Chapter 353 Uchiha Problem

Tsunade and Muzuki’s conversation left Rin Nohara even more bewildered. How did it suddenly jump to eating? Had she unconsciously zoned out for a few minutes?

“Ahem, this Chakra control ability is quite good,” Tsunade said, clearing her throat and adopting a serious expression as she commented.

The key to Monster Strength is Chakra control, and Rin Nohara’s ability to use such Monster Strength already proved her Chakra control capabilities.

After observing Rin Nohara’s Medical Ninjutsu and Monster Strength, Tsunade had pretty much decided on the curriculum Rin Nohara would be learning next.

“Then, Shizune is yours to teach. I don’t care how you teach her, but in half a year, I want to see Shizune’s progress,” Tsunade continued.

The reason Tsunade, in her slacker state, was willing to teach Rin Nohara was because she had made an agreement with Muzuki to temporarily swap disciples, which meant her total workload would remain unchanged.

Of course, it was also because Tsunade felt that Muzuki was quite skilled at teaching, and Shizune could learn from him.

“No problem, I will diligently teach Shizune,” Muzuki nodded in agreement.

He might not be as knowledgeable as Tsunade in medical knowledge, but he was very skilled at helping people improve their strength.

“Then, will I be moving into Teacher Muzuki’s house from now on?” Shizune asked, confused.

Shizune knew about learning from Muzuki; Tsunade had told her before.

Since Shizune’s parents had passed away and her closest uncle, Kato Dan, had also died, she was currently living at Tsunade’s house. When Tsunade said that, Shizune thought Tsunade was going to completely hand her over to Muzuki to manage.

“If Muzuki agrees, that could work. It would be convenient for him to send me meals every day,” Tsunade mused, stroking her chin, thinking it was a good idea.

Although she was somewhat used to Shizune taking care of her, if it meant getting free meals from Muzuki every day, she could manage on her own.

“Lady Tsunade!” Shizune’s small face puffed up, a little annoyed. This was clearly just using her for free meals!

“I think that’s out of the question,” Muzuki shook his head, refusing.

He and Shizune had no familial relationship, and even though Shizune was a nine-year-old girl, it would still be a bit inappropriate, especially since Shizune wasn’t homeless.

Moreover, Muzuki had too many secrets. Staying for a few days was fine, but living together long-term required someone he absolutely trusted.

Tsunade showed a regretful expression and said, “Muzuki, you’ve missed out on a good thing. Shizune is very capable at housework.”

Muzuki smiled but said nothing.

“Lady Tsunade feels different from what I imagined,” Rin Nohara’s image of Tsunade began to change.

Although she had visited once before, that time she only had a meal and didn’t interact much with Tsunade, so Rin Nohara’s impression of Tsunade still came from external rumors.

For Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin, normal people wouldn’t intentionally speak ill of her to offend her, so Rin Nohara’s image of Tsunade was extremely positive.

“What is the real Lady Tsunade like?” With this question, Rin Nohara began her studies with Tsunade.

………

“Grandma, you don’t know how urgent it was back then! It’s a good thing I was there, otherwise, the Daimyo of Land of Snow and the little princess would have been in danger.”

During dinner, Obito was still excitedly recounting his heroic story in Land of Snow.

Although the truth was that he and Kakashi had together blocked Fūka Dotō’s attack, Kakashi wasn’t present, so Obito added a small, narrative embellishment, making himself the main character and Kakashi merely a support.

“Yes, yes, our Obito is truly amazing, saving an entire country,” his grandmother praised with a smile.

Although she didn’t understand much of what Obito said, the part about Obito protecting the Daimyo and the princess was easy to grasp.

“Hehe,” his grandmother’s direct praise made Obito unconsciously squirm, showing an embarrassed smile. “Actually, most of the credit goes to Teacher Muzuki. It was Teacher Muzuki who dealt with most of the enemies.”

The changes weren’t random fabrications; Obito wouldn’t directly claim Muzuki’s credit for himself. After all, he didn’t have the strength to defeat hundreds of Ninja.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

As his grandmother was about to get up to open the door, Obito quickly stood up and said, “Grandma, I’ll get it.”

