With a Wife Like This, I Could Do It Too!

"Good morning, Young Master Zhouxuan."

"Greetings, Young Master Zhouxuan."

"..."

Walking through the clan grounds beneath the first light of dawn, Uzumaki Shusen received bows and greetings from clan members along the way. He smiled and returned each one. Whenever several Uzumaki girls met his handsome gaze, their hearts involuntarily began to race.

The various ninja clans of the Warring States period were all highly feudal, with clear distinctions between rank and status. The Hyuga Clan was the most severe in this regard; even outsiders found their main family branch system cruel to hear about.

Though the Uzumaki Clan was not as cold and unfeeling as the Hyuga Clan, it still had class distinctions. As the clan head's son, Uzumaki Shusen was naturally a cut above others. Even though he was merely an ordinary special jonin, he was still respected and treated courteously by the clan members.

"Young Master Zhouxuan is so handsome! No one in the clan is more handsome than him!"

"Yeah, and Young Master Zhouxuan has such a good temper. I've never seen him lose his temper with anyone."

After Uzumaki Shusen had gone far away, several Uzumaki girls discussed him behind his back. Their expressions were excited, and their eyes gleamed brightly.

The average lifespan during the Warring States period was thirty years, leading many people to marry and have children early. In the eyes of the Uzumaki girls, Young Master Zhouxuan was undoubtedly an excellent marriage prospect.

"The only pity is that Young Master Zhouxuan isn't as gifted as his sister and younger brother. His aptitude as a ninja is the same as most ordinary people."

"What does it matter if he isn't a genius? After all, we're not geniuses either."

All along the way, Uzumaki Shusen saw nothing but dilapidated wooden huts and thatched cottages, worlds apart from the clan head's residence where he lived. The roads were muddy and full of potholes, and many children in the clan did not even have clothes to wear, running around naked as they laughed and played.

Years of war had left the Uzumaki Clan desperately poor, often without enough food to eat. Winter was even worse, with bitterly cold winds and hunger pressing upon them. They were like an uncivilized primitive tribe.

This was not unique to the Uzumaki Clan. Most other ninja clans were much the same, and some were in even worse shape.

That was only natural. If everyone could eat their fill and dress warmly, there would not have been such a chaotic Warring States period.

The Uzumaki Clan's current state must change.

Uzumaki Shusen thought silently. Two days ago, he had used his younger brother Ashina to present his father with a grand plan for the clan's future development. The Uzumaki Clan had finally entered a rare period of brief peace, making this the perfect time to recuperate and multiply.

"Zhouxuan."

At that moment, a clear voice called out.

Uzumaki Shusen looked up and saw a red-haired young woman standing ahead, smiling sweetly at him.

The girl was extraordinarily beautiful, with bright eyes and white teeth. Her legs were long and well-proportioned, while her fair skin shone with an ivory-like luster beneath the sunlight. She was as beautiful as an elf.

"Big Sister."

Uzumaki Shusen chuckled and quickly walked toward her.

"I thought you'd sleep in, so I came specially to wake you up. I didn't expect you to be up so early." Mito reached out and rubbed her younger brother's head, sounding somewhat surprised. "You seem to have grown taller again!"

"Is it really that exaggerated?" Shusen rubbed his nose. "You've only been at the hospital for half a month."

"Yes, you really have grown taller. Boys grow so quickly."

Looking at her younger brother, who was now half a head taller than her, Mito could not help but sigh. Adolescent boys were like bamboo shoots after the rain; she could almost hear the sound of his bones growing taller section by section.

Just two years ago, she had still been steadily taller than him.

"Big Sister, there aren't many wounded at the hospital now, right? The environment there isn't good. Don't keep living at the hospital."

"I'm not as busy as I was before, but someone still needs to monitor the patients' recovery after surgery. Once the observation period is over, I can go home and live there again."

Mito linked her arm through Zhouxuan's. The siblings chatted as they headed toward the clan head's building, their relationship exceptionally close.

Shusen's mother had died of illness not long after giving birth to Ashina. At the time, Ryū was busy handling clan affairs every day and simply had no time to care for his three young children.

Mito had been only five years old then, yet she had been even more mature than Shusen, who had transmigrated there. She acted as both an elder sister and a mother, carefully looking after her two younger brothers.

When Shusen was five, the Uzumaki Clan faced a crisis that threatened its very extinction. Even as the clan head's son and only a child, he was still sent to the battlefield. At the time, he had not even become a genin. Fortunately, Mito never left his side on the battlefield and protected him, allowing him to survive unharmed. In the end, the Uzumaki Clan successfully weathered that crisis as well.

After that war, Shusen secretly made up his mind that he would protect his sister in the future and never allow anyone to hurt her!

However, as the days passed, Mito gradually revealed her astonishing talent. Chunin at six, jonin at eight, awakening her Kekkei Genkai, Adamantine Sealing Chains, at ten, and entering the ranks of elite jonin in one stroke...

Shusen was left utterly dumbfounded!

My sister! Did you unlock the female lead template or something? What kind of cheat is this? Share some with me!

Shusen suddenly understood why Hashirama in the original story had been able to pacify the chaotic era. With a wife like this, he could do it too!

In the end, Shusen helplessly accepted reality. His resolve to protect his sister had turned into a resolve to cling tightly to her thigh.

In truth, Mito did not need protection at all. Even when the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed in the original story, she had still lived just fine. She clearly had the protagonist's plot armor.

An hour later.

Inside the conference hall of the clan head's building.

Ryū, Mito, Shusen, Ashina, and thirteen senior elders of the Uzumaki Clan sat around a long table, ready to begin the meeting.

The Uzumaki Clan's head elder was an old man with a goatee. It was exceedingly rare to live to his age in the Warring States period, which also spoke to his strength.

He glanced at Ashina, who was seated beside Ryū, and felt rather surprised. Ashina had never sat in that position during elder meetings before.

Could Ryū be establishing the heir to the next clan head?

He guessed.

The position of Uzumaki Clan head had always been passed down through a single line. One child of the current clan head, the one with the greatest prestige and ability, would be selected as successor, while the other unsuccessful children would become the clan's senior pillars.

The head elder was Ryū's second uncle, so both Shusen and Mito had to call him Great-Uncle. He was currently the most senior person in the clan.

To be fair, the head elder did not want Ryū to establish Ashina as his heir. Ashina was a genius as well, but he was only thirteen, his mind had not fully matured, and his prestige and military achievements were far inferior to those of his sister, Mito. Making Mito the heir would be best.

As for Ryū's second son, Shusen... Hah!

A mediocrity. He could forget about the position of clan head; it would never be his turn.

"Ryū, did you call this meeting today to establish the next clan head?" the head elder asked.

The other elders also looked curious. Ryū had not informed them of the meeting's purpose in advance.

"No." Ryū shook his head.

"Two days ago, Ashina gave me a suggestion regarding the clan's future direction. I want all of you to hear it together."