Raising Crows

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

Otherwise, Nawaki definitely would not have treated them to a meal next time.

"Miss Reiko."

Just as they finished paying and were about 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 have come to take you back."

Nawaki was surprised that they had come to pick up Hyuga Reiko within the village, but only Uchiha Yuu knew the reason why.

"Go home quickly, Reiko. Other ninjas have recently entered the village, so there's a certain level of danger."

The eyes of the Hyuga Main Family were an extremely precious Kekkei Genkai. Many ninjas wanted to obtain the Hyuga Clan's abilities, but unfortunately, they never had the chance.

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

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

"The treatment given to the Hyuga Main Family is really enviable. I'm also Konoha's young master, but I don't see any ninjas protecting me."

Nawaki sighed emotionally. Thinking about what had happened recently, he had endured it all on his own without asking Tsunade for help.

That showed Nawaki had already grown into a qualified ninja!

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

"Cough, cough. Forget about Wood Release."

Those words instantly crushed Nawaki's hopes. If he awakened Wood Release, forget being protected by the Senju Clan—even the entire village's ninjas would probably protect him.

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

Unfortunately, Nawaki had been born too late and had never witnessed his grandfather's glorious days.

After dinner, the two went their separate ways.

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

"What happened?"

Uchiha Yuu had just arrived at the clan compound when Fugaku appeared behind him. However, the gravity in Fugaku's eyes and the wound on his chest showed that he had just been through a battle.

"You were being followed."

His Three-Tomoe Sharingan exuded an ominous aura as he looked toward a distant corner. After exchanging two moves with the other party, he had carelessly suffered a cut across his chest.

"They were from Sunagakure. They didn't know this was Uchiha territory. I happened to be nearby and spotted them."

This was not Uchiha Yuu's fault. The Sand ninja had merely followed Uchiha Yuu for some unknown reason. Now that Yuu's talent had begun to show, as 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 step in and protect Yuu from the other party's surveillance.

"Hmm?"

Yuu followed Fugaku's gaze into the distance and indeed spotted blood at the corner.

"I'll treat you first."

When he used the Healing Technique on Uchiha Fugaku, the bleeding wound was quickly stopped.

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

"I never thought one of our Uchiha clan members would be able to learn the Healing Technique."

In Fugaku's eyes, Uchiha Yuu 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 any missions for the time being. Once the people from Sunagakure leave, you can continue following Orochimaru."

The clan was divided into two camps regarding Yuu staying by Orochimaru's side. The Uchiha clan members led by the clan head hoped Yuu could ease the tensions between the two sides.

The hawks, meanwhile, saw in Uchiha Yuu the talent of that great man from back then. In the future, he might even lead the Uchiha Clan to rise again. They were more inclined to have their own people guide Uchiha Yuu's studies.

Only the Uchiha Clan understood the Uchiha Clan's abilities.

"Perfect. I need some time to digest what I've learned recently."

Yuu did not object to Fugaku's proposal. He had recently felt that things had become increasingly chaotic. At most, there was only a year left before the Shinobi World War would break out.

Wars were not fought on a whim. The preparations beforehand were tied to victory in the war that followed.

Every side was making preparations. Even the Uchiha Clan had sent many ninjas out on missions.

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

Fugaku looked surprised at the question. Well, it turned out Uchiha Yuu had not learned the Uchiha Clan's strongest genjutsu. With that in mind, Fugaku added a few more things.

"The Uchiha Clan's greatest power lies in our eyes. Genjutsu is all cast through the eyes. Also, you're lacking a summoning beast, aren't you?"

A true cat-petting master!

The standard for the Uchiha Clan was Ninja Cats. Even certain weapons and ninjutsu required their cooperation.

Their relationship had lasted for centuries. Seeing that Yuu did not even have a single cat by his side, Fugaku felt that would absolutely not do.

"Ninja Cats?"

Yuu shook his head, rejecting Fugaku's suggestion. Ninja Cats would not improve his strength much, and his radiation-altered body held too 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 Ryūchi Cave was nothing new to the major clans. Especially among this generation's three, each had contracted with one sacred land. Was he planning to contract a giant snake 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 rare."

Some people in the Uchiha Clan did keep crows, though the results had not been very good. Seeing that Yuu 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 very soon."

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

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

He explained some tricks for awakening the eyes, techniques passed down through generations of the Uchiha Clan. After all, Uchiha Yuu'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 period and organize what I've learned."

Such diligence and hard work surpassed most Uchiha clan members by comparison.

Even geniuses worked this hard. It was so brutally competitive that people could hardly go on living.

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

Fugaku's discovery of Sunagakure ninjas was no small matter, so he immediately reported it to the Hokage.

At the same time, the Hokage received reports from several ninja clans, and the situations were generally the same.

Inside the Hokage's office, the Hokage and the high-ranking officials listened to the reports and exchanged glances.

"Just as I expected. Sarutobi, you'll regret this decision now, won't you?"

Danzo had never supported forming an alliance with them. What they were doing now played right into his hands, drawing Danzo out from the shadows.