MTLNOVEL Chapter 59: An Arranged Marriage
It was clear that Shizhi Uchiha was in an unusually good mood, even cracking jokes with Shiyu Uchiha—an extremely rare occurrence. Shiyu felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her heart.
Accordingly, Shiyu Uchiha cheerfully played along, saying to her mother, "You're so happy, it must have something to do with the clan." Seeing her mother nod, Shiyu knew she'd guessed correctly.
She continued, "Could it be that Mito and Tsunade-sama will help the Uchiha Clan integrate into the village?"
"Exactly. Go on," Shizhi's eyes sparkled as she gestured for Shiyu to continue. Clearly, Shiyu was right—but not entirely.
Observing Shizhi's visibly improved complexion and recalling how Tsunade had entered the room earlier, Shiyu happily exclaimed, "Did Tsunade-sama help improve your health?" Then she fixed her gaze intently on Shizhi.
"That too. Anything else?" Shizhi smiled and asked playfully.
Shiyu tossed out several guesses, all rejected, before finally sighing in resignation, "I can't think of anything else."
Picking up her cup, she took a big gulp of water—only to nearly choke when she heard Shizhi say something unexpected.
"I've arranged a marriage for you—with Ling Uzumaki. I'm sure you'll find it agreeable."
Coughing hard, Shiyu gasped, "Mother! That's an arranged marriage? She's still a kid—we're not compatible at all!"
"It is indeed an arranged marriage, and I believe we'll be a perfect match—I've already made the decision. Don't argue, Shiyu. I know it might seem unfair, but it's for the good of our clan."
The ever-perceptive Shizhi Uchiha had long since seen through the rumors about Shiyu's two supposed girlfriends. The truth was those two girls were actually together—and Shiyu was truly only friends with both of them.
Moreover, Shiyu personally never placed much importance on romantic relationships—you could say he was indifferent to love altogether. So, having completely figured out Shiyu's nature, Shizhi simply took matters into her own hands, confident that Shiyu wouldn't really mind anyway.
Sure enough, although Shiyu displayed mild displeasure, he wasn't truly angry. By the afternoon, he'd mostly forgotten about it, and when Shizhi brought it up again at night, Shiyu had already accepted the situation.
After dinner, Shiyu went over to talk to Shizhi, who had just finished her chores. After some casual chat, Shizhi said, "Thank you, Shiyu—for helping our family. I'm sorry to trouble you."
Shiyu waved his hand dismissively, signaling the matter was settled. Then he changed topics, asking, "Mother, Mito won't live more than a few years longer, will she? What about Tsunade? She clearly has no interest in becoming Hokage. How realistic are their promises?"
Shizhi paused thoughtfully before replying, "No matter what happens, I have to try. This is my lifelong dream, Shiyu. Help me make it happen—or carry it forward after me."
Looking into Uchiha Shizhi's clear gaze, Shiyu Uchiha couldn't bring himself to refuse. After so many years together, their bond had quietly deepened. In the end, he simply nodded and said, "I understand, Mother. Please don't worry."
Shiyu Uchiha hadn't yet realized that deep down, he still saw himself as an outsider—an isolated soul who didn't truly belong in this world. Yet without him even noticing, connections had already formed. His bond with Uchiha Shizhi was merely the strongest of many.
Soon after, Shiyu Uchiha recalled an important question. "Mother," he asked, "since the war is about to end, how many years do you think this peace can last?"
After a moment's thought, Shizhi replied, "At least ten years. The current situation closely resembles the later stages of the First Great Ninja War, so the peace should last about the same length." A trace of sadness colored her voice as she recalled the war's casualties—the Uchiha Clan itself had also suffered greatly.
However, Shiyu Uchiha, knowing the outcome, immediately rejected her answer. Drawing from his knowledge and analyzing the real conditions of the ninja world, he explained, "I don't think so. I believe the next Great Ninja War will break out within five to ten years."
Ignoring Shizhi's astonished expression, Shiyu Uchiha pressed on. "With the war in the Land of Whirlpool ending, the Sand-nin were the first to withdraw from the battlefield. They've already lost their war potential and are licking their wounds."
"But since Konoha didn't demand compensation, once the next generation of ninja comes of age, the Land of Wind will regain most of its former power. It'll take no more than ten years. Due to their geography and scarce resources, they'll surely strike first when they recover—after all, if your neighbors keep growing stronger while you weaken, you must strike before they surpass you."
"The Mist-nin from the Land of Whirlpool also suffered heavy losses in battle, so they've retreated too, quietly digesting the hard-earned resources they gained during the war. Their recovery may even be faster than the Sand's, allowing them to regain military strength in less than a decade."
"Furthermore, they've acquired the legacy of the Land of Whirlpool and the Uzumaki Clan, making them likely to attack either before or after the Sand. It's hard to say which will come first."
"As for the Cloud-nin in the Land of Lightning, their losses were relatively light. But to avoid being ganged up on, they've kept a low profile recently. Still, they've made enemies with the Iwa-nin. Given the Third Raikage's nature, revenge is inevitable in the future."
"In the next Great Ninja World War, they'll most likely invade the Land of Earth as revenge for the current conflict with the Land of Lightning. However, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, is extremely cunning. He might foresee this move and prepare a trap in advance."
"The Land of Earth is somewhat similar to the Land of Wind. Though its foundation is stronger, having fought against the Cloud, it still maintains considerable strength and has gained resources from the Land of Lightning, giving it renewed vitality. However, if another war drags on, it will inevitably weaken their very foundation."
So they won't keep launching wars either, instead focusing entirely on recovery by using the resources they've looted. To prepare for possible retaliation from the Cloud-nin in the future, they've already begun imitating Konoha's strategy—training a large number of supplementary ninja to compensate for lower individual combat strength, making up for quality deficiencies with sheer numbers.
Though this will lead to resource shortages, a single war could solve that problem. As for how long they will stay inactive, that depends entirely on the scale of their ninja cultivation efforts and their own resource reserves."
Shiyu Uchiha raised several questions based on Uchiha Shizhi's description, and Shiyu Uchiha answered thoroughly. However, the more thorough Shiyu's answers were, the worse Shizhi's expression became, because the likelihood of Shiyu's predictions coming true was increasing steadily.
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