Konoha was strange again today

Another truly strange scene unfolded in Konoha that day.

Under the astonished gazes of Konoha's villagers, several black-haired Uchiha dressed in black hurried through the village's streets and alleys.

They carried baskets full of rice in their arms and sacks of rice on their backs, rushing the grain back to the Uchiha Clan Compound. Moments later, they charged out again with empty baskets, retracing their steps.

Naturally, this bizarre sight drew an eager crowd of Konoha villagers. Watching the Uchiha carry grain back to their compound as diligently as worker bees, they felt intense envy, even jealousy, well up inside them. One enormous question kept brewing in their minds-

Where on earth had the Uchiha gotten so much food?

That afternoon, after the Ninja Academy let out, Madara had finished all his work and was about to return to the Uchiha Clan Compound with Shingetsu when they, too, encountered a truly strange scene.

As they walked back to the compound, civilians and shinobi kept casting looks of envy, jealousy, and resentment their way. In just a few short steps, the gazes of everyone passing by swept toward them in unison, sharp as needles and impossible to ignore.

Somewhat bewildered, Shingetsu raised her head and warily surveyed the villagers around them.

An eerie green gleam shone in their eyes, filled with admiration, jealousy, curiosity, and greed. All those emotions mingled into something profoundly complicated.

Those strange, relentless stares made Shingetsu's skin crawl, and she couldn't help quickening her steps to escape. But danger lurked on every side. No sooner had she escaped one group of villagers' gazes than another group of shinobi began staring at her. It was practically an inescapable net, layer upon layer, without a single gap.

"Master..."

Their stares sent chills down her back. Shingetsu reached out and tugged uneasily at the hem of Madara Uchiha's clothes.

Madara bent down and picked her up, gently patting her back to soothe her while sweeping a displeased gaze over these villagers who clearly had a death wish.

His gaze was cold as steel and hard as stone. Anyone bold enough to meet it felt a brush with death, as though their heart were being crushed in a fist. In an instant, the crowd that had been staring scattered in terror.

"Hmph."

Watching the fleeing rabble with cold indifference, Madara let out a snort, disgust showing in his eyes.

"Master?"

Madara lowered his head. In his arms, Shingetsu tilted her young face up toward him, her wide, clear eyes filled with confusion.

"It's nothing. Let's go back."

Adjusting his hold on her, Madara simply leaped off the ground and raced along the rooftops, speeding toward the compound.

Inside the Uchiha Clan Compound, an entirely different scene awaited them.

The Uchiha coming and going along the clean, orderly streets had rosy faces and smiles they could not suppress, evident at the corners of their mouths and eyes. Even the faint gloom that usually lingered in their eyes had faded considerably.

When they saw Madara and Shingetsu return, they actually came forward of their own accord and began fussing over them. Their domestic chatter made them seem collectively possessed by those annoying Senju uncles and aunties and their incessant gossip.

"Clan leader, you're back!"

"Lady Shingetsu is back, too."

"Have you eaten?"

"What did you teach at school, Lord Madara?"

"Lady Shingetsu, what did you learn at school today?"

Their attempts at conversation were clumsy and stiff, but when had these pride-obsessed, prickly people ever expressed their concern so openly? Normally, even upon seeing their clan leader, they would merely nod with an expressionless face and say, "Greetings, clan leader." At most, they might add a bow.

This unusual behavior made both Shingetsu's and Madara's scalps prickle. Watching familiar cold men and icy women suddenly thaw was genuinely rather terrifying.

Such mushiness really did not suit the Uchiha.

What's going on? Why does everyone look so happy?

Did gold fall from the sky?

Nestled in Madara's arms and surrounded by smiling faces, Shingetsu looked a little dazed and lost.

What she did not know was that, that morning, Kazuko and the others had not only delivered more millet than required, but also brought persimmons, chestnuts, and wild honey from the mountains, radishes, beans, and wild vegetables they had grown or gathered themselves, mature medicinal herbs, and plenty of other local produce, including rabbits and pheasants.

At noon, they had brought out plenty of their own polished rice and fruit jam, borrowed steamers from several Uchiha households, and built stoves on the spot with the shinobi's help. They made a great many rice cakes for everyone, filling the entire compound with the sweet fragrance of rice and fruit jam.

For the first time, ordinary people were embracing the Uchiha rather than fearing and hating them. Overwhelmed by the unexpected affection, they were almost walking on air. Though they did not show it, they were absolutely delighted in private.

Of course, the happiest of all was Hōkaku, who managed the entire clan's accounts.

Looking at the grain filling several warehouses, he made a rough calculation. This much food would keep the entire clan fed for nearly half a year without worry!

In turbulent times, food was always the most troubling problem.

In the Land of Fire as it stood, money was worth little, while food was far too precious.

Almost all the country's grain was concentrated in the hands of the Daimyō and the nobility. They could not eat so much themselves, yet simply let vast quantities of fresh rice grow stale and rot in their warehouses. As for the farmers' surplus, merchants bought it cheaply at harvest time, then sold it at exorbitant prices during the lean season.

