Chapter 584: The Son Enjoys What the Father Couldn't

Inside the chaotic palace, the group that had just been in a mess was once again seated around a newly replaced dining table. Under the instruction of Uchiha Madara, the original mountain delicacies and fine dishes had been replaced with desserts with extremely high sugar content. The cloying scent made those who disliked sweets feel a wave of dizziness.

"Whoosh—clatter—"

The guards around them were methodically cleaning up the trash created when Uchiha Madara and the others were fighting. As the protagonist who ended this farce, Uchiha Gin was currently burying his head in a mountain of pastries and sweet drinks, the harsh sounds of chewing rising one after another.

"Chomp~ chomp~ chomp~"

Gulp—

"Phew, sugar levels replenished. That feels good!"

Tilting his head back to drain a cup of brightly colored sweet water, Uchiha Gin let out a long sigh, smacked his lips to savor the aftertaste, and revealed a very satisfied expression on his face.

"Gin, are you sure there is nothing wrong with your body?"

Uchiha Miao, who was to the side, frowned. Just looking at him made him feel his own blood sugar soaring and his insulin becoming disordered.

In his impression, Uchiha Gin had suffered from severe hyperglycemia a long time ago. He had thought the other party would restrain himself for the sake of his health and strictly follow the doctor's orders to control his sugar intake.

But looking at it now, Uchiha Gin hadn't taken the doctor's words to heart at all; instead, he was consuming sugar even more excessively. At this rate of intake, even a normal person would turn into a little sugar-man before long.

"Hiccup~ Don't worry, my metabolism is fine."

Uchiha Gin let out a satisfied burp and leaned back against his chair quite comfortably, stretching out his hands to stroke his round, bulging belly a few times. Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, his belly, which had been swollen like a ball, actually deflated at a speed visible to the naked eye, eventually returning to the appearance of eight-pack abs.

"When did you secretly learn the secret technique of the Akimichi clan?"

Uchiha Miao raised an eyebrow. Being knowledgeable and experienced, he recognized at a glance that Uchiha Gin's method of digestion had an inextricable connection to the secret techniques of the Akimichi clan.

"This technique is called Life Return. If you want to learn it, I can teach you."

Uchiha Gin, leaning against the chair, shook his head. He didn't want to carry the bad reputation of being a secret technique thief.

This ability to rapidly refine energy was a basic operation for the Otsutsuki clan. If the Otsutsuki didn't have strong digestive and metabolic capabilities, they would have been stuffed to death on the spot after eating a single chakra fruit.

"Forget it, I can't handle it."

Looking at the cloying pastries on the table, Uchiha Miao decisively declined Uchiha Gin's kindness.

At his age, his blood sugar was already high. If he learned to eat and drink like Uchiha Gin, he feared he wouldn't live until the end of the year before he had to invite everyone to his funeral feast.

"Big cousin, you kept me in the dark for so long!"

Uchiha Izuna, who had been silent since sitting at the table, finally spoke up.

"You actually did so many things behind my and Big Brother's backs."

He looked at Uchiha Gin, who had the appearance of a salted fish, and truly couldn't connect him to the mastermind who secretly manipulated the relocation of the clan members.

"Izuna, don't blame your cousin. It was I who told him to keep his mouth shut."

Uchiha Madara heard the resentment in his son's tone and immediately spoke with a solemn expression to explain for Uchiha Gin, only to be met with his son's glare.

"And you too, Father. Do you know how long I went to cry at your grave every year?"

At the thought that he had been crying at the wrong grave for so many years, Uchiha Izuna only felt the pent-up frustration in his chest was hard to dissipate. If it weren't for the fact that the other party was his own father, he would have already sent over a serving of Amaterasu.

"I know."

"Huh?"

"I would go to see you and Madara every year on my own death anniversary."

"You!"

Seeing his son's stunned expression, Uchiha Madara blinked in embarrassment. The awkward light flickering in his eyes gave Uchiha Izuna the urge to commit patricide.

"Little cousin, don't be hasty. Uncle doing this also had his reasons."

Feeling that a round of the typical Uchiha "fatherly kindness and filial piety" was about to be staged, Uchiha Gin had no choice but to act as a peacemaker and began to explain to Uchiha Izuna the reason for his uncle's faked death.

Upon learning that his father had resorted to such a desperate measure to fake his death only to allow his older brother to receive the Mangekyo from a blood relative, the resentment on Uchiha Izuna's face gradually faded, and his eyes held a few more inexplicable meanings.

"Even if it was for Big Brother, Father didn't need to hide his identity for so long, right?"

Although Big Brother had obtained the strongest eyes of the Uchiha clan, he still lost to Hashirama Senju.

Afterward, the two joined hands to found the Hidden Leaf Village, and the Land of Fire ushered in long-awaited peace. At that time, Father could have easily appeared; why was there a need to hole up on this remote island?

"The reason we did this was entirely for the continuation of the clan."

