A Loving Father and Dutiful Sons of the Uchiha

Chapter 2: A Loving Father and Dutiful Sons of the Uchiha

Sure enough, whenever he got annoyed, he took it out on his little brother...

After giving Madara a thorough beating, Uchiha Shin felt instantly refreshed, and his mood improved considerably.

"Gurgle..., gurgle..."

"Big Brother, I'm hungry..."

Three-year-old Izuna sat cross-legged on the tatami, both hands covering his stomach. His eyes sparkled as he gazed at Uchiha Shin, full of longing for food.

"Um, Big Brother, I'm hungry too..."

Hearing Izuna say that, Madara sat up in one swift motion and gave Uchiha Shin a pitiful, ingratiating look.

Uchiha Shin pressed a hand to his forehead, feeling a little helpless.

"Fine. I owe you two."

To be honest, it was almost noon, and Uchiha Tajima and Uchiha Aoi had been away for half a day.

Kids got hungry easily, so it was perfectly normal for Madara and Izuna to be hungry now.

Fortunately, Uchiha To and Uchiha Kawa, the two younger brothers, were so little that Uchiha Aoi hadn't felt comfortable leaving them in Uchiha Shin's care.

So, before heading out on the mission, Uchiha Aoi had entrusted the two boys to Uchiha Shin's aunt.

Otherwise, there was no way Uchiha Shin could have managed four little kids on his own.

Although the Uchiha Clan was one of the most powerful ninja clans in the Land of Fire...

And Uchiha Shin was the clan leader's eldest son. In modern terms, he was definitely the young master of a prominent family!

Surely a young master from a prominent family would have maids, or a stern old nursemaid, to look after him?

Actually, that was a bit of a stretch.

The clan leader and his wife had to go out on missions themselves. That showed just how short the Uchiha Clan was on both ninja and civilians.

They really were running with one person to every job!

That was why Uchiha Shin, the dignified eldest son of the clan leader, had ended up looking after the kids himself.

As for what privileges or benefits came with being the clan leader's son?

Uchiha Shin tilted his head and thought it over. Maybe he got to eat a little better. Probably.

In Naruto's Warring States Period, people's average life expectancy was only about thirty. The biggest reason dragging down that average was the number of children who died young.

Children in ninja clans had to take up swords and Kunai and head to the battlefield at six. Looking back over five thousand years of Chinese history, there hadn't been a dynasty like that.

Without a stable environment, how could ordinary people at the bottom safely and peacefully focus on producing food and goods?

That was why all kinds of supplies were in seriously short supply during Naruto's Warring States Period!

Take the Uchiha Clan, for example. The clan's civilian families ate rice with a couple of boiled radishes every day, and, at most, a bowl of some unknown miso soup.

And even then, they weren't necessarily full.

Families with a ninja had it a little better. They could probably eat white rice, though having it at every meal would be a bit of a luxury. Boiled radishes were still a regular part of the menu.

As for the clan leader's family, they'd already left plain rice behind. They could still have white rice at every meal, and sometimes they could even add dried salted fish, pickled radishes, and miso soup.

After all, salt was a fairly valuable commodity in Naruto's Warring States Period.

"What would you like for lunch?"

Uchiha Shin asked, taking a very democratic approach.

"How about rice with umeboshi?"

Three-year-old Izuna swallowed reflexively. His voice was full of longing for rice with umeboshi.

"What about you, Madara?"

Uchiha Shin turned to Madara.

"Rice with umeboshi sounds good!"

"I haven't had it in a long time..."

Madara scratched his head and answered happily.

"Then, the usual arrangement..."

"Madara, you chop the wood. Izuna, you'll tend the fire in a bit. I'll rinse the rice and cook it. Any objections?"

After hearing their answers, Uchiha Shin started assigning everyone a task.

Fortunately, Uchiha Shin had years of experience taking care of kids, so cooking rice was no problem for him.

And under Uchiha Shin's careful guidance, four-year-old Madara had become an expert wood chopper, while three-year-old Izuna had become a fire-tending specialist. Haha.

Once they'd divided up the work, the three of them went outside together and into the yard.

Uchiha Shin first scooped half a pot of water from the water jar in the yard and poured it into the clay pot they usually used for cooking.

Then he went back inside and took out enough rice for three from the rice jar. He carefully put it into the pot, steadied the pot with one hand, and gently stirred the rice clockwise with the other.

Two or three minutes later, Uchiha Shin had washed the rice.

After pouring off the excess water, he took three dried umeboshi from a jar inside the house and buried them deep in the rice.

