"Brother, you're better than I am!"
Fugaku was that kind of person. Though he cared about saving face, he could readily admit it when someone else was better than him.
"So what should we do next?" Fugaku no longer treated Hane as a child. He straightened his attitude and asked for his opinion.
"Heh." A faint smile curled Hane's lips. "Father, we should respond to all changes by remaining unchanged. Do you know why I had you get an official document from the Hokage regarding the relocation of the clan grounds?" A profound glint appeared in Hane's eyes.
Fugaku was no fool and instantly understood Hane's meaning. "Hane, are you saying the Third and the others will go back on their word?" His eyes widened.
"Father, do you think the village still has the spare funds to pay for relocating the Uchiha Clan Grounds while the border war is so tense?" Hane said calmly.
Fugaku sank into thought. After considering it, he shook his head. He had lived through the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars. War was ultimately a contest of resources. But why had the village demanded that the Uchiha relocate at this time? Could it be...
A shudder instantly coursed through Fugaku's entire body.
"From the very beginning, the village intended to make the Uchiha move out of the clan grounds without paying anything."
"Ding! Looks like Father isn't completely foolish after all." Hane teased.
Fugaku's expression darkened. "Watch your attitude. Be careful, or I'll tell your mother later."
Hane's face stiffened before he reacted. "Heh, I never thought Father would tattle too. How embarrassing!"
"Hmph! Mikoto is my wife. Since you refuse to behave, it's perfectly reasonable for me to have your mother discipline you."
Hane was speechless again. He had never expected his usually solemn father to joke about using his wife against him. And why could he still say it with such a straight face?
Still, there was nothing he could do. One thing always restrained another, and the greatest weapon against the Uchiha was gentleness. His mother's gentleness was equally lethal to Hane.
Seeing Hane frozen in place, Fugaku secretly felt delighted. Serves you right for never taking me seriously as your father. Now you know better. No matter how outstanding you are, I'm still your father.
"Alright, Father. I don't need to say any more about what comes next, do I? If the higher-ups choose to do this, then we need to be firm. At least for now, the village won't completely break with us. Maintaining a struggle with the higher-ups without letting it rupture—that is our current situation." Hane's expression turned serious.
Fugaku nodded silently.
"If there's nothing else, I'm going upstairs to rest." Without waiting for Fugaku's reply, Hane hurried upstairs. He had actually been outmaneuvered by his father today. It was utterly humiliating.
Watching Hane rush upstairs, Fugaku's lips curved into a gratified smile. He was now extremely satisfied with his eldest son—brave and resourceful. With a son like this, what more could he ask for? With that thought, Fugaku strolled toward the kitchen.
Mikoto was busy at work. When she saw her husband enter, she did not immediately understand what was happening, especially when Fugaku picked up a plate nearby and began helping her clean up.
Mikoto's beautiful eyes widened even further. In a daze, she raised a fair hand and pressed it to Fugaku's forehead. "Fugaku, are you feeling alright today?"
Seeing Mikoto's worried expression, Fugaku felt helpless. "Mikoto, I think Hane is right sometimes. Maybe I am a little too chauvinistic. You've had it hard at home these past years."
Mikoto was deeply moved. She gently stroked Fugaku's cheek. "You are my husband. You have to bear all the storms outside by yourself. The pressure from the clan these past years must have been difficult for you. What do a few household chores amount to? As for being chauvinistic, Hane was only concerned about me. You shouldn't take it to heart."
At that moment, Fugaku quietly looked at Mikoto, this woman who had never once complained about him. He said nothing more.
Fugaku stepped forward and gently embraced Mikoto. The couple quietly savored this brief moment of peace.
Upstairs, however, Itachi wore a pained expression. He had not intended to eavesdrop on his brother and father's conversation, but his curiosity had compelled him to press himself against the floor and listen to their entire discussion.
A trace of pain filled his heart. He felt that both his brother and father were too narrow-minded, that they had not understood things from the village's perspective at all. Yet they were also the brother and father he loved most.
A red gleam flashed through the eyes of the young boy. He clenched his fists, slowly returned to his bed, and lay down with his eyes open, not knowing what he was thinking.
