As for why...
It was to visit Seventh Elder Uchiha Raimon.
Of course, it was because Uchiha Raimon and Uchiha Tenshu could benefit one another and had shared interests they could work together on.
Ever since the Uchiha Clan had struck its clan head, Madara Uchiha, from its rolls, it had been left without a leader.
Most clan affairs, both great and small, were handled jointly by the nine elders of the Uchiha Clan. Each had at least Elite Jonin-level strength, and with secret techniques to bolster them, they were more than capable of standing against a clan head—in other words, someone at Kage Level.
These elders hadn't yet splintered into countless factions like the Uchiha Clan would in later generations. Though they each had different opinions, they merely argued and had no intention of resorting to force. They could still be said to present a united front against outsiders.
After all...
Hashirama Senju, the "God of Shinobi," was still around.
The clan was, for the most part, made up of "stability-minded" elders.
They wanted to protect their own interests while uniting to ensure the Uchiha Clan remained "united."
In other words, they wanted to preserve the status quo.
But some people, while keeping things steady...
Bent so far their backs nearly touched the ground!
Isn't that right, Second Elder Uchiha Ming?
Uchiha Tenshu had made a point of calling him out.
As for Seventh Elder Uchiha Raimon, the one Uchiha Tenshu had chosen, he was responsible within the clan for managing farmland, growing crops, purchasing food, and storing reserves.
In the Warring States era, food was an absolutely vital strategic resource. Many ninja clans fought to the death over it.
Widespread warfare in particular had caused crop yields to dwindle year after year. No matter how strong a clan was, the total amount of food produced was limited. Even a powerful clan like the Uchiha could go hungry when there was nothing to eat. Their only option was to seize it.
And once they resorted to seizing it, conflict was inevitable.
It was bound to be a fight to the death!
Throughout the history of the Ninja World, half of all wars between ninja had basically been caused by food.
So, back then, the Seventh Elder held a position of great power within the clan and was an indispensable figure at every meeting.
But with the arrival of peace...
The Land of Fire had settled into a state of "harmony."
Five consecutive years of peace had sent grain prices plummeting, lower and lower, until they were less than an eighth of what they had been.
The Uchiha Clan's upper ranks held meetings about it every year.
If they kept the grain in storage, it would spoil and rot.
They lost some almost every year.
But if they sold it, the price was so low it felt like a waste.
And they were afraid prices would rise the following year.
So they kept putting it off.
Until, after five years...
The clan could no longer bear to keep delaying.
The elders had already spent months discussing the matter, and some had even begun arguing fiercely.
In Uchiha Tenshu's view...
Rather than a dispute over a little grain,
it was really a struggle over how power was divided.
The clan's power had long since been divided into separate areas of responsibility. Weapons, secret medicines, food, commerce, and more were all managed by different elders.
Among them, Seventh Elder Uchiha Raimon, who wanted to preserve the grain, insisted that it was a military reserve and must be kept in case of emergency, for the safety of the Uchiha Clan. He was adamantly against selling it.
He was locked in a bitter struggle with Fourth Elder Uchiha Kin, who managed the clan's commerce. Kin argued that they should keep some of the surplus grain, sell the rest, and halve the amount planted the following year.
The other elders had also begun choosing sides between the two.
As the Land of Fire grew more peaceful,
commerce continued to flourish.
The profits from trade rose year after year.
A growing population and stable development meant more consumption and greater purchasing power.
The Commerce Department, managed by Fourth Elder Uchiha Kin, brought the clan ever-increasing profits.
As a result, Kin's influence grew as well.
Uchiha Kin began trying to claim an even greater share of the profits.
And Uchiha Raimon was made an example of.
In response...
Uchiha Raimon fought back.
Though the two sides were evenly matched in strength,
under the influence of "money," Uchiha Raimon's influence gradually waned. Even with other elders helping him maintain the balance because they didn't want Fourth Elder Uchiha Kin to gain more power, he could only just hold on.
