"During the Warring States Period, there was a young Uchiha woman named Hikari who awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. Her Dojutsu Technique was called [Yachihoko]. To withstand the pressure from the Senju Clan, her clan treated Hikari as a weapon and trained her accordingly. They also implanted other Dojutsu Techniques in her to strengthen her."
"Because of her overwhelming strength, other clans gradually grew wary of her. In the end, the Senju Clan and Sarutobi Clan joined forces to seal her away."
"The Sarutobi Clan, of all people? And the sealing site... isn't even mentioned?"
As he looked at the family chronicle in his hands, all beginning and no ending, like one of those eunuch novels, Uchiha Takeyasu really wanted to slap whoever had written it. If they couldn't write, they shouldn't have tried!
(I'll find a time to ask the Clan Head and the elders... no, they probably don't know either.)
(I'll just ask Sarutobi Sasuke directly.)
(I wonder if Uchiha Hikari survived. Still, a possibly extant Mangekyō is worth making the trip for.)
"This is... the Chinoike Clan, and their Ketsuryūgan."
As Uchiha Takeyasu flipped further through the pages, he found another chronicle that caught his interest.
During the Warring States Period, when nobles and aristocrats could hire ninja at will and make them risk their lives for a little money, the reputable and powerful Uchiha Clan had once been hired by the Feudal Lord's Palace of the Land of Lightning. Their mission was to suppress the Chinoike Clan, whose Ketsuryūgan bloodline had once rivaled the Uchiha Clan in genjutsu.
Without genjutsu to rely on, the Chinoike Clan was directly exiled by the Uchiha Clan to Hell Valley in the Land of Hot Water. The Chinoike Clan Head had tried to reason with the Uchiha, but the Uchiha Clan Head at the time had rejected him outright. The strongest genjutsu clan in the Ninja World could only be the Uchiha!
"The entrance to the world of [Paradise] is in the Land of Hot Water, and Hell Valley is there too. Once I find out where Uchiha Hikari was sealed, I'll go and have a look."
With his plans made, Uchiha Takeyasu stretched. Seeing that it was about time, he left the archive room. After a brief rest with Uchiha Shikata and the others, who had returned, he headed with them to the banquet.
Minamoto Kazuhiko, who had arrived at the banquet venue early, had never dreamed that the Uchiha and Senju, who had been on the brink of open conflict, would reach an agreement so quickly: the Uchiha would take the position of Hokage, and the two sides would enter a period of peace.
(This is practically a windfall.)
(Senju Moriki can't be trusted. He talks nothing but nonsense.)
Minamoto Kazuhiko straightened his clothes before the mirror, a genial smile on his face. Then he went to the banquet hall entrance and personally welcomed the lowly ninja he had once looked down on.
Ever since he had seen that giant crimson samurai, Minamoto Kazuhiko had known better than to put on airs before Konoha. He was no fool. He set aside all the arrogance of royalty and adopted the same attitude he used when cultivating ties with powerful ministers in the Feudal Lord's Palace.
At the same time, he was grateful for Konoha's strength.
The Land of Fire lay at the heart of the Ninja World's transport routes, connecting the countries to the east, west, north, and south.
It occupied the center of the Ninja World and possessed its richest, most prosperous territory. The weather was favorable year-round; toss a few seeds into the soil, and they would yield a harvest the following year.
The land was so rich it practically overflowed with wealth, making the surrounding wolves and tigers drool with envy. The war with the Land of Lightning had already sounded the alarm for the Land of Fire.
But with Konoha Hidden Village there to protect him, he, the future Feudal Lord, could still sleep soundly.
Besides, his younger sister was going to marry into the Uchiha Clan and become the Clan Head's wife, the Hokage's wife. Their families would be joined by marriage, and perhaps one day the Feudal Lord's authority could reach into Konoha Hidden Village as well.
