At Elder Kazuto's residence—
The Grand Elder found it hard to control his excitement as he looked at the gold piled in front of Toyoma.
Even the elders themselves struggled to stay calm at the sight of such a large sum.
Elder Kazuto stared at the gold, then pinched his own arm.
"Shhh."
The sharp pain made his eyes widen.
He turned to Elder Kohaku and asked,"Are these real?"
Elder Kohaku, whose gaze was fixed on the gold covering nearly half the room, muttered softly,"I feel like this is a dream…"
The Grand Elder finally looked at Toyoma and spoke,"What will you do with this much gold, son?"
At first, he had thought the amount would be big—
but not this big. He hadn't planned to question Toyoma's intentions.
But now, staring at the mountain of gold before him, he couldn't stop himself.
This was enough to let Konoha survive for more than ten years without outside support.
If the Uchiha wished, they could live an entire decade doing nothing—yet living like nobles.
As the Grand Elder of the clan, he needed to know what Toyoma intended to do with such wealth.
When he asked this, both elders turned their eyes toward Toyoma, waiting for his answer.
Toyoma looked at the Grand Elder but said nothing, quietly counting something in his mind.
Then he raised his head and said calmly,"You'll know about this soon, Grandpa."
Elder Kohaku couldn't hold himself back any longer.
"Come on, little Toyoma, don't keep us waiting," he said, excitedly.
"Do you even know what we can do with this much gold?"
His voice trembled as he continued,"Just how strong our clan can become with this…"
Toyoma remained silent as Elder Kohaku spoke excitedly about what the Uchiha could achieve with such immense wealth.
He said nothing, simply listening.
When Elder Kohaku finally snapped out of his fantasies, he noticed Toyoma looking at him—smiling.
That smile made Kohaku feel a little embarrassed.
For a moment, he had forgotten his age and had been dreaming like a man who had suddenly become rich overnight.
"Well… I was just trying to say what we can achieve if we utilise this gold for the clan,"
Elder Kohaku said, trying to regain his composure.
The Grand Elder glanced at Kohaku's embarrassed expression and laughed.
"Hahaha, don't worry, Kohaku. No one here thinks you're being greedy," he said in a knowingly teasing tone.
Hearing that only made Kohaku feel even more embarrassed.
"But still," the Grand Elder continued, turning toward Toyoma with a smile,"It is Toyoma who will decide what to do with this gold next."
Toyoma looked at the Grand Elder and replied with a small smile,"Grandpa Setsuna."
The Grand Elder looked at Toyoma.
Toyoma spoke calmly,"At first, I was thinking that I would only focus on our faction—and do everything possible to make our Hawk powerful."
As he said this, his gaze shifted toward Elder Kohaku and Elder Kazuto.
Hearing those words, both elders felt a slight discomfort in their hearts.
For the past few weeks, they had almost forgotten that they were elders of a different faction.
Now that Toyoma had said it out loud, the separation felt… strange.
At this happy moment, they were not thinking as members of a faction—but as members of the Uchiha clan.
Toyoma continued as he looked at the Grand Elder, who was watching him with a small smile and nodded for him to continue.
"But I don't think I can let the clan walk toward destruction while caring only about ourselves."
Toyoma's voice remained steady.
"It's true—I promised you before that our Hawk would become more powerful than the clan itself… even stronger than the village."
He looked at Elder Kohaku and Elder Kazuto.
Hearing this, they felt it clearly—the Hawk, and even the Uchiha, were becoming stronger with each passing day.
Toyoma paused for a moment.
"But if I ignore the other factions completely, maybe it won't affect me now."
His eyes darkened slightly, a trace of loss appearing on his face.
"Yet I know that as time passes, a thought will always come to me."
"That someday, I would wonder whether I could have saved them… if only I had done this—or that—earlier."
Toyoma looked at Elder Kohaku and Elder Kazuto, then at the Grand Elder.
"Grandpa… elders," he said quietly.
"I don't want to live a life full of guilt—even in the future."
He asked softly,"Am I being selfish?"
Toyoma fell silent as he began questioning himself.
