Chapter 13 The Fire Passed Down Through Generations of the Uchiha
Uchiha Kaku knew that although his granddaughter was gentle by nature, she was by no means someone who would indiscriminately show kindness without reason.
While orphans in Konoha who lost their parents for various reasons are certainly pitiful, the Uchiha clan also has many members who lost their parents at a young age.
Even though the Uchiha clan has always been wealthy, their large family business means their expenses are like water flowing away.
Furthermore, it is based on the three major precepts recognized by most ninjas: prohibition of alcohol, prohibition of extravagance, and prohibition of lust.
The family welfare system treats orphans with no source of income no differently than it treats ordinary people, without any special preferential treatment.
However, this situation quietly changed after Uchiha Anlan awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan.
As he gradually gained influence within the clan and began to voice his opinions, the hawkish ordinary clan members opened shops and introduced many novel products that Konoha had never seen before.
The quality of life for hawkish families is visibly rising.
While not extravagant, brand-new clothes and fine ninja tools were standard equipment.
With their pockets full and their clothes presentable, the entire hawkish faction has a completely new look.
What bothered Uchiha Kaku even more was that, almost at the same time, his granddaughter Mikoto had also begun a similar scheme.
Not only did they keep up with the hawks' development, but they also continued to fund multiple orphanages.
Furthermore, they extended an olive branch to the many Uchiha clan members scattered elsewhere, including those women who had married into other clans, inviting them to return.
Because the clan has always been proud, not many women marry out of the clan.
However, over the decades, the number of Uchiha descendants, whether related or not, has exceeded three hundred.
Even though the chances of these clan members with mixed bloodlines awakening the Sharingan of their clan bloodline are not high, most of them possess the aptitude to become ninjas.
Over the years, quite a few have become Chunin, but the most outstanding among them is Uchiha Hazuki, who possesses the three-tomoe gem.
This is a significant boost to the overall strength of the doves.
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Mikoto's eyebrows curved into crescent moons as she gently placed the chopsticks in her hand on the rim of the bowl.
As she stood up, the sleeves of her previously changed-up home kimono brushed against the edge of the table, carrying a faint floral fragrance.
"Grandpa, there's nothing I'm hiding from you. Everything I do is under your watchful eye."
The girl's slender white fingers traced the edge of the bowl and plate, her movements as fluid as flowing water.
Leftovers were carefully placed on the left side of the tray, and bowls and chopsticks were stacked in order of size.
The table was wiped with a cotton cloth after each piece of tableware was collected.
The light shone on her lowered eyelashes, revealing a gentle curve at the corner of her eyes.
Uchiha Kaku looked at his granddaughter's deliberately evasive posture, and the words stuck in his chest turned into a complaint filled with jealousy and envy.
"Girls really are hard to keep at home once they grow up."
He rose, leaning on his knees, his wooden clogs making a dull thud on the stairs.
Mikoto's ears turned slightly red. She lowered her head and pretended not to hear her grandfather's displeasure, humming the nursery rhyme that Anlan had taught her.
Amidst the sound of flowing water, she inverted the washed porcelain bowl into a bamboo basket to drain, each movement executed with practiced ease.
That's the ease cultivated from regularly doing housework, and even more so, a sweet anticipation of the future.
Compared to the fighting and killing of ninjas, Mikoto hopes to become a wife who supports her husband and raises her children, taking care of the family she loves.
As she wiped the stove, she looked up and her warm, dark eyes swept over the sunflowers that Anlan had sent, which were planted in a pot.
It's as if I can already see my loved one sitting at the table that will be theirs in the future.
Uchiha Kaku slowly ascended the creaking stairs, the candlelight in the corridor casting his shadow long and short.
He pushed open the sliding door to the last Japanese-style room, and moonlight streamed through the window lattice onto the shrine—
There, two portraits of the deceased are enshrined side by side, the edges of the frames still retaining a carefully polished sheen.
"Keita, Reiko..."
He knelt on the prayer mat and took out three sticks of incense from the incense box.
As the firelight flickered between their fingertips, the aroma of agarwood gradually filled the air.
"Mikoto has found a man she loves, Anlan from the Setsuna family, the doll you only met once."
The smoke curled upwards, brushing past the son's resolute brows and the daughter-in-law's gentle smile in the photograph.
People often say that the dead will turn into stars in the sky. I wonder if you have seen them in the sky?
"The way Mikoto raised Anlan's eyebrows was exactly the same as when you were about to marry Keita back then."
"They were all so happy."
Kaku reached out and touched the cool glass of the picture frame, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.
"The family is slowly changing, and those blood-stained old stories... are finally being pushed aside by new buds."
In the past, during the bloody wars between clans, every Uchiha faction was stained with the blood of their own kin.
Ironically, a group that cherishes love so much can be more ruthless than anyone else when it comes to killing each other!
Beneath those scarlet, cold tomoe, it seemed as if no one in the world was immune to their killing.
The wind chimes under the eaves suddenly rang softly, and Kaku looked up at the hydrangea bushes in the courtyard, which were bathed in moonlight and swaying in the night breeze.
"I just don't know if my old bones will be able to see the day Mikoto put on her wedding dress..."
"Ah, the Hidden Mist Village of the Land of Water."
Uchiha Higanbana's thoughts gradually shifted from his family, finally settling on the upcoming confrontation with Kirigakure.
His gaze fell heavily on the dusty armor in the corner, its mottled paint still revealing the cold glint of iron.
Blood suddenly splattered from the depths of his turbid pupils, and the three magatama slowly rotated in the darkness, staining the moonlight in the room crimson.
"The Hidden Blade of Mist..."
His aged voice resonated with the roar of clashing swords and galloping horses. He chuckled at his armor, his wrinkles revealing forty years of war and hardship.
"It's a good opportunity for my Sharingan to once again test the secret techniques of the Land of Water."
"Where the leaves dance, the fire will never cease. The firelight will continue to illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout."
"This 'fire' is the 'fire' passed down through generations of the Uchiha clan!"
The old man's proud and resolute words dissipated into the darkness with the wind.
Downstairs, Mikoto Uchiha tidied up the restaurant and took out a calming tea powder made of lavender and matcha.
The newly boiled spring water in the copper kettle stirred up the thick foam of milk, and the rising steam blurred the bright moon in front of the window.
The teacups on the tray rippled slightly with her steps, and the cypress steps creaked softly.
She paused in front of the sliding door and saw her grandfather's silhouette reflected on the shoji paper through the washi paper.
For some reason, his figure carried the chilling aura of a drawn ninja sword.
'Is Grandpa thinking about the past again?'
My memories of my parents have faded with time, leaving only a few fragmented pieces from my childhood.
Mikoto, who grew up in love and acceptance, has sadness in her heart, but even more so, she is resilient and strong.
She stood at the door, her voice as gentle as a spring breeze.
"Grandpa, it's time for a cup of milk tea and some rest."
Ps..
I'm working hard on translation. Thank You for your patience.:)
End of this chapter...