Thinking About Urging Him to Marry?

A few days later, the Uzumaki Sealing Scroll Hashirama Senju had promised arrived.

With the principles of Sealing Arts in hand, Uchiha Yuan suddenly had much more to learn.

However, it was only early spring, and there was still plenty to do. Although the Uchiha Clan now had far more ninja than before, several thousand people were already about the size of a small town.

"Little Kuro, send word to the ten clansmen I dispatched. This year's task is to seize the entire market across the Land of Fire. While you're at it, prepare for overseas export trade and keep an eye on the shipyards."

"Got it, meow!"

In the clan leader's office, Uchiha Yuan methodically finished reviewing the last document, then lifted his teacup and took a sip.

"Tea from home still tastes the best."

With two soft pops, Little Kuro, who had returned immediately after delivering the message, began begging for food.

"Meow... I'm hungry, meow."

"Fine, then let's eat."

He rubbed the cat's head, got to his feet, and carried Little Kuro toward the dining hall. Along the way, every clansman they met greeted Uchiha Yuan. There was no fawning in their voices; it was simply because he had done an exceptionally good job as acting clan leader.

Uchiha Yuan did not put on airs either, responding to each of them patiently. A journey of only a few hundred meters took more than ten minutes.

Spring had arrived, but the biting cold wind had yet to let people fully emerge from winter.

Time slipped away quietly, and when one was busy, the days made time seem to pass quickly.

Spring passed, and summer came. The blazing sun made people restless as well.

"Yuan, prepare supplies. I'm taking five hundred clansmen out."

"Oh? We're fighting again? Who is it this time?"

"A few small clans."

Madara wore a casual kimono and used a little spilled tea to draw several circles on the tabletop.

"Aburame Clan, Inuzuka Clan, Yuhi Clan..."

"Though these small clans are scattered, they're like monkeys around a tiger. Every so often, they jump out and cause trouble. We might as well deal with them all at once."

Uchiha Yuan glanced at the circles without speaking. After thinking for a moment, he said,

"The Uchiha Clan's reputation is already at its peak. Continuing to attack these small clans with only a few hundred people each has no meaning. Besides, judging by your plan with Hashirama, wouldn't it be better to strike the Hyuga Clan directly?"

"...The Hyuga Clan?"

Madara frowned in thought, his two fingers tapping the table rhythmically.

"Yuan, what are you planning?"

"After taking down the Hyuga Clan, find an opportunity to fight a decisive battle with the Senju Clan, then immediately begin the unification plan."

"Wouldn't that be too soon?"

"The sooner, the better. We have to fight the Hyuga Clan sooner or later. What difference does it make?"

Despite all his persuasion, Uchiha Yuan ultimately failed to convince Madara. He could not help feeling helpless.

After spending so much time with Izuna, he truly did not want to let him become a sacrifice. But if Izuna did not sacrifice himself according to the course of history, then there was a high chance that Uchiha Yuan himself would have to take his place.

After seeing Madara off, Uchiha Yuan stroked the cat and stared thoughtfully at the growing number of clansmen outside.

Is there really no other way to obtain the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan?

There had been countless theories about the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan in his previous life. Some said that if two brothers exchanged eyes, both could obtain Eternal Eyes. Others said that two pairs of eyes had to be fused to create one pair. Of these theories, Uchiha Yuan leaned more toward the most obscure one.

The order of the eye transplant may be the key. If two brothers exchange eyes, whoever has them implanted first gains the Eternal Eye, while the other person's Mangekyō Sharingan disappears forever and becomes ordinary eyes. Only that can explain why one must kill one's own brother to awaken those eyes.

There were many unresolved plot holes in Naruto, and many had only been filled through painstaking analysis by fans online.

In the original story, when Izuna gave his eyes to Madara, the author never explained where Madara's replaced eyes went. They had likely been ruined directly and turned into ordinary eyes.

Otherwise, Madara could not possibly have failed to record the method for awakening the Eternal Eye in the clan records, leading to Itachi Uchiha tormenting Sasuke in all sorts of ways later on.

If the plot cannot be changed, then I can only leave it to fate.

In fact, over the past year, Uchiha Yuan had already secretly arranged for people to spread the title Shinobi of Doom. As long as they fought the Senju Clan once more, exaggerated Hashirama's strength a little, and gave him the title God of Shinobi, what would it matter?

Then they could establish Konoha ahead of time and throw everything into chaos. At the very least, the Uchiha Clan would not follow its original path again.

A few days later, news of the Uchiha Clan making another move spread throughout the Shinobi World. Their prestige rose, but their affinity declined.

Uchiha Yuan could already foresee the day when the wall fell and everyone pushed it down.

Time proved Uchiha Yuan's guess right. After wiping out those small clans, Madara did not attack the Hyuga Clan. Instead, he continued outward, bullying more distant clans.

With Uchiha Yuan's logistical support, the Uchiha Clan might not have grown two sizes larger in every way, but every ninja was far more solidly trained than before.

The fourth year.

Uchiha Yuan promoted an internal education system within the clan and established the Uchiha Academy. The number of ninja rose once again.

The people spread across the Land of Fire began expanding overseas and placing their own people among the Land of Fire's upper ranks. Their profits rose again.

The fifth year.

Uchiha Yuan mastered Sealing Arts, successfully developed the Flying Thunder God, and began to glimpse the power of space.

At the same time, as Madara's range of operations grew ever wider, the Clan Land began expanding. The number of registered Uchiha ninja had now surpassed five thousand, placing them first in the Land of Fire in accumulated strength. Yet while the Uchiha Clan's reputation brought prestige, it also brought more hatred, and their affinity declined again.

That same year, the underground Bounty Station was successfully established in the Land of Fire. The moment it appeared, it was widely embraced by wandering ninja.

Because his body had been depleted, Uchiha Yuan had not grown even an inch over the past few years. His mood became increasingly gloomy, and he wanted to begin Sage Arts training early.

At Uchiha Madara's home, a birthday banquet was underway. Many of the attending ninja were Uchiha Clan higher-ups.

"Yuan! The Uchiha Clan's current golden age would not be possible without your management. Let me toast you."

"...No, Big Brother. You know I don't drink."

"It's a joyous day. Just one cup. Otherwise, what will the clansmen think?"

Uchiha Yuan turned his dead-fish eyes toward the clan elites behind him. Who among them dared object? They still wanted to force him to drink?

"Oh my! The weather is nice today."

"Yes, yes. The wind is especially noisy today."

Madara could only down the drink himself in resignation. His little brother had practically become the final authority in the clan, and only Madara himself and Izuna could slightly influence his decisions.

"Yuan, after this year, you should be nearly eighteen, right? Have you taken a liking to any girl in the clan?"

"Hm? What do you mean, Big Brother?"

"Ahem, isn't it for the sake of continuing the family line? Your second brother and I have no plans to marry, so..."

"What a coincidence. I don't want to get married either. Besides, women aren't nearly as fun as ninjutsu."

"..."

Madara opened his mouth. As the one setting the example, he truly had no right to say much. For a moment, he regretted himself. Had he been too strict when they were young? He had always urged his brothers to train, and now they were not even interested in women.

No... Yuan seemed to have a woman around him, didn't he? Could it be...

Seeing Madara lost in thought again, Uchiha Yuan began eating and drinking by himself, completely unaware of the bad idea Madara was concocting.