New Year at Naka Shrine

The night of the handover.

Uchiha Yan successfully brought the two specimens into the tree hollow.

Inside, she unexpectedly found something Toji had left for her.

A scroll containing one million ryo in cash, along with a new order instructing her to establish a long-term base in the Land of Rice Fields.

Uchiha Yan cursed under her breath. "He really knows how to boss people around."

Curse him as she might, she happily put the money away.

With this money, she could afford far more alcohol and meat, raising her quality of life by an entire level. The Land of Rice Fields was in chaos, and prices were outrageously high.

Uchiha Yan turned to leave. Once she reached the tree trunk, she stopped as if possessed and looked back deeply.

In that direction stood Naka Shrine.

Her roots. Her homeland.

"Tomorrow is New Year's."

"One day, I'll come back..."

She would gain power surpassing Uchiha Chiri's, then return to Naka Shrine in glory. She would beat that woman to her knees and make every clansman understand—

She was right. Uchiha Chiri was wrong.

An Uchiha willing to bow before the Senju was no different from a tamed beast, destined to become nothing more than an ordinary house pet!

Konoha Year 7, January 1st.

Another peaceful year had passed. As in previous years, the villagers took to the streets to celebrate.

For once in a long while, Toji did not have to go to the hospital for work.

Last night's handover had gone smoothly. The two new test subjects had been locked in the underground laboratory and now lay quietly on the operating tables.

Uchiha Yan was efficient. On the second handover, she had already brought him Chunin specimens. Higher-quality specimens naturally held greater experimental value.

Seven in the morning.

His biological clock woke Toji right on time.

He changed into casual clothes, took the dust he had collected while clearing away yesterday's experimental remains, and headed to the clan garden to fertilize the plants and tidy up the courtyard.

Before he could begin, he heard movement from the front gate.

Toji walked over and opened it.

Uchiha Chiri and Uchiha Ayano had come to visit together, dressed in fine New Year attire.

"Toji."

"Lord Toji."

"Happy New Year, Chiri, Ayano." Toji greeted them warmly. "You came so early. Is something the matter?"

Uchiha Chiri said, "I thought that as the only member of the Zenin Clan, you might like an invitation to visit the Uchiha Clan. Everyone in the clan still remembers what you did for us last year."

New Year visits?

Toji froze for a moment, not expecting her to come for something like this.

He had originally planned to spend the entire day in the laboratory...

But on second thought, taking a day to relax on such an important holiday did not seem so bad.

This was the only bond he still maintained across both his past and present lives.

"Alright."

Toji agreed readily. "But I need to clean up the clan grounds and tend to the plants in the courtyard first. Sorry for the trouble, but please wait a moment."

"We'll help you."

The three of them headed toward the Zenin garden together.

Uchiha Ayano thoughtfully withdrew to a distance, quietly leaving space for her superiors.

With her hands behind her back, Chiri strolled through the snow-covered bamboo grove. "What an elegant bamboo forest. I didn't expect you to enjoy tending plants, Toji."

"I'm not a machine that only knows how to work." Toji straightened up and slowly scattered the dust made from corpses over the ground. "I'm more surprised that the Ninja Academy's principal and the Uchiha Clan's leader would lower herself to help me with this."

"I'm a ninja, but I'm also an ordinary villager. Don't think of me as so lofty. My cooking isn't bad either... Speaking of which, what is this powder?"

Chiri looked at the grayish-yellow dust in Toji's hand.

"It's a specially prepared plant nutrient powder. It helps flowers and grass grow better."

Toji explained softly without changing expression.

The plants would indeed grow ever more luxuriant, simply because countless corpses lay buried beneath their roots.

The bamboo grove was tranquil, with flowers and trees arranged in pleasing layers.

Within this silence, Uchiha Chiri's state of mind gradually calmed.

She unconsciously raised a hand to cover her right eye.

"Does it hurt?"

"No..." Chiri shook her head. "My ocular power seems to have grown stronger."

"..."

Toji was speechless for a moment.

He had painstakingly researched the Sharingan and used scientific methods to improve Uchiha Yan's ocular power. Yet it was nowhere near as effective as Uchiha Chiri casually taking a walk through the garden.

In this world, the gap created by bloodline and talent was truly suffocating.

"Well, congratulations. Your strength has improved again. But I still stand by what I said before..."

"Remember to come to me for regular checkups. You can't be careless. As long as you possess those eyes, the risk of Bloodline Disease will always remain."

Toji brought it up himself.

He desperately desired the Mangekyō Sharingan, yet he could not openly reveal his intention to study it. Regular checkups were the most reasonable excuse, and the least likely to arouse suspicion.

"Thank you. Then I'll be relying on you from now on."

Half an hour later.

After tending to the flowers and plants, Toji followed Chiri to the Uchiha clan grounds.

The three first arrived at Naka Shrine.

On such an important day as New Year's, it naturally became a place for the Uchiha to gather and pay their respects.

The deadly battle before the shrine last year still seemed vivid in memory.

Yet this year, none of that atmosphere remained. Everything was peaceful.

Many things had happened over the past year, and time had gradually proven that the Ninja Academy was not a Senju Clan conspiracy. Hashirama Senju had not targeted the Uchiha because Madara Uchiha had left. He had truly treated everyone equally.

The Uchiha children had indeed received excellent teaching and growth at the academy.

That night a year ago, the bloodshed had been meaningless.

"Lord Toji!"

"Clan leader!"

Hearing herself called clan leader, Toji was somewhat surprised. "You became the official clan leader?"

"Yes. I became one at midnight this morning." Chiri answered lightly, but the slight curve of her lips gave away her feelings.

"Congratulations."

Then some mischievous brat suddenly squeezed through the crowd and shouted:

"Lord Toji, when are you gonna marry the clan leader?!"

A nearby clansman hurriedly pulled the child away and offered an embarrassed smile. "Lady Chiri, Lord Toji, Kagami is young and doesn't know any better. He was just talking nonsense, so please don't take it to heart."

"Heh heh..."

Toji raised his eyes toward the mischievous child.

The boy's black hair was fluffy without being messy, and his disposition was sunny and cheerful. Among the Uchiha, he was a rare exception.

"That's Kagami Uchiha."

Chiri introduced him from the side. "He's the most talented youth of our Uchiha generation. His talent for genjutsu is especially exceptional, even stronger than mine was back then. I plan to take him as my disciple after he graduates."

"Kagami, come over and greet Lord Toji!"

Uchiha Ayano waved and called out from the side.

The young Kagami Uchiha quickly walked up to Toji and bowed respectfully.

"Lord Toji!"

Toji gave a slight nod and praised him.

"Kagami, is it? This kid is promising..."

"He has the makings of a Hokage."