Once everything was ready, Uchiha Shin hung the clay pot, filled with rice and umeboshi, on the rack above the hearth.

After four-year-old Madara finished chopping the wood, he and three-year-old Izuna carried the firewood inside and set it down by the hearth.

Three-year-old Izuna skillfully took out a flint and quickly got a fire going in the hearth.

As they added dry firewood, the flames in the hearth grew stronger.

The cooking process was naturally a little dull.

Aside from Izuna adding another piece of firewood to the hearth every so often, all three of them kept their attention on the clay pot hanging from the rack above the fire.

About thirty minutes later, the fragrance of the umeboshi drifted out through the pot's lid.

"That smells so good..."

"Is it ready yet, Big Brother?"

Izuna, tending the fire, took a deep breath of the umeboshi fragrance and asked, looking a little intoxicated.

"Mm!"

Uchiha Shin nodded, then got up and carefully took the clay pot off the rack before carrying it to the low table nearby.

When Uchiha Shin lifted the lid, the sweet-and-sour fragrance of the umeboshi mingled with the distinctive aroma of the rice and filled the entire room.

"Rice with umeboshi really is great, haha!"

"Exactly, exactly!"

Hearing Izuna and Madara's comments, Uchiha Shin smiled faintly. He filled a bowl for Madara, one for Izuna, and one for himself, then topped each bowl of white rice with an umeboshi.

"Let's eat!" ×

After Uchiha Shin, Uchiha Izuna, and Uchiha Madara put their hands together, they launched into the rice with umeboshi in front of them.

"Delicious!"

"So good!"

Before long, the three of them had wolfed down the rice with umeboshi in their bowls.

Greedy Izuna even licked his bowl clean afterward. Haha.

Poor Shin. He really hadn't seen much of the world.

Uchiha Shin couldn't help thinking about the eight great cuisines of his previous life, and all the other delicious food he'd enjoyed.

Thinking about all the hardship he'd suffered in the five years since he'd been reincarnated... He really shouldn't have run his mouth back then, saying things like Lord Madara was a loser.

After Uchiha Shin cleared away the bowls and chopsticks, he brewed a pot of hot tea. The three of them each took a cup and slurped it down, then sprawled on the tatami without a shred of decorum.

Uchiha Tajima and Uchiha Aoi went out on a mission and were gone for two whole days.

By the time they got home, it was already dusk the following day.

"We're home...!" ×

"Mom and Dad are back!"

At the sound of Uchiha Aoi and Uchiha Tajima's voices, Izuna, who had been lying on the tatami playing dead, sat up at once and ran toward the door.

"Mom...!"

Kids were kids. Four-year-old Madara looked down on Izuna for throwing himself into their mother's arms.

He was a big kid now. He wasn't going to imitate something so childish.

As for Uchiha Shin, pretending to be a kid was already hard enough for him. There was no way he could bring himself to act spoiled in front of Uchiha Aoi!

"Madara, Shin, why aren't you coming over to welcome your mother?"

"Your mother is so sad!"

Uchiha Aoi pouted, showing her displeasure at Madara and Shin for not coming over to let her hug them.

"Welcome home, Mom and Dad!" ×

Uchiha Shin and Uchiha Madara slowly walked up to Uchiha Aoi and greeted their parents with smiles.

"Mm!"

Uchiha Tajima nodded faintly and gave a quiet response.

After all, as the leader of the clan and head of the family, he couldn't show his feelings as openly as his wife did.

He had to maintain the dignity of the head of the family and clan leader!

"Shin, Madara, you don't even act close to your mother anymore."

"Your mother is so sad!"

Uchiha Aoi pretended to huff and reached out with both hands to ruffle Uchiha Madara's and Uchiha Shin's hair.

Feeling Uchiha Aoi's gentle hand on his head, Uchiha Shin wondered if he was being petted like a cat.

"That's not fair..."

"I want Mom to ruffle my hair too."

Izuna, nestled in Uchiha Aoi's arms, joined in. He didn't dare pick a fight with Uchiha Shin, so he set his sights on Madara instead.

Three-year-old Izuna grunted and wriggled like a little piglet, shoving four-year-old Madara's head out from under Uchiha Aoi's hand.

Uchiha Aoi seemed to enjoy watching her sons act like that.

Every parent wanted to see their children get along and treat each other like brothers.

After playing with her sons for a while, Uchiha Aoi went out again to collect Uchiha To and Uchiha Kawa from Uchiha Shin's aunt's house.

