Seeing the anticipation in everyone's eyes, Xuandou spoke at once:
"That apartment building will provide free housing for the clan's unmarried young people. As long as you're the right age and aren't married, you can apply."
"Whooooo!"
Cheers rang out.
Some jumped up in excitement, while others hugged the people beside them, laughing and shouting.
Xuandou waited for the cheering to subside a little before continuing:
"The first batch has fifty spots. Sign up with Shisui, and he'll handle the assignments. There will be four more batches after that, for a total of two hundred and fifty spots. So don't worry if you don't get one this time. You'll get to move in sooner or later."
The eligible young people's eyes shone even brighter.
Some of their parents had died in battle, leaving little behind.
Others had many siblings at home, all crammed into a few small rooms.
Now, the Clan Head had solved their housing problem outright.
Xuandou continued:
"The third matter."
Everyone quieted down.
"If anyone in the clan is willing, you may donate the bodies of clan members who died in battle. This isn't mandatory. It's entirely voluntary. Let me be clear: these bodies will be used for research."
Some people frowned.
Xuandou looked at them.
"I know some of you will consider this a desecration of the dead. But what I want to say is that the purpose of this research is to help the living lead better lives."
"Perhaps one day, through research, we'll find safer, more effective ways to help our clan members awaken their eyes. With the Sharingan, their mortality rate on missions will go down."
He paused.
"I'll say it again: this is entirely voluntary. Those who are willing can hand the bodies over to the clan's Anbu."
With the first two measures benefiting the entire clan having laid the groundwork, no one stepped forward to object, though some still wore deep frowns.
Xuandou nodded.
"Meeting adjourned."
Xuandou left, but the Uchiha clan members did not disperse.
They gathered in small groups. Some looked up at the portraits on the walls, trying to identify their ancestors.
Others surrounded the clan members who had just awakened their eyes, asking how it felt.
Another group of young people gathered to discuss the apartment spots enthusiastically.
A joy and vitality unlike anything before filled the entire clan compound.
Only when it was nearly dark did the crowd gradually disperse.
That night, Shisui came to Xuandou's home.
He held two Seal scrolls and handed them to Xuandou:
"Clan Head, these are the two bodies the clan members donated today."
Xuandou took them and checked that the seals were intact.
"Thanks for your hard work. You can go."
After Shisui left, Xuandou took the Summoning Scroll Orochimaru had given him out of his robes.
He arranged everything according to the formula on the scroll, then formed hand seals.
"Summoning Technique!"
Poof!
A cloud of white smoke burst forth.
An enormous shape slowly emerged from the smoke.
It was a giant purple snake, covered in hard scales.
A full twenty to thirty meters long, the snake looked down at Xuandou from above with cold, vicious golden slit pupils.
It was Manda.
Orochimaru's summoned beast.
The moment Manda appeared, he opened his enormous, bloody maw and lunged at Xuandou.
His fangs spread apart, and a foul stench rushed into Xuandou's face.
Xuandou narrowed his eyes.
His Mangekyō Sharingan activated instantly.
Manda froze in mid-lunge.
His enormous body seemed fixed in place, unable to move at all.
The viciousness vanished from his golden slit pupils, replaced by profound terror.
Xuandou looked at him, his voice icy.
"For Orochimaru's sake, I'll let you off this time."
"If there's a next time, you'll die for certain!"
Manda trembled all over.
He wanted to nod, but his body was still under control, so he could only blink desperately to signal his obedience.
Xuandou tossed the two Seal scrolls into its open mouth.
"Take these back to Orochimaru."
He released the ocular technique.
Manda could finally move again.
He hastily shut his mouth, then vanished into white smoke with a poof.
Xuandou returned inside, and the first thing he did was open the system's [Clan] panel.
[Family Ancestral Shrine (Built)] [Indulgence Apartments (Built ×1)] [Desire Hot Springs (Not built)]
With a thought, he selected the Family Ancestral Shrine.
Something flashed before his eyes, and a real-time view of the inside of Uchiha Shrine actually appeared in his mind.
It was like having a god's-eye view. He could move his gaze anywhere within Uchiha Shrine.