Looking at his confused son, Uchiha Madara sighed and recounted the pros and cons.

"The Uchiha clan is not doing badly in the Hidden Leaf right now; even the Senju clan is no match for us."

Uchiha Izuna frowned slightly. According to the current situation, the Uchiha clan could be said to have eyes and hands everywhere in the Hidden Leaf. If it weren't for his lack of desire to inherit the position of Hokage, the entire Hidden Leaf would be in the Uchiha's pocket.

"Heh, you should have also seen the current situation of the Senju clan."

Compared to his son's shallow vision, Uchiha Madara looked much further ahead.

"The situation of the Senju clan?"

Frowning as he recalled, Uchiha Izuna's expression began to become complicated.

That's right, the Senju clan, which once firmly held the upper hand over the Uchiha, had actually fallen to the point of colluding with the Ninja Clan Alliance, with none of the overbearing arrogance of the past to be seen.

The entire clan was now left with only orphans and widows holding things together. If the missing Hashirama Senju didn't appear again, the once-prosperous Senju clan would likely disappear into the long river of history.

And the situation of the Uchiha clan was similar to that of the Senju. Without a powerhouse to provide a definitive conclusion, the Uchiha, who occupied a large amount of the Hidden Leaf's resources, would be eaten away by the termite-like Ninja Clan Alliance within a few generations.

At that time, no one would care if you were the descendants of the village's founding heroes. As long as you didn't have your former glory, you would be demoted to a street dog, to be humiliated by anyone.

"The Hidden Leaf is ultimately not a village surnamed Uchiha. Even if we invest no matter how much, in the end, it will only be making wedding clothes for those with ulterior motives."

Uchiha Madara stepped forward and patted the shoulder of his son, who had fallen into deep thought, and said earnestly.

"But... the Land of Fire is ultimately the root of the Uchiha."

"Hmph! Speaking of roots, our clan migrated from the Land of Lightning. If you want to find the roots, you have to go there to look."

Discovering that his son was still struggling, Uchiha Madara, who had long seen through everything, immediately gave a disdainful cold snort.

"Ah? So I'm also a Black Dragon!"

Uchiha Gin, who was listening with great interest, suddenly exclaimed in surprise. Discovering that everyone's gaze had shifted to him, he hurriedly waved his hands with a sheepish smile, signaling for his uncle to continue.

"Izuna, do you know why this Land of Waves is called the Land of Waves?"

Glaring at Uchiha Gin, who had broken the immersion, Uchiha Madara turned to look at his conflicted son.

"Uh... hasn't it always been called the Land of Waves?"

In Uchiha Izuna's knowledge base, the Land of Waves had been called by this name since its establishment, and it hadn't changed for many years.

"That was in the past. The reason the current Land of Waves is called the Land of Waves is because it is now surnamed Uchiha."

Uchiha Madara puffed out his chest with pride. The guards who were cleaning up nearby felt something upon hearing this, stopped their movements one after another, straightened their backs, and shifted their gazes toward the bewildered Uchiha Izuna.

The next second, a red glow suddenly appeared.

"This..."

Uchiha Izuna, stared at by countless Sharingan, trembled uncontrollably in his heart. No wonder he felt that the residents of the Land of Waves he encountered along the way were somewhat familiar after he got off the boat; it turned out they were all clan members who had undergone simple disguises.

The clan members who had been transferred over earlier had long since infiltrated the indigenous people of the Land of Waves. With the bloodline blossoming everywhere, the entire Land of Waves had gradually been occupied by the Uchiha.

Developing at this rate, in a few more decades, it would be hard to see anyone on the street who didn't have "red-eye disease."

"This is a place where we Uchiha are the masters. There is no need to pay attention to any Daimyo, nor is there a need to engage in power struggles with other ninja clans. It is a country that belongs entirely to the Uchiha."

Slapping his son's shoulder hard, Uchiha Madara became more excited as he spoke, his round, old face turning bright red.

"A country that belongs to the Uchiha..."

Muttering his father's words in a low voice, Uchiha Izuna was shocked into a daze by this series of explosive news.

A moment later, he raised his head with a delayed realization, his face showing a few more strange colors.

"Father, you are now the Daimyo, then what am I..."

Uchiha Izuna, who had been a ninja beast of burden his whole life, woke up to find that he had actually become a noble lord.

"That's right, you and Madara are both the crown princes of the Land of Waves. From now on, don't keep your eyes fixed on the position of a village head. Come home and inherit the empire I have built for you!"

Uchiha Madara, who had lived in luxury for many years, had not only increased in weight but had also cultivated quite a bit of the temperament unique to high-ranking nobles.

"Big Brother and I... crown princes?"

Uchiha Izuna felt a bit dazed upon hearing this. He had also seen those overbearing nobles; he hadn't expected that one day he would also become one of them.

"Big Brother... right, Big Brother!"

Uchiha Izuna, immersed in his own Daimyo dream, suddenly pulled his mind out of his fantasies, and a bit more anxiety appeared on his face as he looked at his father.

