The Interrupted Reclamation Plan Continues

Uchiha Itachi's words certainly did not come from thin air, nor was it a case of a pure soul seeing through the emperor's new clothes.

Having experienced life and death and licked blood from the edge of a blade, the Uchiha are no naive fools; they were not blind to the point of being unable to see what was right in front of them.

The Uchiha were simply filled with love, and their love for Konoha had clouded their vision, preventing them from seeing reality.

Uchiha Itachi loved Konoha, his clansmen, and his family even more intensely; he, too, had been blinded by love, once viewing the Third Hokage as the guiding light of his life.

Fortunately, Yamanaka Chujiu had cleared Itachi's vision in his dreams last night, allowing him to see Hiruzen Sarutobi's true nature as a "guiding light" leading toward the underworld.

And those words of Uchiha Itachi—which sounded somewhat naive but were actually filled with wisdom—came from the way of thinking that Yamanaka Chujiu had carved into his mind during their mental health treatment today.

There was no help for it; to help Itachi thoroughly straighten out his logical thinking, Yamanaka Chujiu had to implant his own thought patterns, using a Thought Seal to prevent Itachi's ideology from veering off course again.

What?

Is it unethical to place a Thought Seal on someone without their consent?

Heh, this is Uchiha Itachi we are talking about; he is not a naturally good person like Shisui!

Moreover, the Thought Seal Yamanaka Chujiu placed emphasized close relationships, following the logic of loving family first, then the clan, and only then the village.

This was Uchiha Itachi's true nature: rich in emotion, loving his family, his clan, and Konoha with fervor.

The only mistake this child made was that after his worldview collapsed, he got the order of his love wrong and embarked on a path of "absolute impartiality."

Humans have emotions, so the human way is inherently private.

Heaven is emotionless, so the heavenly way is absolutely impartial.

Uchiha Itachi is a human; how could a human possibly practice absolute impartiality?

Let alone you, Uchiha Itachi—even the Sage of Six Paths, Otsutsuki Hagoromo, is not worthy of it!

Just honestly look after your family first, then the clan, and only then consider the village.

With Yamanaka Chujiu's Thought Seal, at least Itachi would not grow crooked again, nor would he commit genocide against his own clan for the sake of Konoha.

The more familiar his relatives were with him, the less likely they were to notice anything amiss.

Standing on the correct side, Uchiha Itachi became clear-eyed and sharp-minded, seeing through the problems in the agreement at a single glance.

Uchiha Fugaku and the elders were not stupid; they had simply been blinded by the peace of Konoha, their hearts obscured by that peace, unwilling to face the cruel reality of betrayal by their own comrades.

Once Uchiha Itachi exposed the deception, Fugaku could clearly see Hiruzen Sarutobi's schemes.

Regardless of what Hiruzen Sarutobi thought in his heart or what he said with his lips, his actual actions proved that he subconsciously treated the Uchiha Clan as an enemy.

The five Uchiha suppressed the rage in their hearts and, gritting their teeth, reformulated their negotiation proposal.

They wanted the Uchiha to relocate? No problem!

First, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, must provide a clear timeline and method for resolving the issues, as well as the expected results.

Second, the Third Hokage must clarify how the Uchiha's land and property would be handled—whether the village would purchase them with funds or act as a guarantor to lease them to other ninja clans.

Finally, everything must be put down on paper, written in black and white, with the Third Hokage signing his commitment!

You wouldn't believe it, but even after clearly recognizing that Hiruzen Sarutobi viewed them as enemies, Uchiha Fugaku was still worrying about their relationship.

"Forcing the Third Hokage to sign a commitment—wouldn't that be going too far?"

Uchiha Fugaku was not alone; Uchiha Yuya also felt uneasy.

"The Clan Head's concerns are not without reason. After all, the Third Hokage is the Hokage; if we pressure him like this..."

Uchiha Yuichiro also furrowed his brows, shaking his head repeatedly: "Indeed, if we do this, there really will be no room for reconciliation..."

Even the hawk-faction member Uchiha Shiho remained silent.

Only Uchiha Setsuna muttered: "There's no other way, Hiruzen Sarutobi is always breaking his word..."

Uchiha Itachi did not speak again, merely observing the expressions of his elders quietly, his own thoughts unreadable.

The next morning, Uchiha Itachi finished breakfast, played with his bubbling younger brother for a while, and then headed out alone.

To find Yamanaka Chujiu!

Relying on the intuition of a primary believer, Uchiha Itachi didn't even need to search; he found Yamanaka Chujiu with ease.

Yamanaka Chujiu was followed by fifty-five children and called out from afar: "Morning, Itachi."

Itachi asked curiously: "Morning, Senior Chujiu. What are you all doing?"

"I borrowed a piece of idle land from the Yamanaka Clan and am planning to take everyone to reclaim the wasteland and farm."

Uchiha Shisui asked in surprise: "Senior Chujiu, reclaiming wasteland is very hard work. Can we really do it?"

Yamanaka Chujiu said: "Hmm, that 'we' is well said!"

"Rest assured, it can be done."

"It is certainly hard work for ordinary farmers, but it is not so difficult for ninjas. Even children who have not yet mastered ninjutsu can create miracles beyond the imagination of ordinary people."

Uchiha Itachi thought for a moment, looked at the surrounding environment, and asked: "Senior Chujiu, it is already November. Even if we reclaim the land now, what can we plant in the winter?"

Yamanaka Chujiu smiled mysteriously: "You will know when the time comes."

Crossing the Konoha River and heading east, it wasn't long before one reached the plot of land belonging to the Yamanaka Clan.

This wasteland near the riverbank had a steep incline, with shallow, barren soil littered with gravel, capable of supporting only shallow-rooted mugwort.

Konoha had plenty of prime land, and the Yamanaka clansmen were unwilling to put in the effort to cultivate this, which allowed Yamanaka Chujiu to lease it at a very low price.

He understood the principle that "a barren field left unplowed will be snatched up once it is broken."

Therefore, he had earnestly discussed the profit-sharing with his elder brother Inoichi, written it down in black and white as a contract, and obtained the approval of the elders.

This could not guarantee that there would be no disputes in the future, but at the very least, it established boundaries for the contention of interests, preventing anyone from swallowing it all in one bite.

Yamanaka Chujiu stood by the river, raised his hand to point at the desolate hillside, and said loudly, "Everyone, this is the land we are going to reclaim!"

Chujiu's voice was still not particularly booming, but everyone could hear it clearly in the river breeze, and they could also feel his unwavering determination.

"The elders of the Yamanaka Clan said that reclaiming this land would take three years, require a lot of money, and demand the labor of adults."

"I told them right then and there: that is not true. Chakra and ninjutsu can create miracles!"

"We are the descendants of ninjas; we possess the talent of ninjas, and we are destined to become ninjas in the future."

"But does becoming a ninja mean we can only kill?"

"No, that is not the case!"

"Lady Tsunade, one of the Sannin, her most specialized ninjutsu is not for killing, but for healing the sick and saving lives!"

"Since ninjutsu can save lives, it can also be used to create wealth!"

"We can use our own hands and our own ninjutsu to cultivate this abandoned land, transforming it into fertile fields in an impossible timeframe, and making it grow grain and vegetables."

"And these grains and vegetables can be exchanged for money, becoming our income to support our families!"