A Visit! A Treasure Offered! Gaining Renown!

As for why.

Why he had to pay a visit to the Seventh Elder, Uchiha Raimon.

Naturally, it was because Uchiha Raimon and Uchiha Tenshu could engage in a mutually beneficial partnership, sharing common interests.

Ever since the Uchiha clan struck their patriarch, Madara Uchiha, from the clan registry, they had fallen into a state of having no leader.

The various affairs of the clan were handled collectively by the nine Great Elders of the Uchiha, each of whom possessed strength at least at the level of an Elite Jonin, and with the support of secret techniques, many were capable of contending with a patriarch-level figure—that is, a Kage Level ninja.

These elders had not yet devolved into the countless factions seen in the Uchiha clan of later generations; although they held different opinions, they merely bickered and had no intention of resorting to force, still managing to present a united front to the outside world.

After all.

The "God of Shinobi," Hashirama Senju, still existed.

The clan was essentially composed of the "Stability Faction."

They sought to ensure their own interests remained intact while maintaining a united front to guarantee the "unity" of the Uchiha clan.

In other words, they aimed to maintain the current status quo.

It was just that, for some, in the process of maintaining stability.

Their spines had bent all the way to the ground!

Wouldn't you agree? Second Elder, Uchiha Ming.

Regarding this, Uchiha Tenshu specifically singled him out.

Among them, Uchiha Raimon, the Seventh Elder chosen by Uchiha Tenshu, was the elder responsible for managing the clan's farmland, crop cultivation, grain procurement, and storage.

In the Warring States period, these were absolute strategic resources; many ninja clans fought to the death over food.

Especially with the frequent outbreak of wars, grain production was constantly declining. Even with great strength, the total amount of food produced was finite. Even a powerful clan like the Uchiha would find themselves without food if it wasn't there, leaving them no choice but to plunder.

And once plundering began, conflict was inevitable.

It was bound to be a life-or-death struggle!

In fact, throughout the history of the Ninja World, half of the reasons for ninja wars were fundamentally triggered by food.

Therefore, the Seventh Elder at the time held a position of great power and influence within the clan, serving as an indispensable protagonist at every meeting.

But with the arrival of a peaceful era.

The Land of Fire had fallen into a state of "tranquility."

Five consecutive years of peace had caused grain prices to plummet, dropping lower and lower until they were not even one-eighth of their original value.

Because of this, the Uchiha clan's upper echelon held meetings every year.

If they hoarded it, it would spoil and rot.

Almost every year, there were losses.

But if they sold it, the price was so low that it felt like a waste.

Yet they feared that grain prices might rise the following year.

So they kept dragging it out.

Until, after five years.

The clan truly could not bear such procrastination any longer.

Consequently, the various elders of the clan had been discussing this for months, even going so far as to engage in endless infighting.

In Uchiha Tenshu's view.

Rather than a struggle over mere grain.

It was better described as a division of power.

Power within the clan had long been subdivided into specific jurisdictions; whether it was weapons, secret medicines, grain, or commerce, everything had been partitioned among the respective elders.

Among them, the Seventh Elder, who advocated for preserving the grain, insisted that because grain was a strategic reserve, it must be kept for emergencies and refused to sell it for the sake of the Uchiha clan's safety.

He was locked in a heated battle with the Fourth Elder, Uchiha Kin, who managed the clan's commerce and advocated for keeping only a portion of the grain, selling the rest, and halving the grain cultivation for the coming year.

Others had also begun to take sides between the two.

As the Land of Fire became increasingly peaceful.

Commerce also continued to flourish.

The annual commercial profits were steadily climbing.

Large-scale population growth and stable development brought about more consumption and greater purchasing power.

The Commerce Department, managed by the Fourth Elder Uchiha Kin, brought in more and more benefits for the clan.

As a result, his influence grew ever larger.

Uchiha Kin began to attempt to seize more power.

And Uchiha Raimon was being used as a target to establish his authority.

Regarding this.

Uchiha Raimon also rose to fight back.

Although the two sides were evenly matched in terms of force.

Under the influence of "money," Uchiha Raimon's influence gradually waned. Even with other elders helping him stabilize the situation because they did not want the Fourth Elder, Uchiha Kin, to gain too much power, he could only barely hold his ground.

