Your Vegetables Are at Your Doorstep

Fugaku changed into Konoha's jonin vest and solemnly made his way to the Hokage Office.

Only after entering did he discover that the Fourth Hokage was not there. Only the Third Hokage was present.

"Clan Head Fugaku, what brings you here so suddenly?"

At Hiruzen Sarutobi's prompt, Uchiha Fugaku suppressed the doubts in his heart and earnestly explained the purpose of his visit.

The former Third Hokage, now the Hokage Assistant, could not help but feel somewhat surprised upon hearing the Uchiha Clan Head's proposal.

"You mean you want to relinquish the authority of the Leaf Village Military Police Force and have everyone jointly maintain public order in the village? Are you sure? This is an honor that belongs to your Uchiha Clan."

Fugaku sensed another meaning behind the Third Hokage's words, but he could not guess what someone like him was thinking at all.

"Not just the Leaf Village Guard. In the future, Uchiha clansmen should also participate in the selection processes for every department in the village."

If the Uchiha were to fully integrate into Konoha, this was a necessary step.

After hearing Fugaku's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded.

"This is a good thing for Leaf Village, but we will still need to sit down and discuss it with the Fourth Hokage and the other higher-ups. When the time comes, Clan Head Fugaku, you will need to join us as well."

Though the matter had been delayed for some time, Fugaku understood that it could not be rushed. He could only take it one step at a time.

But why was the Fourth Hokage not in the office?

This was not something a clan head like him needed to worry about. After bidding Hiruzen Sarutobi farewell, he left the Hokage Building.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat alone in his chair, considering the feasibility of the matter.

For the current Leaf Village, Uchiha's Power was still greatly needed. Since the Uchiha now had such intentions, it was indeed possible to make this happen.

But the Uchiha clan was simply too large. If every department had Uchiha clansmen in it, then without a doubt, in a few decades, the Uchiha Clan's status would far surpass that of the other clans. That might not necessarily be a good thing.

In short, there were simply too many Uchiha. If this continued, the title of Hokage might very well become hereditary within the Uchiha Clan.

Hiruzen Sarutobi already had a rough draft in mind. The Uchiha would relinquish the authority of the Guard Division, while only being allowed to join Konoha's Anbu.

As for everything else, it would have to be pushed back for now. They definitely could not be allowed to join yet.

Uchiha Qingfeng finished a day of training. It really was nice not having irrelevant people bothering him.

He had discovered that using Lightning Release Chakra Mode during his warm-up increased the difficulty and improved efficiency, with visibly better results.

He really wanted to have a man-to-man 1v1 match with Might Guy now, just to test the limits of his current body.

Seeing that it was about time, Qingfeng had not forgotten Itachi's invitation. He went home early to wash away his rank sweat.

He took out the Storage Scroll Itachi had given him, opened it, and laid it on the table.

He returned to his room and took out the scrolls for the Flying Thunder God Technique and Chidori. He had intended to turn around and leave, but after some thought, the Great Fireball Jutsu was, after all, an exclusive Uchiha ninjutsu, so he decided to store it away as well.

Following the Storage Scroll's "Opening Gate" method, he sealed all three Ninjutsu Scrolls inside.

Although the scroll was not large, such important ninjutsu should not be carried around on his person.

He casually tossed it under the bed. Surely no one would look in a place like that.

After closing the pharmacy's front door, Qingfeng headed to the Clan Head's home as a guest. Going empty-handed would be very impolite, so a gift was essential.

He spent a small fortune on two bundles of greens from the roadside, paying a full five hundred ryo. It pained Qingfeng a little.

Why buy greens? Don't ask. The answer was that they were cheap.

And they were not even as expensive as the breakfast Itachi had bought.

As he walked down the long street, watching the bustling flow of people, Qingfeng felt that everyone yearned for a peaceful, ordinary life. In Konoha, that had already become the norm.

Since its founding, Konoha had never faced a war or large-scale battle that could threaten the village. How wonderful it would be if things could remain this way forever.

When Qingfeng entered the Uchiha Clan Land, even the four Trident brothers, who had once always ganged up to bully others, had begun to change their ways.

Why suddenly mention Trident? Because they had spotted Qingfeng, run over, and now stood in front of him.

"Boss Qingfeng, good evening!"

"Boss Qingfeng, do you need something?"

"Boss Qingfeng, where are you going?"

"Boss Qingfeng, we've already learned Shadow Clone!"

"Why haven't you awakened your eyes yet?"

Qingfeng had never realized these four were so chatty. Their constant chatter around his ears made it feel as though he were surrounded by three hundred ducks.

"Stop. I already told you, ask your grandpa or father about cultivation matters."

"I'm just a veterinarian who runs a pharmacy now. Come to me if your pet needs treatment, but don't ask me about cultivation."

He truly did not want to keep listening to a bunch of bratty kids ramble on. Among his peers, aside from Itachi, all the rest were troublemakers.

Like a certain pair of sisters, a certain dog-riding girl, and the Tridents in front of him.

Uchiha Ishi, the captain of the Tridents, suddenly said, "Doctor? I happen to have a problem with my body right now. Can you treat it?"

As he spoke, he held out his hand and gestured. "I used to only be able to eat one bowl, but now I can eat five bowls."

"Is there something wrong with my body?"

Qingfeng felt that he could no longer keep up with their thought processes.

"You really are sick. I suggest you find a doctor to examine your brain, and while you're at it, ask them, 'Can a veterinarian treat people?'"

With that, he carried his things and left. He had heard that stupidity was contagious, so it was better to stay away from people like this.

Why had he never noticed how dumb the Tridents were when they used to gang up on others? How had they become like this after they started training?

As he left, he could still hear Jiba muttering nonstop.

"Is there a difference between veterinarians and doctors? Doctors who treat people can also treat pets, so why can't doctors who treat pets treat people?"

Before the afterglow of the setting sun fell, Qingfeng finally knocked on the door of Uchiha Itachi's home.

If nothing unexpected happened, Itachi would definitely be the one to answer the door.

The moment it opened, Itachi's pale little face appeared as expected.

"Qingfeng, you're here? Since you came, there was no need to bring a gift."

Itachi looked at the gift Uchiha Qingfeng had brought, his small face filled with enormous confusion.

He had never seen anyone bring vegetables as a gift. Even two boxes of pastries would have been better than this.

Qingfeng showed no embarrassment whatsoever. Just because others did not do something did not mean he would not. Next time he came, he would bring vegetables too.

He handed the greens to Itachi.

"Your vegetables are at your doorstep. Hurry up and take them."

Uchiha Itachi: ??????

It sounded perfectly normal, yet something felt wrong. It was as if he had somehow been insulted.

"What are you standing there for? The vegetables are home already, so hurry up and take them to the kitchen to add another dish!"

"Oh, oh, okay."

After entering the courtyard, Itachi went to the kitchen with the vegetables. This was not Qingfeng's first or second time here, so he followed his memory straight to the living room.

Uchiha Fugaku was inside, holding a child. At that moment, he was not the Uchiha Clan Head, only the father of two children.