“No, Young Master Chen Yue, this is all something Yuko should do.”
Yuko smiled gently in response to Uchiha Chen Yue's gratitude, but inside, her youthful heart was racing: Ah, Young Master Chen Yue is so cute.
Habitually bending down to hold the adorable young master in her arms, Yuko wore a satisfied expression and cheerfully said, “Let’s go, Young Master Chen Yue, it’s time to eat!”
“I can walk by myself…”
Being held in a manner akin to a child made him feel a bit embarrassed. He opened his mouth to speak but hesitated, wanting to say that he had grown up and didn’t need to be carried anymore.
However, inhaling the unique fragrance emanating from the girl, characteristic of her age, he opened his mouth but ultimately closed it again.
“Really, next time, I must have a good talk with Yuko. Although the dining room is a bit far away, I am going to become a ninja, how can I still be carried by a maid!”
Leaning in the girl’s embrace and watching the scenery move backward, Chen Yue thought to himself.
At the same time, he couldn’t help but recall the answer he received from his grandmother, Uchiha Ling, when he inquired about Yuko’s identity.
At first, Chen Yue thought Yuko was also a member of the Uchiha clan, after all, he vaguely remembered that there were branch family members from the Hyuga clan who served as maids.
However, the final answer was somewhat surprising.
Yuko was not a member of the Uchiha clan, and not just her; all the servants of the Uchiha clan were not members of the clan but were merely hired from ordinary people who were affiliated with the Uchiha clan.
As for what it means to be an ordinary person affiliated with the Uchiha clan?
That is another long story, which we will set aside for now and discuss later.
——————
Soon, Yuko carried Chen Yue to the entrance of the dining room.
In the corridor outside the room, Yuko set the little boy down and squatted to tidy up his clothes, which had become a bit disheveled from being carried. She quietly reminded him, “Young Master Chen Yue, Lord Huo He and Lord Jian Tai are here today too!”
Upon hearing this, Chen Yue’s eyes lit up, thinking that this was quite rare.
Perhaps it was because he was still young, but unless it was a holiday, generally, during lunch, it was just him and his grandmother, Uchiha Ling, dining together.
As for Uchiha Huo He and Uchiha Jian Tai?
After the Second Shinobi World War, Uchiha Huo He passed on the position of the head of the first lineage and the accompanying position of Uchiha elder to Uchiha Jian Tai, effectively retreating from the front lines and no longer living with them.
And Uchiha Jian Tai, after officially taking over the position of Uchiha elder, was busy with work and usually didn’t come home for lunch.
“It must be about what Grandma mentioned earlier, regarding my ninja teacher!”
Recalling what Uchiha Ling had said before, he roughly understood the reason.
Entering the room, what greeted his eyes was a long, low table placed in the center of the tatami room, where Great Grandfather Uchiha Huo He, Grandfather Uchiha Jian Tai, and Grandmother Uchiha Ling were already seated, clearly waiting for him.
Compared to four years ago, Grandfather Uchiha Jian Tai, now 46, showed no signs of change, even his signature deep blue high-collared fan robe remained the same.
On the other hand, Great Grandfather Uchiha Huo He, now 66, although dressed the same, appeared a bit older in his features.
“Great Grandfather, Grandfather, Grandmother, I’m sorry I’m late!”
He was supposed to arrive early according to the usual meal time, but today he had become so engrossed in studying the abilities of the Sharingan that he ended up being late when the maid came to fetch him.
However, the elders clearly had no intention of blaming him; their attitudes were very kind, and Great Grandfather even gently patted the cushion beside him, signaling him to sit down.
Whether it was due to the so-called affection of the younger generation or to make up for the parental love he lacked since childhood, or perhaps because of the uniqueness of being born with a three-tomoe Sharingan, Chen Yue was extremely favored in the family.
For more than three years, he had hardly ever been scolded.
Of course, this might also be related to his being relatively well-behaved and sensible since childhood; after all, he was not a real child.
Sitting down next to Great Grandfather Uchiha Huo He, across from him were Uchiha Jian Tai and Uchiha Ling, while the maid Yuko knelt behind him, watching over him.
“Have you been reading too much again?”
As soon as he sat down next to Great Grandfather Uchiha Huo He, taking advantage of the moment when the dishes were still being served, Uchiha Jian Tai casually asked about the reason for his tardiness.
Since learning the commonly used characters, Chen Yue had become fascinated with various books documenting legends, history, and biographies to better understand the real world he was in.
Although he had gained a lot of information from this, it often led to him losing track of time and needing Yuko to remind him.
As for why he had already learned the commonly used characters and could read books at not yet four years old?
Perhaps it was due to his mature thinking or maybe he was just a genius.
In any case, he had already demonstrated astonishing focus and talent in learning.
Although he hadn’t reached the level of photographic memory, he could basically learn and remember anything taught to him after just one time.
“Mm!”
Scratching his head, Chen Yue smiled shyly.
He lied; he had no intention of telling the elders about his awakening of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust them, but rather that he was afraid of the trouble it might cause.
Awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan before turning four was indeed a bit too exaggerated.
Moreover, although the world background was somewhat different, if the general context remained unchanged, the higher-ups in Konoha would still harbor wariness and vigilance towards the Uchiha clan.
In such a situation, if they were to learn that a genius had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan before the age of four, who knows what might happen.
Furthermore, from his observations over the years, it seemed that even the fact that he was born with a three-tomoe Sharingan was kept strictly confidential within the Uchiha clan, and very few Uchiha members knew about it, let alone those outside the clan.
If even the three-tomoe Sharingan was kept secret, then the Mangekyō Sharingan must not be exposed easily.
Of course, he didn’t want to be like Uchiha Fugaku in the anime, who possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan but kept it hidden and never used it.
It was just that now was not the right time; at least not until he awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan would it be the right moment for him to use and reveal the Mangekyō Sharingan.