Fugaku's Memories

Watching his clansmen being dismissed, Fugaku rubbed his temples and looked toward his two sons, who were being held one on each side by Mikoto.

"Itachi, Yu, if you have nothing else to do, go to sleep! It's getting late."

Yu nodded, pulled his hand away from Itachi's, and left his mother's embrace, heading upstairs under Mikoto's reluctant gaze.

Reaching his doorway, Yu looked at the still-obedient Itachi and turned his head toward his younger brother. "Itachi, do you want to sleep with your big brother tonight?"

Itachi thought for a moment and nodded without hesitation; the two brothers had slept together since they were small, and it had only been in the last year or so that they had been given separate rooms.

At night, the two brothers lay quietly in bed. Moonlight filtered through the gap in the window, casting a mysterious veil over the room.

Neither brother felt particularly sleepy.

One had no real need for sleep, while the other's heart was filled with heavy thoughts.

"Itachi, do you have any dreams for when you grow up?" Yu asked softly.

Itachi remained silent for a while before answering, "Brother, I want the village to remain at peace forever."

Peace, huh? What a heavy topic, Yu thought indifferently.

"Itachi, if one day you had to choose between the clan and the village, what would you do?" Yu still asked the question he desperately wanted the answer to.

Itachi furrowed his small brow. "Brother, can't the village and the clan live together in peace?"

"I'm just speaking hypothetically; I didn't say it would definitely happen," Yu replied helplessly.

"I would stop both sides, Brother!" Itachi answered firmly.

Yu breathed a slight sigh of relief. It seems the weight of the clan and the village is still equal in Itachi's heart for now.

"Haha! What kind of ability does a little brat like you have to make such big claims? Go to sleep. Peace is far from something children like us should worry about. Graduate from the Ninja Academy first."

Having said that, Yu closed his eyes and fell asleep instantly. Truth be told, he hadn't truly slept in over a year.

"Itachi, I hope you have a good dream tonight."

Although he wanted to refute his brother's previous words, seeing that Yu had closed his eyes, Itachi held back.

"Mm! Goodnight, Brother." With that, Itachi also closed his eyes.

The next day, Yu woke up just as the sky was turning bright. The feeling of falling asleep again was nowhere near as refreshing as his meditative practice, and his head felt a bit groggy.

Cultivation is truly the only path to happiness, Yu thought to himself.

Glancing at Itachi, who was still sleeping peacefully beside him, Yu didn't disturb him and crept downstairs.

Yu saw his mother already busy in the kitchen. After wishing her a good morning, he hurried toward the backyard.

By the time Mikoto heard the sound and turned around, he was already gone.

"This child..." Mikoto shook her head helplessly.

Arriving at a remote corner of the backyard, he saw four square plots of land that had been plowed, bordered by wooden fences.

This was where Yu grew his precious medicinal herbs. Ever since he awakened his four auxiliary professions, he had placed great importance on them.

Artifact Refining and Alchemy both required precious materials, so when he was younger, Yu had no way to improve his progress in these two areas through training.

However, Formation Technique and Planting Technique were different. The former could be set up using Cinnabar and Yellow Talismans as long as one continuously practiced various seals.

As for the latter, Yu gained experience from everything he planted, so he had developed a hobby of farming from a young age.

It had to be said that as the Clan Head of the Uchiha, Fugaku had a large enough backyard. Aside from the Training Ground, there was still plenty of empty space.

The four plots, totaling forty to fifty acres, were almost entirely filled with flowers and herbs Yu had dug up from the wild over the years.

Of course, these plants weren't dug up randomly; each possessed a trace of unique medicinal properties.

According to the Hundred Herbs Appraisal Canon provided by the Planting Technique, Yu could clearly distinguish the functions and medicinal properties of each plant.

It was just that the medicinal properties of the herbs in the Shinobi World were far too low. He had to cultivate them bit by bit using spiritual energy to deepen their origin power before they could potentially become materials for refining elixirs.

Entering the garden, Yu first checked to see if the Spirit Gathering Formation he had set up with talismans had been damaged by insects or ants. After a thorough inspection, he found all the seals intact and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Setting up formations was a very time-consuming task.