With that, Obito quickly scurried to the door and opened it, seeing Uchiha Yashiro standing behind it.

“Obito, there’s a clan meeting tonight at eight. Remember to be at Nanga Shrine on time to attend,” seeing Uchiha Obito open the door, Uchiha Yashiro didn’t enter and spoke directly.

Normally, he wouldn’t need to deliver such a notice, but he thought highly of Obito, and Obito had missed previous clan meetings for various reasons. This was Obito’s first time attending a clan meeting, so Uchiha Yashiro made the trip himself.

“Clan Ninja will attend the clan meeting unless they’re on a mission. You can use this opportunity to interact more with other clan Ninja,” Uchiha Yashiro reminded him.

The Uchiha Clan values strength. Obito being engrossed in training was fine, but Uchiha Yashiro still hoped Obito would spend more time with his clan members to increase his sense of family identity.

“Eight o’clock, got it,” Obito thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

Since he hadn’t attended before, Obito thought he’d go once to see. If it was boring, he wouldn’t go again in the future.

He was very annoyed at being suppressed by Kakashi and trained whenever he had free time. If it was a meaningless activity, he really didn’t want to waste that time.

“Obito, who was at the door?” His grandmother asked when Obito returned to the dining table alone.

“It was Elder Yashiro. He notified me about the clan meeting,” Obito summarized.

“A clan meeting, huh? Your father also attended many times back then…” his grandmother said, lost in thought.

After dinner, Obito again quickly cleared the table, washed the dishes, and put them away.

“Obito, you’ve really become sensible. Your father wouldn’t have volunteered to wash dishes at your age,” his grandmother unconsciously spoke of the past again.

Once elderly people start reminiscing, it’s hard for them to stop. Obito listened, occasionally hummed in agreement, and waited until it was almost eight o’clock before reluctantly interrupting, because the clan meeting was about to start.

“You go, Obito. I’m getting sleepy anyway,” his grandmother said with a tired smile.

“Then you rest well, Grandma,” Obito waved to his grandmother and walked towards Nanga Shrine.

On the way to Nanga Shrine, Obito wasn’t thinking about the clan meeting, but rather how to convince his grandmother to see a doctor at Konoha Hospital.

Obito felt his grandmother was ill, because after he returned this time, he noticed her energy wasn’t as good as before, her movements had become slower, and she looked older.

But his grandmother felt she wasn’t sick, so she refused Obito’s suggestion to go to the hospital. This left Obito helpless; he couldn’t possibly use Sharingan Genjutsu on his grandmother and forcibly take her to the hospital. An elderly person couldn’t withstand such a ordeal.

“Tomorrow, I’ll ask Teacher Muzuki if he has any ideas,” Obito decided to consult the all-knowing Sage Muzuki during his training tomorrow.

As Obito thought, he unconsciously arrived near Nanga Shrine.

“Obito, long time no see,” Uchiha Inaho, also attending the clan meeting, greeted Obito when he saw him.

After being defeated last time, Uchiha Inaho had been in a slump for a while. After all, he usually had a bit of a reputation within the Uchiha Clan, and he was defeated by Obito in such a manner.

However, Uchiha Inaho didn’t dwell on it for too long. Strong is strong, weak is weak. He lost to Obito simply because he was weaker than Obito, and thus needed to train more.

“Uh, are you Inaho-senpai from that day?” Obito tried hard to recall and remembered the other person’s name.

After all, Uchiha Inaho had helped him acquire a high-level Fire Release Ninjutsu.

“No need for’senpai,’ just call me Inaho. If you have time, give me some pointers on my Fire Release,” Uchiha Inaho said to Obito with a smile.

He had watched the Chunin Exams and seen Obito’s powerful Fire Release and Taijutsu, clearly understanding Obito’s current strength.

Uchiha Inaho couldn’t be called Obito’s’senpai’ in such a way, because the strength gap between them was too great. If Obito fought him with the performance he showed in the Chunin Exams, he would definitely be instantly killed.

“Haha, if I have time, that’s no problem,” Obito was very pleased and couldn’t help but smile.

As the two walked into Nanga Shrine, many Uchiha were already seated inside. Obito scanned the room, saw Shisui’s figure, and walked directly to Shisui’s side to sit down. Uchiha Inaho saw that there was plenty of space near them and also sat down.

