Chapter 23: Continuing the Interrupted Land Reclamation Plan

Itachi Uchiha's words certainly did not come from thin air, nor was it a pure soul seeing through the Emperor's New Clothes.

Having experienced life and death and licked blood from the edge of a blade, the Uchiha are not naive fools; they are not blind to the point of turning a blind eye.

The Uchiha were simply filled with love; their love for Konohagakure blinded their eyes, which was the only reason they could not see reality.

Itachi Uchiha loved Konohagakure, his clansmen, and his family even more intensely; he was likewise blinded by love, having once viewed the Third Hokage as the guiding beacon of his life.

Fortunately, Yamanaka Chujiu polished Itachi's eyes in a dream last night, allowing him to see the true nature of Sarutobi Hiruzen's "guiding beacon" for what it really was—a deceptive light leading to the underworld.

And Itachi Uchiha's words, which sounded somewhat naive but were actually full of wisdom, came from the way of thinking that Yamanaka Chujiu had carved into his mind today while treating his mental illness.

There was no help for it; in order to help Itachi thoroughly straighten out his logical thinking, Yamanaka Chujiu had to implant his own thought patterns, using a Thought Seal to prevent Itachi's thinking from going astray again.

What?

Is it unethical to place a Thought Seal on someone without their consent?

Heh, this is Itachi Uchiha we are talking about; he is not a naturally good person like Shisui!

Moreover, the Thought Seal Yamanaka Chujiu placed emphasizes close relationships, following the logic of loving one's family first, then the clan, and only then the village.

This is Itachi Uchiha's true nature: rich in emotion, passionately loving his family, his clansmen, and Konohagakure.

This child's only mistake was that after his worldview collapsed, he got the order of his love wrong and embarked on the path of "Great Public Justice."

Humans have emotions, therefore the Human Dao is inherently private.

Heaven has no emotions, therefore the Heavenly Dao is perfectly public.

Itachi Uchiha is a human; how can a human practice Great Public Justice?

Not to mention that you, Itachi Uchiha, are not worthy—even the Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Otsutsuki, is not worthy!

Just honestly take care of your family first, then the clan, and consider the village afterward.

With Yamanaka Chujiu's Thought Seal, at least Itachi will not grow crooked again, nor will he destroy his own clan for the sake of Konohagakure.

The more familiar his relatives are with him, the less likely they will be to discover any problems.

Standing on the correct position, Itachi Uchiha became clear-eyed and sharp-minded, seeing through the problems in the agreement at a single glance.

Uchiha Fugaku and the Elders were not idiots; they were simply blinded by the peace of Konohagakure, and with hearts blinded by peace, they were unwilling to face the cruelty of betrayal by their companions.

Once Itachi Uchiha exposed the deception, Fugaku could clearly see Sarutobi Hiruzen's schemes.

Regardless of what Sarutobi Hiruzen thought in his heart, and regardless of what he said with his mouth, his actual actions proved that he subconsciously treated the Uchiha Clan as an enemy.

The five Uchiha suppressed the anger in their hearts, gritted their teeth, and reformulated the negotiation plan.

You want the Uchiha to relocate? No problem!

First, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, must provide a clear time and method for solving the problem, as well as the results that need to be achieved.

Second, the Third Hokage must clarify the handling of the land and property of the Uchiha Clan Compound—whether the village will pay to purchase it, or whether the village will act as a guarantor to lease it to other ninja clans.

Finally, everything must be put on paper, written in black and white, and signed by the Third Hokage as a commitment!

You wouldn't believe it, but even though they clearly recognized that Sarutobi Hiruzen was treating them as enemies, Uchiha Fugaku was actually still worried about their relationship.

"Is it too much to force the Third Hokage to sign a commitment?"

Uchiha Fugaku was not alone; Uchiha Yumi also felt uneasy.

"The Clan Head's worry is not without reason; the Third Hokage is the Hokage, after all. Forcing him like this..."

Uchiha Yuichiro also frowned, shaking his head repeatedly: "Yes, if we do this, there will truly be no room for reconciliation..."

Even the hawk-faction member Uchiha Sifang remained silent.

Only Uchiha Setsuna muttered: "There's no other way, since Sarutobi Hiruzen is always breaking his word..."

Itachi Uchiha did not speak again, merely observing the expressions of his elders quietly, his own thoughts unknown.

The next morning, Itachi Uchiha finished breakfast, played with his bubbling younger brother for a while, and then went out alone.

To find Yamanaka Chujiu!

Relying on the intuition of a primary believer, Itachi Uchiha found Yamanaka Chujiu without needing to search extra.

Yamanaka Chujiu was followed by fifty-five children and called out from afar: "Morning, Itachi."

Itachi asked curiously: "Morning, Senior Chujiu. What are you all doing?"

"I borrowed a piece of idle land from the Yamanaka Clan, and I'm planning to take everyone to reclaim the wasteland and farm."

Shisui Uchiha asked in surprise: "Senior Chujiu, reclaiming wasteland is very hard work. Can we really do it?"

Yamanaka Chujiu said: "Hmm, that 'we' is well said!"

"Rest assured, we can do it."

"It is certainly very hard for ordinary farmers to till the land, but it is not that hard for ninjas. Even children who have not yet mastered Ninjutsu can create miracles that exceed the imagination of ordinary people."

Itachi Uchiha thought for a moment, looked at the surrounding environment, and asked: "Senior Chujiu, it is already November. Even if we reclaim the wasteland in winter, what can we plant?"

Yamanaka Chujiu smiled mysteriously: "You will know when the time comes."

Crossing the Konoha River to the east, they arrived at the Yamanaka family's land after a short walk.

This wasteland near the river had a steep slope, the soil was shallow and barren, and it was covered in gravel, allowing only shallow-rooted weeds to grow.

There was plenty of good land in Konohagakure, and the Yamanaka clansmen were unwilling to go through the trouble of managing this, so Yamanaka Chujiu rented it at a very low price.

He knew the principle that "no one tills thin fields, but once tilled, others will scramble for them."

Therefore, he had earnestly discussed the profit-sharing with his eldest brother Inoichi, written it down in a contract in black and white, and obtained the consent of the Elders.

This could not guarantee that there would be no disputes in the future, but at least it could draw a boundary for the competition of interests, so that it would not be swallowed up in one bite by others.

Yamanaka Chujiu stood by the river, raised his hand to point at the desolate hillside, and said loudly: "Everyone, this is the land we are going to reclaim!"

Chujiu's voice was still not loud enough, but everyone could hear it clearly in the river breeze, and they could also feel his unwavering determination.

"The Elders of the Yamanaka Clan said that reclaiming the wasteland would take three years, require a lot of money, and require the labor of adults."

"I told them at the time: No, chakra and Ninjutsu can create miracles!"

"We are the descendants of ninjas; we possess the talent of ninjas, and we are destined to become ninjas in the future."

"But must becoming a ninja always mean only killing people?"

"No, that is not the case!"

"One of the Legendary Sannin, Lady Tsunade, the Ninjutsu she excels at most is not killing, but healing the sick and saving lives!"

"Since Ninjutsu can save lives, it can also be used to create wealth!"

"We can use our own hands and our own Ninjutsu to reclaim this abandoned land, transforming it into fertile fields in an impossible amount of time, and letting it grow grain and vegetables."

"And this grain and these vegetables can be exchanged for money, becoming our income to support our families!"