Digging Up the Fourth Generation Couple's Grave

"Of course it's my mas... er~" Setsuna turned her head away, her face full of resentment as if to say, "How could you even ask that?"

Suddenly noticing the baby bottle in Sasuke's hand, she abruptly cut herself off.

"Your mas...?" Sasuke shook the bottle in his hand with a grin, then held it high and glanced toward the ground.

Snap! It was gone.

"No~!" Seeing the image of the bottle hitting the floor, Setsuna let out a cry of alarm. Thinking quickly, she put on a fawning expression. "You jerk, of course it's your favorite little Setsuna!"

After saying this, she trotted over to Sasuke's feet and rubbed against his calf in a flattering manner.

"Pfft~" Sasuke nearly burst out laughing.

Seeing this, Setsuna climbed up his body, thump, thump, thump, until she reached his shoulder. She affectionately licked his cheek, blew air into his ear, and said in a sugary voice, "Master~~ can you give it to little Setsuna now?"

!!! Sasuke couldn't help but shudder, and he shoved the nipple into her mouth. "Here, take it! Stop talking in that voice!"

"Wuwuwu~?" Setsuna, her mouth plugged, let out a few muffled sounds.

She pulled the bottle away from her mouth and looked at the full container of milk. She blinked, hesitating, "Is it all for me?"

"It's all yours, all yours!"

"Master is the best!"

Having received confirmation, Setsuna squinted in pure joy, latched onto the nipple, and began to gulp it down—gulp, gulp, gulp.

Sasuke lifted her from his shoulder and placed her on the ground, his gaze flickering. "I need to store something here."

"Go ahead~" Setsuna replied casually.

Immediately, two coffins were delivered into the Tailed Beast Space by a Spore Clone, appearing right beside Sasuke and Setsuna...

Coff... coff... coff... coffin?

"Pfft~" Setsuna's eyes widened, and she spat out the milk she was drinking. She then raged, "You jerk! Why would you bring two coffins in here while I'm eating!"

"Eh~ didn't I tell you?"

Looking at Sasuke's innocent expression, Setsuna felt her teeth itch. Helpless, she could only snort, "Hmph~!"

She turned her head away and quickly finished the milk in her belly—gulp, gulp, gulp.

Once the bottle was empty, she patted her stomach in satisfaction.

Turning back, she saw that Sasuke had already pried open the lids of the two coffins. Curious, she climbed onto his shoulder to look inside, then froze. "Minato Namikaze?"

She turned to look at the other one. "Kushina Uzumaki?"

She blinked, asking strangely, "Master, why are you digging up people's graves?"

Sasuke reached out and touched the two bodies, looking satisfied. "Not bad, they've been dead for over ten hours, and their bodies haven't even stiffened yet..."

Not stiffened yet?

Looking at the two, who had been prepared by a mortician and looked as if they were merely in a deep sleep, a thought occurred to Setsuna. She shuddered involuntarily and asked timidly, "Master, you... you... you... aren't planning to...?"

"What are you thinking..." Sasuke flicked Setsuna on the forehead with his index finger.

"Sss~"

"Time in the Soul Space is under my control. I just want to preserve these two bodies; they might come in handy in the future."

"Oh~" Setsuna suddenly understood.

He closed the coffin lids, and time within the space of the two coffins ceased to flow.

Using his mind, he dug two large pits, placed the coffins inside, buried them, and erected tombstones to distinguish them. The task was complete.

"Relocating the clan grounds?"

"Damn it!"

A few days later, at Naka Shrine.

Upon learning that the clan grounds were to be moved to the edge of the village, the clansmen expressed their indignation.

"When the Nine-Tails incident occurred, the higher-ups didn't arrange for us to deal with the Nine-Tails. It's obvious they were worried that our Uchiha clan would use the Sharingan to control it."

"Not only that, but now some people are even saying that it was our Uchiha clan who triggered the Nine-Tails incident!"