Then she handed the two little ones over to Uchiha Shin again and went off to make dinner.

Heh. Two sheep or four sheep, what was the difference? Uchiha Shin once again became a daddy and began carefully looking after all four of his younger brothers.

Before long, it had grown completely dark outside.

Uchiha Tajima sat beside the low table, sipping hot tea as he looked at his five sons.

He still wore the dignified expression of a clan leader and head of the family, but deep down he was quite pleased.

Uchiha Shin was already five. He would take the clan's trial next year. Lately, Uchiha Tajima had either been busy with clan affairs or away on missions.

Had he been neglecting his eldest son?

Uchiha Tajima pondered the question as he drank his tea.

Thirty minutes later, Uchiha Aoi finished making dinner and brought it out.

White rice, miso soup, pickled radishes, and dried salted fish—that was tonight's meal.

Looking at the dinner on the low table, Uchiha Shin couldn't help thinking that tonight's meal was a little extravagant!

But never mind that. He'd eat first and think about it later.

"Let's eat!" ×7

The Uchiha Tajima family enjoyed a hearty dinner, at least by the standards of the time.

After dinner, Uchiha Aoi took Madara, Izuna, To, and Kawa to bed.

After all, there wasn't much to do in the evenings during Naruto's Warring States Period, so people generally went to bed early after dinner.

Uchiha Tajima kept Uchiha Shin behind.

It was obvious Uchiha Tajima had something to say to Uchiha Shin tonight.

Uchiha Tajima sat cross-legged in front of Uchiha Shin. After a moment's thought, he said, "Shin, you're five this year, right?"

"Mm-hmm!"

Uchiha Shin didn't know what Uchiha Tajima wanted to say, so he simply nodded along and answered.

"You've always been very steady, and you've never been one to make a fuss."

"You've made things much easier for your mother and me."

Uchiha Tajima began by praising five-year-old Uchiha Shin.

Uchiha Shin nodded in agreement and quietly waited to hear what Uchiha Tajima would say next.

After all, if you put the soul of a thirty-year-old adult in a five-year-old's body, of course he wasn't going to act up.

Right?

Then Uchiha Tajima changed the subject. "You'll be six next year. You know what that means, don't you?"

"I know. I'll probably have to take the clan's trial next year."

"After all, six-year-olds going to war is the tradition and rule among the ninja clans of the Land of Fire."

Uchiha Shin answered calmly.

"Shin, you really are impressive."

"You're not afraid or timid at the thought of next year's clan trial. It makes me very happy that you understand what's expected of you."

"You really are my eldest son."

Hearing his eldest son Uchiha Shin answer so calmly, Uchiha Tajima nodded in satisfaction, his heart full of joy.

"I've been so busy with clan affairs these past few years that I haven't paid much attention to your training..."

"Tomorrow morning, we'll go to the training ground, and I'll personally test your abilities. If you don't meet my standards, then I'll train you very strictly throughout the coming year!"

"Having the right attitude is one thing. How strong you are is another!"

"I won't have the eldest son of Uchiha Tajima failing the Uchiha Clan's trial."

Uchiha Tajima folded his arms and fixed his gaze on Uchiha Shin, wanting to give his eldest son fair warning in advance.

"Dad, I haven't slacked off on my training at all lately..."

"Akira, look forward to seeing the results of my training at the training ground!"

Faced with Uchiha Tajima's warning, Uchiha Shin replied calmly and without backing down.

"Mm!"

After hearing the answer he wanted, Uchiha Tajima got up and headed to the bedroom to rest.

Uchiha Shin also turned and headed to his own bedroom.

As he walked, Uchiha Shin thought...

After he'd transmigrated, he learned that he'd become Madara's older brother—and that his own name belonged to a nobody who hadn't even appeared in the original Naruto.

After all, in the original story, Uchiha Madara was the eldest son in the family. But now, Uchiha Shin was the oldest.

So, regardless of whether this was because of the butterfly effect, or whether Madara had always had an older brother who died before Madara was born...

That was why Madara didn't know about him.

None of that mattered...

The important thing was that he was more afraid of dying than anyone, so naturally, he worked harder than anyone, too.

Ever since he could remember, aside from taking care of his younger brothers, he'd spent all his time training.

Heh. Tomorrow, I, Uchiha Shin, will amaze everyone. I'll make Uchiha Tajima's jaw drop. Only if I prove myself exceptional will the clan's resources be directed toward me.

That's right. I, Uchiha Shin, am going to outwork everyone...