For a long time, he had believed that he didn't need anyone.
He had forgotten one simple truth—that humans are creatures who are always dependent on something.
They tell themselves they want to be free, independent, and alone.
But after some time, that independence begins to bite back.
Slowly, they start to feel the need for family…siblings…relatives…friends.
In the end, they need someone.
Someone they can rely on.
A human can lie to others and say that he doesn't need anyone—
But he can never lie to himself.
The Grand Elder looked at Toyoma, a quiet sense of pride rising in his heart as he saw such a descendant born into the Uchiha clan.
Elder Kazuto and Elder Kohaku also looked at Toyoma.
They could see it clearly—Toyoma was beginning to understand something that they themselves had only realised in their old age.
The true meaning of family.
And of clan.
The Grand Elder smiled gently and said,
"Toyoma… whenever you call me Grandpa, I always feel that I have someone I can rely on in the final stage of my life."
His voice was calm, but heavy.
"Someone who will cry when I die."
"This clan will remember me only as an old and arrogant Grand Elder of the Hawk faction."
He looked at Toyoma.
"But you will remember me as your grandfather."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"That alone is enough for me to feel that my life—and all my struggles—were worth it."
He then asked softly, still looking at Toyoma,
"So tell me… do you think I was selfish for asking you to be my grandson in the first place?"
Toyoma looked at the Grand Elder and didn't think twice.
"No."
Hearing this, the Grand Elder smiled.
"No… I was the selfish one," he said softly.
"When I asked you to be my grandson, I was thinking only about myself."
He looked at Toyoma with warmth.
"But what you want to do is for others."
A gentle certainty filled his voice.
"So the answer is already clear."
"You are not being selfish."
Hearing the Grand Elder's words, Elder Kohaku and Elder Kazuto both felt a quiet sense of relief.
Elder Kohaku looked at him,
"Grand Elder, whoever said that you were arrogant? Everything you've done has always been for the good of the clan. We all know that."
Elder Kazuto nodded and added,
"Yes, Grand Elder. You've given your entire life to the clan. We all respect that—from our hearts."
The Grand Elder looked at both of them and laughed,
"Alright, alright, calm down," he said, waving his hand.
"Don't make it sound like my life is coming to an end."
His smile widened.
"I still have many years left to live. You're not going to get to relax so soon—hahaha!"
Kohaku and Kazuto looked at the Grand Elder's smiling face and felt a quiet sense of comfort.
Then Kohaku seemed to think of something.
He looked at the Grand Elder—and then at Toyoma.
"Grand Elder… I don't quite understand why Toyoma said he couldn't watch the clan walk toward destruction," Kohaku said.
He glanced at Kazuto.
Hearing this, Kazuto realised the same thought had appeared in his own mind.
"Yes, Grand Elder," Kazuto added seriously.
"I don't understand it either."
He looked directly at the Grand Elder.
"Is there something you know… that we don't?"
Hearing this, the Grand Elder looked at Toyoma.
Toyoma let out a slow sigh and then looked at both elders with a heavy expression.
Seeing the seriousness on Toyoma's face, the elders straightened and listened carefully.
Toyoma spoke,
"Elders… what I am about to tell you is related to the life and death of the entire Uchiha clan."
"Every single one."
He paused.
"This must remain a secret."
"Can you use sealing jutsu to ensure that?"
When both elders heard this, they were stunned.
The seriousness on both Toyoma's and the Grand Elder's faces told them this was no exaggeration.
There is definitely something far more important that we don't know… but they do, Elder Kohaku thought as he met Kazuto's gaze.
So this matter is truly grave, Elder Kazuto thought in return.
They struggled for a moment, weighing the decision.
Then Elder Kohaku nodded.
Elder Kazuto looked at the Grand Elder and said firmly,"Okay."
They had made up their minds.
If this was related to the clan, then it was something they had to accept—no matter the cost.
Toyoma watched as the Grand Elder activated a sealing genjutsu on both elders.
The air in the room grew heavy.
Once it was done, Toyoma looked at them and spoke calmly,
"Elders… you didn't really think that the extreme things I've been doing were without reason, did you?"
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