Family and Clan

Uchiha Ao returned home.

His younger brother and sister quickly came up to greet him.

"Big brother, you're back!"

His younger brother, Uchiha Ran, was two years his junior. At ten years old, he was still in the academy with excellent grades; there was a high probability he would enter the Police Force directly after graduation.

The Police Force held a high status within the Uchiha Clan, and the vast majority of resources were obtained through it.

Clan members who joined the Police Force were considered the absolute core backbone of the family and were prioritized for cultivation.

Those with average talent like Uchiha Ao could only serve as ordinary clan members, training alongside the Jonin Class established by the village.

Next were the ordinary clan members who possessed no talent for ninjutsu.

For example, their mother was an ordinary person who had never practiced Chakra, serving as a housewife at home.

Their father had sacrificed his life when Aoba was eight years old.

He left behind his wife and children, who lived under the support of the clan.

They also had a youngest sister named Murasaki, who was just eight years old this year and also attended the ninja academy.

"Hmm, why did you get out of school so early today?"

Uchiha Ao asked curiously.

It was around three or four in the afternoon, and the ninja academy usually didn't let out for another two hours.

"The school needed to prepare for tomorrow's graduation ceremony this afternoon, and since the Third Hokage will be coming, they gave us a half-day off."

Uchiha Ran replied.

His eyes flickered, and after a moment of hesitation, he continued to ask.

"Big brother, do you know which squad you've been assigned to?"

There had been some unpleasant rumors lately.

They said that because his brother's talent was poor and no teacher wanted him, the Third Hokage had forcibly assigned him to Team Four.

However, he had heard that the Jonin leader of Team Four had lost his entire family in the Nine-Tails Incident.

If his brother went into such a squad, he would surely be targeted.

He might even be in mortal danger when going out on missions.

"I don't know. Why? What have you heard!?"

Uchiha Ao asked. For the past half-month, he had been hanging around Orochimaru, pestering him to take him on as a student, and had no time to pay attention to affairs in the village.

"I heard you were assigned to the squad of Shimura Kage. He is a member of the Shimura Clan, and his wife and daughter both died in the Nine-Tails Incident..."

Uchiha Ran said with an ugly expression.

The Shimura Clan was located on the edge of the village, very close to the outer perimeter.

It was the first location where the Nine-Tails erupted.

The casualties were heavy.

Over thirty percent of the clan members died on the spot.

Fewer than half of the clan members survived.

They were one of the families in the village that suffered the most casualties.

Shimura Kage had escaped the disaster only because he was out on a mission.

Precisely because of this, the Third Hokage chose to turn a blind eye to Danzo's targeting of the Uchiha.

He allowed the reputation of the Uchiha Clan to be smeared at will following the chaos.

"Should we ask the clan leader... to change squads?"

Uchiha Ran suggested.

The siblings relied on each other, and their relationship was very close.

In Uchiha Ran's eyes.

The main reason Uchiha Ao acted so ostentatiously and caused trouble outside was to protect him and his sister.

Even if his strength was inferior to others, he would stubbornly stand in front of them to protect them from being bullied.

The reason his brother's training couldn't keep up was also because he had to work after school to subsidize their household expenses.

He had no time to train.

"How could we have the money to pull strings? You two still need to study. Don't worry—I have already found a very good place for myself."

Uchiha Ao said with a smile.

He was not his predecessor, but he could still feel the very harmonious relationship between his family members.

The vast majority of families within the Uchiha Clan were very harmonious.

Mutual care.

Only when different families compete for training resources do conflicts and suppression arise.

However, Uchiha Ao understood that he simply could not treat these two unfamiliar younger siblings as his own kin.

Out of safety concerns, he did not trust anyone within the clan.

"Big brother, you don't need to worry about us..."

His little sister, Uchiha Zi, spoke up from the side.

She was eight years old and had become much more sensible.

After school, she could find some work within the clan to earn a little living money.

There was no need to rely on her older brother for everything.

"Our family can produce three ninjas, so our future life will definitely not be bad. Big brother, you shouldn't put too much pressure on yourself."

Uchiha Ran also chimed in.

Although Konoha was known as a ninja village, the actual proportion of ninjas was not high; on average, only one ninja came from every three families.

Furthermore, the casualty rate for chunin and genin was extremely high, keeping the total number of ninjas in the village from rising.

It was only after the war ended in the last two years and the Fourth Hokage took office that the number of ninjas in the village increased slightly.

It had stabilized at around twenty thousand.

Among them, ninjas from ninja clans accounted for over fifteen thousand.

The definition of a ninja clan was also very simple.

Any family with ten or more ninjas could be called a ninja clan.

Even for a prestigious family like the Uchiha clan, on average, it only amounted to one ninja per small household.

The number of ninjas was not high.

"Dinner is ready, let's eat!"

Their mother, busy in the kitchen, leaned out and spoke to the three siblings in the living room.

Uchiha Ran skillfully unfolded a folding table, while his little sister brought over four small chairs.

Uchiha Ao walked into the kitchen and found his mother serving soup.

His mother did not have a name of her own; neighbors called her Mrs. Orange because her husband's name was Uchiha Orange.

Having stayed at home for many years, she no longer had the courage to work outside.

After her husband died, she could only earn a meager living by taking on laundry and cleaning jobs for neighbors.

With several half-grown children, they had no ability to work either.

Most of the food in the house came from the two small plots of land in the front and back yards.

Thus, their family lived in extreme poverty.

The dishes placed on the cupboard were very simple.

A serving of greens, a serving of pan-fried fish, and a bowl of miso soup.

Four people, three dishes.

The staple food was rice porridge, with more broth than rice.

It was barely enough to fill their stomachs, but the nutrition was completely insufficient, to the point that even at twelve years old, he was less than one point five meters tall.

Their family had no stable source of income, relying mostly on clan subsidies and the part-time jobs he and his mother held outside.

The clan subsidy was about six thousand ryo per month.

Adding in their part-time work, they could scrape together ten thousand ryo, which was barely enough to support a family in the village.

This was their main source of livelihood.

If it were any other commoner family, they would never be able to afford the expenses of a family like theirs.

Despite the simple home-cooked meal, the siblings ate with great relish.

After drinking a bowl of porridge, Ao set down his bowl and chopsticks, watching his younger siblings eat with a slightly relaxed expression.

Having been an orphan in his past life, he never expected to have a family in this one.

He had never spent time with family.

He did not know how to treat them.

But based on his view of dealing with outsiders, only the exchange of interests could maintain a stable relationship.

There was no conversation during the meal.

This was a rule established when their father was still alive, and they still observed it today.

Even though their father was gone, their mother would still place a set of bowl and chopsticks at the head of the table, reminding the siblings to remember him.

"Knock, knock..."

A slight knocking sound broke the peaceful atmosphere.

It was coming from the gate outside the courtyard.

Ao stood up, gave his mother a calm nod, and walked out.

He passed through the courtyard and reached the gate to open it.

Standing outside was an acquaintance.

The most outstanding representative of the current young generation of the Uchiha clan—Uchiha Shisui.

"Shisui, you're here."

Uchiha Ao curled the corners of his mouth into a smile as he spoke.

"Have you eaten? The elder is looking for you..."

Shisui said with a calm expression, his eyes revealing a hint of inquiry and scrutiny.

He had discovered some of Ao's secrets.