The next day, Hane woke early as usual. He did not plan to go to the Ninja Academy today. He had only enrolled in the first place to obtain a ninja graduation certificate and integrate into this world. Now that he had the Five Sword Clones, there was naturally no reason to keep going to such a boring place.
With his clones, Hane no longer needed to personally gather Gratitude Points and Malice Points. He only needed to send his clones, after all, his External Incarnations were connected to his Divine Sense.
As long as the five clones did not exceed the range of his Divine Sense, it was as though he were personally present. Furthermore, controlling the clones and using one mind for six tasks was enormously beneficial for training his Divine Sense.
With that in mind, Hane began making arrangements. Based on the maximum range of his Divine Sense, he decided to send one clone to the back mountain of the Uchiha Clan Grounds to identify medicinal herbs.
He arranged for one to attend school with Itachi and Izumi. After all, he had not forgotten about the reliable cash crop at school. That was a harvest he had to reap every day.
He could slack off now and then and tease Izumi a little. By the end of the day, he could harvest several thousand Malice Points. Besides, Izumi was his treasure girl. Hane could no longer go a day without her.
Of the remaining three clones, Hane planned to leave one at the clan grounds and send two into the village to do good deeds and earn more Gratitude Points.
As for Hane himself, of course he would stay home and cultivate diligently. As the main body, if he did not work hard and relied entirely on his clones while lying back and taking it easy, that was something that only happened in dreams. A day without cultivation meant a day without progress. Besides, he had already reached the stage where he needed time to accumulate cultivation.
The further he advanced, the more indispensable this personal cultivation would become. After all, if he wanted to become an all-around cultivator, there was simply too much he needed to learn.
After arranging his clones, Hane sat cross-legged on his bed and began cultivating diligently.
Early that morning, after Itachi watched his brother help their mother finish the household chores, he sensed that something was different about him.
Compared to his brother's usual tranquil and natural aura, this brother before him had the same tone and demeanor, but carried an ethereal quality like the wind.
Itachi instantly understood what was going on. Thinking of the five clones his brother had summoned yesterday, one of them had possessed this very aura.
Itachi pursed his lips, wanting to say something. But when he met his brother's gaze, he somehow felt a faint sense of distance. In the end, even when Hane took his hand, he said nothing.
A faint gloom rose in his heart, and he suddenly felt as though his brother was drifting farther and farther away from him.
Time passed quickly. The blazing Retsuyō hung high in the sky. After leaving his cultivation state, Hane sensed that after half a day of work by his clones, his Gratitude Points and Malice Points had risen by another wave, filling him with joy.
Of course, his Divine Sense was also being depleted quickly. During the process of controlling his clones, he discovered that they were not without cost. Perhaps controlling one or two was not very noticeable, but controlling five at once meant he had to temporarily stop one or two clones and wait until his recovery exceeded his expenditure before he could maintain this state of using one mind for six tasks.
Still, the flaws did not outweigh the merits. Though there was a slight shortcoming, the gains were far greater. Just from the repeated cycle of using and restoring his Divine Sense, its range had expanded by half a meter from a radius of one thousand meters. That was only the result of half a day. If he continued for a full day, Hane estimated that this training method would increase it by one meter daily.
As long as he had time, one day this method would leave all of Konoha with no secrets from him. Even the Book of Seals, which he had always coveted, would no longer be a problem.
Not to mention that in just half a day, he had gained 600 Gratitude Points and 3,000 Malice Points. By the end of a full day, that would be 1,200 Gratitude Points and, if the Malice Points remained unchanged, 6,000 Malice Points.
If nothing unexpected happened, he would need one hundred days before his next cultivation advancement into Refining Spirit into Void.
"Heh, the Grand Dao is within reach!" Hane's heart leaped with joy. Compared to others, who required decades or even centuries, he needed only one hundred days. And that was assuming nothing major happened. If some major event occurred and he stirred up emotions from within it, that speed could be cut in half at the very least.
Yet just when Hane thought the day would pass normally, after school, a resolute-looking youth arrived with two others and blocked the path of Hane, Itachi, and Izumi.
Before you continue