Notes:

Qin Shihuang, or the First Emperor, is a dead scam. Using text messages, the scammer claimed himself to be the descendent of Qin Shihuang and that he had billions of assets but needed money to unfreeze them. And that after the assets are accessible, he would return the money tenfold or more.

An adamantine body refers to formidable protective armor and some damage

After thinking about how he could power up further, Uchiha Tonan took out two pieces of wood and got up. He walked to his front yard under the eaves. The paths of his courtyard were paved with a special kind of sandstone. The texture was soft, and the permeability was high. The price was not cheap either.

Even if it was soaked in rain, it wouldn’t stick to the feet. Tonan sat under the eaves, looking at the footprints on the path. The three tomoe in his eyes were spinning slowly.

Using the Byakugan, he carefully observed the footprints. He then took out a kunai and began to carefully carve the wood.

The Great Elder was someone who valued the clan above all else. Tonan was sure that as long as he had a firm foothold among the Konoha top authorities, the Great Elder would discreetly begin demanding benefits for the clan using his secrets.

Tonan was also certain he would gain the Great Elder’s acknowledgment. Tonan’s life philosophy was to hold his future in his grasp but from his viewpoint, it was not difficult to gain the Uchiha clan’s acknowledgment.

The more paranoid people were, the greater was their spiritual weakness. As long as he found the right way, it would be very easy to gain their recognition. To put it bluntly, the Uchiha clan members were gullible.

If they were in his previous world, they wouldn’t even report even if they were scammed of everything including their underpants. After all, they believed in the Eye of the Moon Plan, which was as outrageous as saying Qin Shihuang is not a dead scam. They were different from politicians such as Sarutobi Hiruzen who would instinctively be on guard against others. Tonan suspected that Hiruzen was vigilant even against his wife.

Half an hour later, Tonan carved two wooden shoes. The size and outline of the wooden shoes and the bottom lines were exactly the same as the Great Elder’s shoeprints.

Tonan picked up the wooden shoes, sized them up carefully, and muttered, “Small feet and narrow structure.” He put the wooden shoes into his ninja bag and turned around to enter the house.

In the evening, Hiruzen returned home with a tired look on his face. He pushed open the courtyard door and was shocked to see his house’s condition. The white pine tree in the center of the yard still stood straight, but the soil under it had been tilled and watered. The pillars that were painted red on the corridor were carefully wiped clean, showing their original elegant appearance.

Hiruzen, who was always busy, had no time to clean up the house. As a result, a lot of dead twigs and withered leaves littered the courtyard. But now, he could see that the ground was clean and tidy. Even the lawn grass, on both sides of the path, had crystal clear water droplets reflecting on their surface.

At a distance, all sorts of clothes and garments filled his vision as they fluttered lightly along with the breeze. The evening sun was not too bright, leaving only a faint afterglow in the sky.

But under this gentle light, the entire courtyard seemed warmer. A faint fragrance wafted in the air. As it soothed his senses, Hiruzen’s mind and body which had faced a busy workday, felt incomparably warm.

It was the smell of home…

“Sensei, you are back.” In the courtyard’s corner, Tonan was on his tiptoe, picking up a piece of cloth. He looked towards Hiruzen and smiled gently.

There was a pile of clothes on his left arm that was just washed and dried in the sun. Hiruzen saw this and couldn’t help smiling, “Tonan, thank you for your hard work, but many of these clothes were already washed.”

Tonan shook his head, “Washed clothes smell moldy after some time and it’s uncomfortable to wear them.”

Hiruzen’s heart became warmer, and he was a little moved. “I’ll help you.” Seeing that many clothes were still left, he offered to give a hand but Tonan hastily stopped him. “Sensei, let me do all this. You work hard all day long, and you have to teach me ninjutsu as well. Go ahead and rest for some time. I do these things often so I’m used to them. I’m not tired at all.”

Hiruzen hesitated for a while, but seeing the stubborn expression on the boy’s face, he relented, “Tonan, you are kind.”

Tonan worked faster and finished picking up all the clothes in about an hour. He folded and placed them in Hiruzen’s closet.

Tonan was doing so much for Hiruzen, but it was not for the Hokage’s strength. Hiruzen had no special bloodline limit, and his chakra reserve was also just a little higher than that of ordinary elite ninjas. Although Hiruzen knew a lot of ninjutsu, these things could be learned.

Tonan’s goal was Hiruzen’s protection and… his summoning beast — Monkey King Enma.

Enma was an adamantine body. It was not an active skill but a passive one and when it turned into Ruyi Bang, its defense power was several times greater. For Tonan, its allure was even superior to that of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

During dinner, Tonan intentionally or unintentionally brought up the Uchiha clan. Hiruzen said while chewing his food, “This is the Uchiha’s innate nature, they are not particularly likable.”

Tonan shook his head gently and began to express his views. “No, in fact, most of the children in the clan are very innocent and lovable. Children are a piece of blank paper. How they grow in the future depends on their parents’ and elders’ upbringing and the environment they are exposed to.”

“I know this from experience. Most Uchiha clan members pursue strict education and children tend to subconsciously imitate their parents’ behavior and bearing. There is little love and warmth in the family. Relatives are more like strangers.”

“When children encounter setbacks, their parents don’t comfort them. On the contrary, they taunt and hurl abuse in an attempt to stimulate the child’s self-esteem, making them strive for perfection.”

Hiruzen nodded and spit out the bones in his mouth, “I didn’t expect you to have such insights on upbringing.”

Tonan scratched his head, looking embarrassed, when Hiruzen praised him, then lowered his voice, “This is just my personal opinion. Just like today, when the Great Elder came looking for me after I returned home, I saw him treating Shisui so sternly. It’s truly…”

Hiruzen’s hands paused hearing Tonan’s words. He narrowed his eyes and seemed to ask casually, “Did Tenzou come to meet you?”

Tonan nodded while chewing, “Yes, the Great Elder hastily came to my house this afternoon and told me a lot of things. He continuously said, don’t forget the clan, must put the clan above all else, and so on.”

Although Hiruzen was not happy about Uchiha Tenzou trying to rope in Tonan but seeing that Tonan did not hide the Great Elder’s visit, he couldn’t help showing a triumphant smile.

“Tenzou is still the same.”