Chapter 132: Major Breakthrough in the Impure World Reincarnation Project
Early the next morning.
Asuka opened his front door, preparing to attend the clan meeting, only to find Uchiha Mikoto and Kana standing together in the street. Both women were holding their babies and chatting with smiles on their faces.
The two women looked surprisingly similar. Standing together with their children in their arms, laughing and talking like old friends, they almost looked like sisters.
Have they become best friends?
Asuka stood in his courtyard, marveling at the strange workings of fate.
Then he noticed Mikoto's expression change the instant she saw him.
"Kana, come to my house."
Mikoto immediately grabbed Kana by the arm and walked toward her home, leaving Asuka standing there in confusion.
Watching her retreating back, Asuka clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"How rude. She doesn't even say hello anymore."
"Lady Mikoto?"
Hearing Kana's puzzled voice, Mikoto glanced back.
As soon as she saw that Asuka had disappeared from sight, she slowed down and spoke irritably.
"I've been a little upset lately. I don't want to see him."
Kana gently patted Karin's back and asked curiously,
"Lady Mikoto, what happened?"
What else could it be?
The tension in Mikoto's face instantly faded. Looking into Kana's bright, clear eyes, she spoke softly.
"Ever since he made that heartless suggestion, I've often felt uneasy."
Kana shook her head reassuringly.
"Asuka-kun was only saying it."
Thinking about how Asuka had indeed taken no actual action, Mikoto pursed her lips, resentment evident in her voice.
"I hope he was only incapable of doing anything beyond saying it. But even saying something like that is unacceptable."
After a moment of silence, she shook her head and forced Asuka from her thoughts.
She couldn't dwell on it too much.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
Then she linked arms with Kana.
"Kana, where did you buy your new house?"
"When I have some free time, I'll take Sasuke around the neighborhood."
Kana smiled and pointed toward the street they had just come from.
"It's right next to Asuka-kun's house. Uncle Ryōichi sold me the house his son hasn't lived in for years at a very good price."
Right next to Asuka's house?
Mikoto's previously rosy complexion darkened again.
Naka Shrine
Creak!
As the meeting hall doors slowly opened, a peculiar fragrance rolled out in waves.
The moment he caught the familiar smell, Uchiha Sanrō entered expressionlessly.
"Elder, you're here."
"Elder Sanrō, I've already eaten three bowls. In this regard, you have to admit defeat."
"Has this old man given up?"
"If not, then let's eat together. Since you think arguing disrupts harmony, eating together harmoniously shouldn't disrupt harmony, right?"
Amid the noisy voices around him, Sanrō looked down at the greasy vermicelli being offered to him and swallowed with difficulty.
To become the leader of a clan, one first needed overwhelming strength, followed by the trust of the people.
To become the clan's second-in-command, one first needed prestige, followed by trust.
An old, weak, and incompetent second-in-command who couldn't even keep his own clansmen fed would easily lose their trust.
Unfortunately, among the Uchiha, age did not represent wisdom.
And it certainly didn't represent strength.
Otherwise, why did Sanrō always feel as though he was eating himself to death?
Trust…
In an instant, an intense competitive spirit seized his thoughts.
Sanrō looked around.
Everyone in the hall was staring at him.
He walked over to Asuka and spoke expressionlessly.
"You know, I have a large appetite. I need one more bowl than whoever eats the most."
Even from a meter away, Asuka could sense the old man's overwhelming desire to win.
"Sigh. Elder, eat a little less. You're already getting fat."
"Hmph. Brat, what do you know?"
Sanrō accepted the food and swept his stern gaze across the crowd.
There was a faint trace of pride in his voice.
"Simply staying alive consumes three times as much energy for me as it does for an ordinary person. Naturally, I need to eat a lot to maintain my energy expenditure."
"…"
"…"
"…"
At that moment, the Uchiha jōnin present looked at the confident elder with genuine admiration.
Only someone with extraordinary strength had the right to mediate.