"Father, Big Brother, he..."

"I have already sent people to look for him. You don't need to worry; at least Madara's life is not in danger right now."

With his eldest son missing, how could Uchiha Madara ignore it? He had long since dispatched the elites of the Land of Waves to penetrate every part of the ninja world to search for traces of Uchiha Madara.

On the other hand, he was also posting bounties on the black market; as long as anyone could provide any clues about Uchiha Madara, they could receive a handsome reward.

"How do you know Big Brother's life is not in danger?"

Right now, Uchiha Madara was neither seen alive nor dead; Uchiha Izuna didn't even dare to confirm his older brother's life or death. How could his father be so certain?

"Isn't there your cousin?"

Uchiha Madara pursed his lips toward the lazy Uchiha Gin on the side.

"Big cousin?"

Izuna was immediately bewildered.

"Gin, is it time for today?"

Without continuing to explain to his son, Uchiha Madara reminded him.

"Let me see, it's indeed about time."

Uchiha Gin scratched his head and stood up, walking to the side of the palace's open space. Under Uchiha Izuna's puzzled gaze, he fumbled out a test tube filled with green nutrient solution from the package behind him.

"That is... oh! I know!"

Watching Uchiha Gin very skillfully unscrew the test tube and take out the tiny tissue cell fragments inside, Uchiha Izuna suddenly realized.

How could he have forgotten about this!

It was all because the death of Bai Mao had disturbed his heart!

"Summoning Jutsu: Impure World Reincarnation."

Taking the live chicken handed over by a guard, Uchiha Gin placed it in the center of the great hall, his hands moving with lightning speed; once the hand seals were complete, he slammed them onto the ground, and countless tadpole-like cursed seals crawled toward the lively rooster.

"Uh, I remember this jutsu requires a living human, doesn't it?"

Uchiha Izuna looked at the rooster covered in ash from the Pure Land, the corner of his eye twitching slightly; he had a deep impression of the Impure World Reincarnation, but it seemed Uchiha Gin had performed some demonic modifications and optimizations on the original version.

"It doesn't matter; using a 'kun' as a sacrifice is much more popular than using a person nowadays."

After casting the Impure World Reincarnation jutsu, Uchiha Gin turned around; behind him, the large rooster that had been lively just a moment ago was already dead.

"How is it, Gin?"

"The Pure Land has no reaction, which means the eldest cousin's life is not in danger."

"Phew, that's good, that's good."

Uchiha Tajima let out a long sigh of relief upon hearing this; as long as he was still alive, there was hope of finding him.

"Little cousin, do you know why we chose to tell you the truth at this very moment?"

Uchiha Gin handed the dead 'kun' to a guard at the side, instructing them to add extra honey sauce when roasting it, and then walked in front of Uchiha Izuna, speaking with a solemn expression.

"Could it be that Father..."

Uchiha Izuna's heart tightened; could something have happened to his father's health? Was that why he was telling him the truth, because he was worried there would be no one to manage the Land of Waves?

"That's right, it's the old uncle."

"Thump!"

The moment Uchiha Gin nodded, Uchiha Izuna performed a silky-smooth slide-kneel, grabbed Uchiha Tajima's thick calf, and began to cry with snot and tears streaming down his face.

"Father! Your child is unfilial! If you have any last wishes, just say them, as long as you pass the position of Daimyo to me..."

Just as he was wondering why his son was so practiced at kneeling, Uchiha Tajima heard the rebellious words from the other's mouth; he was so angry that his vision went black, and he immediately delivered a Uchiha Flying Kick, sending the "emotionally expressive" Izuna flying dozens of meters away.

"You little punk! Get lost!!!"

"Huh?"

Uchiha Izuna blinked in confusion as he scrambled to his feet; could he have misinterpreted the situation?

That shouldn't be right; if Father's lifespan wasn't coming to an end, why would he reveal the inside story to him?

"Little cousin, you're being too impatient; the old uncle's body is still very sturdy."

Uchiha Gin shook his head with a clicking sound; the Dragon Tooth he had given Uchiha Tajima was enough to let this old timer, who had been active since the Warring States period, live until his great-grandchildren were born and enjoy the happiness of four generations under one roof.

"Sorry, sorry, I admit I was a bit excited just now, please don't blame me, Father."

Realizing he had guessed the wrong answer, Izuna immediately approached with a fawning face, attempting to awaken his father's dormant paternal affection.

"Hmph! If it weren't for the fact that Fuyou is so outstanding, I would have demoted you, this rebellious son, to the old home to watch the Blood Pool long ago."

Glaring fiercely at his fawning son, Uchiha Tajima shifted his gaze to his well-behaved eldest grandson beside him, his eyes full of appreciation and love.

"Uh, Father, what you mean by that, it wouldn't be..."

"That's right, I want Fuyou to inherit the position of Daimyo of the Land of Waves."

"Huh?"

Then what about me? (End of chapter)