Minamoto Kazuhiko was sketching out a beautiful vision of the future when he spotted several people approaching. Recognizing the crests on their clothes from the research he had done, he walked over with a smile.
"Welcome, Clan Head Sarutobi. I'm Minamoto Kazuhiko. Please, follow me."
As time passed, the Clan Heads of the ninja clans with Kage Level fighters, along with their outstanding clansmen, arrived one after another. The two former Anbu who had reached Kage Level were also invited to take their seats.
The spacious hall soon filled with people. Once Uchiha Takeyasu and the others arrived, the banquet officially began.
"Everyone, today marks the beginning of a new chapter for Konoha."
Uchiha Takeyasu raised his cup, and everyone followed suit.
In the quiet hall, Uchiha Takeyasu felt the allure of power for the first time as the strong watched him with deference.
Every word and action of his affected them.
A single order could shape the rise and fall of nearly two hundred thousand people in Konoha, millions of people in the Land of Fire, and even the countless lives across the entire Ninja World.
It was thousands upon thousands of times more powerful than genjutsu like Kotoamatsukami and Tsukuyomi.
Power was the strongest genjutsu!
"Wherever the leaves dance, the fire burns on. The Will of Fire will continue to illuminate the village and help new leaves take root and sprout."
These were the familiar words of the Will of Fire—and they were also Uchiha Takeyasu's own conviction. His Ascension Points, too, would flourish without end.
The young Hokage's gaze swept slowly across the hall, bright as a torch. His measured, emphatic voice reached the ears of all the powerful figures present.
"With this cup, I bid farewell to the past. My Uchiha Clan is ready to join you all in creating a new future for Konoha."
"Everyone, let's drink!"
After the sake went down, the atmosphere in the hall warmed. Everyone began to toast one another, and Uchiha Takeyasu, seated at the head of the table, accepted every drink.
After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Uchiha Takeyasu, who had had his fill, glanced around.
The Uchiha Three Elders were surrounded by people, reminiscing with the older generation about the grudges and passions of the Warring States Period. Uchiha Rai and the two Security Department squad leaders, Baru and Naka, couldn't hold their liquor; a group of young people had them drinking round after round while showering them with praise.
Last was Uchiha Naori, who hadn't touched a drop. Like a flower on a high mountain, she sat quietly beside him. Her gentle, beautiful face and soft, rosy lips were etched deeply into Uchiha Takeyasu's heart beneath the lamplight.
An impulse born of admiration for beauty and longing, joined with the instinctive desire to reproduce that was etched into life itself, came together as love for the purple-haired girl. It drew Uchiha Takeyasu closer to Uchiha Naori. As she looked at him, confused and shy, he took her hand.
"Naori, will you be my wife?"
He took back what he'd said. The blush on the girl's face was the strongest genjutsu in the world!
Even an Uchiha turncoat would do everything in his power to create a new world for the Rin he loved!
She had the same face he'd seen that very day. Yet with just two touches of blush added, Uchiha Takeyasu's heart pounded as if it were about to leap from his throat.
His mouth suddenly dry, Uchiha Takeyasu's mind went blank. For a moment, he didn't know what else to say. He could only wait anxiously for Uchiha Naori's answer.
Noticing what was happening, the hall gradually fell quiet. Minamoto Kazuhiko was even more nervous than Uchiha Takeyasu, deeply regretting that he had followed the customs of the past and hadn't brought Minamoto Kaori along.
Minamoto Kazuhiko had already decided: if Minamoto Kaori couldn't become the principal wife, then being a concubine would do!
In the now-pin-drop-silent hall, Uchiha Naori's beautiful eyes reflected Uchiha Takeyasu's slightly nervous face. Smelling the alcohol on him, she let her gaze flicker before speaking softly. "Young Lord, you're drunk."
(Why am I thinking about burying my face in Tachibana's chest right now...?)
Having failed at his first confession, Uchiha Takeyasu promptly collapsed into the girl's warm, soft embrace.
Before you continue