Chapter 26

The cool air stirred the cyan cloth curtains, causing them to sway gently and occasionally reveal the scenery outside the carriage.

"Th-the Land of Lightning!" the youth murmured, stuttering. "Is it really the Land of Lightning? I must have misheard..."

Hoshino Yu rested his chin on one hand while flipping through a scroll with the other. Hearing this, he glanced sideways, looking at his younger brother with amusement. "We've already left the Land of Fire, Zhan. It's a bit too late to be saying things like that now."

Hoshino Zhan hung his head, leaning against the carriage window in distress. He knew his brother would never harm him, but... the Land of Lightning! He had just offended people from here! He couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

After fretting for a while, the sun began to set as they reached the Land of Vegetables. Hoshino Zhan perked up again, pulling back the curtain to peek around, only to turn and see Hoshino Yu reading with complete composure, his posture as steady as a rock from start to finish.

"What book is that?" He leaned over, catching a few scattered characters that looked like "Great Unity" or "Book of Rites." Hoshino Yu tapped him on the forehead, neither too hard nor too soft, causing the youth to rub his brow and back away.

"Don't cause trouble for me." Hoshino Yu knocked on his head. "You'll have to study these eventually, too."

Though he liked to act spoiled with his brother, Hoshino Zhan knew his limits; he sat down obediently, though his eyes still darted toward the book.

"Brother, what have you been doing all these years?" He rolled his eyes and asked curiously.

Hoshino Yu turned a page and said nonchalantly, "Teaching."

"Teaching?!"

"You should know that the Land of Lightning has established many charity schools. That's where I am."

One of the Uchiha clan's most praised charitable acts was the large-scale establishment of these schools, which not only taught people to read and write but also provided two free meals a day. Graduates could showcase their talents within the Merchant Alliance, take up positions in other Uchiha industries, serve as advisors in noble households, work as private tutors for the wealthy, or at the very least, become accountants. In just over six years, the literacy rate in the Land of Lightning had soared from a dismal 0.5 percent to 20 percent.

"Is the pay for teaching that high..." the youth muttered. The Hoshino family had long since fallen, and with their parents passing away early, they had no means to hire servants. Their former butler had been very loyal, opening a grocery store to support the brothers' education. Hoshino Yu had gone on a journey three years ago, entrusting his brother to that butler. Later, as his situation improved, he sent money home bit by bit, all of which the butler had saved without touching a cent for the two brothers. Even a small amount of money would add up over three years, let alone the significant sums Hoshino Yu had sent monthly.

"Not entirely," Hoshino Yu said. "The lowest-level teachers earn just enough to cover basic needs. Only by performing well and getting promoted do you have extra money, along with bonuses and gifts from students' parents."

Hoshino Zhan straightened his back, his eyes lighting up. "Then you must be the best one, Brother!"

"You certainly have a lot of confidence in me!"

"Of course! You're Hoshino Zhan's brother! By the way, what will we do when we get to the Land of Lightning? Are we both going to be teachers?" Hoshino Zhan stroked his chin, pondering whether he should aim to be a man whose name goes down in history, or the teacher of such a man. If the latter... he was still young; would it be too early to retire at the peak of his life?

"Rest at my place first, and in a few days, you'll come with me to meet someone." Hoshino Yu patted his head gently. "Be polite when the time comes, understand?"

Watching his brother, who was radiating a gentle yet domineering aura, Hoshino Zhan was moved to tears.

...Why did he have such a "nostalgic" masochistic feeling? What was going on!

Uchiha Madara sat kneeling in the quiet room, his eyes slightly closed, his straight back motionless. He wore a simple white garment, his waist cinched with a dark-patterned white sash, giving the loose clothing a sharp, upright look. His long, jet-black hair was tied back with a white ribbon, the ends sweeping past his waist and brushing against his feet.

The so-called quiet room was an empty space with nothing but a meditation cushion in the center. The walls, doors, and windows were sealed tight, and a grand formation was carved into the floor to isolate all sound, light, and scent. He had been sitting for over three hours; if not for the faint, almost imperceptible sound of his breathing, one would doubt if any life existed there at all.

