Transaction

"Hane! What exactly were these changes?" Fugaku asked in a deep voice.

"Father, it was like my vision became extremely, extremely clear. If I focused now, I could see tiny bugs on your face—the kind ordinary people couldn't see. And I could also slow down the movement of certain things."

Put plainly, the latter was like the bullet time from The Matrix in his previous life.

Fugaku's expression gradually turned grave. "Hane, did you awaken the Sharingan?!"

"No!" Hane blinked his large eyes from within his mother's embrace, signaling Fugaku to look at them. He had not awakened the Sharingan.

"Could Hane's bloodline be so advanced that even without the Sharingan, he possessed the abilities that came with awakening it?" Fugaku rubbed his chin and pondered.

Then his heart stirred with excitement. Both of his sons were exceptionally gifted geniuses. It seemed the Uchiha Clan's prosperity would rest on him.

At that thought, a sharp glint flashed through Fugaku's eyes as he looked at Hane in Mikoto's arms. "Hane! You must never tell outsiders about this."

Hane nodded. "Don't worry, Father. I understand."

Seeing that her son was fine, Mikoto felt much more at ease.

"Hane, if there's nothing else, go upstairs and sleep. You need to get up early tomorrow." Mikoto spoke gently.

"Um, Father, there's one more thing I want to discuss with you!" Hane hurriedly said.

"What is it?" A trace of surprise crossed Fugaku's face. After all, his eldest son rarely made requests of him.

"Um, could you give me a hundred jin of Chakra Metal?" Hane asked tentatively.

Fugaku's expression turned serious. "Can you tell Father why?" Rather than scolding Hane for being thoughtless without knowing the reason, Fugaku asked for an explanation. This was one reason Hane acknowledged Fugaku as his father.

No matter how wrong Hane was, Fugaku would never punish him without teaching him first.

"I want to forge a Chakra longsword that belongs solely to me," Hane said sheepishly.

"Hane, you should know that a hundred jin is no small amount. Even for the Uchiha, one of Konoha's great clans, it would be quite a burden." Fugaku patiently explained.

Hane's eyes shifted, and he instantly came up with an explanation. "Father, my Kekkei Genkai actually has another function. It can control Chakra Metal weapons—not simple control, but as naturally as moving my own arm. Any Chakra Metal weapon forged by my flames can connect with my mind."

"What?!" Fugaku was genuinely shocked this time, unable to maintain his calm expression any longer. "Hane! Are you sure this is true?"

"Father, if you don't believe me, you'll know once I forge one and show you." Hane looked utterly confident.

Fugaku stared blankly at Hane without saying anything further. Instead, he stood and walked out of the house. He had clearly decided to support his eldest son and was going to consult the clan elders.

After all, Hane was not asking for ten or a hundred grams, but a hundred jin. In the ninja world, where such things were sold by the gram, even Fugaku could only provide thirty jin at once. To produce a hundred jin, he would have to draw from the clan treasury.

To be honest, this kind of silent trust sometimes made Hane's nose sting slightly. A father's love was silent; sometimes, one could not expect him to shower them with care like a mother.

"Happy now, little one? Your father has to run around for your sake again. You must respect him more in the future and stop being so disrespectful. He only just came back utterly exhausted." As she spoke, Mikoto scraped Hane's nose, her eyes full of heartache as she watched Fugaku's retreating back.

"I understand, Mother!" Hane nodded seriously.

That night, within the Uchiha Clan Grounds, a luxurious residence was brightly lit.

Several Uchiha clan members sat kneeling on cushions in the enormous living room.

"Clan Head, may I ask why you have come to my residence so late at night?" asked an elderly man with graying hair but a still vigorous bearing, smiling warmly.

"Elder Ryuji, forgive me for disturbing you so late. You manage the clan's resources, and I would like to borrow seventy jin of Chakra Metal from you. I will pay the market price," Fugaku said without changing expression.