“It seems the clan has high hopes for you, Shisui. This is my first time seeing someone attend a clan meeting before becoming a Ninja,” Uchiha Inaho couldn’t help but exclaim.

However, when he thought of Shisui’s strength, he didn’t think much of it. After all, although Shisui was still in Ninja Academy, he was already strong enough to defeat a Chunin, and the only difference between him and a Ninja was that he didn’t have a headband.

“It was just a coincidence. I happened to meet the Clan Head on the way,” Shisui explained.

Unlike Obito, Shisui had some interest in the Uchiha Clan meeting, so he readily accepted Fugaku’s invitation.

Because he simply felt that to solve the Uchiha’s problems, he needed to have a sufficient understanding of the Uchiha, Shisui was very willing to participate in both the Uchiha young generation’s exchange meetings and the Clan meetings.

When most of the Uchiha had arrived, Uchiha Yashiro nodded to Fugaku, and then announced that the Clan meeting had officially begun.

“How do you all think the Uchiha should develop and grow at present?” Fugaku stated the important theme of this Clan meeting.

“I think we should apply for more funding!” an Uchiha of about twenty years old said.

“Our Police Force has such a significant responsibility; we are fully justified in applying for more funding to cultivate Clan members.”

A stir instantly arose in the shrine, and many Uchiha expressed their agreement.

“I think this is acceptable. If it weren’t for our Uchiha’s diligent work, spies from other Ninja villages would have already infiltrated Konoha.”

“This suggestion is very good. Only by becoming stronger can our Uchiha better protect Konoha.”

Most of the Uchiha Ninja worked in the Police Force; only a small portion of Uchiha performed missions in regular squads. More funding meant they could receive more salary, and no one disliked too much salary.

“I will try to apply for the funding, but it may not pass,” Uchiha Fugaku replied, feeling the gaze of many Uchiha.

In fact, Fugaku believed it was 100% impossible to pass. He only didn’t say it out loud because he didn’t want to discourage the Clan members.

Konoha was currently at war, and the Police Force did not need to go to the front lines. How could the Konoha higher-ups increase the Police Force’s funding at this time? Moreover, the Police Force had no new achievements, so submitting such an application without reason was even more impossible to pass.

“An Uchiha must become Hokage and control Konoha’s core power,” another Uchiha immediately said.

Uchiha Fugaku subconsciously nodded. This was indeed key to the Uchiha’s development.

The other Uchiha in the shrine also agreed.

“Becoming Hokage is very important, as everyone knows, but how to become Hokage is the problem,” an Uchiha said.

As soon as these words were spoken, the shrine immediately fell silent.

Although these words were disheartening, they were true, because currently the Sannin were the hot candidates for Fourth Hokage, and there was no Ninja in the Uchiha Clan who could match the Sannin’s fame and strength.

“Isn’t it enough to be excellent enough to gain everyone’s recognition?” Obito said his answer when he saw no one speaking.

Since only Obito was speaking, the Uchiha could easily identify the speaker. Many Uchiha looked at Obito with eyes that saw him as an idiot. If they were that capable, would they still need to be silent?

“Very good. Our Uchiha Clan must have this kind of ambition,” Uchiha Yashiro said, looking at Obito with an appreciative gaze.

Some Uchiha found it strange. Shouldn’t the usually strict Elder Yashiro criticize such nonsense? Why was he praising him instead?

“You haven’t seen the Chunin Exams, have you? Uchiha Obito can be said to be the most talented Ninja of our Uchiha young generation. Of course, it’s not certain after Shisui graduates,” an Uchiha who had watched the Chunin Exams reminded him.

Obito’s participation in the Chunin Exams could be said to have made him famous within Konoha, and many Uchiha learned that a young genius had emerged from their Clan.

The Uchiha who was reminded instantly understood. The Uchiha valued strength, and if Obito was talented enough, then he had the right to say such things.

“I think we can relax the restrictions on the Police Force and allow other Konoha Ninja to join the Police Force,” Shisui said after thinking for a moment.

Shisui had studied history with Muzuki for over a year. He believed that the Uchiha should not be thinking about how to become stronger now, but rather how to get out of their predicament.

