Chapter 5

"Just thinking."

Yan felt a little helpless and gave a casual reply.

Teenage Mikoto Uchiha was way too lively, wasn't she?

Mikoto Uchiha looked at the boy before her. Not only was she not angry, she smiled and said, "I received the medicinal bath packets. I've used one, and the effects are pretty good. Thanks, Yan!"

"This way, I'll be able to increase my strength much faster."

She was thirteen this year. Foundation Building was indeed less effective than it would have been when she was younger, but it still wasn't too bad.

"Oh?"

After hearing this, Uchiha Yan nodded and grinned. "You've already used one? As long as it works."

"However, this stuff works best for children under ten. The effects might be slightly weaker for you, Sister Mikoto."

"I happen to be thinking of making a new formula for my brother, one suited for people your age. Make do with this for a couple of days first. Once I've finished it, I'll have my dad send you a batch."

He already had a plan in mind.

He had accumulated plenty of knowledge lately, and his comprehension wasn't bad either. Creating another formula wouldn't be difficult at all.

"Hm?"

Mikoto Uchiha's eyes immediately lit up when she heard this. "Really? That's wonderful! Yan, you're the best! This way, I'll be able to raise my strength even faster!"

"Don't mention it."

Uchiha Yan waved his hand, then asked curiously, "But Sister Mikoto, seeing how eager you are to become stronger, is something going on?"

In just a few sentences, she had mentioned it twice. It was hard for him not to notice.

Mikoto Uchiha's good mood vanished at once. Her expression became somewhat complicated, and she nodded lightly. "Yeah... Only when I'm strong enough can I truly make my own decisions."

"Make your own decisions?"

Uchiha Yan furrowed his brows.

It seemed there was more to this than he knew.

However, he didn't press Mikoto any further.

She hadn't said it outright, which clearly meant she didn't want to talk about it. He could just ask his parents about it later.

But what trouble could teenage Mikoto Uchiha have that was so difficult to mention?

"Could it be because of her marriage?"

A thought surfaced in Uchiha Yan's mind.

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

Come to think of it, Mikoto was the Third Elder's granddaughter. Perhaps Uchiha Tianrong had already been trying to match Fugaku and Mikoto, hoping for his son Fugaku to marry her and win the support of the Third Elder's faction?

A few days later, Yan asked his father about Mikoto.

Sure enough, it was just as he had guessed. The clan leader, Uchiha Tianrong, had been working hard lately to arrange a marriage between Fugaku and Mikoto.

However, neither Mikoto herself nor the Third Elder had agreed.

The Third Elder felt that Mikoto was still young. Besides, it was uncertain whether Fugaku would be able to smoothly succeed him as clan leader in the future, so he wanted to wait a few more years and see how things developed.

During this period, the clan leader even brought Fugaku to Yan's home so the two of them could meet.

Over the following days, Fugaku came to Yan's house every few days to chat with him.

Yan was extremely annoyed, but he couldn't bring himself to throw Fugaku out directly. He could only endure it.

Ten days later.

After organizing the medicinal formulas in his head, Yan smiled and copied all three formulas onto scrolls.

The two body-tempering medicinal baths were, in simple terms, meant to strengthen the bodies of people of different ages. The adolescent version was for those under eighteen, while the adult version was for people between eighteen and fifty. After soaking in them, one's muscles and bones would become sturdier, and one's physique would grow stronger and healthier.

The remaining Nourishing Medicinal Bath was specially prepared for the elderly. People over fifty usually had some old injuries and hidden ailments. Soaking in this could gradually restore them, replenish their vitality, and make their bodies feel lighter. Living a few extra years would be no problem.

At dinner, Yan handed the three formulas to his parents.

"Dad, Mom, take these. The effects are written clearly on them. The adolescent version is for Big Brother and Sister Mikoto. You two can use the adult version yourselves, once every three days. Send one copy of the nourishing version to the Third Elder and the Third Elder first, then submit the formula to the clan later."

