A Cup of Clear Tea for a Kindred Spirit / Uchiha Shingen Is Proper in Both Class and Life

Honestly, I don't really want to tell a story.

It's so troublesome; these people have so many questions, they just keep asking.

"Let's go inside and talk." Namikaze Minato smiled, clearly not intending to let him off the hook. "You go upstairs and wait for us."

Uchiha Shingen gave an awkward but polite smile and walked into the Hokage Building.

What happened outside was none of his concern. As for what Namikaze Minato said, he guessed it was related to Sand Village.

If he were the Kazekage, he would definitely have sent someone to contact the Cloud Village at this point.

Although Gaara's father doesn't seem very bright, he must have some common sense since he became the Kazekage.

He walked confidently to the Hokage's office, where Konoha Ninja opened the door for him. The first thing he saw was the goji berry tea on the coffee table.

It was still a terrifyingly bright red.

What's even more outrageous is that this cup of tea looks like it was prepared for him.

With a blank expression, Uchiha Shingen took a new cup, put in fresh tea leaves, and brewed himself another cup.

After a while, the office door reopened, and Namikaze Minato led the Leaf Five in.

"Huh?" Namikaze Minato looked at the untouched goji berry tea with surprise. "Shingen, why did you brew yourself another cup? This one is yours."

"Lord Hokage, I'm only twenty this year."

"Alright, you're really stubborn." Namikaze Minato picked up the goji berry tea himself; he couldn't bear to waste it.

"Shingen, tell us, how did you do that?"

Chapter Twenty-Three: A Cup of Tea for a Soulmate

In the Hokage's office, after listening to Uchiha Shingen's report, the Leaf Five all exclaimed, "How could you be so mean? We love it!"

Uchiha Shingen felt exhausted, having been bombarded with questions again.

He clearly wrote teaching materials specifically for Uchiha Fugaku.

This batch must have been slacking off and writing!

"Shingen, I have one last question," Namikaze Minato asked. "Tell me honestly, what are your thoughts on the Land of Wind and the Land of Lightning? You didn't intend to include them, did you?"

The other four pairs of eyes also glanced over.

This is the question they all want to ask.

Leaving aside the Land of Lightning, in the Land of Wind, Sand Village is still a nominal ally, and also Leaf Village's first ally.

"Of course, what would it be like if anyone, human or dog, could just walk in?" Uchiha Shingen said.

"Why not let them? Perhaps this way, peace can truly be achieved," said Utatane Koharu.

"That's impossible. If we benefit, someone else must suffer. This mechanism can't allow everyone to benefit; there must be a group of people at the bottom who will bear the greatest losses."

"The Land of Wind and the Land of Lightning are sacrificial lambs? Leaving aside the Land of Lightning, the Land of Wind is very poor."

"Poverty is relative," Uchiha Shingen explained. "The Land of Wind is a treasure trove as a source of raw materials, but it lacks manpower and capital, and does not have the capacity to develop it on its own."

"What about the Land of Lightning?"

"The Land of Lightning has no shortage of manpower, technology, or capital, but it lacks raw materials, which is perfect for us to profit from the price difference."

"He can cooperate with the Land of Wind."

"The association is backed by three villages. What good would it do if the other two cooperated?" Uchiha Shingen said. "Everyone has needs from each other. If the Land of Wind causes us to suffer losses in the Land of Lightning, then the Land of Wind will have to bear those losses. Would they be willing to do that?"

Uchiha Shingen stated his thoughts directly.

The Land of Lightning must be the one that bleeds the most.

The Kumogakure has repeatedly waged wars, partly to cultivate a powerful and stable national image for the Land of Lightning and to attract wealth from across the continent.

In the original timeline, they did a great job, which strengthened the financial resources of the Land of Lightning, and in turn, supported the Kumogakure, enabling the village to develop very well.

To fundamentally weaken the Kumogakure, the Land of Lightning must be weakened.

The most direct and straightforward way to weaken a country is, of course, to start with its financial strength.

The association has already begun its efforts, with the first round of promotional activities in the Land of Earth in full swing, and follow-up policies are being formulated.