After all, in the face of money, Uchiha Kin was constantly winning over the Uchiha elites who served under those elders.

Many of the clan's Chunin were moved by this.

A few of the clan's Jonin also hesitated.

And this.

Was the perfect opportunity in Uchiha Tenshu's eyes!

Facing Uchiha Kin's interrogations, Uchiha Raimon could provide no answers regarding the grain storage, the losses caused by spoilage, or the deficit from continuing to grow grain despite low market prices; he could only offer a feeble resistance.

Yet, regarding these problems, Uchiha Tenshu possessed memories from his past life and knew exactly how to solve them.

Originally, these treasures from his past life were meant to be held back until others begged him for them, at which point Uchiha Tenshu would have brought them out for use.

But now, the situation was urgent, and he could no longer afford to be so cautious.

With this in mind.

After Uchiha Tenshu arranged for his confidants to act.

One day that winter, he paid a visit to Uchiha Raimon. He hoped to ask the "highly respected" Elder Uchiha Raimon, who was known for his "care and concern" for the clan members, for guidance on the application of ninjutsu. Because it "happened" to be snowing and Uchiha Raimon "happened" to be taking an afternoon nap, Uchiha Tenshu could not bear to disturb him. He stood outside the door in the snow, shivering from the cold, refusing to make a sound to wake the elder until Uchiha Raimon finally stirred and the visit could begin.

Thus, the anecdote of "Standing in the Snow for Bomen" was born.

It received unanimous praise from his peers in the clan.

They believed that a child of the Uchiha should indeed possess such politeness.

Meanwhile.

Within the clan, several other short stories about Uchiha Tenshu and his interactions with fellow clansmen began to circulate.

For example:

One day, during a gathering at Uchiha Tenshu's home, his companions arrived. One brought a basket of pears. Tenshu distributed the large, fine pears to everyone else, keeping only the small, astringent ones for himself, which led to the story of "Tenshu" sharing the pears.

This caused his peers to praise his spirit of friendship.

Another time, Uchiha Tenshu's home was very poor, and he lacked candles at night, so he caught fireflies and placed them in a bag, using the reflection of the snow to provide light, resulting in the story of "Reflecting Snow with Fireflies."

This again led his peers to praise his thirst for learning.

As for those who wondered.

Why was it always his peers who were praising him?

That was, of course, because Uchiha Tenshu had no adult confidants to utilize, so naturally, he was not seen by the adults.

Following these few short stories.

Combined with the propaganda from the aunts and uncles in the clan's internal Intelligence Department, Uchiha Tenshu became famous throughout the Uchiha.

He was often used by the clan elders to educate the younger generation.

On this side.

Because of his friendliness and love for learning, Uchiha Tenshu was valued by the highly respected Elder Uchiha Raimon and was taken under his wing for training, which later led to the story of "Burning Ice for Carp."

It is said.

Uchiha Tenshu once accidentally heard that Elder Uchiha Raimon liked to eat carp, so he went to the frozen surface in the middle of winter and used the Great Fireball Technique to melt the ice and catch carp, leading Uchiha Raimon to praise him for his filial piety and for being a good, dutiful child.

As for.

The fact that Elder Uchiha Raimon, suffering from the grain spoilage that had plagued the clan for years and caused such financial loss, had painstakingly developed a grain storage technique and a method to extract alcohol from grain—that was not worth mentioning.

Not to mention.

The fact that Uchiha Tenshu would soon be cultivated as a chosen genius from a branch bloodline!

Of course.

There were also those who were jealous of Uchiha Tenshu's reputation and questioned him.

They wondered if he had used some underhanded means to be chosen.

Otherwise, why were none of their own elite Chunin children selected, while he, an orphan who had barely learned any ninjutsu, was chosen?

To this.

Uchiha Tenshu swore righteously: "My talent, Uchiha Tenshu's talent, is an unquestionable genius."

"As for you not being chosen, can you just complain about others? Why don't you reflect on your own shortcomings!"

"Have you practiced hard? Have you ever seen the moon at three in the morning? Think carefully about your own problems!"