New Clothes for the New Year

The reason Bloodline Limits were called that was because such special bloodlines were only passed down among blood relatives. Yet Uchiha Yuan said he had actually learned one!

"Yuan! This isn't something to joke about."

"Big Brother, I'm not joking."

To prove it, Uchiha Yuan raised his hand and slowly condensed a chunk of ice, then tossed it onto the table. Madara immediately grabbed it and carefully sensed it. It was indeed ice.

"Big Brother, let me touch it too!"

"..."

After the heavy snow, there was unmelted ice everywhere outside, but the piece on the table was the most unusual of all. Once Izuna got hold of it, he played with it endlessly.

"No one is allowed to spread word of what happened today. It could cause great harm and easily bring disaster upon us."

Madara's expression was extremely solemn. This matter was far too unbelievable. If outsiders learned that someone could master his family's Bloodline Limit, then...

"Got it, Big Brother. I definitely won't use it unless absolutely necessary."

"Mm. Since you can learn Ice Release, then the others..."

"I should be able to learn them too, but I need actual samples to study."

The moment Madara heard that, a bold idea rose in his mind.

"What medium do you need?"

"It would be best to have the other person's blood. Fresh blood."

"Alright."

Uchiha Yuan did not know why Madara was asking, and after the three brothers chatted about a few other matters, they returned home. Since there would be a clan meeting that night, they needed to change into more formal attire.

Telling the two of them that he could fuse Bloodline Limits was something Uchiha Yuan had thought through carefully. When he saw Izuna today, he remembered something extremely important—something concerning the Eternal Eye.

"Uchiha Izuna... seemed to have never been brought back through Impure World Reincarnation!"

As a Mangekyō Sharingan user, Izuna had been among the strongest fighters of the Warring States Era. Yet he seemed to have become a mere background character, with no news of him at all later on. Thinking about it now, there was a high chance Madara had cremated his body!

"Should I... get some samples now and try to awaken the Eternal Eye?"

But... the prerequisite for awakening the Eternal Eye was to develop the Mangekyō Sharingan's ocular power to perfection. Uchiha Yuan had barely used his Mangekyō Sharingan. Though he could now activate Susanoo, he was nowhere near achieving its complete form.

"There's still time. I should fuse more bloodlines first. No rushing... no rushing."

When he opened the door, the house was still the same as ever. The floors had been polished to a shine, and the air carried a natural freshness that put him at ease.

"Haru, I'm back."

"Meow~"

"Oh? Little Kuro has gotten quite a bit fatter."

The moment she heard Uchiha Yuan's voice, Little Kuro ran out of Haru's room to check on him. After not seeing her master for a while, she had missed him quite a lot.

"Meow~"

"Haha, good girl~"

Uchiha Yuan crouched down and scooped Little Kuro into his arms. She really had gained quite a bit of weight. It seemed the food at home suited her tastes well.

"Lord Yuan."

"Mm. How have things been lately?"

"It's been a little quiet, but I often go out for walks."

"Training needs a balance between work and rest. Some things cannot be rushed. How far have you progressed?"

"...I've only just begun."

"..."

Uchiha Haru's expression darkened. In just half a year apart, wrinkles had already appeared on her face, even though she was only in her twenties.

"It's alright. Our Uchiha are very strong now."

Uchiha Yuan was not very good at comforting people. He walked over and patted Haru's shoulder.

"If it really doesn't work out, you can switch to clerical work. I have a gathering point outside the Clan Land. Do you want to go there?"

Haru shook her head. She had already thought it through and recognized her own limits. As long as she did not become a burden to Lord Yuan, she was already content.

"Lord Yuan~ I made you a set of clothes."

"Oh?"

Haru then turned and returned to her room, bringing out an outfit. The moment Uchiha Yuan saw it, his eyes lit up.

"You made this?"

"Does Lord Yuan like it...?"

"Of course! I only drew it on paper back then. I never expected you to be so skillful. You recreated it perfectly!"