The goal was to weaken the Land of Lightning's ability to attract investors from the mainland, preventing investment from crossing into South Gate City; this was the first major objective set by Uchiha Shingen.

Having become accustomed to the association as an investment channel, the nobles have begun to highly endorse its policies. To some extent, the various policies introduced by the association have become "opinion leaders" for the nobles in their pursuit of wealth.

The association's strength has grown day by day, and with Leaf Village, Hidden Mist Village, and Iwagakure all entering the fray, it can now finally make moves involving the entire nation.

No rush, take your time, it won't be that fast.

"Shingen, you..." Namikaze Minato amused and exasperated. He really didn't understand why Uchiha Shingen disliked Cloud Village so much.

He was starting to get a little worried. If the Cloud Village came to Leaf Village for negotiations, wouldn't the envoy get beaten up?

"Lord Hokage, Cloud Village and Iwagakure are different. We can resolve conflicts with Iwagakure through dialogue, but to achieve peace with Cloud Village, our strength must far surpass theirs."

Namikaze Minato nodded in agreement.

In his heart, the Kumogakure was also his primary hypothetical enemy.

No one in the office had any objection to this.

This isn't the first time Leaf Village has been annoyed by Cloud Village.

If Sarutobi Hiruzen hadn't been the Hokage, and had only been a Jonin, he would have wanted to give the Cloud Village a good whack.

He would never forget how the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, died.

"Shingen," Sarutobi Hiruzen reminded him, "Emotionally, I agree with your actions, but you must be careful. Your decision will affect the fate of many people."

"I am very clear about this, Lord Third," Uchiha Shingen said. "I will not make it so obvious. We will not take any action against the Land of Lightning. Our actions are simply to further increase everyone's interest in the Land of Land of Earth."

"Then there's no problem." Sarutobi Hiruzen was extremely satisfied. "We still trust your ability to do bad things."

Uchiha Shingen looked at Uchiha Fugaku, hoping that his clan leader could clarify things here.

Then, don't be too convinced by Uchiha Fugaku's expression.

"Can I go back now?" He didn't want to talk to the old men anymore; he wanted to go home.

"Okay, go ahead, go ahead." Namikaze Minato grinned. "Now that you're back, Naruto, how about you continue to help me out?"

"Don't worry, my Lord Hokage," Uchiha Shingen sighed. "I also need to check on the progress of those kids. I'll skip today and start checking tomorrow."

"Hahaha, that's good, that's good, I'm counting on you." Namikaze Minato laughed heartily, feeling very pleased.

It's really great to get a "Kage Level" tutor for free.

"Yes, Sasuke too. You should teach him properly; you're his older brother after all," Uchiha Fugaku added.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stroked his pipe, thinking that Konohamaru could still be raised by himself before he enrolled in the academy; he had plenty of time now.

But we'll wait until my grandson graduates...

Uchiha Shingen ignored these freeloaders and left.

Back home, I took a long, refreshing shower, then went to the Police Force to find Tekka and the others, arranged our activities for the evening, and then went back to rest.

He slept until nightfall, then got up comfortably, dressed, and set off on his journey.

When he entered the area with the best street view in the commercial street, he was immediately treated as the center of attention.

Unfortunately, this master craftsman hasn't come to inspect the place in a long time.

Everyone was very anxious, to the point that they began to doubt their own abilities. In addition, there had been a lot of fighting in the past two years, business was not good, and there was a lot of infighting.

New and innovative designs are introduced every day.

Uchiha Shingen didn't think that much about it; he simply wanted to have a drink and relax. With so much going on, he was exhausted.

He hasn't practiced Yin Release for many nights.

That won't do. One cannot be complacent. He seems very powerful now only because the gods haven't appeared yet.

Just thinking about the three-eyed girl on the moon filled him with enthusiasm for cultivation.

Tonight, the bright moon hangs high in the sky.

Seeing Uchiha Tekka and Uchiha Inabi bickering as usual at the entrance of the izakaya, while Uchiha Yakumi and Uchiha Yashiro looked at their two younger brothers with loving eyes, this familiar scene warmed Uchiha Shingen's heart.

