Master was acting so strange today

After sharing an entire large rice cake, Shingetsu, Madara, and a crowd of endlessly curious Uchiha children followed Kazuko into the storehouse used to keep grain in the clan compound.

The Uchiha granary had always been rather empty. Though supposedly meant for grain, it rarely held much, and ultimately became storage for worn-out, damaged shuriken, weapons, and assorted clutter.

If cats had not been kept throughout the compound, the place would probably have been taken over by annoying little creatures and turned into a nest for mice and sparrows.

But now, this neglected old storehouse had been transformed. The Uchiha clanspeople had hurriedly moved all the accumulated clutter elsewhere, patched every hole and damaged wall, and cleaned it thoroughly before using it to store their precious grain.

Now, grains of snowy white rice, like pearls, lay piled in the clean, spacious storeroom, rising all the way to the ceiling in little mountains that gave off a refreshing fragrance.

"Wow, so much rice!"

Standing carefully at the entrance, not daring to step into the piles of rice, the children opened their eyes wide and let out delighted cheers together. This was their first time seeing so much white rice.

In this era, even the youngest children deeply understood how precious food was. Hunger had taught them that truth.

Even children of the powerful Uchiha clan, though never starved to skin and bones, seldom got to eat their fill.

Uchiha Kaen, the youngest, reached out and tugged at Madara Uchiha's trouser leg. When Madara looked down at him, Kaen tilted his face up, his hopeful black eyes sparkling like stars.

"Clan leader, can I have an extra bowl today?"

Those innocent, childish words inexplicably sent a pang through Madara's heart. Long ago, at a dinner table that had once been fairly lively, his little brothers had asked him the very same question.

How had he answered them back then?

Though his memories had grown hazy, in that even poorer era, all he could have done was ask them to keep enduring it.

That hungry childhood, when they could never eat their fill...

Madara Uchiha's eyes gradually grew unfocused and sorrowful. He had sworn to his mother that he would protect his little brothers, yet in the end, he had utterly failed.

Whether it was his brothers who had tragically died young, Izuna, who had died from grievous wounds and the eye transplant, or the clanspeople who had followed him, believed in him, and fallen on the battlefield, he had ultimately protected none of them. He had kept none of them by his side.

A shinobi was someone who endured every kind of pain. He had once believed that so deeply.

"Of course. You can eat as much as you want."

Madara Uchiha reached out with his large hand and gently patted the children's heads. Looking at the carefree, smiling faces of the Uchiha's new generation, a trace of tenderness suddenly appeared on his usually stern, brooding face.

With their clan leader's permission, the little ones cheered together again, happily circling Madara. To children their age, being able to eat as much as they wanted was already an immense blessing.

"Yay!"

Beside them, Shingetsu and Kazuko were discussing the fields. They talked about what to do with the bran produced as a by-product of the rice, and ultimately decided to use it to raise chickens, ducks, and pigs.

"Lady Shingetsu, Lord Madara, I'd like to commission a mission. Could I pay with grain?"

Partway through their conversation, Kazuko seemed to remember something. She quickly set their current topic aside and turned to ask a question that sounded rather strange at first.

There were certainly clients who hired shinobi as bodyguards, but most were wealthy nobles. Farmers like Kazuko were rare.

"Of course."

Shingetsu turned toward Madara, and only after he nodded did she give an affirmative answer.

"But what sort of mission would you like to commission?"

"Could you send a few Uchiha shinobi to remain stationed at the fields?"

The unsettling situation Shingetsu and Madara had encountered had naturally happened to Kazuko too, and hers had been even worse.

As a civilian carrying a large quantity of grain, she had drawn even more intense and malicious attention. If Hayato and Yota had not been beside her, someone might have lost restraint and attacked her on the spot.

Remembering those greedy gazes that made her scalp prickle, Kazuko trembled with unease. During her past flight, she had seen far too many such looks on the faces of robbers, mountain bandits, and rogue shinobi.

The strong taking the wealth and lives of the weak was commonplace in the shinobi world. She had no doubt what fate awaited her if she did nothing.

But Kazuko would not simply sit back and await her doom. She absolutely refused to suffer that fate again.

To keep her wealth, home, and life from being taken again, Kazuko made her own choice. She chose to bind herself firmly to the war chariot called the Uchiha.

Rather than the Land of Fire or Konoha, she trusted the Uchiha more-or, more precisely, she trusted Uchiha Shingetsu, the person who had brought her hope.

