Chapter 72: Ancestral Land

"The clan does have some matters to deal with in the Land of Lightning," Uchiha Tajima lowered his eyes and looked at his eldest son, "You also know that the Uchiha ancestral land is in the Land of Lightning. When the clan moved to the Land of Fire, they were eager to gain a foothold, and there were some complicated matters left over that they had not had time to deal with. Now that the clan has established a firm foothold in the Land of Fire, it is time to settle the complicated matters in the Land of Lightning."

Ling pondered for a moment before speaking, "Are you talking about the relatives who stayed in the Land of Thunder when the family first moved?"

"Well, but this matter involves a lot of things, so you can't go alone. The Great Elder will lead a team to the Lightning Country to deal with the ancestral land affairs, and then go to the Iron Country for supplies. If you really want to go, you can pull a team out during this period."

Uchiha Tajima's eyes were a little complicated. "Whatever you want to do, just inform the Great Elder and leave on your own. Just remember to return to the Fire Country together at the end."

"Yes, thank you, Patriarch."

"Well, if you have nothing else to say, please wait for me outside. There is nothing important today. I will go find you after a brief discussion with the elders."

Ling paused, then smiled, "Yes, father."

After leaving the meeting hall, Uchiha Hiro took his leave first and took the [Supervision Transfer Order] approved by the elders to find Uchiha Akihiko who was still idle at home.

Ling, who was left behind, didn't have to wait too long. Soon, Uchiha Tajima walked out of the meeting hall and said, "Let's go home."

Ling responded and followed his father slowly.

"This is a very good job, Ling."

"Yes, thank you for the compliment," Ling bowed his head slightly, "but this is just what I should do as a member of the Uchiha clan, you don't have to praise me too much."

"No, Ling, there is no such thing as who should pay for whom in this world, even between clan members and clans, parents and children, neither side should pay." Uchiha Tajima slowed down his pace and looked at Ling with a worried look, "Of course, I am not denying your contribution to the clan, nor am I saying that your behavior of thinking about the clan is wrong...

But Ling, I am your father. I have watched you grow up and I know your character. You push yourself too hard. Unlike me, you are still young. With your talent, you should have a bright future even if you don't rely on the Sharingan. Your current behavior is too radical and impatient...

Ling, even at this moment of increasingly intense conflict, I absolutely do not want to see my child go to the Pure Land before me, and I do not want him to go to the Pure Land just because of his own anxiety and anxiety. "

"It turns out that my father has already realized it..." Ling raised his head, the smile on his lips was a little bitter, but full of calmness, "I am really ashamed, in fact, I only realized this when I came into contact with the Pearl of the Ghost during this mission.

Just like you said, I may indeed feel a little uneasy and irritable after becoming blind... But if I try to calm myself down, I find it difficult to suppress the negative emotions surging in my heart. Only by filling my thoughts with one thing after another can I calm down.

Since you can see my problem, you must also be able to see that Madara has a better talent for fighting than me. Even if no one guides him, he will be able to open his eyes and gain power in a few years. But gaining power means facing more dangers and dealing with more people...

Perhaps one day in the future, Madara will grow into an invincible strong man, but he is really soft-hearted and simple-minded. One day he may be deceived and hurt all over because of his credulity towards others.

And there is Izuna. That child is very good at considering others and can easily sympathize with others. If Madara really becomes the clan leader in the future, Izuna will definitely force himself to do things that Madara doesn't like - even if he himself is not good at it.

But if that were all, I wouldn't be so uneasy right now. After all, this is also part of growing up. There wouldn't be any problems if they supported each other. But the strange record on the stone tablet about the Mangekyō Sharingan, the supreme power that can only be obtained by sacrificing blood relatives, and the inhumane method of awakening the bloodline limit...

Whenever I think of this, it becomes increasingly difficult for me to let go, so I want to lay a foundation for them while I can still think and fight, so that they can have a smoother journey in the future.

Or maybe I'm just worrying too much, but I'm just like you, I love Madara and Izuna, and it's inevitable that I'll spend the rest of my life in darkness, so I want to find ways to prevent them from suffering the tragedy as much as possible.

If I could live to a peaceful and prosperous time, I might be able to find a way to comfort my soul, but now... please indulge me and continue living like this."

Both father and son fell silent. After a long while, Ling spoke again, "Please rest assured, father. I have also vented my emotions appropriately during this trip to the Ghost Country. I have also noticed these problems myself. I promise that I will not act rashly."

Uchiha Tajima looked at the noisy civilian market in front of him, raised his hand and patted Ling on the shoulder, "Well, indeed, you have grown up. I'm sure you have already planned these things even if I don't tell you...

I smell the aroma of the wine sold in the market today is good. Let's go buy some. You can have a drink with me tonight."

"Huh?" Ling was stunned. He couldn't understand why the topic jumped to this point. "Father, I'm not really good at drinking..."

"You are my child."

"...Then, then one cup?"

Uchiha Tajima looked at his eldest son who looked guilty, "...Ling, you know, I watched you grow up."

Ling only raised his hand to scratch the hair on the side of his face, a little embarrassed, "Well...then I'll listen to my father."

"Well, have you had any difficulty in your cultivation recently?"

"That's true, but I've already arranged for my opponent to go to the Land of Lightning. I think he'll be able to master it after more actual combat..."

The father and son chatted about cultivation, and the originally heavy atmosphere gradually dissipated. However, when they were drinking in the evening, Uchiha Tajima became depressed by Ling's state when he drank.

Even when Ling was drinking, he remained well behaved, and even when Uchiha Tajima himself felt a little drunk, his expression did not change at all.

If I hadn't said that what I've been drinking now is different from usual...

Uchiha Tajima looked up at his eldest son, who had given up the wine glass and picked up the wine jug instead, drinking quite heartily. Then he looked at the more than ten empty wine bottles beside Ling - even though he was still speaking clearly, but... he must be drunk, right?

[In this state, it seems that I don’t need to remind Ling about this anymore…]

After taking another sip of the sake in the glass, Uchiha Tajima looked at Madara, who had also returned from a mission and was taking a break, and was looking at Ling in shock, as well as Izuna, who had eaten and drunk her fill and was sitting obediently on the side, counting the lines on the wine bottle over and over again with her eyes lowered because she was bored. He felt a little worried.

[One always keeps himself in control, one never hides his thoughts, and the other does inexplicably stupid things... Is there something wrong with the way I raise my children? ]

Uchiha Tajima sighed and poured himself another glass of wine.