"Old hag, what do you want their Caged Bird Seal for?" Takahashi Yū was quite tolerant of his own people. Sunk into the sofa with his eyes closed, he spoke to Uzumaki Shui Ling.
"What for? They couldn't possibly hand over the Caged Bird Seal. I simply didn't want all that noise."
Handing the Caged Bird Seal over to someone else meant losing control over the branch family's lives and deaths. The Hyūga only wanted to resolve their internal conflict, not sever ties outright.
"Tch, if they really did hand it over, I'd think more highly of them." Takahashi Yū understood now too. Still, if Hiashi had the resolve to give the Caged Bird Seal to the Uzumaki to study, they might just undo that disgusting Cursed Seal, or change it so that it only activated upon death.
"All right, all right, come over here. Let's continue our lesson." Uzumaki Shui Ling set down her cup and called the little redheads back.
Seeing them discussing incomprehensible Sealing Jutsu again, Takahashi Yū found it utterly dull. He stood, pushed the door open, and headed toward the Farm.
Year 39 would end in a few days. It had been almost sixteen years since Takahashi Yū came to this world, and the point where the plot went completely off the rails was drawing near too.
A section of the original wire fence had been removed, with a large wooden post erected on either side. This was where the Farm's gate would stand. According to the Carpenter, he would throw in a torii gate for Takahashi Yū when the finishing work was done.
"It's really starting to take shape," Takahashi Yū remarked as he stepped onto the Farm and walked along the cobblestone path.
The plants on either side of the path were all bare. According to Yakushi Nonō, they were little wildflowers the orphanage children had dug up from all over the hills. Come spring next year, flowers of every color would bloom along the path.
Mm, Yamanaka Ayano would probably really like this.
Beyond the plants stood towering trees. Their leaves had mostly fallen by now, yet the bleak scene made Takahashi Yū feel a thriving vitality.
Besides, Konoha's winters were not too cold. If Takahashi Yū wanted to grow crops in the future, he would not have to worry too much about the temperature. Its reputation as the most fertile land in the Shinobi World was no joke.
When he reached the planned site of the manor, he could see that the foundations had already been laid. Huge logs were being driven into their designated positions. Once those logs were in place, Takahashi Yū's farm manor would not be far off.
He greeted some of the orphanage children. They were too young to help with the work, so they played on Takahashi Yū's Farm every day, gathering a few wild vegetables that were still stubbornly growing to add some flavor to the meals of their hardworking older brothers and sisters.
Although Takahashi Yū covered their meals, in their words, seeing wild vegetables and mushrooms without picking them was a crime. It also saved Takahashi Yū a little money. There was a reason people said poor children learned responsibility early. They were truly so considerate.
The Carpenter spotted Takahashi Yū too and quickly set down his work to walk over.
"Lord Takahashi Yū, have you come to check our progress again? Don't worry, we're ahead of schedule!"
The Carpenter no longer wore the miserable expression Takahashi and Mizuki had seen at their first meeting. Takahashi Yū had people deliver two pigs here every day, so everyone at the orphanage could eat meat daily. He had also told the Carpenter to buy more ingredients so that all the children could eat their fill. Though they had come to help, every one of them was getting a healthy glow.
The Carpenter was a kind man too. Otherwise, he would not have spent half his life working for his mother's orphanage. Takahashi Yū had met sincerity with sincerity, and he and the children worked late every day, until the darkness completely blocked their vision.
When Takahashi Yū learned of this, he added a late-night meal for them as well. The younger children had all put on quite a bit of weight.
"No, I've got nothing else to do, so I came to help." As he spoke, Takahashi Yū took off his outer clothes, revealing the farmer's undershirt beneath.
The Carpenter felt embarrassed at that. Takahashi Yū not only provided their meals but had also donated a large sum to the orphanage, yet he would still be making money off Takahashi Yū in the end.
I'm really no better than a beast!
"Lord Takahashi Yū, you're truly a good man." The Carpenter was not one to be overly sentimental either, and opened straight with "a good man." He could not find any other words of praise, and someone of Takahashi Yū's standing hardly needed praise from a carpenter.
"What good man? I'm Konoha's 'evil spirit.'" The Carpenter's visible awkwardness made Takahashi Yū laugh.
The children nearby grew anxious when they heard that. "No, Big Brother Takahashi Yū is a good man!"
"All right, all right, hahaha! Go play somewhere else. Big Brother Takahashi Yū is going to cut down trees." The children pulled Takahashi Yū's mood back around as well. He ushered the little ones elsewhere so the falling timber would not shower them in dust.
Kind people always suffered more hardship, but they also found more happiness.
Takahashi Yū did not use his manifested killing intent either, afraid of frightening these poor children. He put strength into his forearm and used his hand as a blade, felling a towering tree with each strike.
Taking out the map the Carpenter had given him, Takahashi Yū checked the circled area that needed clearing and picked up speed, stirring up great clouds of dust in the dense woods.
Keeping his head down and working hard really was efficient. Before long, he had cleared all the trees that needed felling. After washing his face by the river, Takahashi Yū headed toward the farmland he had plowed a few days earlier.
The orphanage children had also built earthen ridges across the farmland, dividing it into neat squares that would satisfy even someone with OCD.
Takahashi Yū was deeply touched. These children really were hardworking.
He found another large tree, cut it down, then carved the fallen trunk into the shape of a gantry with a few chops of his hand.
He picked up a thick rope from the Carpenter's supplies and shaved a wooden board flat.
He drove the wooden gantry hard into the ground where the children often stayed, threaded the rope through the board, and tossed the other end over the frame.
A swing was finished!
Only, the posts driven into the ground on either side were particularly thick, and the frame overhead was too long, making the swing in the middle look especially tiny. Oh well, as long as they could play on it!
After finishing the swing, Takahashi Yū picked up his clothes and headed out. It looked like his Farm would soon be ready, and peaceful days would soon arrive.
He left the Farm and headed home.
The next day, just as he had the day before, Takahashi Yū went to the hospital to visit Ryūhei. He was still not fully lucid, but there were no longer any signs of mental impairment. Everything seemed to be moving in a good direction.
However, Yamanaka Ayano told him that, according to her clan leader, the chances of Dan Katō waking up were very low.
Hizashi had already delivered the eyes to the hospital without even assigning anyone to watch over them. Perhaps he also knew that no one dared touch Takahashi Yū's belongings now.
After all, one shinobi clan leader had already died. As Hyuga Hiashi took over the Hyuga Clan, Uchiha Fugaku also led more Uchiha elites to the Land of Water front, while keeping an eye on the members of the Hyuga Main Family traveling with them.
Takahashi Yū merely took the half apple Ayano gave him in silence. He had an outrageous guess in mind, but he did not dare be certain yet. He still needed more evidence.
Before you continue