Uchiha Senichi and Meixin were both stunned.

"You finished them this quickly?"

Senichi took the formulas and carefully examined them together with Meixin.

After reading them, Meixin nodded. "I looked them over. There's nothing wrong with them."

She smiled and reached out to rub Yan's head. "Little Yan is truly amazing."

Uchiha Hao sat nearby, his eyes fixed on the few medicinal formulas. Root had him completely transfixed. He was extremely excited inside. With these things, he would be able to become stronger much faster. In the future, he would definitely protect his little brother properly.

After reading the formulas, Senichi looked puzzled. He stared at his younger son and asked, "Son, why did you only say to submit the nourishing formula to the clan? Aren't you submitting the other two?"

Meixin immediately glared at him. "What are you talking about? Of course we can't submit everything. Little Yan has already contributed enough to the clan. Our family has to keep some resources for ourselves, right? What good would we get from handing everything over?"

She paused, then lowered her voice. "Little Yan has been attracting too much attention in the village lately. People keep going on about how monstrously talented he is. I'm happy to hear it, but I'm also worried. Too much of a good thing is bad, understand? The village's higher-ups already don't look kindly upon our Uchiha clan. We can't let him stand out any more."

"Uh..."

Uchiha Senichi's face immediately fell. He spread his hands helplessly. "Wife, I was just asking casually. I didn't even say much!"

"I was only thinking that we should make some contribution to the clan and help everyone become stronger!"

But now that he thought about it, his son really couldn't attract any more attention lately. If they didn't submit the formulas, then so be it.

"Hmph!"

Uchiha Meixin sneered and rolled her eyes at him. "Is our Uchiha Clan really that weak right now? Do we have to rely on these two formulas from Little Yan to rise up?"

"Are you blind? The clan leader has been paving the way for Fugaku these past few years. It's obvious he wants Fugaku to take over. Do you believe that if Little Yan shows his talent again, that old bastard will start plotting against him—and against our family?"

The Uchiha Clan was united as one from the outside, but once power was involved, nobody hesitated to turn against the others when the time came.

If Little Yan weren't only a little over one year old, Uchiha Tianrong would have already viewed him as an obstacle to Fugaku's rise.

"This..."

Uchiha Senichi's gaze sharpened. He knitted his brows and asked his wife in a low voice, "Did you hear some kind of rumor?"

Uchiha Meixin rolled her eyes at him. "Do you need to hear rumors about something like this? Is what you have on your neck a head or a decoration?"

"In any case, do as Little Yan said. Submit one more copy of the Nourishing Medicinal Bath formula to the clan, and that's enough."

"You're already so old, yet you don't see things as clearly as a one-year-old child. I think you should read more books in the future. Don't keep acting so careless and thoughtless. What kind of image is that?"

Uchiha Senichi: "..."

Couldn't you leave me a little dignity in front of the children?

That night, Uchiha Senichi visited the Third Elder's and the First Elder's homes in succession. He delivered the Nourishing Medicinal Bath formula, along with a copy of the adolescent Body-Tempering Medicinal Bath formula, drawing the two families even closer.

"Little Yan really is a monster! He's already come up with an even better formula so quickly. It seems giving him all the clan's medical books was the right decision."

The Third Elder held the two formulas and grinned from ear to ear.

"Heh heh!"

Uchiha Senichi replied with a grin, "Uncle Qiuye, you make him sound far too amazing. This child only has a little talent."

"Stop being modest with me!"

The Third Elder waved his hand. "Good is good. You don't need to hide it from me. He's my grandnephew, after all, isn't he?"

"Thank Little Yan for me. At this week's clan meeting, I'll make sure his contributions are officially recognized. Besides, I'll find a way to get him more medical books."

"I'd like to see how far this boy can go in the future."

He was looking forward to it.

"By the way! What do you think about the position of clan leader? And what about that boy Fugaku?"

The Third Elder suddenly changed the subject.