Uchiha Ling hurried to his second brother's house, eager to ask for more living expenses.
Bone density and a talent for building muscle weren't enough. His body also needed proper nutrition.
Even the strongest ninja couldn't live on sunlight. He had to eat well to grow strong.
People said studying was for the poor and martial training for the rich. In the ninja world, that was truer than ever.
Why were ninja from the clans so strong? Their clans owned vast businesses and paid generous allowances. Every child could eat enough to build a sturdy body, putting them a step ahead of civilian ninja on average.
The Sarutobi Clan had its Explosive Tag business, the Nara Clan its medicinal-herb business, the Akimichi Clan its restaurants, and the Hyuga Clan its trade with the nobility. The Uchiha Clan had fines collected by the Military Police Force.
Why did the picture change so much when it got to the Uchiha Clan?
"Second Brother, I think I'm having a growth spurt. I'm hungry all the time. Could you give me another 2,000 ryō a month?"
Uchiha Ling's living expenses came from three sources: 4,000 ryō a month in compensation for his parents' deaths, 6,000 ryō a month from the Uchiha Clan, and 4,000 ryō a month from his second brother, who had promised to support him until he became a Genin.
With help from his clan and his second brother, he lived in luxury by the standards of Leaf Orphans.
But even that struggled to keep up with Uchiha Ling's appetite for meat.
Damn Konoha. Never mind its other sins—the prices alone were enough to drive anyone mad.
A bowl of plain ramen cost 60 ryō. Meat ramen cost 120, while ramen with meatballs made from scraps cost 90.
Food alone cost around 5,000 ryō a month. If he'd had only the village's compensation to live on, he would often have gone hungry.
As for meat, an Orphan could forget it. Konoha's compensation wasn't meant to let Orphans eat meat.
The Uchiha Clan's 6,000 ryō made the difference. It let Uchiha Ling have a little meat every day.
Thank goodness for the clan. Whatever its faults, it was his shelter. It absolutely could not be wiped out.
At Uchiha Ling's request, Uchiha Jing reached over and squeezed his shoulder.
"You're right. Those bones of yours are digging into my hand. All right, starting this month, I'll give you 6,000 ryō. I'll go get the money."
"Thanks, Second Brother! You're the best!" Uchiha Ling said. "If you die someday, I'll support your children the same way!"
"You little—mm..." Uchiha Jing caught himself before he insulted Ling's mother. He kicked Uchiha Ling, then went upstairs.
His cousin really had grown up crooked. Even Jing wanted to kick him a few more times. Who knew how much he got on everyone's nerves outside the house?
According to the Military Police Force's reports, his cousin was a little terror at school, the enemy of his entire class. One day, all the students might throw a sack over his head and beat him up.
While Uchiha Ling waited in the living room, he saw sunlight fall across his uncle's family portrait.
Something about the photograph struck him as odd.
The light reflected off the rest of it, but his eldest brother Uchiha Jue's face and body looked blurry.
On closer inspection, they were covered in fingerprints.
Uchiha Ling's mood sank. When his second brother was home alone, he must have often stroked the family portrait, especially his eldest brother's face.
Deep bonds between brothers seemed to run in the Uchiha Clan. Perhaps Jing missed Jue often.
Within the Uchiha Clan, an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan could be born by merging the Mangekyō Sharingan of two blood brothers.
What a shame Uchiha Jue had died. Otherwise, Jue and Jing might have had a chance at an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan too.
He picked up the portrait and ran his fingers over Jue's place in it, just as Jing had.
If Jue were still alive, could Ling have talked his way into a 10,000-ryō monthly allowance?
Jue had been the pillar of the family, and he'd treated Ling even better back then.
Ling could hardly imagine how rich he'd be.
He'd be royalty among Orphans.
A year ago, Jue had died on a mission. Ling had helped arrange his funeral. Jing had been away on a mission too and had only rushed back half a month after Jue's death.
Out of the corner of his eye, Uchiha Ling caught a dark shape on the stairs. On impulse, he tilted the frame and saw his second brother standing there in its reflection.
His pupils shifted. Why was Jing wearing that expression?
He looked a little tense, with a trace of panic.
Then came loud footsteps.
"Ling, I've got your money. Don't waste it."
Uchiha Ling heard nothing unusual in his second brother's voice.
He casually put the photograph down.
When he looked up at Jing's face, his brother looked the same as before.
"I know. I won't waste it. I'm spending it all on eggs."
In his previous life, he'd heard Dr. Flatfish say that eggs beat every other food for nutrition.
If he had to choose a single food to provide everything the human body needed, it had to be eggs.
Whether he needed calcium or protein, he ate eggs. They were also among the cheaper everyday foods Uchiha Ling could buy, making them the best value for money.
But Uchiha Jing said, "I've seen you go to the Training Ground a few times with a little girl with curly hair and red eyes. If you spend that money on her..."
"No! I absolutely won't! You must mean my classmate Kurenai Yuhi. We're just ordinary classmates!"
Uchiha Jing smiled. "If you spend it on a girl, I'll have to give you a little extra for dating."
"Haha. I'll ask you for it when the time comes."
After leaving his second brother's house, Uchiha Ling walked some distance before looking back at it with mixed feelings.
He wasn't above assuming the worst of people, but surely not his second brother?
What had that panicked look meant when Jing stood behind him?
After Madara Uchiha defected from the village, a rumor spread through the clan: Madara had killed his younger brother, Izuna Uchiha, and taken Izuna's Mangekyō Sharingan, gaining the power to challenge the First.
There had long been rumors that members of the Uchiha Clan could gain greater power by killing those closest to them. Madara's supposed murder of Izuna seemed to confirm it.
Uchiha Ling suspected the rumor had spread partly because the Uchiha Clan wanted to smear Madara and ingratiate itself with the village.
Second Brother... He couldn't have believed that rumor, could he?
Uchiha Ling pushed his suspicions aside for now and went to buy eggs.
Alongside his usual dinner, he ate five boiled eggs. Then he dug out the wooden post and sandbag his father had once used from the basement.
He wouldn't have to punch empty air during Taijutsu training anymore. Hitting a sandbag was far more effective than shadowboxing.
As his bone density increased, he could train his fists and feet harder.
Heavy blows, penetrating force, the firmness of his strikes, power from his whole body—he could practice making his punches and kicks more damaging, toughen his hands and feet, and steady his center of gravity.
Training with a sandbag felt far better than striking empty air. Repeated blows could also help increase his bone density and teach him how to apply force properly.
Once he had worked through that routine, his Taijutsu would surely improve again.
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