I Will Use Kotoamatsukami to Make the Clan Head Change His Mind!

Smack!

Smack!

"Ow! That hurt!"

Hagoromo irritably flicked each of them on the forehead.

Ignoring Naruto and Choji as they clutched their foreheads, Hagoromo turned and promptly dispelled his Shadow Clone.

After all, the resentment from his number-one Shadow Clone was practically becoming tangible.

"You've both made a lot of progress."

Hagoromo smiled and continued, "But..."

"Choji, Shikamaru already mentioned your fatal flaw."

As he said that, Hagoromo couldn't help pointing a finger at Choji from a distance.

Choji, who already looked embarrassed, was so ashamed he nearly dropped to his knees to beg forgiveness.

"I remember saying this: if you can fight, don't waste time running your mouth. If you can finish someone off, do it fast, accurately, and ruthlessly."

Hagoromo walked over to a rock and sat down.

Ino immediately poured a cup of water and brought it to him.

Hagoromo took the cup and looked again at the group standing before him. In a grave voice, he said:

"Being a ninja isn't a game of playing house. One mistake, and you could die on the spot! Understand?"

"Yes, sensei!"

Naruto and the others responded at once.

"Let's eat."

Hagoromo paused for a long while before saying it.

Naruto, Shikamaru, and the others looked at one another before getting moving.

Before long, Ino spread a piece of floral cloth over the only intact patch of ground in the training field.

The teacher and his students sat down, each with a different bento box in front of them.

Choji's portion stood out the most. It was bigger than everyone else's put together.

"Let's eat!"

Naruto held his chopsticks between his palms and pressed his hands together, shouting loudly.

"Hagoromo-sensei! This is so delicious!" Naruto closed his eyes after taking a huge bite, his face full of bliss.

Hagoromo shook his head and smiled. "All right, if you don't hurry up, don't expect me to do anything when Choji steals yours."

Hearing that, Naruto turned to Choji, only to see both of Choji's hands moving so fast they were almost leaving afterimages.

"At that speed, I can't complain even if he does steal it," Naruto muttered.

"Oh, right, Hagoromo-sensei! The Ninja Academy's on break now. Do we have to come here every day from now on?"

Ino asked with a big smile.

Hagoromo shook his head in amusement. "What? Do you want a break?"

"Yeah, Hagoromo-sensei, I haven't really had a chance to go out and have fun in ages."

Ino nodded repeatedly at Hagoromo's words.

"What about you? Do you want a break?"

Hagoromo turned to ask Naruto, Shikamaru, and Choji.

Shikamaru and Choji exchanged glances. Since Ino was the one who had suggested it, neither of them felt comfortable refusing.

Besides, they really had been training constantly for the past few months, with hardly any rest.

Hagoromo understood as soon as he saw their expressions. He put a hand on Naruto, who was about to speak, and said:

"Naruto, in that case, you should all get a good rest for a few days."

Seeing that Naruto still wanted to refuse, Ino ran behind him and patted his head.

"Naruto, it's just a few days. Come to my family's flower shop tomorrow, and I'll have my mom prepare some snacks for you!"

With her hand on his head, Naruto's whole face turned red in an instant.

He stammered, "O-okay, just this once."

"That's great!" Ino immediately threw her arms up and cheered.

Hagoromo shook his head with a smile. This was pretty good too.

While Hagoromo and his students were chatting and laughing,

outside the Hokage's office, a man knocked on the door. He wore a black, high-collared short-sleeved shirt and long pants, with brown armor over his right shoulder and the Uchiha Clan Crest embroidered on the back of his shirt.

"Come in."

Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice came from within.

Once he answered, the door was pushed open.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up, and his expression grew grave when he saw who it was.

"Shisui, what is it?"

"Lord Hiruzen, I have a request."

Shisui Uchiha set aside his usual warm demeanor and knelt on one knee, his expression serious.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes widened slightly at his words. Only after a long while did he reply, "Go ahead."

"Lord Hiruzen, I'm deeply pained by the mutual distrust between the clan and the village!"

Shisui Uchiha's expression was utterly sincere as he spoke.

Hiruzen Sarutobi removed the pipe from his mouth and slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke. He nodded. "Shisui, as Hokage, I feel the same way you do."

Hearing that, Shisui Uchiha raised his head, looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, and declared his purpose with conviction.

"Lord Hiruzen, I want to rebuild the trust between the clan and the village."

Even Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had held the Hokage Position for so long, was taken aback.

He did think Shisui Uchiha's words were a little too naive. After all, the conflicts between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha

could be said to have existed since the First's time. They had grown even worse after Madara Uchiha left the village and the First Hokage died after failing to stop him.

"Do you know how difficult it would be to accomplish what you're talking about?"

With that, Hiruzen Sarutobi rose and slowly walked over to Shisui Uchiha.

Looking down at the descendant of his former friend Kagami Uchiha, he asked slowly.

"Lord Hiruzen, you know about our Uchiha Sharingan, don't you?"

As Shisui Uchiha spoke, he slowly closed his eyes.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was startled. He thought of the legends about the First and Madara Uchiha and was about to nod in reply.

But then he saw Shisui Uchiha open his eyes again.

A four-sided pattern resembling a Fūma Shuriken had appeared in his bewitching red eyes.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils instantly contracted, and his whole body tensed, but his voice remained as calm as ever as he asked:

"Shisui, what is this?"

"Lord Hiruzen, this is an advanced ocular technique of the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan, the Mangekyō Sharingan."

Uchiha replied calmly. The patterns in his eyes gradually faded, and his pupils returned to their original black.

"My eyes have a genjutsu called Kotoamatsukami.

It can directly invade a person's mind without them noticing and permanently and completely alter their will."

Even Hiruzen Sarutobi was so shocked by this genjutsu that he remained speechless for a long time.

After a long while, Hiruzen Sarutobi recovered and looked at Shisui Uchiha. "What do you intend to do?"

"There will be a clan gathering in the next few days, and I'll attend."

"If the clan head still intends to plot a coup,

I'll use Kotoamatsukami to make him change his mind! Then he'll consider ways for us to coexist with the village."

Hiruzen Sarutobi listened in silence. After he had removed Danzo from his position in Root,

the Uchiha Clan had become even more active than before.

There had been no fewer than ten such clan gatherings in the past few months alone.

And that was only what his Anbu had learned while operating undercover.