Fresh Meat

The Uchiha Clan set off on the road back to the village in grand procession. Along the way, some of the newcomers kept deliberately—or seemingly casually—asking Uchiha Yo for sparring matches. Uchiha Yo fought each of them in turn, winning more than he lost, and especially in the final few matches, he did not lose a single one. They had even forged a bit of friendship through their fights, learning little tricks from one another. By the time they reached the village gates, they looked like heroes returning in triumph.

Aside from the personnel needed for patrols, the entire Uchiha Clan had turned out, making it seem as though Konoha had won another great war. The team temporarily disbanded. One by one, the children were collected by their parents, like kindergarteners after school, and families headed back toward the clan grounds while exchanging greetings.

Handsome Uncle carefully looked his son over, feeling that he had somehow grown a lot—he seemed a little taller. Uchiha Ran kept her arms around her son, her hand tightly gripping Uchiha Yo's shoulder as if he would disappear the instant she let go. Uchiha Yo knew his family must have been worried sick this time. There would definitely be complaints once they got home. His mother would probably curse Konoha's higher-ups straight into hell and curse the Uchiha higher-ups into a pigsty.

After returning home, both Uchiha Yo and Handsome Uncle remained cautious until mealtime, afraid of provoking Uchiha Ran. After lunch, Uchiha Ran sent Handsome Uncle out to buy groceries. She wrote him a list and handed him a vegetable basket. Handsome Uncle gave Uchiha Yo a look that said, Good luck, then slunk off to buy groceries.

Watching Handsome Uncle's retreating back, Uchiha Ran said, "Your father has been a complete idiot his whole life. He really cannot change. Do not learn from him. His strength is decent, and he acts uninhibited, but his political insight is that of a baby. Others are already plotting against us, yet he is still happy about what happened this time." Uchiha Yo assumed she meant the higher-ups, so he nodded and chimed in, "Father is just straightforward by nature, but the higher-ups were rather blatant this time."

Uchiha Ran looked at her son and smiled. "So my little Yo, who makes me proud, is still a child after all. Sometimes, seeing you like this, I treat you as an adult. But in the end, you are still my little baby." Uchiha Yo blushed at her words. He seemed to sense that his mother meant something more, and looked at her expectantly.

Uchiha Ran felt it was necessary to sharpen her son's political awareness. She said, "Your teacher, Uchiha Ming, was once your uncle's teammate. You should know that. The formation of your class was proposed by the Grand Elder, and you know that as well. Your teacher accepted that mission. When accepting a mission, he would certainly have reviewed the country's intelligence, so he would have known that, whether the spy was real or not, the person was definitely in that valley. And where was that valley? In the heart of the Land of Fire. People liked to call it the Black Market. In Konoha, whenever there was something good, glorious, or righteous, the Third Hokage's shadow could be found. But whenever there was something bad or filthy, who do you think was behind it? If you sent a few pieces of fresh meat like yourselves straight to their doorstep, would they not want a bite? So tell me, what do you think you were sent there for? There were far too many Uchiha carrying out missions nearby. We are the Military Police Force; it is impossible for so many Uchiha to be assigned missions at the same time in a single year. Yet by such a coincidence, they were all near you. The moment news of your accident was released, several of Root's small outposts and every investigation team heading toward the valley came under attack. Knowing the enemy's situation so clearly, would they not know there was a problem with the valley? All I can say is that this was extremely dangerous. Our higher-ups nearly lost control of things. They probably did not expect that old dog to be so hungry, or to send so many people. Do you understand a little more now?"

Uchiha Yo listened intently, thinking as he listened. It seemed he had always overlooked this aspect. It was probably a matter of perspective—he had only kept his eyes on Konoha and had never considered that he needed to keep an eye on his own family too.

Seeing that her son had taken it in, Uchiha Ran nodded and continued, "Destroying the valley in the end was purely to disgust the higher-ups, vent our anger, and destroy one of that old dog's money bags. He has been confined and has also handed over part of his subordinates. For the next two years, he will have to quietly recover. Sly people always like to lie low. As for your compensation, it will be the usual—go ask the Third Hokage for ninjutsu. This time, he will give you the second volume. The rest is for the clan. Do you understand now, fresh meat?"