After all, with money on the table, Uchiha Kin was constantly winning over the elite Uchiha beneath the elders.
Quite a few Chunin in the clan were tempted.
Even some Jonin in the clan were wavering.
And this...
Was the perfect opportunity in Uchiha Tenshu's eyes!
When Uchiha Raimon faced Uchiha Kin's questions, he couldn't answer any of them—not about grain spoilage and the losses it caused, nor about how continuing to grow grain at low prices left the clan unable to cover its costs. He could only struggle to defend his position.
But Uchiha Tenshu had memories of his previous life. He knew exactly how to solve these problems.
Originally, he had planned to keep these treasures from his past life in reserve and only share them when others came asking.
But now things were urgent, and there was no time to worry about that.
So...
After arranging for his trusted aides to act,
one day that winter, Uchiha Tenshu went to visit Uchiha Raimon. He said he hoped to ask the "highly respected" elder, who "cared for and looked after" his clansmen, about how to use ninjutsu. As it happened, it was snowing, and as it happened, Uchiha Raimon had taken a nap. Not wanting to disturb the elder, Uchiha Tenshu stood outside his door in the snow, shivering from the cold without making a sound, until Uchiha Raimon woke up. Only then did he begin his visit.
And so, the tale of "Standing in the Snow for Raimon" was born.
His peers in the clan unanimously praised him for it.
They said that Uchiha children ought to be so polite.
At the same time...
Stories about Uchiha Tenshu and his fellow clansmen began circulating throughout the clan.
For example:
One day, Uchiha Tenshu hosted a gathering at home, and his friends came to join him. One of them arrived with a basket of pears. Tenshu gave everyone the biggest, best pears and kept the small, sour ones for himself. And so, the tale of "Tenshu Yielding the Pears" was born.
His peers praised him for his kindness toward others.
There was also the story of how Uchiha Tenshu's family was poor and they didn't have enough candles at night. He caught fireflies and put them in a pouch, then used the snow's reflection to provide light. And so, the tale of "Reflecting Snow with Fireflies" was born.
Once again, his peers praised him for his love of learning.
Some people wondered...
Why was it always his peers who praised him?
Naturally, it was because Uchiha Tenshu had no adult confidants to rely on, so no adults appeared in the stories.
After these stories spread...
Along with the publicity from the clan's Intelligence Department—the aunts, uncles, and other relatives—Uchiha Tenshu became famous throughout the clan.
The clan elders often held him up as an example to teach the younger generation.
Meanwhile...
Uchiha Tenshu's kindness and love of learning had caught the eye of the highly respected Elder Uchiha Raimon, who took him under his wing. Before long, another story began circulating: "Burning Ice for Carp."
The story went...
Uchiha Tenshu once happened to hear that Elder Uchiha Raimon liked eating carp. So, even in the dead of winter, he ran out onto the ice, used a Great Fireball to melt a hole through it, and caught carp for the elder. Uchiha Raimon praised his filial piety, calling him a good, dutiful child.
As for...
Elder Uchiha Raimon, troubled by years of grain spoiling and the damage it caused to the clan's interests, painstakingly developing a grain-storage technique and devising a way to extract alcohol from grain—that was not something to be spoken of.
And there was more...
Not long after, Uchiha Tenshu was selected for training as a genius from the branch family bloodline!
Of course...
Some people were jealous of Uchiha Tenshu's fame and questioned it.
Had he used some trick to get chosen?
If not, why hadn't any of their children, all sons and daughters of Elite Chunin, been selected? Why was the only one chosen an orphan who hadn't even learned many ninjutsu?
In response, Uchiha Tenshu declared with righteous conviction, "My talent, Uchiha Tenshu's, is that of an unquestionable genius."
"If you weren't selected, does that mean you can just complain about other people? Why not take a good look at yourselves?"
"Have you been training hard? Have you ever seen the moon at three in the morning? Think carefully about your own shortcomings!"
Before you continue