Raising Crows

In the end, Hyuga Reiko felt too guilty and added some money for Nawaki.

Otherwise, Nawaki would never be able to treat them to a meal next time.

"Miss Reiko."

Just as they finished paying and were preparing to head home, two ninjas dressed in white suddenly appeared outside.

One look at their Byakugan was enough to tell that they were from the Hyuga Clan.

"Your clansmen came to pick you up."

Nawaki was surprised that they had come to fetch Hyuga Reiko within the village. Only Uchiha You knew the reason behind it.

"Hurry home, Reiko. Other ninjas have recently arrived in the village, so there is some danger."

The eyes of the Hyuga Main Family were an extremely precious Bloodline Limit. Many ninjas wanted the Hyuga Clan's abilities, but unfortunately, they had never had the opportunity.

"Alright, then. You two should head back."

After saying goodbye to them, she returned to the Hyuga compound under the protection of the branch family.

"The treatment the Hyuga Main Family receives is really enviable. I'm a young master of Konoha too, yet I don't see any ninjas protecting me."

Nawaki could not help but sigh. Thinking about everything that had happened recently, he had endured it all on his own and had not even asked Tsunade for help.

That proved Nawaki had grown into a qualified ninja!

"When you awaken Wood Release, someone will protect you."

"Cough, cough. Forget about Wood Release."

That single sentence crushed Nawaki's hopes. If he awakened Wood Release, forget receiving the Senju Clan's protection—the ninjas of the entire village would probably protect him.

After all, the First Hokage's Wood Release had crushed an entire era.

Unfortunately, Nawaki had been born too late to witness his grandfather's glorious days.

After eating, the two parted ways.

The Senju Clan and Uchiha Clan did not get along well, and their clan grounds lay in opposite directions.

"What happened?"

As soon as Uchiha You arrived at the clan grounds, Fugaku appeared behind him. The gravity in Fugaku's eyes, along with the wound on his chest, showed that he had just been through a battle.

"You were being followed."

His Three-Tomoe Sharingan gave off an ominous aura as he looked toward a distant corner. He had exchanged a few moves with the other party, and one careless moment had left his chest split open.

"They were from the Sand Village. They didn't know this was Uchiha territory. I happened to be nearby and saw them."

This was not Uchiha You's fault. The Sand ninja had simply been following Uchiha You for some unknown reason. Now that You's talent had revealed itself, so long as he remained loyal to the clan, he would surely become one of its pillars in the future.

It was only natural for Fugaku to act and protect You from their surveillance.

"Hm?"

You followed Fugaku's gaze into the distance and indeed found blood at the corner.

"I'll treat you first."

He used the Healing Technique on Uchiha Fugaku, and the bleeding wound quickly stopped.

He was becoming increasingly proficient in using the Healing Technique, and it could even effectively strengthen the patient's body.

"I never expected one of our Uchiha clan members to learn the Healing Technique."

In Fugaku's eyes, Uchiha You had become a little monster. His taijutsu and ninjutsu were already beyond reproach, and now he had even mastered the most difficult Medical Ninjutsu.

"Don't take missions for the time being. Once the Sand Village's people have left, you can follow Orochimaru again."

The clan held two differing attitudes toward You staying by Orochimaru's side. The Uchiha clan members led by the clan head hoped that You could ease the tensions between the two sides.

Meanwhile, the hawkish faction saw in Uchiha You the talent of that great man from years ago. In the future, he might even lead the Uchiha Clan to rise again. They preferred having their own people guide Uchiha You's studies.

Only Uchiha understood the Uchiha Clan's abilities.

"It's perfect. I need time to digest what I've learned recently."

You did not object to Fugaku's suggestion. Lately, he had felt increasingly unsettled. At most, there was only one year left before the Shinobi World War broke out.

War was not something that could simply be started at will. The preparations beforehand determined victory in the war to come.

Every side was preparing. Even many ninjas from the Uchiha Clan had gone out on missions.

"Lord Fugaku, do you have any ninjutsu suitable for me?"

Fugaku looked surprised at the question. Right, Uchiha You had not learned the Uchiha Clan's strongest genjutsu. Realizing this, Fugaku added a little more.

"The Uchiha Clan's strongest power lies in its eyes. Genjutsu works through the eyes. Also, you're lacking a summoning beast, aren't you?"

A true cat enthusiast!

Ninja Cats were the Uchiha Clan's standard. Even some weapons and ninjutsu required the cooperation of Ninja Cats.

Their relationship had lasted for hundreds of years. Seeing that You did not even have a single cat by his side, Fugaku felt that this simply would not do.

"Ninja Cats?"

You shook his head and rejected Fugaku's suggestion. Ninja Cats would not improve him much, and his radiation-altered body held many secrets that were unsuitable for Ninja Cats to see.

"You don't want Ninja Cats? Did Orochimaru prepare a summoning contract for you?"

The secret of Dragon Cave was no secret to the major clans. Especially among this generation's three great disciples, each had contracted with one sacred land. Would You contract a python by following Orochimaru?

"No. I'm planning to raise some crows."

Crows were fairly intelligent, and they would not expose his secrets.

"That's rather uncommon."

Some people in the Uchiha Clan did keep crows, but the results had not been very good. Seeing that You had made up his mind, Fugaku did not stop him.

"Training in genjutsu requires developing your eyes. At your age, you'll probably awaken them soon."

He believed in Uchiha You's talent. The more talented a clan member was, the less time they needed to awaken their eyes. Of course, most clan members still required a certain amount of stimulation.

"Try pushing yourself to your limits. When your mind and body reach their limits, it helps with awakening your eyes."

He told You some tips for awakening the Sharingan. They were techniques passed down through generations of the Uchiha Clan. After all, Uchiha You's parents had died in the war, so no one had taught him how to awaken his eyes.

"Thank you, Lord Fugaku. I plan to intensify my training during this time and organize everything I've learned."

His diligence and hard work surpassed that of most Uchiha clan members.

When even a genius worked this hard, it truly made others feel like they could not go on living.

"Alright. I'll have someone send you the genjutsu scrolls. Study hard for now. I still need to report this matter to the Hokage."

Fugaku's discovery of Sand Village ninjas was no small matter, and he immediately reported it to the Hokage.

At the same time, the Hokage received reports from several different ninja clans, and the situation was roughly the same.

Inside the Hokage's office, the Hokage and the senior officials listened to their reports and exchanged glances.

"Just as I expected. Sarutobi, you'll regret this time."

Danzo had never supported an alliance with them. What was happening now played right into his hands, drawing Danzo out from the shadows.