Dead silence—a silence so profound it felt as if the world had turned to nothingness. Only by tempering his mind in such extreme conditions could his vast spiritual power see even the slightest growth. At his level, even the smallest progress was precious. Matatabi could create similar illusions, but its strength was below Madara's, and it could not suppress the pressure of Madara's spiritual power when fully unleashed.

At this moment, Madara was fully releasing his soul's power, while using the formation to strictly confine it within the quiet room. If anyone were to see him, they would be shocked to find the space here becoming distorted and chaotic, with deep, unfathomable spatial rifts flashing like streaks of light. If they were bold enough to step into the range of his spiritual power, they would either be crushed by the suffocating force or shredded by the fractured, chaotic space.

Currently, Madara's power system included taijutsu, chakra, bloodline limits (Mangekyo Sharingan), and a rarely known spiritual power—one function of which was to ignore level gaps and break through any illusion.

In this world where might made right, as the greatest pillar of the Uchiha clan, he could not be weaker than anyone if he wanted to ensure that everything he pursued did not end up as a mere mirage.

In terms of taijutsu, having spent most of the year holed up in the clan grounds, he couldn't compare to Senju Hashirama, who had perfectly completed countless missions. In terms of bloodline, he had yet to awaken the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, putting him a step behind Hashirama's Wood Release. Madara knew that without cheating with his spiritual power, he could not defeat Senju Hashirama. He could use his spiritual power to forcibly infuse his eyes with energy to awaken the Eternal Mangekyo, but that would undoubtedly cause immense damage to his body. Besides, he didn't have the Eternal Mangekyo, but he could immunize himself against its power, so he was in no rush to awaken it.

Madara did not intend to put more effort into taijutsu. He was indeed inferior to Senju Hashirama in that regard, but it was only Senju Hashirama—who else in the world could surpass that man's taijutsu? Knowing his strengths and weaknesses, Madara naturally wouldn't do something so thankless. He possessed an unparalleled soul and was adept at breaking through the defenses of the human heart; in illusions and spiritual attacks, no one was above him.

That was enough. Demanding perfection in everything was not as effective as pushing one aspect to an extreme that no one could surpass.

At this moment, Uchiha Madara did not know that he had inadvertently pioneered the "black room" confinement that would become a nightmare and psychological trauma for countless future clansmen... The Uchihas would later express that although their spiritual power and eye-awakening rates increased significantly after coming out, they absolutely did not appreciate it!

"We are not god-like men like the Clan Head; we are just ordinary humans!" — by all Uchiha.

Five days later, Hoshino Zhan, having fully adapted to the bustling life of Izumo City, the capital of the Land of Lightning, had gone completely wild, disappearing all day long. Hoshino Yu felt a headache coming on, but his heart was filled with relief.

Zhan had matured a lot because of his departure. How much could the butler's grocery store earn? Between his studies, he had to secretly take on odd jobs, inevitably suffering some hardships. Maturity was a good thing; how could one survive in a chaotic world without growing up early? But as a brother, he always hoped his younger sibling could live a carefree life under his protection, and besides, Zhan was only twelve... What a contradictory state of mind!

Seeing Zhan regain some of his youthful flamboyance and joy, he felt both heartache and happiness.

"Brother!" The youth rushed over, his still-childish face slightly flushed, his forehead dotted with sweat from running. Hoshino Yu used his sleeve to wipe it clean. "I've already explored all of Izumo City! Let's go to Muyun City next time! I heard it's even more prosperous there!"

"As long as you're happy," Hoshino Yu said with a faint smile.

"Your salary is so high, Brother! And you're quite famous, too!" He rubbed against his brother ingratiatingly; etiquette didn't matter in front of family! "When I was buying things, they gave me a huge discount just because they heard you were my brother!"

Hoshino Yu shook his head. "Unearned rewards are not to be accepted. Don't take things from others so easily next time, understand?"

"Hai, hai! It was just a discount, I know my limits!" He rubbed against him again to curry favor, then quickly changed the subject. "When are we going to Muyun City?"

Patting his head, he said, "There will be opportunities in the future. Do you remember what I said before I brought you here?"

Hoshino Zhan thought for a moment, then slapped his palm in realization. "Oh, right! We're going to meet someone?" He deliberately widened his eyes. "Who is it? Can you tell me now, please?"

The pestering was too powerful... Hoshino Yu had to turn his head away. "You'll find out. Hurry up, go change into some clean clothes, and let's go."