Weighing the Pros and Cons

The letter was actually an invitation. The clan head had invited all jonin and chunin to a banquet for Uchiha Itachi's Naming Ceremony.

The Ninja World also had the concept of a full month, but it was called a Naming Ceremony. It meant the child had pulled through, had taken root, and could be given a name.

If the child died within a month of birth, it could only be considered a miscarriage and did not deserve a name.

Even if they died before the age of six and were still considered to have died young, at least they could be counted as having come into this world. They could leave behind a tiny trace, and even in death, they could have a gravestone.

Uzumaki Naruto receiving a name at birth more than a decade later was an unavoidable special case.

Uchiha Yu calmed himself, then happily took Miwa Masayo to the banquet. They presented their gift money, ate and drank their fill, and everything served was premium food he normally could not afford, with extremely high nutritional value.

"Yu, these are all good ingredients. Why does it feel like they don't taste as good as your cooking?"

Miwa Masayo had eaten until she was stuffed. She lay on her back across Uchiha Yu's lap, exposing her belly for her litter-box servant to rub.

Uchiha Yu smiled. "Because my cooking philosophy is different from everyone else's."

"I like using spices to season food and bring out its flavor. Other than liver, which I let you eat raw to preserve its nutrients, I cook all meat thoroughly. I also use plenty of oil, but I don't use too much oil in any single dish."

"Balance is my philosophy, while the chefs here pursue extremes."

The food of the Ninja World was undoubtedly a combination of light Japanese meals and Americanized fast food. It was fine as a work meal, but if one wanted to enjoy good food, that was wishful thinking.

But the clan head's ingredients were truly impeccable—far too good. The moment they entered his stomach, they were digested, turning into warmth that spread through his limbs and body, becoming nourishment for his body's Foundation Establishment.

"If I could eat three meals like this every day, I think Foundation Establishment would show obvious results within one or two months."

"Meow? Yu, do you think your changes have been small?"

"Have they been big?"

"Extremely, ridiculously huge, meow. If I weren't with you every day, I wouldn't even dare recognize you..."

"But none of my clansmen think I've changed."

"Ha, Yu, what do you think your status is here?"

"You're just a little nobody, crouching outside your room, in the outermost part of the compound, in a corner beneath the courtyard wall. You're an unnoticed minor character."

"Who would pay attention to you, meow?"

"Mm, you're right. But my neighbors haven't noticed anything different about me either."

"You're really slow, meow. Everyone can tell that you got... bigger!"

Smack smack.

"Fine, maybe in human eyes, your changes aren't that obvious."

"But in the eyes of us Ninja Cats, your smell and presence are completely different every day. It's terrifying."

"Really?"

"Didn't you notice that when you pass by the stinky dogs' gate now, none of those stinky dogs argue with me anymore?"

Uchiha Yu froze, then immediately recalled those changes. Sure enough, it was exactly as Miwa Masayo had said.

He did not continue arguing with the Tabby Cat. Instead, he called out to a passing attendant. "Shigenobu, bring me another five plates of this meat. What kind of meat is it? It's pretty tasty."

The attendant also knew Uchiha Yu and said with a smile, "Big Brother Yu, this is Nara deer meat. I heard the deer were raised on medicinal herbs."

Then he saw the plates on the table and immediately sucked in a cold breath. "My god, Big Brother Yu, how many plates of meat have you eaten? Are you really okay?"

"I won't get a nosebleed. Bring me another five plates."

"Alright... Are you really okay?"

"I'm fine! Oh, and take these plates away. They're a little conspicuous."

"Understood."

Only after Uchiha Shigenobu had walked far away did Miwa Masayo click her tongue. "My meow, you can still eat? Were you starving before this?"

"Not at all. I was full before too. It's just that, at Foundation Establishment, I can control my stomach and intestines. When there's good food, I can eat several times more."

"...As expected of you."

Miwa Masayo could not help letting out a huge yawn. Her drowsiness was impossible to hide.

Uchiha Yu placed the adorable cat in his arms, curled her into a ball, and said, "Sleep if you're tired. Right now, you should follow what your body tells you."

"Okay, meow."

The Tabby Cat did not resist Uchiha Yu's stroking or embrace. Following his movements, she buried her head beneath her belly and soon fell asleep with soft puffs of breath.

Animals were different from humans. Even if they were both advancing along the Immortal Path, their paths were different.

To conform is to become human; to defy is to become immortal. That was humanity's Immortal Path. Step by step, cultivation required not only strengthening the body, but also taming and controlling instinct, using that as sustenance to achieve a higher form of life.

Other animals, however, needed to follow their instincts, trace their bloodlines back to their source, draw from the earliest primordial life, and elevate the essence of their existence. Thus, while Uchiha Yu trained hard, tempered his body, and honed his mind, he advised Miwa Masayo to eat when she wanted, sleep when she wanted, move when she wanted, and go argue with Ninja Dogs when she wanted. Everything should follow nature and the instincts of the body.

Sure enough, following those principles, the Tabby Cat improved at an incredible rate. Her strength grew no slower than his own, making her cat servant unbearably envious.

Jealousy.

But humans were special. They had gained dominance over every ecological niche entirely through their brains. Human nature was one of toil. After complaining, envying, and feeling jealous, Uchiha Yu calmly continued working hard.

Under Uchiha Yu's stroking, Miwa Masayo soon began purring comfortably.

Yet his mood remained heavy. Good thing Miwa Masayo had reminded him, or he might not have known when he would accidentally expose himself.

There were four essentials for cultivating immortality: methods, wealth, companions, and land.

The four only differed in order; none of them was unimportant.

Miwa Masayo's reminder made Uchiha Yu understand the value of companions. It also let him know that his concealment could fool humans, but not Ninja Beasts with sharp senses.

Perhaps Inuzuka Tsume could sense his changes too, but that carefree female ninja had overlooked them.

Uchiha Yu's thinking had changed somewhat, but he was still far from revealing his greatness before others. He lacked confidence.

Having explored the Immortal Path entirely on his own, Uchiha Yu did not yet have any techniques usable at the Foundation Establishment stage. His cultivation focused on comprehensively strengthening his physical foundation, and he had no idea what level his combat strength had reached.

At present, he had no special need for resources aside from meat and delicious food. His need for external resources was very low, and there was no need for him to step forward and become Konoha's famous genius.

If his body's demands increased again and his appetite surged several times beyond what he could afford, then no one would need to urge him. He would take the initiative to step forward, become a genius watched by all, stand at the center of the clan's and the Hokage faction's attention, and then fight for more resources from the clan.

The more resounding the title of genius became, the more resources Uchiha Yu could obtain from the clan.

But becoming the center of attention came with equally great losses. The clan would have all sorts of troublesome missions, while Anbu and Root would be watching him at all times. Even assassination attempts might follow one after another.

It was a matter of weighing the pros and cons.

Uchiha Yu was certain that, for now, hiding himself offered greater benefits.

That was why he had deliberately chosen the outermost courtyard and sat in the most secluded corner.