"Young Master, you're finally awake! Wuwuwu, thank goodness you're okay, or I wouldn't know what to do!"
Uchiha Yoru opened his eyes, dazed, hearing a wounded sob near his ear.
"Izumi?"
*Hiss, that hit was really something!*
Uchiha Yoru's senses returned, and he gasped, clutching his still-throbbing head.
Fragmented memories quickly resurfaced…
After last night's battle, a large group of people arrived.
Besides the Uchiha clan's ANBU ninjas, Lady Tsunade also led many Senju ninjas who rushed over quickly.
It was the first time Uchiha Yoru saw Tsunade; apart from her exceptionally eye-catching long legs, Tsunade at this time still had a flat chest, and even her height was a head shorter than the ninjas around her.
She wasn't yet the beautiful and heroic Slug Princess she'd become later.
Before passing out, he seemed to hear a voice say, "You brat, I told you not to talk nonsense!"
He didn't know what happened after that.
He slept like a baby.
His first encounter with Tsunade was clearly very unpleasant.
This made him hesitate about his plan to visit the Senju clan.
When he opened his eyes again, it was now; he had been awakened by Izumi's crying and was back in the Uchiha clan, in his exclusive mansion as the second elder's grandson.
Looking at the thick bandages wrapped from head to toe, his body was covered in sticky ointment.
A cooling sensation spread, gradually clearing his mind.
"Alright, Izumi, I'm fine, aren't I? It's over! But my body—who did this to me?"
He knew that apart from his new clothes and bandages, he wasn't even wearing underwear.
This was a big problem!
Uchiha Izumi frantically searched for water while quickly explaining.
"I helped you change. Lady Tsunade personally treated your wounds last night and said you encountered ninjas from an outside village. There are constant conflicts, big and small, out there, so please don't be so reckless next time!"
Uchiha Yoru blushed and used hot water to hide his embarrassment, looking rather dejected.
He felt the destructive parasite insect technique inside him, obediently in hibernation.
His wounds were healing quickly thanks to the medicine's effect, and he could already fully extract them.
He couldn't help but sigh in relief.
Fortunately, no irreversible hidden injuries were caused.
"Young Master~"
Izumi had a small mole near her eye, which, combined with her almond-shaped eyes, gave her incredible charm, but her personality was entirely different, very gentle. At that moment, with tears in her eyes, she stared at him pitifully, as if she wouldn't look away without his permission.
Her attitude was very stubborn.
Uchiha Yoru looked into her eyes, somewhat lost in thought.
Especially the mole near the corner of her eye.
The more he looked, the more familiar it seemed.
Suddenly, as if possessed, he asked, "Izumi, tell me honestly, if you have a daughter in the future, will you name her Izumi?"
Uchiha Izumi was startled by his words, then her face instantly flushed.
She glared at him, feigning anger, but her lips couldn't help curling into a slight smile.
Realizing her reaction, she quickly stood up and ran outside.
"Young Master, how could you be like that!"
Uchiha Yoru, coming to his senses, slapped his forehead.
His mouth twitched; forgive him, he was just recalling the original story, which led to his mind wandering, and he really didn't mean it that way.
Uchiha Izumi was 9 years old this year, born in the same year as Uchiha Mikoto, the granddaughter of the Third Elder.
She was three years older than Uchiha Yoru.
She had been his personal maid since childhood.
However, if things had followed the original trajectory, the sole orphan of the Second Elder's lineage should have already perished by now.
The Second Elder's lineage had no strong individuals, and with a large group of ordinary people, the old, weak, sick, and disabled remaining, how could they protect the not-so-abundant family inheritance?
More directly, how differently would Izumi, a useless maid who lost her master, be treated within the Uchiha clan?
And then the subsequent plot—her marriage, premature death, and giving birth to Uchiha Izumi—would naturally follow.
Fortunately, none of that had happened yet.
Speaking of which, Yoru's current situation wasn't optimistic either.
Especially after completely offending Danzo last night.
The Hidden Sand Village had been active in recent years, constantly seeking to spark conflict with Konoha in the Land of Rain. Yoru's parents fell on that battlefield, and their bodies were never recovered.
It wouldn't be long before Hanzō lost patience and declared war on the three great nations.
One could say it was a time of internal and external turmoil.
Moreover, the atmosphere within the Uchiha clan was hard to describe.
Don't think the Uchiha clan, which valued strength, had much warmth among them.
In reality, the current Uchiha clan was fragmented: each Elder acted independently, and no faction respected the others. For so many years, they couldn't even elect a clan leader.
This led many uninformed outside observers to still believe the Uchiha clan regarded Uchiha Madara, who opposed Hashirama to the death, as their clan leader!
How could the various forces tied to Senju Hashirama tolerate this?
It could be said that for this reason, in the current Konoha, within a wide circle of high-ranking officials, targeting and suppressing the Uchiha was politically correct!
Even if some people could see it objectively and rationally, such an Uchiha was indeed dangerous.
Though it's hard to admit, the truth is absurd.
The conclusion is that no one in the Uchiha clan could use their brain!
In summary.
If he, the isolated and defenseless orphan of the Second Elder's lineage, couldn't find the key to break the situation in a short time, what awaited him was likely the outcome of a silent sacrifice in a simple clan mission.
*Hiss, what a headache!*
…
After breakfast, Uchiha Izumi's pretty face was slightly flushed as she focused on helping Yoru organize his clothes.
Uchiha Yoru was dressed in the formal Uchiha clan attire, which was quite cumbersome to wear.
Without Izumi's patient help, he really couldn't put it on.
After the recent misunderstanding, the atmosphere between the two seemed a bit different.
Especially Izumi, who looked at him with subtle eyes, like a young couple.
Uchiha Yoru complained about the early maturity of girls in the Hokage world while enjoying it all with a clear conscience.
"Sister Izumi, later, go to the treasury and count the money. Distribute all the condolence money to the clan members of our lineage. Give more to those with elderly or children at home, so they don't face financial difficulties.
Since the village intends to delay, we won't ask them for it!"
Hearing this, Izumi's eyes welled up.
Then she nodded obediently.
"I'll explain everything clearly to the clan members!"
Previously, rumors had circulated within the clan that Yoru's parents had failed a mission, tarnishing the Uchiha clan's honor.
The village had further used the war as an excuse to delay distributing condolence money to the Uchiha clan's fallen.
It's ridiculous that, up to today, Konoha had developed peacefully for nearly twenty years but refused to distribute condolence money to fallen heroes due to a few small-scale conflicts.
Was it really just for the Uchiha clan to join Konoha for peace?
Seeing Izumi's thoughts written on her face, Uchiha Yoru patted her head.
"Alright, don't overthink it. We still have plenty of money in the family, more than we can spend.
On the contrary, it's precisely the village and clan's injustice that gives me, the new family head, the opportunity to provide timely help.
From this perspective, it's actually a good thing!"
Izumi smiled and nodded at these words. "Young Master is truly amazing. I'll explain everything clearly to the clan members: Young Master Yoru advanced the money for everyone. But wouldn't it be better if Young Master did it himself?"
Uchiha Yoru laughed.
The Uchiha clan is full of handsome men and beautiful women. They can do anything. Look at Izumi: providing emotional value is more pleasant than others.
"No need, you can handle it. Just make sure to investigate the situation of struggling clan members later and report back to me! Also, recall all active ninjas. Let the family support them for now to protect the family. I have my own plans for what's next."
After giving a few more instructions, Uchiha Yoru let Izumi go.
He walked out the main gate alone, strutting toward the neighboring Senju clan.