This is the taste of home.

In this simple teahouse, in Uchiha Tekka, Uchiha Shingen saw not only this simpleton's deep affection for tea, but also his love and dedication to preserving traditional tea art.

As the saying goes, "A half-walled mountain retreat awaits the bright moon, a cup of clear tea is offered to a kindred spirit."

The full moon symbolizes family reunion. Holding a cup of warm, fragrant tea, surrounded by the aroma, listening to the melodious sounds of traditional instruments, and watching the dappled moonlight on the ground, is a truly delightful experience.

Chapter Twenty-Four Uchiha Shingen was very serious in both class and daily life.

Boom!

Early in the morning, a loud bang echoed from the Uchiha Training Ground, just like any other day.

The Uchiha Clan living near the training grounds got up and washed up as usual, feeling quite at ease.

I'm not lying, it's been ten years, and everyone thinks it works much better than an alarm clock.

Uchiha Shingen's training was truly punctual, starting and ending on time. He was also incredibly considerate, giving everyone a shout-out at the end, which happened to be exactly 7:30, to wake them up for work.

It was only after the outbreak of the Third Shinobi World War that he went out more often, and the clansmen started using alarm clocks again after a long time, but the effect was not good.

The Shingen brand alarm clock is still the most reliable. Everyone feels that the family situation is very good just by hearing it. It is extremely refreshing and makes people feel different when they get up, full of energy.

With Uchiha Shingen at home, no one in this neighborhood will be late for work.

When Uchiha Shingen came out of the training ground, some of his clansmen had already left. After exchanging greetings, Uchiha Shingen went home to take a shower before heading to Sakurako's house.

He brought test strips to Chakra today.

Generally, one's innate Chakra nature is tested only after reaching the Chunin stage after becoming a ninja. However, these kids are not ordinary people, so testing them earlier won't cause any problems.

When I arrived at Sakurako's house, I knocked on the door and heard footsteps pattering inside.

The door opened quickly, and Sakurako, still in her pajamas, had rosy cheeks and was breathing a little rapidly.

You can tell she's been busy all morning.

This older sister is just as good as a mother.

"Haku, you haven't been causing any trouble these past few days, have you?" Uchiha Shingen squatted down, looking at Haku whose eyes were somewhat evasive, and teased him.

This guy's got a serious liver problem; if you're not careful, he'll have to have his liver opened.

If it weren't for Uchiha Shingen setting a fixed time for him, with 24 hours in a day, he could work for 20 hours straight.

When people say "touch fish," they mean they're doing it while practicing spiritual cultivation. But "touch fish for fun" means they're doing it while resting and practicing spiritual cultivation.

With Uchiha Shingen away these days, he's probably been slacking off on his training again.

As his mentor, Uchiha Shingen could actually understand the situation quite well. There was a time when he, too, was filled with a sense of crisis and worked incredibly hard.

Now he doesn't work as hard; he only works eight hours a day.

But Bai didn't have as much experience as him and couldn't grasp it perfectly, which is why he kept watching closely.

"You little rascal." Reaching out to rub Bai's head, Uchiha Shingen stood up and said to Sakurako, "Don't worry too much about him, I'll take good care of him. You should also take care of yourself and make sure you get enough rest."

"Okay..." Sakurako was extremely shy. She had gotten up in a hurry today, and her pajamas were a bit see-through, with her underwear barely visible. She shouldn't have opened the door wearing that.

Opening the door like that is too dangerous; it would be bad if there were any men other than Uchiha Shingen there.

She's very traditional; she's fine with being completely naked at home, but she dresses very modestly in public.

I couldn't help but glance at Uchiha Shingen's pants...

Sakurako pouted, somewhat disappointed.

He was quite energetic when he was in Kirigakure.

This outfit is no good, I'm not wearing it again!

"Alright, go inside now. You're wearing so little; you'll catch a cold."

Uchiha Shingen pulled Haku up and said to Sakurako.