The Spirit Gathering Formation currently set up with talismans was quite fragile, especially prone to being damaged by insects compared to those made with spirit stones.

Among his basic-level formations, he lacked any that could repel insects or contained lethal intent.

Thus, checking the integrity of the formations daily had become a routine. Yu looked at the vibrant, flourishing flowers and herbs, and his mood improved significantly. In another while, these plants would be ready for alchemy!

Although they would only be basic elixirs, they were important trump cards for self-preservation, given his current lack of spiritual energy.

Yu carefully loosened the soil in his small fields according to the needs of each plant, occasionally using the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique from his Water Release to irrigate them and nourish their roots.

Every movement was filled with focus and seriousness. What he didn't know was that Fugaku was standing quietly by the window, watching his every move.

"When did my son start having this hobby?" Fugaku couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

"I remember it was when he was three... He still clearly remembered that when he had just finished work and returned home, his eldest son had held a weed from the roadside, opened his arms to him, asked for a hug, and then, while he was laughing happily, said in a milky voice that he wanted to farm in the backyard."

"At the time, he had looked at his wife in confusion, only to find Mikoto wearing an equally helpless expression."

"His subconscious reaction was to refuse, but when he saw his son's pleading eyes, he agreed without hesitation and even rubbed his beard against his small face."

"It seemed they weren't unable to be close from the start; when he was small, every time he picked Yu up, the boy would grin from ear to ear."

It was only later, when he turned four and began ninja training, that this relationship slowly started to drift apart.

Itachi was hardworking; he did exactly as he was told. Yu, however, was very mischievous. Aside from basic training, the little boy seemed to have an endless list of other things to do.

This lack of effort and his perfunctory attitude toward being a ninja were the reasons for Fugaku's change in heart.

Whenever he scolded Yu for this attitude, the boy would talk back. Sometimes, Fugaku couldn't even win an argument against a four-year-old child; Yu always had a mountain of twisted logic.

At that time, he felt both helpless and disappointed. He wanted to act like a stern father and forcibly destroy all those distractions, but whenever he thought about the consequences—that it might break the child's heart—he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Gradually, the father and son grew silent. In daily life, he could only pretend to be a man of few words, a father brimming with authority.

Later, as Itachi's performance became increasingly outstanding, Fugaku slowly began to let go. After all, who could guarantee that every child they fathered would be so exceptional?

He began to turn a blind eye to Yu's unproductive hobbies.

There was even a moment when he thought it might be a good thing that his eldest son lacked talent as a ninja; after all, the profession was too oppressive and painful. If the little guy hadn't stopped him from taking Itachi to the battlefield that day, he likely would have remained in the dark...

"Fugaku! What are you thinking about?" Mikoto walked up behind him at that moment, gently embracing him as she asked.

"It's nothing! Mikoto, you've worked hard." Fugaku snapped out of his thoughts and took hold of the hand Mikoto had placed on his waist.

"What hard work? I'm sure you were caught between a rock and a hard place at the clan meeting today," Mikoto replied understandingly.

"There's no helping it. The village is pushing us too hard, and it's only natural for the clansmen to be angry. If only the Fourth Hokage were still here!" Fugaku sighed, his brow furrowed.

"I wonder how Kushina's child is doing. He lost his parents when he was so young; I don't know if he's living well now," Mikoto asked with a hint of sorrow.

"After all, he is the child of her dearest friend!"

"Sigh!" Fugaku did not answer his wife's question directly, instead letting out a deep sigh.

As the head of the Military Police Force, he naturally knew about Naruto's situation, but what could he do? The village currently guarded against the Uchiha as if they were enemies.

"I hope Yu and Itachi can grow up quickly! With their talent, they will surely be able to change the current state of the village."

After speaking, the couple watched quietly as Yu busied himself in the backyard, both of their faces showing expressions of gratification.

"It's time to call the children for dinner!" After a long while, seeing that Yu was about to finish his work, Mikoto spoke softly.

Fugaku nodded and walked toward a patch of woods outside the house; he knew that Itachi should be training in secret at this hour.