Chapter 4

Ninjutsu was something he could not touch for now. Even if he got his hands on it, he could only stare blankly and mull it over in his head. There was no way he could actually train in it.

The Third Elder raised his brows, surprise and appreciation showing in his eyes. "You really are something, kid! You've already achieved such impressive results, yet you can still remain calm and composed. That's truly rare!"

"You want to read books? Grandpa approves. Even if you hadn't brought it up, given your skill in medicine, those books should have been made available to you anyway."

The Third Elder waved his hand, his tone turning solemn. "So that doesn't count. Think of something else and speak boldly."

This was the clan's precious treasure.

He sincerely wanted to give him more.

Perhaps the future of the Uchiha Clan would rest on Yan's shoulders.

The Third Elder knew the clan's current situation all too well. The Uchiha desperately needed a great talent capable of influencing the clan—or even the entire village.

Uchiha Yan pondered for a moment before speaking. "Then give me some of the clan's taijutsu scrolls, too. I'm interested in those as well."

The medicinal bath was already on the right track. Next, he planned to study ways to temper the body.

The Third Elder glanced at the scroll and was somewhat surprised. "You want to learn taijutsu?"

This kid was only a little over a year old, yet his ambitions were far from small.

But thinking about it, someone who could develop a medicinal-bath formula could hardly be judged by the standards of ordinary children.

The Third Elder did not hesitate and made the decision immediately. "All right! I'll have someone deliver all the books you mentioned later."

He vaguely felt that Uchiha Yan would probably cause an even greater stir in the future.

He was a genius, after all. Geniuses had to be nurtured with methods meant for geniuses.

The Third Elder added, "Once the clan meeting is held and your contributions are confirmed, your treatment within the clan can be raised another level."

"The clan has never been stingy with promising talents. You can rest assured about that."

The Uchiha Clan had always kept others at bay because of this system of clearly defined rewards and punishments.

Suppressing their own geniuses? They would never do something so disgraceful.

Uchiha Yan smiled and nodded.

As for his treatment, he actually did not care much about it.

His father was the deputy captain of the Konoha Military Police Force, and his family was not short of money.

That very afternoon, the Third Elder gathered the clan members at South Kaga Shrine and publicly announced that Uchiha Yan had developed the Medicinal Bath Formula.

The people below exploded into an uproar as soon as they heard.

Some believed it, while others did not.

"What? Did I hear that wrong? Isn't that the little brat from Captain Qianyi's family? He's only a little over a year old. How could he develop something like this?"

"Exactly. Could there have been some mistake?"

"Heh, it's not impossible. Qianyi's younger son could walk at three months and recognize characters and speak at half a year old. If he managed to pull this off, I'd say it's perfectly normal."

"The Third Elder specifically brought it up at the clan meeting. How could it be fake? What is there to doubt?"

"That's right."

Once the formula was tested, everyone fell silent.

Clan Head Uchiha Tianrong looked around before making the final decision. "The Foundation-Building Medicinal Bath Formula developed by Uchiha Yan has made a considerable contribution to the clan. In addition to everything the Third Elder promised, his resource allocation will be raised to the highest level from now on."

"Furthermore, he will no longer be restricted from reading any secret arts or ninjutsu below S-rank in the clan. What do you all think?"

The appearance of this formula was indeed a tremendous boon, and it would be of great use to the entire Uchiha Clan. No one could find fault with the rewards that should be given.

Not to mention, this was the perfect opportunity to win over Uchiha Qianyi and his faction.

Tian Rong was growing older, and his health deteriorated with every passing year. Over the past few years, he had already begun paving the way for his son Fugaku, hoping that the boy could take charge as soon as possible.

That way, he could smoothly inherit the position of clan head from him in the future.

Therefore, it was absolutely right to build a good relationship in advance with Qianyi, the deputy captain of the Uchiha Police Force, and Qiuye, the Third Elder.

In Tian Rong's eyes, Uchiha Yan was far too young. No matter how extraordinary his talent was, he had no chance of competing with his son for the position of clan head.

