Uchiha Fugaku wondered if the Third Hokage had learned some forbidden technique or secret art that made him look younger. Perhaps he had spent these past few days breaking through a bottleneck in the technique.
But Uchiha Fugaku was only surprised for a moment. All sorts of strange techniques cropped up in the Ninja World.
For instance, Sarutobi Hiruzen's disciple Tsunade had a technique that kept her from aging. They said she was still as youthful and beautiful as a twenty-year-old woman.
It wasn't surprising that the Third Hokage was also proficient in such a technique.
That was why Sarutobi Hiruzen made no effort to hide that he had grown younger.
Ever since taking up his position as an elder, Uchiha Fugaku had been quite proactive. He had come by and talked with Sarutobi Hiruzen for a long time, mostly about the changes within the Uchiha Clan and Konoha's affairs.
"I know there are still some troublemakers in the Uchiha Clan."
"As clan head, you need to do more to maintain harmony within the clan."
"Especially under the current circumstances."
"Don't become arrogant and take credit for everything..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen puffed on his pipe as he spoke, offering both a reminder and a warning.
He knew all too well what the Uchiha were like. The Second Hokage and then the Third Hokage had both been wary of them for a reason.
To put it nicely, the Uchiha Clan was a clan of love. To put it less nicely, they were all a bunch of hormone-driven lunatics.
They could easily go to extremes over their emotions, whether those emotions were positive or negative.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's meaning was simple:
I've given the Uchiha Clan such a good environment to grow in and placed so much trust in them. If they still make