"Place the items here, lay this large stone slab at this spot!"
At the sound, Uchiha Tōshirō looked up and saw Uchiha Mika directing two strong men to place a gigantic stone slab, five feet in diameter, in the corner of the courtyard. Nearby, there were mixed cement, a huge stone sphere, and several smaller stone slabs about two feet square. Judging by their panting efforts, the slabs must have been quite heavy.
"This large stone slab must be placed perfectly stable, without any tilt..."
"Don't worry, Miss Mika, we will ensure the slab is installed exactly as you requested," assured a middle-aged man standing next to the two strong men.
The huge stone slab had a peculiar design; one side was smooth as a mirror while the other was extremely rough. Both sides had a rim around the edge, resembling the ridges on a coin.
The two strong men were strenuously placing the slab on a foundation made of cement, lime, and sand.
"Hey! Tōshirō has come out too. You've grown so much in a blink of an eye!" The middle-aged man greeted him with a smile.
Uchiha Tōshirō didn't recognize him. With thousands of clan members, it was impossible for him to know everyone. To avoid awkwardness, he nodded and smiled in greeting.
"This is Uncle Tietsubi, an old acquaintance of your father. He even attended your full moon celebration! If you ever need to customize any equipment, you can go to him!" Uchiha Mika explained with a smile, seeing Tōshirō's silence.
"Hello, Uncle Tietsubi," greeted Uchiha Tōshirō politely.
"I remember when you were just so tiny at your full moon celebration. I heard you are now training to become a ninja? Make sure you become a strong ninja in the future and bring glory to the Uchiha clan..."
Uchiha Tietsubi was a retired chūnin of the Uchiha clan, having made significant contributions during the Second Shinobi World War. He retired due to injuries, with his greatest regret being his inability to awaken the clan's dōjutsu, the Sharingan.
He was mainly responsible for crafting ninja tools and managing internal clan construction. He owned a shop on the clan's territory edge that sold living supplies and ninja tools, along with other Uchiha clan members.
He was also a member of the same branch family as Uchiha Tōshirō. According to the clan's tradition, members who did not awaken the Sharingan were considered to be part of the branch family.
The Uchiha clan also had distinctions between the main family and branch families, determined simply and brutally: those who awakened the Sharingan belonged to the main family, and those who did not naturally became part of the branch family.
Unlike the Hyūga clan, which treated branch family members as servants, the Uchiha clan, known as the "Clan of Love," did not oppress its branch families. Even Uchiha Fugaku, the clan leader, did not have household servants in his home.
In contrast, the Hyūga clan had personal branch family members protecting even the young Hinata, treating many branch members as servants.
This situation led to a prevalent "bloodline theory" within the Uchiha clan. Awakening the clan's bloodline limit, the Sharingan, was the lifelong goal of most Uchiha ninjas. However, due to limitations in talent and aptitude, only a few could successfully awaken it.
Such dynamics were common among bloodline limit clans. In families like the Hyūga, Kaguya, Kurama, and Yuki, those who awakened bloodline limits often faced restrictions in marriage. Particularly talented members were sometimes arranged to marry multiple women to produce more offspring with strong bloodlines.
Yes, multiple women, as this was a feudal ninjutsu world with daimyos, nobles, and bureaucratic systems. Brutal ninja battles often led to high male mortality. Bloodline clans practiced marriages among cousins, siblings, and even allowed polygamy to ensure the continuity of their bloodline.
To avoid becoming mere tools for reproduction, girls in the clan strove to become ninjas, as only by doing so could they break free from the clan's shackles.
Occasionally hearing such secrets during his strolls, Uchiha Toshirou's heart was greatly shaken, and his thoughts wandered.
"Could it be that, born and raised in this land of abundance, my dream is to have a grand harem? How could someone with a higher education like me be so vulgar!"
"Hmm! Last time, when I went vegetable shopping with Mika-nee, I saw someone selling oysters. Should I start nurturing myself now… I'm disgracing the nation's education efforts… (⊙⊙)"
While Uchiha Toshirou's mind was wandering, the two strong men had completed their tasks and brought out a strange tool. They measured the smooth side of the slab and nodded towards Uchiha Mika, indicating the installation was complete.
"After letting the cement beneath dry for a night, we'll roll the stone sphere on top, and Miss Mika's commission will be completed!" Without further hesitation, Mika handed Tetsubin one hundred thousand ryō, watching them tidy up and leave.
"Alright, now are you satisfied? I hope your training method works, or else those one hundred thousand ryō will be wasted," Uchiha Mika said, fondly ruffling Uchiha Toshirou's hair.
The so-called training method was entirely fabricated by Uchiha Toshirou.
He described it as derived from the meditation practices of monks and onmyōji, aiming to calm the mind and relax the body and spirit.
He had no choice but to fabricate this story, as Uchiha Mika controlled the household finances. Without convincing her, it would have been impossible to customize such equipment.
But as the saying goes, "Adaptation is not complete fabrication, and retelling isn't deceitful." Although somewhat exaggerated, Uchiha Toshirou believed that meditation indeed could, should, possibly, maybe have benefits for the body and mind.
Otherwise, how could Uchiha Mika have willingly spent one hundred thousand ryō to have this equipment made for him?