By the time Yan truly matured, his son Fugaku would already have firmly established himself as clan head.

At that point, no matter how impressive Uchiha Yan became, replacing Fugaku would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Of course, to guard against the unexpected, Tian Rong planned to continue winning over the various factions within the clan over the next few years and completely solidify Fugaku's right to inherit the position.

He even began scheming inwardly. Uchiha Yan is exceptionally gifted. Perhaps I can have Fugaku spend more time with him from a young age. If they develop a bond early on, it will be easier for him to become my son's right-hand man in the future.

"We have no objections!"

"He deserves it! There's nothing wrong with that!"

"Haha! With this kind of support, Yan will definitely become another genius powerhouse of our Uchiha Clan!"

"Exactly!"

"Once he grows up, our strength will become even greater. Let's see how Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, and those Konoha higher-ups dare to suppress us then!"

"That's right! The Second Hokage's disciples have gone too far these past few years. We can't keep enduring this any longer..."

The moment the conversation turned to the Third Hokage and Danzo's group, everyone's focus shifted.

Every Three-Tomoe Sharingan Uchiha among the clan's upper and middle ranks wore an expression of indignation.

At Uchiha Yan's home.

Uchiha Senichi put down the last batch of Sealing Scrolls and reminded his younger son, "Here you go, son! The clan's medical books and taijutsu scrolls are all here. The Third Elder specifically had someone copy them out for you again. Don't let him down. He thinks very highly of you, hehe!"

Judging by his glowing face, his mood was clearly excellent.

Uchiha Senichi felt incredibly proud at that moment. Those who had once been at odds with him now had to squeeze out a smile whenever they saw him. Who could blame them? His younger son had done the family proud by developing the Medicinal Bath Formula. Even the conflicts between the various factions within the Police Force had eased considerably, all because the formula was tremendously useful for the clan's younger generation.

"All right, all right, Dad. Go on and get busy."

Yan glanced up at his father and casually tossed out the words before lowering his head and flipping through the medical book in his hands. His father was good in every way except that he was too long-winded. Whenever something happened, he practically wanted to shout it so loudly that the entire clan would know.

Uchiha Senichi froze where he stood, feeling somewhat hurt. Does this kid find me annoying now? His younger son was good in every way, but he was far too mature. He was nowhere near as soft and adorable as he had been right after birth. But since Yan had spoken, he could only turn away gloomily and roar at his dazed elder son, Uchiha Hao, "Why are you still standing there? Didn't you hear your little brother wants some peace and quiet? Get out!"

With that, he walked out first.

Uchiha Hao: "..."

Right. Love really can disappear, huh? As his older brother, my standing keeps getting lower and lower.

"Oh, right."

Yan suddenly raised his head again and called after his father and brother. "Dad, switch the medicinal baths for my brother and me to the new formula I developed first. We can change them again once I come up with something better. If there's any left over, send a portion to Big Sister Mikoto, too."

Over the past year or so, Uchiha Mikoto had come to visit him every few days and had treated him exceptionally well. Naturally, Yan had not forgotten her.

"Sure, leave it to me!"

Uchiha Senichi nodded in agreement and turned to leave.

Yan watched the direction in which his father and brother had gone and began calculating. Big Brother is already fifteen. It's actually a little late for Foundation Building, so I'll have to develop a medicinal bath suited to his current stage. The same goes for Mom and Dad. I can't only look after the younger ones; I need to make arrangements for the older ones, too.

He made up his mind. Since he intended to cultivate his entire family into his backers, he naturally had to put in more effort. Chakra reserves and physical attributes determined the upper limit of a ninja's strength. Medicinal baths were incredibly effective for both.

The next day, just as dawn broke.

Uchiha Mikoto excitedly ran to Yan's home.

"Little Yan! It's been so long since I last saw you. Did you miss Big Sister?"

As soon as she entered, she scooped Yan into her arms, planted a loud kiss on his cheek, and asked with a bright smile.