Sister-in-law! Clan Head!

Konoha Root.

In a dark, gloomy secret chamber, a pair of bright yet sinister eyes stared at the intelligence scroll in hand. After a long while, a hoarse, disdainful laugh broke the silence.

"Heh heh, Sarutobi let you pick up quite a bargain this time. Though Konoha's external troubles are gradually stabilizing, the Uchiha within the village are a major problem."

As Shimura Danzō muttered to himself, a vicious glint flashed through his eyes at the mention of the Uchiha. He would never allow such a terrifying noble house, one capable of threatening Konoha, to exist within the village.

The Uchiha were too powerful!

"Orochimaru, I hope that during this period of silence, you come to understand that neither the Uchiha nor the Hyuga can be allowed to grow too strong."

Shimura Danzō sneered, his heart filled with wariness toward these two great noble houses.

The Uchiha and Hyuga were Konoha's two great noble houses. Not only were they immensely powerful, but they were also Kekkei Genkai families. Between opponents of equal strength, one Kekkei Genkai ninja could fight two ninja of the same level without falling into disadvantage.

In the original anime, Elder Chiyo of Sunagakure in the Land of Wind had once solemnly said: when facing the Sharingan, flee in a one-on-one fight; in a two-on-one fight, strike at their heart from behind.

One had to know that Grandma Chiyo of Sunagakure was from the same generation as the Third Hokage and had experienced countless battles. Naturally, she understood. From those words alone, one could see just how powerful Kekkei Genkai ninja were—especially the Uchiha Clan, known as the foremost noble house of the Shinobi World.

An Elite Jonin of the Uchiha with an activated Sharingan could kill an ordinary Elite Jonin alone, or fight two Elite Jonin of equal strength by himself. That was truly frightening.

Genin and Chunin were one thing; every major shinobi village could train more of them by spending money. But Jonin were the very foundation of every village and could not be lost lightly.

Uchiha Compound.

Although the Uchiha Compound, relocated to a remote area, was several times larger than before, the towering ancient forests surrounding it clearly left the Uchiha isolated.

Within the clan's inner grounds stood a house that exuded a solemn and imposing air. At that moment, the sound of a baby crying drifted through it.

"Greetings, Clan Head. Greetings, Clan Matriarch."

In the living room, Uchiha Yoru respectfully bowed to Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha, who was preparing tea for them.

"Hehe, Lord Yoru, you're too polite."

Mikoto Uchiha smiled and nodded as she poured tea for them, then looked apologetically at him. "Sorry, Sasuke is still young and can be rather noisy."

Mikoto Uchiha looked every bit the housewife as she explained the faint cries of a child coming from inside the house. Fugaku, the clan head, wore a smile.

"Hehe, according to the generations recorded in the clan genealogy, Yoru, you should be calling Mikoto your sister-in-law."

The usually rigid Uchiha Fugaku rarely made a teasing remark, smiling as he did. Surprise flashed through Mikoto's beautiful eyes at the sight, while Uchiha Yoru smiled upon hearing it.

"Sister-in-law. Clan Head."

Uchiha Fugaku was clearly extending an olive branch. Naturally, Yoru would not reject the gesture, and those words stirred a wave of excitement within him.

Finally! He had finally entered the center of power within the clan.

Ninja playing politics? If you wanted to play politics as in his previous life, you needed the strength to be involved.

The difference was that in this ninja world, the most important kind of strength was personal strength. Without Jonin-level power, there was simply no way to participate.

Uchiha Yoru naturally understood why he was receiving this treatment. First, he possessed the Two-Tomoe Sharingan. At only fifteen, he was already a bona fide Elite Chunin. With the advancement of his bloodline, becoming a Jonin in the future would not be a problem.

For ordinary ninja, the journey from Elite Chunin to Jonin was long. Even becoming a Special Jonin required years of training, and some never reached that level in their entire lives. Just look at Yūhi Kurenai and Mitarashi Anko: they became Chunin at thirteen and twelve respectively, yet only after twelve years of tempering did one become a Jonin and the other a Special Jonin.

For Kekkei Genkai ninja, however, the awakening or advancement of their bloodline at such a crucial stage brought comprehensive improvements. That was the gap.

Others needed more than a decade of training, while the awakening or advancement of the Uchiha's Sharingan shortened that time.

"Hehe, Yoru's talent is quite impressive. In the future, I hope Lord Yoru will take the time to guide Itachi."

The dagger was finally revealed. Beneath Uchiha Fugaku's smiling face, his true purpose finally emerged. Brothers and sisters-in-law according to the clan genealogy? Who the hell knew how many generations back that connection went? Why not just say they shared the same ancestor?

Yet Uchiha Yoru merely gave a modest smile. "Since the Clan Head does not find me lacking, how could I refuse?"

Seeing the humble yet worldly young man before him, Uchiha Fugaku smiled in satisfaction and nodded inwardly in approval. No wonder he had managed to earn Orochimaru's trust at his side.

The two sides had effectively exchanged and bound their interests together. That one "sister-in-law" meant Uchiha Yoru had become part of the clan head's faction, giving him a backer within the clan. In exchange, he would take on a disciple.

Just like the relationship between Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jiraiya, and Minato Namikaze.

Uchiha Yoru was now Orochimaru's Disciple, so what if Uchiha Itachi became Uchiha Yoru's disciple?

Hehe, since Uchiha Itachi had no chance to study under Orochimaru, becoming his grand-disciple was not bad either. This way, they would gain another layer of the Hokage Faction's mantle.

Uchiha Fugaku looked at the young man before him, pleased and full of praise for how smoothly he handled matters. Likewise, Uchiha Yoru secretly felt fortunate.

He had been wanting a pillow just as sleepiness struck. He had originally worried that after Orochimaru defected, while he himself would not be purged, he would certainly be implicated.

But with Uchiha Itachi, things would be different. He did not care about Konoha, but the authority he held within the Uchiha Clan could not be affected in the slightest.

Once Uchiha Itachi became his disciple, he would naturally bear the mark of Orochimaru's faction as well.

At once, the two foxes, one large and one small, both smiled. Each believed he had gained the advantage: one used his authority to pave the way for his son, while the other used his foreknowledge to pave the way for himself.

"Hehe, I'll go call Itachi over right away."

Upon hearing this, the gentle Mikoto Uchiha immediately smiled and nodded at them.

As he watched Mikoto Uchiha turn and leave, Uchiha Yoru lowered his head with a smile. In that instant, a sharp gleam flashed through his eyes.

Mikoto Uchiha, Elder Setsuna's daughter. Though she looked like a gentle housewife, one had to remember that Elder Setsuna was from the Hawk faction. And this sister-in-law was no simple woman. Before marrying and having children, she had been an elite ninja of the clan—and an Elite Jonin with the Three Tomoe Sharingan.

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