"Driving us to the outskirts of the village is just a way to restrict our movements!"

"Come to think of it, ever since the Second Hokage, our clan has been concentrated in the corner of the village. It's practically isolating us!"

"This time they're driving us even further away; the village is suspicious of us!"

"Clan Leader!" At this moment, a clansman looked at Fugaku Uchiha, who had been sitting with his eyes closed in silence. "We do not accept this relocation. We should lodge a strong protest with the higher-ups!"

"Clan Leader, say something!"

Fugaku Uchiha opened his eyes. "I understand your resentment, but the other ninja clans have accepted the relocation order. Our Uchiha clan cannot act alone."

"But, Clan Leader...!"

Fugaku made a gesture to stop them. "I will negotiate the specific terms with the higher-ups, but we can only accept this relocation, and we must accept it. Go and inform the others."

"That's all for today. Dismissed."

In the shadows.

My father in this life is a bit too soft... Sasuke's Spore Clone sighed.

The construction of the new clan compound was in full swing.

During this period, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, resumed his hold on power.

Several months later, the Uchiha clan moved into their new compound.

Hazuki Uchiha, who had not lived in the clan compound after marrying out, also moved back.

Of course, along with her mother, Izumi Uchiha also moved into the compound...

April, the 49th year of Konoha.

Morning.

"Lord Clan Head, Mikoto, good morning. Are you taking Itachi to school?"

"That's right, Hazuki. You're taking Izumi to school as well, I presume?"

"Yes, it's the first day of the Ninja Academy, and parents are expected to attend. It's tradition."

"Shall we walk together then?"

"Certainly."

Today was the opening day of the Ninja Academy.

On the way, they ran into Hazuki Uchiha, who was taking Izumi Uchiha to school.

After the parents exchanged greetings, they walked toward the Ninja Academy together.

"Big Sister Izumi, good morning."

Already nearly nine months old, Sasuke was now able to walk on his own and speak simple words with relatively clear pronunciation.

Not only that, but he had also displayed an eager and studious side, diligently learning to read every day and even writing some simple characters. He had become a famous prodigy within the Uchiha clan—the "other people's child" that parents often spoke of.

"Mm, Uncle, Auntie, Sasuke, Itachi-kun, good morning."

After greeting them, Izumi Uchiha took the initiative to step forward and hold Sasuke's other small hand, bending down slightly as she said:

"Starting today, I'll be attending the Ninja Academy, so I won't be able to keep you company every day. You have to be a good boy at home, okay?"

"I know." Sasuke was overjoyed to finally have some relative independence, though he couldn't exactly express it: "I'll miss you."

You only ever think about Izumi. Who is your family, anyway? Itachi Uchiha, who was holding Sasuke's other hand, puffed out his cheeks.

"Hehe, good boy." Izumi's eyes curved into crescents: "I'll have some time in the evening, so I can come see you."

"But since I'm in the Ninja Academy, I have to train hard, so I won't be able to play with you for too long."

"Mm." Sasuke nodded: "Don't worry, I'll supervise your training."

??? Supervise my training?... Izumi wrinkled her delicate nose and squeezed his small hand: "You little rascal."

Seeing this, Fugaku and Mikoto exchanged a smile and turned to Hazuki: "Hazuki, thank you so much for letting your Izumi help us look after and teach Sasuke during this time."

In their hearts, they believed that Sasuke's ability to speak and walk so early was not just due to his innate talent and diligence, but also largely thanks to Izumi Uchiha.

After all, ever since the clan relocated, it was mostly Izumi who had been responsible for looking after and teaching Sasuke.

"It is mainly because Young Master Sasuke is so bright." Glancing at her daughter whispering with Sasuke, Hazuki couldn't help but smile.

She was very gratified that Izumi was able to build a good relationship with the Clan Head's family through Sasuke.

Returning to the clan meant that, at the very least, Izumi, whose bloodline was not entirely pure, would not feel so awkward within the clan and would face fewer cold stares...