Ryuji, seated at the head, darkened slightly. "Clan Head, you are not joking, are you? Seventy jin of Chakra Metal is no small sum. The clan's finances are already strained due to pressure from Konoha's upper ranks. You are putting this old man in a difficult position!"

"Elder, I will strive to fulfill my duties as clan head and change the clan's current standing within the village." Fugaku looked at Ryuji resolutely.

Ryuji remained silent for a long time before slowly letting out a sigh.

"It is not that this old man refuses to give it, Clan Head, but that I cannot explain it to the other elders. Seventy jin of Chakra Metal is worth tens of millions of ryo. Diverting such a large amount of resources at once would be very difficult to justify afterward!"

"Does Elder have a compromise in mind?" Fugaku asked, his gaze flickering.

A sharp glint appeared in Ryuji's eyes, followed by a look of reluctance.

"Clan Head, you know that the descendants of several elders still have no positions. The village's distrust of the Uchiha is growing worse, and there are simply no posts assigned to our clan. We cannot possibly have the clan's outstanding youths work as ordinary mission ninja, can we?"

After saying that, Ryuji let out another helpless sigh.

Fugaku instantly understood his meaning. If not for the excessive amount of Chakra Metal his son wanted, and if Fugaku had not possessed only thirty jin himself, he would never have come to the Elder Council.

The clan's struggle for interests was already fierce, and its factions complicated. If he used his authority to give the Moderate Faction positions not assigned by the clan, the Hardline Faction would certainly not let the matter rest tomorrow.

Within the entire Uchiha Clan, although he, the clan head, seemed to command the Military Police Force and hold great power, he was in truth merely the one who balanced the allocation between the two factions.

Ordinarily, he did not possess much authority as clan head. Otherwise, this would have been no more than a word from him. Although Chakra Metal was precious, for the Uchiha, Konoha's foremost great clan, it was merely somewhat burdensome.

After pondering for a while, Fugaku slowly spoke. "Elder, I can provide at most two positions in the Military Police Force. Anything more is beyond my authority."

Elder Ryuji's expression became slightly unsightly. "Clan Head, I heard that there are currently three vacant captain positions in the Military Police Force. Isn't this too little?" Ryuji tapped the tea table before him.

"Elder, if you do not wish for tomorrow's clan assembly to end in drawn blades, I think Elder Ryuji should leave one captain position for the Hardline Faction.

"Besides, has Elder's side not already taken the initiative? The relocation of the clan grounds will soon be discussed. Peace should remain the clan's priority."

After saying that, Fugaku spoke no more and quietly watched Elder Ryuji's ever-changing expression.

"Alas! Since the Clan Head has put it that way, then we shall follow the Clan Head's wishes!" Ryuji let out a long sigh, then summoned a young Uchiha and whispered several instructions in his ear. The young Uchiha swiftly vanished into the night.

Carrying the heavy box, Fugaku glanced at the luxurious residence. All he felt was heaviness. This was the Uchiha now—haggling over every last fraction. Was this still Konoha's foremost noble clan? Fugaku only felt utterly weary.

When he returned home and saw that the living room lights were still on, Fugaku's mood improved a little.

The moment he entered, he saw his eldest son still obediently nestled in his wife's arms. Fugaku felt somewhat comforted. At last, he could display a father's dignity before his eldest son.

"Father, you're back!" Hane hurriedly broke free from his mother's embrace. He had wanted to leave her arms long ago, after all; he possessed an adult's mindset.

But no matter what, Mikoto refused to let go. Much like a cat lover petting a cat, once Hane's mother found an excuse to hold him in her arms, she would not easily put him down.

"Mm!" Fugaku nodded heavily and set the heavy box in his hands on the table.

"Hane! Are you going to forge it now?" Fugaku asked uncertainly.

"Mm!" Hane nodded heavily. He did not need actual sleep, and the sooner he finished refining the magical artifact, the sooner he could experience the sensation of flying on a sword.

It was the romance that every xianxia fan often dreamed of.