Konoha, Uchiha Clan Land.
In the snow-covered courtyard, the elder sat alone on the veranda, leisurely fishing with a rod.
Soon, footsteps echoed along the corridor; the elder turned his head slightly and saw Uchiha Rika walking toward him.
"Life after retirement really is carefree, Elder Shikata."
Rika teased with a smile.
"At my age, I certainly don't wish to spend my days scheming against others."
Shikata, the elder, replied.
"But it's strange, the Hyuga Family has been much more quiet lately."
Rika stroked his chin, as if pondering something.
"Don't speak to an old man about such things."
"I just meant for you to consider it. It might affect the Uchiha Clan."
"Boring questions. What brings you here?"
Shikata had no intention of paying attention to the actions of the higher-ups or the Hyuga Family, nor did he have any interest in them.
More than any of that, he was concerned with whether the fish he would catch soon would be plump and tasty, and if the household maids could cook them to his satisfaction.
"You know Fugaku's child, right?"
Rika asked.
"The child born to that girl named Mikoto? I remember the child was born this June."
Shikata recalled carefully, and remembered the matter.
This June, Uchiha Fugaku's child was born in the hospital. Shikata knew about it.
"Right, the child's name is Uchiha Itachi."
"Itachi? That's a good name. So what does that have to do with me?"
"Don't be so indifferent, Elder. Fugaku wants you to take his child as your disciple when he's grown."
Rika said.
"...I don't have the energy I did before, and I've decided not to meddle in outside affairs. He's the Uchiha Clan Leader, can't he teach his own child?"
Shikata's gaze was cold.
He understood exactly what Fugaku meant.
He wanted to use this retired old man to add so-called weight to the Clan Leader position, to intimidate the radical faction within the clan.
Hoping he'd take the child as his disciple was probably a kind of test as well.
"I'm just a messenger, no need to vent at me."
Rika scratched his head helplessly.
"Only been Clan Leader for a few months and already dares to test my bottom line... Instead of wasting energy on such trivial games, he should focus on unifying the voices within the clan."
Back when he'd unified the voices of the radical faction in the clan, he'd spent several years hammering out enough prestige, not achieved overnight.
Fugaku's only been Clan Leader for half a year, yet he's so desperate to accomplish something that surpasses the previous generation. Shikata understood Fugaku's mindset: the more he can't get something, the more he wants to prove he has that power to others. This immature stubbornness is not a good thing for the clan.
"So should I reply to him this way?"
"Tell him to perform well on the battlefield and not worry about nonsense."
Disappointment was thick on Shikata's face, but he still gave this advice.
He didn't have much hope for the Uchiha Clan in the village, but didn't expect that not even half a year had passed, and Fugaku already couldn't withstand the pressure from the radicals, and was subtly seeking help from him.
He wanted to be cold and strict to the clansmen, but could never harden his heart; he wanted to be tolerant of them, yet was always dissatisfied with the radicals' militant ideology, refusing to communicate, only rejecting.
He only hoped that through this war, Fugaku would mature, and stop viewing the clan with such immature thinking.
But Shikata also knew this was difficult. The negative power of the Sharingan affects people's minds and personalities; those prone to pessimism see only pessimism. Fugaku is just one more casualty.
"Understood. I'll explain it clearly to him."
Rika nodded.
He was just a messenger, and seeing that Shikata was in a bad mood, promptly took his leave.
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In the cold, clear winter wind, one could still feel the warm sunlight shining from above.
Although life for the people of the Land of Demons had become more prosperous than before, everyone was still used to storing large amounts of food at home to get through the harsh winter.
In this era where the workforce was far from freed en masse, whether they were people in war-torn regions or in peaceful lands, life could only be described as austere. Of course, for those in war, it was even harsher.
Before the New Year festival, Hakushi, with nothing much to do, once again led people to explore the countryside of the Land of Demons.
The main roads between the towns in the Land of Demons had already been smoothed and constructed, and even when those roads had to pass through forests and mountains, they were cut through by professional ninja. The roads leading to the countryside were proceeding steadily as well. Some places were really remote and tough to build, but considering future development plans, it was necessary.
Hakushi did not expect that he could change the lifestyle of the country's people overnight, even with ninja—professionals with considerable productivity—it was impossible to completely alter a nation's lifestyle and standard of living in just a year.
Otherwise, a region like the Land of Wind would have built lakes with Water Style Ninjutsu long ago, and wouldn't value water so dearly, importing it from abroad every year at great cost.