Izuna's Relics

After hearing Uchiha Tiehuo's remarks, Youhu nodded in satisfaction:

"You were able to draw these conclusions from what I said yesterday. It seems you already have a basic understanding of the relationship between the clan and the village."

"Tell me, how should we escape the crisis of the clan's destruction?"

"What? The clan is facing a crisis of destruction?"

Before Tiehuo could answer, the other Uchiha froze when they heard this.

The Uchiha were only dissatisfied with the status quo and had complained a little at clan meetings. They had never thought of actually staging a coup. Besides, given the Uchiha Clan's status as one of the village's founding clans, surely even a coup wouldn't lead to the clan's destruction.

If Youhu had known what these people were thinking, he could only have sighed at how naive the Uchiha ninja were.

If the Uchiha really united and staged a coup, they might not seize the Hokage Position, but they could certainly leave Konoha severely weakened.

Unfortunately, the clan's strongest members were all traitors.

Faced with two Uchiha who possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan, the Uchiha Clan could only wait to be harvested.

Tiehuo thought for a long while before slowly replying, "Lord Youhu, perhaps we could move a group of clan members Outside the Village ahead of time. That way, even if the clan and the village come into conflict, the Uchiha Bloodline could continue."

"Not a bad idea. Anything else?"

Youhu offered his assessment. Before he had obtained the system, he had entertained similar thoughts.

Tiehuo fell into deep thought. A few minutes later, he finally said, "Change the reputation of the Guard Division and the clan, and try to ally with the village's other Ninja Clans to stand against the Third Hokage Faction together..."

As he said this, Tiehuo felt uncertain. He didn't know whether the Uchiha could form an alliance with the other Ninja Clans.

It wasn't just a question of whether the other Ninja Clans in the village would be willing to work with the Uchiha. A large number of clan members were unwilling to cooperate with other clans, believing they weren't worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as the Uchiha.

"You've realized that our enemy is the Third Hokage Faction, not the Hokage Faction. Tiehuo, your understanding already surpasses that of most ninja in the clan."

Hearing Tiehuo identify the Third Hokage Faction, Youhu's eyes lit up, and he felt a little surprised.

"Go on. Which clans should we ally with? What's our next plan?"

"Since Lord Youhu has given me permission to share my views, I'll tell you what I've been speculating on my own."

Encouraged by Youhu, Tiehuo grew bolder. He laid out all the ideas he'd spent the previous night thinking through:

"Lord Youhu's First Step is to expose the Hokage Faction's secrets, undermine the Third Hokage's authority, and reorganize the clan from within so that its members unite as one."

"Lord Youhu's Second Step is to change the clan's and the Guard Division's image, join forces with the village's major clans, and promise them mutual benefits so we can turn the tables and suppress the Third Hokage Faction."

"Lord Youhu's Third Step is to make him the first Uchiha to become Hokage."

"Lord Youhu's Fourth Step is to declare war on the other Ninja Villages and complete the unfinished work of the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara..."

"Stop, stop, stop..."

Youhu could hardly bear to listen to Tiehuo's speech. He wanted to tell him to stop.

Tiehuo's plans were mostly sound and aligned with what the Uchiha wanted for their clan, but they were somewhat fanciful.

Since when had he decided to become Hokage and declare war on the entire Ninja World?

It seemed Tiehuo was still a pure-blooded Uchiha, forever trapped in Uchiha thinking—even after being reshaped by Izanami.

Still, it was not bad that Tiehuo could come up with plans like these.

As Tiehuo's influence grew, the lies he spun as the Leader of the Abstract Faction would become easier for others to believe.

Then he could use Deception Points to make falsehoods come true and become the strongest person in the Ninja World.

Thinking of this, Youhu gradually calmed down. He looked at his subordinates and said airily:

"Tiehuo, your strategy is sound in broad strokes, but making plans is easy. Carrying them out is another matter..."

"Do you know how to undermine the Third Hokage Faction's authority? Do you know where the Hokage Faction's Scandalous Information comes from?"

"Do you know how I awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?"

"We... don't know."

Tiehuo and the other Uchiha shook their heads. They truly didn't know how to undermine the Third Hokage Faction's authority or where the Hokage Faction's Scandalous Information came from.

At the same time, they were very curious about where Youhu had gotten all this information.

And when had Youhu awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan? According to the clan's records, awakening the Sharingan required intense emotional stimulation, and the Mangekyō required one to experience despair again and again.

What had Lord Youhu gone through to awaken those Mangekyō Sharingan?

After drawing everyone's attention and curiosity, Youhu began his real performance.

Youhu took a worn piece of parchment from his robes and handed it to Tiehuo, instructing him, "This is the secret behind how I awakened the Sharingan. Activate your Sharingan and take a look."

Tiehuo took the parchment. It was covered in dense writing that looked like incantations.

After activating his Sharingan, Tiehuo could just make out the writing. The title read Awakening and Advancement of the Sharingan · I.

Tiehuo furrowed his brow at the title.

As far as he knew, no ninja in the clan was interested in research. And in the village, there was only one researcher who had left a deep impression on the Uchiha: the Second Hokage, known as Tobirama Old Ghost.

Could this parchment have been left behind by the Second Hokage? Had Lord Youhu awakened the Mangekyō with the Second Hokage's help?

Tiehuo kept reading. It described all kinds of ways to awaken the Sharingan, and even experiments on attempting to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.

The more Tiehuo read, the stranger his expression became.

At the very end, he saw an unexpected name: Uchiha Izuna.

This parchment, filled with research notes, had not been left behind by the evil Senju Old Ghost, Uchiha Tobirama. It belonged to Uchiha Izuna, the genius Uchiha who was as renowned as the Second Hokage.

Tiehuo returned the parchment to Youhu and asked curiously:

"Lord Youhu, was this parchment left behind by Lord Izuna?"

Youhu nodded, as if lost in memory, and said:

"That happened half a year ago. I had just awakened the Three Tomoe Sharingan when I accidentally fell into a canyon during a mission. By chance, I found a laboratory that Lord Izuna had left behind."

"In the laboratory, I passed the test Lord Izuna had left and unexpectedly awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. I also learned a little about the past of the Warring States Period and discovered the unsavory relationship between the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara."

"After I awakened the Mangekyō, everything in the laboratory turned to ash and disappeared. This parchment was all that remained."

With a soft sigh, Youhu handed the parchment back to Tiehuo and said righteously:

"I've already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, so this parchment is no longer useful to me. I'll leave it in your care. And from now on, don't call me 'Lord' anymore."

"I hope you awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan soon, too. Together, we'll fulfill Lord Izuna's lifelong wish."

"Make the Uchiha great again."