The weak didn't even have the qualifications to steal the spotlight.
And Uchiha Sanrō…
He truly was the representative figure when it came to mediating internal clan disputes.
Slurp. Slurp.
After taking several mouthfuls of vermicelli, Sanrō raised his head and addressed the clan members below.
"The clan head has been summoned by Danzō today, so I will preside over this meeting."
"The topic is Orochimaru. His defection has caused considerable damage to the village's strength and to the reputation of the Fourth Hokage. The clan head has decided that we should increase our support for the Fourth Hokage."
"I object!"
The person beside Asuka suddenly stood up.
He held a sheet of white paper covered in writing and waved it in front of everyone.
"Recently, I received a revelation in my dreams."
"There has been tremendous progress in the experiment to resurrect Senju Hashirama."
"If Senju Hashirama is successfully resurrected and stationed in the Uchiha clan district and Konoha, not only will we gain an enormous sense of security, but we'll also save a considerable amount of money."
Sanrō glanced at the densely written sheet filled with numbers.
He took two more mouthfuls of vermicelli before calmly replying,
"In principle, I support your proposal. However, the experiment may take several years before producing results. During that transitional period, we still need to consider other options."
"Hm."
The man nodded.
"My progress in resurrecting Senju Hashirama is proceeding very quickly. When the time comes, I hope you won't be surprised."
"Recently, an unidentified individual transferred two million ryo to me through Elder Ryōichi and provided a new type of material. According to his letter, he is very much looking forward to seeing me resurrect Senju Hashirama."
Pfft!
A mouthful of hot-and-sour soup sprayed through the air, instantly making the smell in the room even stronger.
???
An unidentified individual?
What kind of unidentified individual?
That was Asura of the ancient shinobi world.
Sanrō wiped his mouth and glared fiercely at Ryōichi sitting in the front row.
Then he took a deep breath.
"The clan's finances haven't been doing well recently, so it's difficult for us to provide strong financial support. However, I will personally fund you with one hundred thousand ryo as a token of my appreciation and support for your research."
The man merely shrugged.
"Verbal support is enough. I've been researching this problem myself for several decades anyway."
"Hmph!"
Sanrō took a deep breath before returning to the previous topic.
"Who else wants to speak?"
"Me!"
Ryōichi raised his hand and pointed toward the Uchiha scientist who had spoken earlier.
"I suggest we concentrate our resources on Elder Tenbi and resurrect Izuna."
???
Sanrō's gaze shifted back and forth between Ryōichi and Tenbi.
Are these two planning to hold a necromancer convention within the Uchiha clan?
Are you people always plotting how to bring the dead back to life?
Half an hour later.
After most of the people had finished speaking, Sanrō turned his attention toward Asuka, who had remained unusually quiet throughout the entire clan meeting.
When Asuka repeatedly blinked at him, Sanrō suddenly seemed to understand.
This child knows better.
Mikoto has been in a bad mood lately. It's best not to provoke her.
"Meeting adjourned!"
As time passed, the day of the Chūnin Exams quickly arrived.
"Haah…"
Asuka yawned and got out of bed.
He glanced at the calendar on the wall and the note beside it.
August 30 — First day of the Chūnin Exams. Written test.
Creak!
After washing up, he opened the door and breathed in the fresh morning air.
"Asuka-kun, good morning!"
Hearing the gentle voice from next door, Asuka stretched before turning toward Kana, who had recently moved into the neighboring house.
"Did you manage to buy everything you needed?"
"Yes!"
Kana smiled and nodded.
"Thanks to Lady Mikoto's help, I was able to get everything I needed in such a short time."
"Your relationship really is getting better and better."
Asuka glanced across the street toward Ryōichi's house.
Two old men stood in the yard, while a light-red-haired baby crawled tirelessly around their feet.
Asuka couldn't help shaking his head.
He wondered what Karin would think when she grew up and discovered that one of the old men she had encountered as a baby had actually been Uchiha Madara.
Would she be scared out of her wits?