Setting aside the farmers exploited at every turn, shinobi were also victims of this system.

They needed large quantities of food to replenish their energy. The mission pay they risked their lives to earn might seem substantial, but once the costs of ninja tools, medicinal herbs, medical care, and other expenses were deducted, very little remained.

That little money could hardly buy enough food. To keep themselves fed, shinobi had to maintain a grueling pace of missions. Yet the number of missions in the shinobi world was limited, forcing them to find every possible way to eliminate competitors and use every means available to win the trust of the powerful.

Ever since Izuna's death, Hōkaku, who had been forced to take his place, had often been so tormented by the clan's expenses that he wanted to bash his head against a wall.

But now he realized that, by saving the money they would otherwise spend on food over the next six months, the largest expense on their books would simply vanish. They could cover every remaining shortfall and still have a considerable sum left over.

What a brilliant plan!

Once he understood how it all fit together, Hōkaku was so moved that he nearly cried. He realized the brilliance of this plan lay in the fact that the food supply was not a one-time delivery, but something that would continue.

That's my precious daughter Shingetsu for you. She's so clever!

If they could eliminate the expense of buying food entirely, they could invest more of that money in the clan and improve everyone's lives. Whether nurturing the next generation or providing for the elderly, it would be an undeniable advantage, allowing the Uchiha to leave the other shinobi clans far behind.

Shinobi were desperately short of money, and food was wealth more precious than money itself.

The rattle of half a barrel of grain was worth a fortune in gold; with food in hand, the heart rested easy.

Though he lived in a different world, Hōkaku's realization followed the same principle as that proverb.

"Lady Shingetsu, Lord Madara."

Seeing that Shingetsu and Madara had finally returned, Kazuko, who had been waiting in the compound, hurried forward to greet them. The Uchiha crowding around to fuss over them tactfully cleared a path and stopped getting in their way.

"We've delivered all the grain."

"So soon?"

I haven't even chased you for it yet!

Shingetsu's eyes widened slightly, stunned by their astonishing efficiency and enthusiasm for paying taxes. She had thought she would have to send people to demand payment, just like the Daimyō.

As they followed Kazuko toward the warehouses where the grain was stored, Shingetsu caught the sweet fragrance drifting through the compound. It awakened her insatiable sweet tooth, and she could not help asking:

"What smells so sweet?"

Kazuko smiled mysteriously. Rather than answering, she led Madara, who was still carrying Shingetsu, into the courtyard outside the warehouses.

The stoves built only that noon had already gone out, with just one still retaining some heat.

On a nearby bench, the little Uchiha who had returned to the compound ahead of Shingetsu and Madara without waiting for them sat obediently, each steadily munching on a rice cake.

When they saw their clan leader appear around the corner with Shingetsu in his arms, they all stopped munching at once and turned their bright black eyes toward him. But soon they looked away again and resumed eating in unison.

Forget Madara Uchiha-even the Sage of Six Paths himself could not have stopped them from munching away.

"I didn't get any? That's so unfair!"

Seeing all her friends eating rice cakes, Shingetsu was practically twisting out of shape with envy. Those rice cakes smelled so sweet, yet she had none to eat. It was infuriating!

Kazuko hurriedly took a still-warm rice cake from a nearby steamer and offered it to the indignant Shingetsu.

"Of course there's one for you too, Lady Shingetsu."

"Wow, it's huge!"

Misaki gnawed on her own rice cake while staring enviously at the large one. It was especially big, clearly made just for Shingetsu, and was as large as a grown man's entire hand.

Madara set Shingetsu down. With her thoughts and eyes now entirely fixed on the rice cake, she eagerly took it from Kazuko.

"So hot!"

Unsurprisingly, the fragrant, steaming rice cake scalded Shingetsu's little fingers red, nearly bringing tears to her eyes.

She kept puffing out breaths, blowing on the rice cake and her fingers for quite a while before dispersing a little of the heat.

Once her fingers grew accustomed to the temperature, Shingetsu split the enormous rice cake in half. An orange-red filling oozed out of the soft white cake, steaming, fragrant, and utterly tempting.

"Master, here!"

Shingetsu tilted her head up and returned to Madara Uchiha's side, placing half the rice cake in his hand. A sweet, playful smile spread across her lips. Carefree as a half-open blossom, she radiated irresistible cuteness.

"Let's eat together."

"...All right."

Taking the warm rice cake from Shingetsu, Madara bit into its sugary filling. Yet all the sweetness on his tongue seemed to settle in his chest.

Lowering the rice cake after that first bite, Madara quietly watched Shingetsu enjoy hers with her eyes narrowed in happiness. Eating like a little animal, she looked utterly content.

Honestly, does she really like sweets that much?

Despite that thought, Madara took another bite, chewing slowly and quietly savoring the sweetness.

He did not dislike sweet foods himself. In fact, he could even say he liked them very much.