Clan Meeting

The next morning, the blazing sun hung high in a cloudless sky.

Although Konoha was scorching in July, Uchiha Aozora felt little heat beneath the shade of the trees.

The towering trees blocked the direct sunlight, and after converting quite a bit of Fire Release Chakra, Aozora felt that his resistance to heat had improved considerably.

At that moment, Aozora had his eyes shut, recalling the wooden targets placed throughout the forest.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, and a cold glint seemed to flash from them.

At the same time, he flicked both sleeves, launching four Kunai in the blink of an eye.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The Kunai tore through the air, but they did not fly in straight lines.

Instead, like slender birds in flight, they skimmed past flowerbeds, curved around tree trunks, passed through the treetops, avoided every obstacle, and flew along their separate paths.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The four Kunai struck their wooden targets one after another. Uchiha Aozora first smiled in satisfaction, then frowned.

He was satisfied with the effects of the evolved Weapon Control. After evolving, he could control four thrown Kunai at once and alter their flight paths at any time.

The reason for his frown was the immense consumption. Each throw consumed a large amount of Chakra, and controlling one Kunai for a minute required at least as much Chakra as creating a Shadow Clone.

It seems nurturing a personal bound Spiritual Artifact is more cost-effective.

After Weapon Control evolved, the Heavenly Book had gained knowledge on nurturing and refining Spiritual Artifacts.

To forge a bound Spiritual Artifact, one first needed a heavenly treasure capable of holding true qi. Then, one had to carry it at all times—those with profound Magical Power could store it in their dantian—and temper it daily with true qi. Once their natures became compatible, they would split off a portion of their Spiritual Power and merge it into the artifact.

The longer it was nurtured and refined, the more in tune the Spiritual Artifact became with its owner. It would become easier to wield and consume very little energy.

In the language of the Shinobi World, that meant finding some Chakra Conductive Metal, nurturing it with Chakra every day, and finally merging split Spiritual Power into the Chakra Conductive Metal.

The only problem is, I have no money!

Chakra Conductive Metal was far too expensive. Unless Uchiha Aozora sold his house, there was no way he could afford enough Chakra Conductive Metal to forge a weapon.

Chakra Conductive Metal was a general term. As the name implied, it referred to special metals capable of accepting injected Chakra and fusing with it, thereby greatly enhancing the power of ninjutsu.

Besides conducting Chakra, these metals often possessed other special properties. Some could continuously regenerate and repair themselves by absorbing blood; others could store and release Lightning Style Chakra...

Legendary craftsmen had forged all manner of divine weapons and sharp blades from Chakra Conductive Metal, such as Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swords and Tobirama Senju's Thunder God Sword.

These divine weapons had earned immense Prestige, so every faction began hoarding Chakra Conductive Metal, driving its price to an absurd level.

Besides, Aozora could not sell his house anyway.

Even if he wanted to, no one would buy it. The Uchiha Clan Compound was vast, and every household had its own home, while outsiders were forbidden from buying property there.

Nurturing a Spiritual Artifact costs too much money. Better not consider it for now. My Ninja Tool Throwing is barely enough as it is.

Next, I'll study genjutsu, then continue converting Chakra to prepare for cultivating Qi Fire!

Having settled on his training direction, Uchiha Aozora put away his Kunai and headed home.

As he neared his house, Aozora spotted a little boy of five or six standing before his courtyard gate.

By the time Aozora approached, the boy had already turned around.

The boy had delicate features and long lashes at both the inner and outer corners of his eyes. Faint tear troughs ran beside his nose, making him seem slightly more mature than his age.

"Itachi, Itachi, check it out!"

After teasing Uchiha Itachi and seeing no reaction, Aozora shook his head in boredom. "Here to see Shisui? He went to the Border on a mission."

Uchiha Itachi wore a serious expression as he replied, "No. I came specifically to see you, Brother Aozora."

"Is that so?" Aozora pushed open the courtyard gate. "Next time, just come inside. Don't treat yourself like an outsider. Shisui is even closer to you than he is to me."

Uchiha Itachi's face reddened at once. "No, it's just that Brother Shisui takes especially good care of me because I'm young."

However, he did not enter the house. Instead, he said, "I came to notify you, Brother Aozora, about the clan gathering this afternoon."

Uchiha Aozora frowned at that. Since the Nine-Tails' Rampage, the clan had held all sorts of gatherings, large and small, but he had never participated in any of them.

Most gatherings were simply people getting together to complain about the village's suspicion toward the Uchiha, which accomplished nothing.

Uchiha Itachi noticed Aozora's hesitation and said, "Father is convening it. I heard there is an order to announce."

After thinking for a moment, Uchiha Aozora asked, "When and where?"

Uchiha Itachi answered, "Two in the afternoon, at the Meeting Hall."

"I'll be there on time." With the business concluded, Uchiha Aozora tried to keep him there. "Itachi, have some water before you go."

"No, I still need to notify the others."

After seeing Uchiha Itachi off, Aozora kept wondering why the Clan Head had summoned everyone. Even a Genin like him had been notified.

He was so absorbed in thought that he barely tasted his lunch.

After lunch, Uchiha Aozora took out a genjutsu scroll and spent some time studying the Hell Viewing Technique and Demonic Illusion: False Servant Technique.

At one thirty, Uchiha Aozora changed into a dark blue clan robe and left home.

Although the Meeting Hall was also within the Clan Compound, it stood atop the mountain beside it, so the journey still took some time.

At one forty, Uchiha Aozora climbed to the mountaintop and saw the grand archway before the Meeting Hall.

Beneath the archway stood Uchiha Clan Members in dark blue robes, with the Uchiha Clan's fan emblem embroidered on their backs.

Some had long hair, some short hair, and they gathered in groups of two or three.

"Shin'ichi, I heard your wife is pregnant?"

"Yes, haha. Remember to give a red envelope when the child is born."

"Of course. I'm already preparing one. When the time comes, I'll give my eldest nephew a huge red envelope."

"..."

"We've been short-handed lately. The Konoha Military Police Force has piled up so many cases."

"Yeah. I can't remember how long it's been since I last had a break."

"..."

Listening to the clan members share their joy and exchange their worries, Uchiha Aozora felt their happiness, anger, sorrow, and delight.

They were merely ordinary people. No one was born evil.

Tobirama Senju had once said that the Sharingan and the power of the heart were connected. They allowed people to grow stronger rapidly, and as the hatred in one's heart deepened, the Uchiha Clan's power would grow stronger as well. Such Uchiha Clan Members could easily fall into the abyss of darkness.

Was Tobirama Senju right?

Uchiha Aozora thought that was bullshit.

In such a twisted Shinobi World, whose mind was truly pure and unblemished?

Amid endless wars, with Loved Ones and friends dying one after another, how many people could remain calm and at peace?

Were the Uchiha the only ones whose temperaments changed drastically, whose love turned into hatred?

No. There were far too many such people in the Shinobi World to count.

Why had the Uchiha alone been made into an example that everyone blindly believed in?

In Uchiha Aozora's view, it was all the Sharingan's fault.

When other shinobi underwent drastic changes in temperament and experienced a surge in Spiritual Power, they showed no outward signs whatsoever.

But whenever the Uchiha suffered a great upheaval, they awakened the Sharingan.

That trait was simply too obvious.