A House Where No Son Will Marry If They Don't Move

Training for today had to be cut short due to Itachi's injury during their sparring match.

After returning to the Uchiha compound, Shisui Uchiha's expression grew serious.

Everyone they encountered wore a troubled look, and their usual enthusiasm for seeing the two rising geniuses of the Uchiha clan was gone.

"Something must have happened at the Naka Shrine gathering..." Shisui clenched his fist and whispered, "I should have attended... I can't miss it again..."

"I'm sorry, Shisui, I shouldn't have pestered you to train with me this afternoon." Uchiha Itachi tugged at his injured arm; it was quite itchy.

"Hey, how can I blame you? It's my own fault." Shisui soothed the young boy's emotions and casually rolled up his sleeve for him. "I'll take you home first, then I'll go find a senior ninja from the clan and ask in detail what happened at the gathering!"

"I'll go with you..."

"Caw..."

Beiyuan tapped Itachi's head. If it was a problem with the Uchiha clan gathering... Fugaku was the clan head, so asking him would be clearer than asking anyone else, right?

These little ones really get dumber the more you raise them... He must have caught it from Sasuke!

The ruins left by the Nine-Tails' rampage on the Uchiha compound had already been cleared. After a simple cleanup, the area felt noticeably empty. Fugaku stood in a wide-open space, scanning his surroundings.

As the person with the heaviest responsibilities in the clan, while others wore their emotions on their faces, Uchiha Fugaku remained expressionless, as if indifferent to everything.

His face broke into a smile upon seeing Uchiha Itachi and Shisui. "Itachi, you're back early today..."

"Dad!"

"Were you both at the training grounds this afternoon? I was wondering why I didn't see Shisui at the gathering today..." The father looked at his son with relief and then gave Shisui a grateful glance.

This kid is so sensible... For the two most promising youngsters in the entire Uchiha clan to get along well is something everyone is happy to see.

Before his son could answer, Fugaku's gaze suddenly landed on Itachi's arm. "Your arm... is it a burn?"

"...I'm truly very sorry... it's my fault." Uchiha Shisui swallowed all the questions he wanted to ask and decided to first explain the situation of the sparring match that afternoon...

Because I wanted to test a new jutsu and your son's current level is too weak, I accidentally injured him. And it was his crow that helped me perfect the flaws in the new jutsu...

It just feels too awkward to say!

Uchiha Itachi shook his arm. "It happened during our ninja sparring practice, and it's already bandaged. It's nothing."

The young boy was clearly more eloquent, glossing over the details of the event and focusing on the outcome, making it sound as if the sparring practice was just a minor part of their training.

Beiyuan saw through Itachi's little trick... He's got such a silver tongue... Some ninjas can barely string a coherent sentence together... The crow glanced subtly at Shisui.

Uchiha Fugaku chuckled heartily. "Oh? As expected of my son, you're already able to spar with Shisui?"

"..." Uchiha Itachi truly felt embarrassed to speak this time.

"Caw..."

The little one at home is being used as a target... What's there to brag about...

Shisui awkwardly changed the subject. "By the way, Senior Fugaku, did something happen at the gathering? I saw many people in the clan... looking quite upset?"

If someone can't speak well, they shouldn't speak at all...

Upon hearing Shisui's question, Uchiha Fugaku's good mood visibly faded. "The village held a meeting, and they're demanding we relocate our compound to that area in the northeast corner... It seems everyone already knows the news..."

"But if the Uchiha move there, won't we be even further from the village? And the relationship between our clan and the village is already..."

Unlike the other clan members who were outraged by the news, Shisui clearly understood the consequences this would bring, especially at this sensitive juncture.

"Shisui..." Fugaku interrupted him and continued, "All the other major clans in the village have agreed."

He believed the young man would understand the unspoken implication... The Uchiha clan... had been isolated by the entire village after the Nine-Tails' rampage.

Seeing Shisui standing there stunned, Fugaku didn't dwell on the matter. He gently put an arm around his son. "I'll take Itachi home now."

"Goodbye, Shisui."

"Caw..."

The reconstruction meeting held by Konoha's upper echelons after the Nine-Tails' rampage was a political maneuver, or rather, a probing act of coercion targeting the Uchiha clan.

If the Police Force were to rebel, the village would swiftly deal with it... In Konoha's current state, many major clans would not stand idly by, even the most peripheral Aburame clan.

If the Uchiha agreed to the relocation, it would be like boiling a frog in warm water... Isolated from the village center, the Uchiha, even if they rebelled, could eventually be dealt with by the Anbu.

The entire Konoha leadership understood this logic and naturally chose to stand together.

"Dad, are we moving?" Uchiha Itachi didn't understand the underlying issues yet and just wanted to know if their family would really get a new house.

"Yes..." Looking into his son's eyes, Fugaku suddenly smiled lightly. "Perhaps... Itachi will really like that place... I heard they built a new training ground there."

"That's great! The training ground was severely damaged by Beiyuan today..."

"...Caw?"

Beiyuan nudged the young boy's hair with his beak. That was to vent your anger for you...

Frankly speaking, setting aside the strategic implications and the village relations, the Uchiha clan genuinely needed a new base... The population was growing, and houses were becoming scarce.

Fugaku's family of four, plus a crow, and with two sons, their house wouldn't be enough if even one child got married.

The clan head has it so tough...

Hiashi Hyuga, the clan head of another Konoha noble clan, currently lived in a large house... In the future, even if he had two daughters and they both married into his family, there would be more than enough space...

Upon hearing the news about the move, Mikoto Uchiha's face showed some worry. Even the fact that their new home would be allocated based on population didn't seem to cheer her up.

"I've lived here for so long, I'm a little reluctant to leave..."

"After all... they were still the old neighbors." Thinking of those neighbors made Fugaku feel quite vexed. "You've worked hard these past few days. Take your time packing..."

"Yes." Mikoto turned to look at her elder son, who was playing with his younger brother. "Itachi, I'll be counting on you to look after your brother from now on..."

"Okay!"

Hearing their conversation, a crow took to the sky, landing on Itachi's shoulder. Its crimson eyes glared fiercely at Sasuke in the swaddling clothes. "...Caw!"

"Ptooey... ptooey..."

Sasuke, showing no fear, spat forcefully towards the crow.

You little brat, you're finished!

I didn't pay attention to the time. I'll check later and then revise.