The Uchiha Clan Compound.
After Uchiha Shikata and Kaku Uchiha hurried back, they received a calling card from the Land of Fire's Crown Prince, along with an invitation to a banquet that evening. The invitation specifically named Uchiha Shikata and Uchiha Takeyasu.
"Our opportunity may lie with the daimyo."
The four of them sat together in the Uchiha Clan Head's home to discuss matters.
After hearing the pessimistic opinions of Uchiha Shikata and Kaku Uchiha, Uchiha Takeyasu didn't play games. In just a few words, he shared the information Tachibana had brought, along with some of his own plans.
It wasn't that Uchiha Takeyasu didn't want to reveal his entire plan. It was just that if he did, people might think he was all talk and no action.
"Fortune's finally turned in our favor. If the Young Lord marries the daimyo's daughter, then with the daimyo's support, the other ninja clans will surely think twice when the Third Hokage is chosen."
"Tsunade being adopted by the daimyo is just icing on the cake for the Senju of the Forest. It's nothing to worry about."
The daimyo's authority had been entrenched for a long time. Under the ingrained mindset left over from the Warring States Period, even the unruly Uchiha tempered their behavior before the daimyo, let alone the other ninja clans, who weren't even qualified to be employed by him.
"Elder Kaku makes a good point."
Setsuna Uchiha looked at Uchiha Takeyasu apologetically. "Young Lord, I'm afraid you may have to make a sacrifice."
"I wouldn't call it a sacrifice."
Uchiha Takeyasu didn't share the belief that the daimyo was some supreme and untouchable figure.
If Princess Minamoto Kaori turned out to be willful and spoiled, his Mangekyo wasn't for show. He could easily make an ordinary woman behave herself. He modestly replied, "It's all for the clan."
"Since the marriage alliance hasn't been announced yet, let's wait and see for now, to avoid stirring up trouble."
Uchiha Shikata made a suggestion, then laid out the plan for the next day.
"Elder Kaku and I will go to the Hokage Building again tomorrow. We'll sound Mito Uzumaki out about which forbidden technique she intends to give us, then discuss it afterward."
(We still need to discuss it? We've already held three or four meetings in two days!)
(Why does it feel like, after returning to Konoha and becoming the powerful Young Lord of the Uchiha, I've become even more timid?)
(Where did things go wrong?)
"Clan Head Shikata, I think we're moving too slowly."
Under the three men's gaze, Uchiha Takeyasu spoke slowly. "Whether or not Mito Uzumaki gives us the Flying Thunder God Technique, we can't keep following the same routine. We need to put some pressure on the Senju faction."
"Fight for peace, and peace will survive. Appease them for peace, and peace will perish. If the Senju of the Forest think the Uchiha are weak and easy to bully, and that there's room for negotiation, then the Hokage Position will certainly slip from our grasp."
Uchiha Takeyasu spoke with firm resolve.
"Right now, besides preparing for battle, we also need to show them some of our strength."
The young man's eyes were cold and ruthless. "I suggest we strike the Sarutobi Clan first. They're contracted to the monkey clan, after all, so they might have a way to sneak into the world of Paradise. We can't leave that risk hanging over us."
"The Sarutobi Clan is also large enough to make a good example of. We can prune the Senju of the Forest's branches and make those clans eager to rally behind the Senju think about whether they can withstand the Uchiha's blade."
"Our Security Department can only handle ordinary people—"
"Who said we can only handle ordinary people?"
Before Uchiha Shikata could finish, Uchiha Takeyasu cut him off. "Senju Tobirama clearly defined our duties. Apart from the Hokage and the Anbu, we have the right to arrest anyone in Konoha!"
"And whether we arrested the wrong person or got involved with the Anbu, why should we care? We know they're enemies. If we arrest them, we arrest them. The dead can't complain about being wronged!"
"The Young Lord makes a good point!"
Uchiha Shikata's eyes lit up. "That would force the other ninja clans to give up and leave the Senju of the Forest to face us alone, with their old and young. With only Mito Uzumaki holding the whole clan together, we would be certain to win."
"Under such overwhelming pressure, the Uchiha wouldn't have to bear the blame for starting a civil war or rebelling, and we could still claim the Hokage Position. It would be killing two birds with one stone."
"Those clans won't learn their lesson until they feel the pain themselves."
"We may be warlike, but we aren't bloodthirsty. What we seek is also what the Uchiha deserve."
Kaku Uchiha's brows were drawn together, and his eyes were cold, but they also held worry. "The only thing we don't know is how far to go. We need to make the other clans fear us without driving them completely into the arms of the Senju of the Forest."
"If the Senju faction stands united, the Uchiha will be the ones in trouble."