At the same time, all of Konoha was stirred by the news that the Uchiha had harvested a vast quantity of grain.

The villagers who had personally witnessed batch after batch of precious grain being delivered into the Uchiha Clan Compound eagerly told their friends and relatives everything they knew. As this repeated, the news spread like a virus. In less than half a day, it had become a major story everyone in Konoha knew.

Civilians, shinobi clans, merchants, and even nobles-regardless of their class or background, everyone was stirred by this astonishing rumor. They were shocked, bewildered, and puzzled. If that clan of battle fanatics had not robbed someone or completed some major S-rank mission, then how exactly had they acquired such wealth?

Inside the Hokage Building, the Senju brothers were also discussing the matter.

Holding documents detailing intelligence on Kazuko and the others, as well as the newly reclaimed farmland in the Uchiha Clan Compound, Hashirama Senju's eyes grew brighter with every page he read. When he reached the rough estimate of the harvest, he slapped the paper onto the desk and excitedly addressed Tobirama, who stood silently beside him in thought.

"Reclaiming farmland and becoming self-sufficient-what a great idea! Tobirama, the Senju-no, the whole village could do this!"

"...Brother, it isn't that simple."

Looking at his unreliable elder brother, Tobirama Senju pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed helplessly. Honestly, he thought it was a very good idea too.

But the consequence would be that the fragile nerves of the Land of Fire's daimyō and nobles would probably snap at once.

He could already imagine how those lofty old men would tremble in fear upon learning the news, how they would speculate about what the Konoha ninja were planning and whether they intended to replace them. Before long, that old man would probably demand answers from the shinobi, or even cut military funding.

What a headache! Those red-eyed freaks really knew how to make trouble for him!

Tobirama felt as though his head would split. Every time he thought about having to clean up after those unreliable Uchiha again, a murderous fury welled up inside him.

Could those haughty Uchiha fools possibly draw any more attention to themselves? Why did they have to show off in front of so many people?

Didn't they understand that wealth should be kept out of sight?

At that thought, Tobirama could not help letting out another long sigh.

Forced to resolve these problems whether he liked it or not, Tobirama Senju felt exhausted beyond words. Unlike the envy and jealousy most people felt, what he wanted to know most right now was who had come up with this idea.

First, he ruled out Madara Uchiha.

After spending half his life as Madara Uchiha's enemy, Tobirama Senju actually understood him quite well.

Though Madara excelled at "destruction," he knew nothing about "construction." This idea certainly could not have come from him.

In that case, who was the person behind it?

A glimmer of understanding and coldness flashed through Tobirama's red, glasslike eyes. It would not be true to say he had no candidate in mind.

"Uchiha brats who are too clever for their own good really are irritating..."

Meanwhile, after reporting the harvest and roughly settling the mission's details, Kazuko began her journey back under Hayato and Yota's escort.

Standing at the gates of the Uchiha Clan Compound, Shingetsu kept waving goodbye to that strong, sensible woman until her figure had vanished completely from view.

The villagers did not dare approach, while those inside the compound were busy preparing dinner. For now, only Shingetsu and Madara remained at the deserted gates.

"Shingetsu."

Shingetsu, who had been staring absently at the distant scenery, suddenly heard Madara call her name. She gave a start, her attention drawn to his voice, and quickly turned toward Madara Uchiha, looking up at him in confusion.

"Master, what is it?"

Madara did not answer. He merely reached out and gently smoothed her hair, watching her with a gaze so earnest it was almost solemn.

"If you encounter danger, don't try to be brave. Run. Give up. Do whatever you have to, as long as you stay alive."

"Huh?!"

Those words, spoken without any apparent reason or context, left Shingetsu utterly confused. Her mind stalled for a moment, because they did not sound like anything Madara Uchiha should ever say.

But seeing her bewildered, uncomprehending expression left Madara's heart aching, even hurting.

He could no longer remember what his youngest brother had looked like. The only thing he still remembered clearly was the tiny fragment of a limb that had remained of his body after his death.

"Even if you really do end up in danger, don't be afraid, and don't give up. Hold on. I will come for you. I will protect you."

Madara Uchiha's voice grew lower. Gripping Shingetsu's shoulders, he pulled the girl staring blankly at him tightly into his arms.

Listening to his erratic, anguished heartbeat, Shingetsu stood at a loss, and distinctly heard him say:

"You have to live."