Fugaku fell into deep thought.

Since the Night of the Kyuubi's attack, he hadn’t had a good night's sleep. The false relationship between the clan and the village had been completely exposed.

Faced with numerous ninjas and distrusting elders, he was uncertain about his clan’s future.

Observing Fugaku’s contemplation, Toshiro did not disturb him. Obtaining the Flying Thunder God was a significant layer of protection for their clan.

No matter how the Sandaime Hokage or the higher-ups in Konoha wish to manage their relationship with the Uchiha clan, they must carefully consider their approach. Any misstep could result in serious consequences.

Currently, Toshiro is not worried about the village harboring any immediate ill will towards him. He had just averted a huge disaster by stopping the Kyuubi's rampage. Even if the village wanted to take action against him, they would likely wait.

With the Flying Thunder God Jutsu now in his possession, Toshiro felt a sense of security. The village won't dare make any drastic moves until they're sure he hasn't mastered this powerful ninjutsu.

Despite the temporary safety, Toshiro can't help but feel concerned about the impending Fourth Great Ninja War. The looming threats of Obito and Madara, manipulated by Black Zetsu, pose a far greater danger. Their actions nearly brought the entire ninja world to ruin.

In light of these future crises, dealing with the Sandaime and Danzo seems insignificant. The true challenge will be ensuring his clan’s survival in the face of their hostility.

The persistent threat of Black Zetsu, the ultimate schemer, is another issue. As long as this bastard is alive, the Uchiha will never know peace. Eliminating him is no easy task, and his survival ability might only be matched by the future Orochimaru.

Reflecting on these threats, Toshiro bids farewell to a contemplative Fugaku. He has more immediate matters to attend to, like verifying the authenticity of the Flying Thunder God scroll.

Toshiro doesn't expect to wield the Flying Thunder God Technique with the same prowess as Namikaze Minato or the Nidaime Hokage. However, it could still prove invaluable for evading fatal traps or making quick escapes.

“It seems... there is no problem,” he mutters while reviewing the scroll's contents at home. The information appears genuine, albeit without any notes from the second or fourth Hokage. It outlines only the basic training principles and details.

“Am I overthinking this? Could the Sandaime actually be keeping his promise?” This thought leaves him conflicted, hesitant to immediately try the technique.

“Maybe I should delay this a bit and focus on activating the Mangekyou Sharingan or developing the White Zetsu cells,” he muses, considering alternative strategies.

He rubbed his sore eyes and took out a bottle of eye drops made from white Zetsu cells. Toshiro carefully applied them, feeling a warm sensation slowly spread from his eyes throughout his body.

He noticed subtle changes: his physical fitness and chakra had improved, and even his eye power seemed enhanced.

“It’s almost there! In one or two years, the changes in my eyes will be complete. Then I can start awakening the Mangekyou Sharingan.”

He observed changes in his body as well. The eye drops brought about physical improvements, albeit not as significant as those in his eyes. The nutrients, or chakra, seemed mostly absorbed by his eyes. Despite some enhancements in chakra quantity, resilience, and the ability to enter sage mode faster, the eyes' progress was unmatched.

“I need to invest more in experiments.”

As his experiments advanced, Toshiro realized that his funds and the 'materials' in the prison were running low.

“Should I visit a noble from the Fire Country or a wealthy merchant?”

He recalled hearing about the new favorite of the Fire Nation’s daimyo, who seemed to be quite wealthy. He thought it might be time to pay a visit.

Doing missions and earning commissions wasn't appealing to him anymore. With his current strength, it seemed easier to find a few wealthy guys and rob them.

“Toshiro! Are you at home?”

Just as he was considering this, he heard Mei-nee’s voice from outside his house.

“What brings Mei-nee here today?”

As he opened the door to welcome her, Toshiro looked at his 'sister' with curiosity. Since her child was born, she has devoted all her time to the baby. Even her husband, Akihiro, often complained about feeling unwanted in the family.

“I have something important to discuss with you!”

Upon entering Toshiro’s home, Mei wasn't polite. She took the tea he offered and sipped it before scrutinizing him with a satisfied look.

“You’ve grown up! You’re already a man!”

Her gaze made Toshiro uneasy; goosebumps rose on his skin. A sense of foreboding washed over him, stronger than when he faced the Kyuubi.

“Here are photos of girls in the clan of the right age. Take a look and see if any of them interest you. When the time comes, I’ll arrange a meeting between you!”

Handing him a stack of photos, Mei continued, “Of course, if you already have a girl in mind, let me know, and I can make arrangements.”

“Arrangements? For what?”

Toshiro was surprised, not immediately understanding what she meant.

“For marriage, of course!”

Mei answered matter-of-factly.

“Marriage?”

Pointing to his nose, Toshiro had a look of disbelief on his face.

“I have just turned 17. Isn't it too early to talk about marriage?”

Casually flipping through the photos in his hand and looking at the basic information above, Toshiro felt a little helpless to complain.

The people in these photos are all only sixteen or seventeen years old, which is the age when people were in high school in his previous life.

“Is there anything strange about this? At your current age, it’s almost time to get married!”

“I’m telling you, I have selected these girls very carefully. Within two generations of their families, there were a lot of members who awakened their Sharingan. In this case, your children in the future…”

“Stop! Stop! Stop!”

Seeing Mei talk more and more enthusiastically and even his future children being considered. He was really panicking.

“Mei-nee! I have no plans to get married so early…”

He really couldn’t imagine what it would be like to marry a 16- or 17-year-old girl, so he quickly stopped the marriage.

“No plans?”

“It’s okay! Many members of the family got married at this age. For example, your uncle and Fugaku-sama, the clan leader, were under 17 when they got married. Isn’t it just the right age?”

“Or…none of these girls…have caught your eye?”

“It doesn’t matter if you fall in love with a girl from another clan in the village. Although this will have a certain impact on your future children’s eyesight… but the clan does not exempt clan members from marrying girls from other clans.”

“No… Mei-nee, you must be joking; I don’t have any girlfriends in the village… I just… don’t want to get married so early!”

In this war-torn ninja world, early marriage and early childbirth are also ways for large clans to deal with cruel ninja casualties and continue their clan's legacy. The Uchiha clan is no exception.

A lot of people got married at the age of fifteen or sixteen.

But for Toshiro, this was really unacceptable. A high school student becomes his wife; thinking about it…

“Don’t want to get married too early?”

Seeing Toshiro’s refusal, Mei stared at Toshiro and looked suspiciously, scrutinizing him.

“You’re not still thinking about your childhood dream, are you?”

“Could it be that… you still plan to marry a lot of women or take concubines, like those nobles?”

Most of the adult men in our clan have single-wife relationships. Is a ‘lecher’ going to be born this time?

"Mei-nee, you must be joking!”

After being looked at by Mei with such a suspicious gaze, Toshiro felt the need to defend himself and not let his true thoughts show on his face.

All thoughts about training and increasing strength have disappeared.