Currently, the Uchiha were still being monitored by the Anbu, feared by fellow village Ninja, and disliked by fellow village residents. Not solving these problems first and only seeking to become stronger would only deepen the conflict.

Shisui currently had no way to come up with a solution to the problem himself, but he could ask Muzuki, and in Muzuki’s vision, the Police Force was the first problem that needed to be solved.

Because the Uchiha’s current predicament was basically directly or indirectly caused by the Police Force.

It was very normal for a single Clan to control such a powerful department to be feared, and the Uchiha who held power would become more arrogant under the influence of power. At the same time, because most of the Clan’s Ninja worked in the Police Force, communication with other Ninja would decrease, and they would basically only interact with Clan members.

Shisui’s words were like throwing a stone into a calm lake, instantly causing the entire shrine to erupt.

“How can we let others join our Police Force? You know that the symbol of the Police Force is our Uchiha Clan’s crest. If they don’t do their job well, wouldn’t it tarnish our Uchiha’s reputation!”

“Our Uchiha ancestors made great contributions to allow us to obtain the Police Force; we cannot let our ancestors’ efforts be in vain.”

“Letting others join the Police Force, what if someone takes the opportunity to use a trick to seize the Captain position? Wouldn’t our Uchiha lose the Police Force forever?”

“The Police Force is full of Clan members, which makes things easy to handle. Outsiders coming in would break the atmosphere of the Police Force.”

Voices of opposition filled the entire shrine; almost everyone was refuting Shisui’s “treasonous” remarks.

“Shisui, how could you have such an idea? This is very detrimental to our Uchiha’s development,” Uchiha Inaho next to him shook his head in denial.

He almost wanted to say not to say things that were detrimental to unity.

Shisui also didn’t expect to encounter so many refutations. He had thought that a few Uchiha might have considered this point.

“Shisui, your thinking is very dangerous. At your age, you need to read more Clan history!” an Uchiha Jonin who knew Shisui directly named him and said.

It was precisely because he knew Shisui was a genius that he said this; otherwise, what was the use of an Uchiha strongman who wasn’t loyal to the Uchiha?

Feeling the displeased gazes of many Uchiha, Shisui did not show a trace of timidity. He opened his mouth, wanting to explain his point of view.

“Doesn’t the Clan meeting require one to be a Ninja to participate? Isn’t Shisui not graduated yet?” someone noticed that Shisui did not have a Ninja headband, and Habsheng interrupted.

“If you haven’t become a Ninja, you’re still a child. What kind of Clan meeting does a child participate in?”

Even Shisui couldn’t help but frown slightly at being looked down upon like this. One had to know that some of the people speaking were even weaker than him.

“What’s wrong with not being a Ninja yet? With Shisui’s strength, becoming a Ninja is a matter of minutes,” Obito couldn’t help but speak up when he saw his friend being targeted.

“Isn’t the Clan meeting a place for discussion? Are you saying that if I say something you don’t want to hear, it’s not allowed?” Obito used his skill at arguing with Kakashi to retort.

Obito’s words were so sharp that some Uchiha were speechless for a moment.

“It’s not about the words; it’s just not according to the rules,” an Uchiha Jonin said calmly.

Those Genin and Chunin might not dare to respond to Obito due to strength issues, but Jonin did not have this concern. A talented junior was still a junior.

“It was my mistake. I was thinking of letting Shisui experience the atmosphere of the Clan meeting in advance,” Uchiha Fugaku stepped forward and said, seeing that Shisui’s remarks had aroused public anger.

“Fugaku, even if Shisui shows extraordinary talent, rules must still be followed,” a middle-aged Uchiha said in a deep voice.

“This situation won’t happen again,” Fugaku had to back down. Being in the wrong, he couldn’t refute those Elders.

Shisui was not stupid. After calming down, he walked out of the shrine himself, avoiding further embarrassment for Fugaku.

And Obito already found the Clan meeting boring. Seeing that Shisui, the only one he was close to, had left, he also followed Shisui out without giving any face.

I’m home. I’ll be updating more recently. Today I added 1k words more than yesterday, and I’ll try to add another 2k tomorrow.