Naruto: Starting as the Third Hokage with Tears in His Eyes

Uchiha Mine stood up, rubbed his slightly numb knees, and smiled brightly, "Well then, I'll go now, I'll tell you a story next time."

He waved his hand, turned around and left gracefully, without the slightest hesitation.

The little weasel held the exquisite raven in its hand, watching his departing figure, its black eyes filled with even deeper contemplation.

At the second-floor window of a mansion not far away, Fugaku Uchiha put down the scroll in his hand.

He had taken in everything that had just happened.

When he saw the boy named Feng approach his son, his brows furrowed involuntarily.

Fugaku Uchiha always felt there was something inexplicably off about him.

However, when he couldn't hear the conversation clearly, but could see the relaxed atmosphere between the two, and that Mine was just telling Itachi a story and then giving him a small toy at the end, Fugaku's tense nerves relaxed a little.

Perhaps I'm just overthinking it.

In this unprecedented era of peace, the mindset of the tribespeople has long since changed. Their initiative to get close to the son of the acting tribal chief may simply be a gesture of goodwill and affection.

He saw Itachi looking down at the wooden carving with a thoughtful expression on his face, which temporarily suppressed his doubts.

Uchiha Mine's plan goes far beyond this.

In the days that followed, he didn't frequently visit Itachi. Instead, he actively began to integrate into the circle of the new generation of Uchiha ninjas. He never flaunted his strength and always performed modestly in sparring. But he had an excellent memory and could always remember everyone's preferences.

He would remember that A liked sweet dumplings and would bring him some at gatherings; when B complained about hitting a bottleneck in his cultivation, he would be a perfect listener, quietly listening to him pour out his grievances and then saying, "You've already tried your best"; he would even help C take care of his ninja cat that always sheds a lot.

Like a warm, moist sponge, it silently absorbs everyone's information and releases just the right amount of goodwill.

Soon, Feng Ge, who was gentle, friendly, knowledgeable, and never sought the limelight, won widespread favor among the younger generation.

Until a training session for the younger members of the clan.

Several teenagers collapsed to the ground, panting, complaining about the increasingly stringent training standards and the tasks they might face in the future.

"There's no other way, it's all for protecting the village," a boy said helplessly.

Sitting quietly to the side, polishing the peak of the kunai, he murmured something in a very soft voice, as if talking to himself:

"...Is sacrificing oneself for the village really the right thing to do?"

The sound was very soft, but everyone present was a ninja, and everyone heard it clearly.

The noisy discussion fell silent instantly.

The boys looked at each other, their faces showing confusion.

They had never thought about this question.

Where leaves dance in the air, fire burns eternally. Protecting the village and sacrificing oneself—isn't that all only natural?

"Brother Feng, what do you mean by this?"

The first boy to speak couldn't help but ask.

Uchiha Mine looked up, apologetic, and said, "Ah, it's nothing, I was just overthinking. You guys continue, continue."

He offered no explanation, no debate, but simply planted a seed gently into the still-developing hearts of these young people.

Two days later, a trivial matter occurred.

The boy who first questioned Feng's words bumped into a civilian on the shopping street, accidentally knocking over the civilian's shopping basket.

This is a common occurrence on busy streets.

But the boy didn't apologize immediately as usual. Instead, he subconsciously clicked his tongue, a hint of arrogance flashing in his eyes.

Although he quickly realized his mistake and awkwardly apologized, his attitude at that moment still stunned the civilian.

In Konoha today, this kind of Uchiha-style arrogance has not been seen for far too long.

This scene was witnessed by Uchiha Mine, who was not far away.

It was late at night.

Feng stood alone by the window of the apartment assigned to him, the moonlight spilling onto the floor like mercury, cold and quiet.

He stretched out his hand, and in his palm was another identical wooden raven.

He stared at it silently, his face expressionless.

A moment later, his fingers slowly tightened.

"Click."

The exquisite wood carving turned into a pile of fine powder in his palm, which fell through his fingers.

Uchiha Mine raised his head, gazing at the brightly lit yet utterly silent village outside the window, and whispered in a voice only he could hear:

"The first seed has been planted."