Uchiha Yuan took the clothes and compared them against his body. They were just right—not too big or too small—and fit perfectly. He immediately put them on.

The Divine Robe!

Or rather, Naruto's exclusive uniform. Uchiha Yuan had made a few slight changes, replacing the names of the successive Naruto on the back with the Uchiha fan.

He admired himself in the full-length mirror. He had become even more handsome.

"I've decided. I'll wear this to the clan meeting tonight."

Haru watched from behind him, and a tear unexpectedly slid from her eye, though she immediately wiped it away.

"It really is handsome. If I had been born a little later, I definitely would have fallen in love with Lord Yuan."

"Haha, does that mean you don't like me now?"

"...I love you now too."

Uchiha Yuan did not notice the special meaning behind Haru's words, because such thoughts had never crossed his mind.

After enjoying the moment, he was about to examine Haru's body when Uchiha Haru suddenly pulled her hand away.

"Lord Yuan, please examine me next time. I don't feel like there's anything wrong with me right now."

"Mm... alright."

Uchiha Yuan awkwardly rubbed his nose, then suddenly noticed that wrinkles had appeared on Haru's forehead.

"Don't work too hard. You've even got forehead lines now. I'll study a technique that can preserve your appearance later."

"...Alright~"

After eating at home, Uchiha Yuan got up and headed to the shrine for the clan meeting. His responsibilities and authority as acting clan head were growing greater and greater, but if he tried to hand the position back to Madara now, the clansmen would probably be the first to object.

Only one person and one cat remained in the room, seated beside the stove. Haru held Little Kuro in her arms as the firelight stretched their shadows long.

"Meow~ Why didn't you tell him?"

"Lord Yuan is already very busy."

"Although I haven't spent long with that child, I know he values loyalty and affection. You..."

"I don't want to... become a burden!"

Little Kuro was speechless. She could not understand what this woman was thinking. She was clearly almost... Sigh, this was exhausting.

Ninjas in the Naruto World matured quickly. Families with proper foundations generally began training their children from a young age, and those young ones were quite capable, with especially strong comprehension. But that also made them mature early.

In the modern world, thirteen- or fourteen-year-olds might still be attending school, but in the Shinobi World, they were already veterans of the battlefield. Yet because of that, aside from those who died halfway through life, most entered their twilight years by thirty.

Uchiha Haru was a typical traditional Warring States Era ninja. After being sent to the Clan Land, she had never relaxed in her training. She began cultivating Chakra at three and awakened her One-Tomoe Sharingan at eight.

But the further she went, the more talent mattered, and the gap between people only widened. Her parents had merely been ordinary clansmen dismissed from the Clan Land, and her own talent had ultimately stopped at Genin.

But Uchiha Haru did not want to submit to fate. If ninjutsu did not work, she would train taijutsu. If taijutsu did not work, she would learn to handle administrative affairs. Yet she discovered that, in the end, she could accomplish nothing.

Until today, the excessive strain from her childhood and the hidden injuries from the battlefield erupted. She could feel her lifespan rapidly draining away. At most, she would not live beyond three more years, and by then, she would be thirty.

"Thirty years old, a threshold in a ninja's lifespan."

"What a brief life, meow~"

"From now on, only you will be by Lord Yuan's side."

"Have you really thought this through, meow?"

"Mm..."

Uchiha Yuan had no idea what was happening at home. In his mind, Haru had cultivated the Chakra Breathing Method. Though she had only just begun, her cells were being nourished, so she should be able to live to at least fifty.

The moon hung high in the night sky as the cold wind howled. The snow from before had yet to melt, and now snowflakes had begun drifting down again.

"Alright, this year's clan meeting is over. Although everyone's benefits remain the same, the Uchiha population has been steadily growing. Hold on for a few more years. Once we reach ten thousand, I'll establish new benefits for everyone."

"Long live the clan head!"

"Long live Lord Yuan!"

"Long live the Uchiha!!"