"Is that so?"
Uchiha Su patted his head thoughtfully. "That's my fault. I didn't consider that the environment in the Land of Water differs from the Land of Fire. Still, the air conditioner needs to be developed. Even if it's unnecessary here, it could be sold to other countries, couldn't it?"
"No problem. Our company will continue development," Hattori Tarō said, letting out a relieved sigh.
"If you encounter any difficulties, tell me directly. If I can help the Village, I certainly will," Uchiha Su added sincerely.
After a polite bow, Hattori Tarō left the Mizukage's office.
Uchiha Su sat at his desk, his gaze drifting across the piles of government affairs before him. Normally, Uchiha Nami handled these matters, but with the preparations for his inauguration as Clan Head occupying her completely, the task now fell to him alone.
If not for Nami's guidance, Uchiha Su felt he could handle these duties. Still, the sheer volume weighed on him.
"If I had never seen the light, perhaps I could have endured the darkness," he muttered to himself before diving into the paperwork.
Hours passed as he methodically processed each document. Only when the sun began to set did he finally stretch and lean back, having completed the work.
Just as he was about to leave the office, Uchiha Nami knocked on the door. Receiving his permission, she entered.
"Nami! Are you doing this on purpose? I just finished hours of government work, and here you are!" Uchiha Su exclaimed, mock exasperation in his tone.
"Of course not, Young Master," Nami replied smoothly. "I came because this is important."
She moved straight to the point. "For your inauguration ceremony, I've invited all the nobles across the Land of Water. In fact, I hardly needed to send the invitations myself—once they learned you would become Clan Head, many sent people to contact me directly."
Uchiha Su scoffed. "Ha… They hope I'll show mercy and let them off the hook. They are dreaming. I want their lands."
"Currently, seventy percent of farmers in the Land of Water are tenants, farming for others. Another twenty percent own small plots, constantly threatened by the nobles. If I do nothing, within ten years, even they'll be reduced to tenants, losing their land entirely."
"The remaining ten percent can live off their land and even save a little at the end of the year," Su continued, eyes narrowing with intensity. "That is, if they haven't gone bankrupt already. Bankrupt farmers cannot even become tenants—they become vagrants, wandering wherever work can be found. At the year's end, they cannot maintain even basic subsistence."
He paused, thinking. A phrase came to mind: an era where one wants to be a slave but cannot, and an era where one has temporarily secured the position of a slave.
Nami didn't respond, listening quietly as Su continued.
"Honestly, if I had remained merely seii taishōgun, I wouldn't have wanted to manage this chaos. It's thankless work and completely against the universal values of the Ninja World. Handling Hidden Mist would have been enough—but now I am in this position. If I sit here, I will do what must be done and resolve this completely."
Nami understood his determination, even if she didn't fully grasp his reasoning. From her perspective, winning over the nobles would be sufficient to stabilize the Land of Water. But Su insisted on standing against all of them, openly suppressing and correcting the abuses of power. Though she didn't entirely understand, she would follow his lead.
"What has Hikari been doing lately?" Su asked, shifting topics.
Since the war ended, he hadn't seen Uchiha Hikari much. She had been traveling or busy in the Village.
"Lord Hikari has been frequently auditing classes at the Ninja Academy," Nami said, a faint smile playing across her lips.
"Auditing? Didn't she say she'd rather die than go there?" Su asked, puzzled.
"Perhaps she wants to integrate into this era. Customs have changed greatly since the Sengoku period," Nami explained.
"Very well. Elder Uchiha Shū and your classmates have arrived at the Hidden Mist Village. I came to find you for this matter," Nami added.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Su asked.
"I was led astray by you, Young Master," Nami replied with a wry smile, slightly exasperated.
Despite being an excellent secretary, Nami often found herself distracted whenever Su was around.
"…Elder Shū, long time no see! I've missed you so much," Su said warmly as he returned to the clan grounds and saw Uchiha Shū.
Shū, a venerable elder of the Uchiha Clan, still held immense respect among the clansmen. Few of his generation remained.
"Young Master, seeing you makes this old man very happy. The Land of Water is changing rapidly—it's nothing like when I last came," Shū said, smiling.
He noted Su's growth. Taller now, eyes brimming with resolve, Su seemed ready to face any challenge, carrying faint echoes of Lord Madara in his presence.
"It is truly my fault to make you travel such a long distance, Elder Shū," Su said, guiding him to a seat in the courtyard.
"By the way, Elder Shū, I still have someone to introduce to you…" Su called Uchiha Nami over and whispered instructions.
"Introduce whom?" Shū asked, curiosity piqued.
"An Uchiha with seniority even higher than yours," Su said, feigning mystery.
"Then this old man will wait," Shū said, smiling as Su poured tea.
"Orochimaru, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Sakumo, I am very happy you could come as well," Su greeted his classmates warmly.
Tsunade frowned slightly. Why had Orochimaru been the first he called?
"Hey, Uchiha Su, why did you call Orochimaru first?" she demanded.
"Because he was the first one I saw," Su replied, genuinely confused. "Is that a problem?"
"Of course it's a problem… a big problem," Tsunade muttered, sinking back into a minor sulk, muttering to herself, "How could you see Orochimaru first?"
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)
50% Offers are going on claim yours as soon as possible