Looking at Kaku Uchiha and the other two as they nodded, Uchiha Takeyasu finally understood what was wrong. These three thought too much and did too little. After being kept on edge for so long by the two Hokage, Hashirama Senju and Senju Tobirama, they had become overly cautious.
And since he had only just arrived, the three senior clan members had treated him well and he had taken his status as Young Lord into account. Without realizing it, he'd let himself be influenced by them!
(After I killed Senju Tobirama back then, what had I planned to do?)
(Was it to drag things out and compete with the Senju within the rules, obediently taking part in an election?)
(Not at all!)
(It was to hold a blade to everyone who refused to submit and send them all to the Pure Land of the underworld!)
(That included the Uchiha themselves!)
(These three old bastards are turning me into one of them!)
With his sudden realization, Uchiha Takeyasu felt his mind clear and his thoughts flow freely. He cut in at once. "Leave this to me. If the Senju Clan can't sit still, then we'll simply have a battle!"
"Weren't we already prepared to fight?"
"Or are you three seniors thinking of backing down at the critical moment? Are you afraid?"
"Bullshit! We're afraid of the Senju?!"
Setsuna Uchiha slammed a hand on the table and stood up. He looked toward Uchiha Shikata and Kaku Uchiha. "I agree that we should leave this to the Young Lord. What do you say?"
"Agreed."
Kaku Uchiha immediately voiced his support. Uchiha Shikata looked at Uchiha Takeyasu and spoke with conviction. "From this moment on, the Young Lord is the head of the Security Department. The Young Lord will make all decisions on external affairs!"
At that moment, Setsuna Uchiha's usually sinister face showed a rare hint of hesitation. His voice carried some uncertainty. "If a conflict really breaks out, should we teach the forbidden Sharingan technique to every clan member with Three Tomoe?"
Though Setsuna Uchiha didn't name it, everyone knew what he meant.
Uchiha Takeyasu knew as well.
Izanagi!
One of the Uchiha Clan's unique ultimate Dojutsu Techniques. Its effect was simple, crude, and practical: for a period of time, it made death null and void!
The duration depended on the Dojutsu Power of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, but it could last at least a minute.
The price was that one Three-Tomoe Sharingan would go permanently blind. This ability was so powerful it seemed to defy the heavens, and it should have been a blessing for the Uchiha.
Just imagine: if nearly a hundred Uchiha Jonin and the four of them went out to trade wounds for lives with the enemy, how horrifying would the result be?
—The whole of Konoha could be wiped off the map!
But sometimes it could also be a nightmare for the Uchiha.
Because the technique never specified whose Three-Tomoe Sharingan had to be used.
In other words, as long as an Uchiha knew Izanagi, however many Three-Tomoe Sharingan they carried, they'd have that much time to remain invincible!
That was why Izanagi had been classified as a forbidden technique. Human nature couldn't withstand such a test!
No one knew what an Uchiha with Three Tomoe would do to stay alive.
If Madara Uchiha had been a little more shameless during the Battle of the Valley of the End and carried several pairs of Three-Tomoe Sharingan, Hashirama Senju wouldn't have been the victor.
In the end, Madara Uchiha had managed to fake his death and escape thanks to the power of Izanagi.
In the silent, oppressive room, Uchiha Shikata was the one who finally broke the silence.
"There are still ten pairs of Three Tomoe left in the clan. The three of us old fellows will take two pairs each, and the rest will go to the Young Lord."
"As for teaching the technique to everyone else... we'll discuss that after dealing with the Sarutobi Clan."
Setsuna Uchiha didn't object. "Then we'll do as Clan Head Shikata says. After all, learning Izanagi would take us just a few seconds."
After he finished speaking, Kaku Uchiha thought for a moment, then looked at Uchiha Takeyasu.
"Young Lord, if you have nothing to do before the banquet, you can visit the clan's library. It records the history of our clan."
"After reading it, you'll understand the clan much more deeply."
"The library also contains the clan's treasured ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu, as well as Sharingan Dojutsu Techniques. You'll pick them up quickly. The three of us also have our own trump cards. If you don't mind, you can come to us for them."
Seeing Kaku Uchiha lay out their trump cards, Setsuna Uchiha and Uchiha Shikata immediately understood as well. They agreed and began considering whether to teach some powerful techniques to the others, too.
(I'm not even as clearheaded as a boy.)
It was all for the clan—just eight short characters. Uchiha Shikata suddenly felt that he really hadn't been a qualified Clan Head.
"There's no rush to visit the library. Elder Setsuna taught me a lot while we were outside, and I'm not lacking in techniques."
"Since there's still time before the banquet, let's round up the entire Sarutobi Clan!"
Uchiha Takeyasu felt as though he'd returned to the happy days of old. He smiled and said, "I hope the banquet still goes ahead as planned. I want to see the look on the Senju of the Forest's faces."
"Enough talk. I'm setting out now!"
Before you continue