He could see the incense burner on the offering table, the portraits on the walls, and even the newly added potted plant in the corner.
A few clan members were still inside, kneeling on cushions with their palms pressed together.
Xuandou could clearly hear what they were murmuring.
Xuandou paused in surprise, then selected the Indulgence Apartments.
It was the same.
The corridors and rooms were all perfectly clear.
Xuandou rubbed his chin, his eyes slowly lighting up.
This feature... is pretty interesting.
It looks like the system provided this to make managing the clan buildings easier.
If I can check the clan buildings in real time, doesn't that mean... once the Hot Spring Pavilion is finished, I'll also be able to...
Thinking of the tantalizing scenes he might see then, Xuandou felt a surge of heat.
He looked up at the doorway and called:
"Pakura, come in for a moment."
Pakura pushed the door open and entered. Before she could even steady herself, Xuandou grabbed her and pulled her over.
"You... mmph..."
One month later.
The Desire Hot Springs Xuandou had been longing for was finally completed.
On the day it was finished, Xuandou rushed over to inspect it almost immediately.
Standing at the entrance to the complex, he finally understood why this thing had taken the longest to build.
It was enormous.
Rather than a single building, it was more like an entire landscaped garden.
At the entrance stood a bamboo gateway that was relaxing just to look at.
Beyond the gate, a pebble path wound ahead, branching off in every direction.
Bamboo lined both sides of the path.
Verdant bamboo stalks rose straight up, their leaves interweaving overhead and filtering the sunlight into tiny patches that scattered across the ground.
When the wind blew, the bamboo leaves rustled, and a faint, fresh scent of vegetation drifted through the air.
Following the path inward, the view suddenly opened up.
It was a meticulously landscaped courtyard, filled with greenery.
Low shrubs, artfully arranged rockeries, climbing vines, and several late-blooming cherry trees filled the space, their fallen petals covering the bluestone paving in a thin layer of pink and white.
Paths led from every side of the courtyard to different bathing pools.
The men's and women's baths were separate, built on opposite sides of the courtyard, with large indoor pools divided into private spaces by bamboo blinds and screens.
There were also thrilling outdoor pools, where bathers could take in the beautiful garden scenery outside.
The large mixed-bathing pool was right in the center, open to the sky and very spacious.
Its water came from underground hot springs, clear enough to see the bottom, with wisps of white steam rising from it.
The edges were built from natural stones, with ferns and moss growing in the gaps, making it look naturally formed.
Tall bamboo surrounded the pool, enclosing it completely so that nothing inside could be seen from outside.
Past the mixed-bathing pool, a quieter path led deeper in.
Dense bamboo lined both sides of the path, which grew narrower as it continued, before opening up at the end.
More than a dozen small open-air pools lay hidden here.
Each pool was small, only three or four square meters, scattered across the hillside.
Bamboo groves and shrubs separated the pools, with enough distance between them that even if two pools were occupied, the bathers could not see one another.
Smooth pebbles lined the pool edges, and a small wooden table stood beside each one, holding a bamboo tray with clean bath towels and a small flask of sake.
Farther inside were private indoor hot spring baths.
These were individual little wooden rooms, each with a small bathing pool behind its sliding door.
The rooms came fully equipped with tatami mats and a bathroom.
Each room was enclosed on all four sides, with only one window overlooking a carefully arranged dry landscape garden.
The lighting was soft, and steam hung in the air.
A faint fragrance drifted throughout the entire Hot Spring Pavilion.
It was hard to say what the scent was.
It resembled sandalwood, yet also some sort of floral fragrance, faint and elusive, relaxing the whole body and leaving even the bones feeling a little weak.
After a while, the fragrance seemed to seep into the skin, stirring an indescribable restlessness within.
Xuandou toured the place, growing more satisfied with every look.
It certainly lives up to the name Desire Hot Springs. Just one tour, and I've already spotted several suitable "battlefields"!
He coughed, suppressing the jumble of thoughts in his head.
That very afternoon, Xuandou announced that Desire Hot Springs was officially open.
Immediately afterward, Xuandou eagerly brought Kurenai over to experience Desire Hot Springs.