Chapter 31

Bang—Bang—Bang~ Dun—Dun—Dun~ The shuriken clash in midair, spraying bursts of fire, then strike the practice target in a strange arc, each scoring a perfect ten.

Suddenly, Shisui's movement halted; he dropped what he was holding, came into the front yard with a smile and said, "Welcome back, teacher."

Sima Yi, carrying something, had just pushed open the gate when he saw Shisui instantly appear beside him and take the item; he couldn't help but laugh, "If I had a grandson this well‑behaved, even my past life would have been much easier."

Shisui froze for a moment, then looked up at Sima Yi, his eyes flickering with a hint of hope, "If you don't mind, teacher, you could treat me as your grandson, and I could call you grandpa in the future!"

Sima Yi was taken aback; he had only complimented casually and didn't expect Shisui to take it so seriously.

But he was never one to dampen spirits; after a brief pause he raised his hand, gently patted Shisui's head, and replied, "If I'm treating you as a grandson, I'll be even stricter."

"It's fine, I'll work hard to meet your expectations, teacher."

"Hahaha, if that's the case, why are you still calling me teacher?"

"Grandpa!"

Shisui's eyes reddened slightly, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment, yet he still looked up at Sima Yi, yearning for a response.

"Hahaha, let's eat first; after the meal, grandpa will give you a lesson."

"Yes!"

Shisui, beaming, carried a heap of bags back to his room and lit a fire.

"Grandpa, are you strolling through Konoha alone today?"

Shisui sensed the weight of the item in his hand and was a little puzzled; although Sima Yi is also a ninja, at this age—"Hui went with me; he escorted me to the gate and then left, and even took the remaining bottle of wine."

Sima Yi laughed; Hui still thought he hadn't noticed, but in fact he was clear in his mind that Shisui wasn't yet of drinking age, so he let him go.

"Brother Hui!"

Indeed!

Shisui felt a twinge of jealousy; he also wanted to go shopping with grandpa, but Itachi had to go elsewhere.

"Eat while it's hot; in the future we still need to recruit some servants; there are certain matters we must pay attention to."

Having accepted this grandson, Sima Yi's tone grew considerably more serious.

"Yes, grandpa, but if we recruit servants, could it attract those with ulterior motives? I'm worried they might harm you."

Shisui agreed, yet instead of simply acquiescing he raised his own doubts.

Sima Yi nodded approvingly and said, "The more people, the more distractions; they can plant agents to watch you, and you can also use those people's hands for other tasks. It all comes down to whose methods are more skillful."

Regarding methods, Shisui unconditionally trusted Sima Yi and immediately stopped worrying.

"Moreover, recruiting servants serves another purpose besides handling chores."

"Could it be that grandpa also wants to cultivate manpower like Danzo?"

Sima Yi fell silent; he indeed wanted to, but the conditions simply weren't there now.

"The time isn't right; cultivating manpower must not be rushed. Any action before you rise that could jeopardize the Hokage's trust is unacceptable. One must think long‑term and never cut off the Uchiha's future for a moment's gain."

Sima Yi's expression was unusually solemn, and Shisui instantly realized this must concern the very survival of the entire Uchiha clan.

He nodded heavily, "Grandpa, I understand!"

"Focusing only on the present, recruiting servants is also a good chance for you to win people's hearts."

Sima Yi said, shaking his head slowly, "My status within the Uchiha is still that of a ninja; after I left for just a year, the house collapsed and no one cared. You can imagine the lives of those ordinary clan members below."

Although the Uchiha clan is powerful, it isn't composed entirely of ninjas; ordinary people still make up the majority. "The Village's ostracism is everywhere, and Clan Head Fugaku also has his difficulties."

Shisui also sighed; a Jonin like Hui can barely enjoy a single barbecue on ordinary days, let alone the common clan members.

"This isn't about difficulty; success or failure is merely the outcome, but as clan head his purpose shouldn't be here."

"Grandpa, what do you mean?" Shisui furrowed his brow, thought it over carefully, and got nothing.

"When confronting external foes, his foremost duty should be to consolidate internally and steady the army's morale."

"It's not crucial if he can't solve his subordinates' issues; what matters is that he shows the intention to resolve problems and convinces those below that he wishes to address them."

Shisui's eyes lit up as he instantly grasped, "Winning people's hearts!"

"Right, prestige and reputation are built up bit by bit; never miss a good opportunity!"

Shisui's gaze flickered, yet he didn't hesitate; his eyes remained steadfast, "I understand, grandpa, for Konoha! For the Uchiha!"

Even if this offends Clan Head Fugaku, after making that decision that night he resolved to sweep everything away.

For Konoha! For the Uchiha!

"It's good you have that resolve, but there are still affairs in Konoha and the Uchiha side that you need to handle; leave those trivial matters to me."

"Then I'll leave it to you, grandpa."

Shisui smiled and nodded, but soon his smile faded.

"There's one more thing, about the Police Department."

Sima Yi immediately recounted everything he had seen and heard today, and Shisui's smiling face collapsed at once.

In the past, he would have thought this stemmed from the clan's crude methods, which prevented mutual understanding with the villagers.

But now, "The Third often demands that the Police Department and the villagers understand each other, but I know the clan heads have already conceded; these minor problems won't surface unless a villager reports them."

However, now Uncle Hachidai and Tie Huo are merely following the rules, and the villagers are still gossiping.

Shisui sighed as he said, "Since the Police Department was established, such incidents have occurred repeatedly; is it only by abandoning the Police Department that we can avoid this problem?"

"Or, grandpa, is there any way you can make the villagers understand the Police Department?"

Confronted with this issue, Sima Yi shook his head decisively, "As long as any Uchiha remains in the Police Department, conflict with the villagers is inevitable, and under the current circumstances the Konoha leadership will not permit the Uchiha to abandon the Police Department."

Shisui's gaze dimmed; he already had an answer in his heart, but Sima Yi's words only reinforced his conviction.

"But…"

Just then, Sima Yi shifted his tone and started a story.

"When I was young, I served under Lord Cao; he was a hero of his age in both civil and military strategy."

One day, while leading troops abroad, his supplies ran low, and the storehouse officer Wang Hou went to report it.

Sima Yi spoke softly and unhurriedly, recounting to Shisui how Cao Cao had borrowed Wang Hou's head to pacify the army's morale.

Shisui could not help but frown upon hearing this, and subconsciously cursed: "That man is despicable. He was clearly the one who demanded Wang Hou reduce the rations, provoking the army's resentment, yet afterward he shifted the blame onto someone else—such conduct—"

Shisui's cursing stopped. He fell abruptly silent, head lowered, his eyes shifting slightly.

Seeing this, Sima Yi rose slowly with a smile on his face. "Think it over carefully, and rest early."

After saying this, he turned and departed, leaving Shisui alone, staring at the roasted meat, lost in thought.

(End of this chapter)