The Uchiha Clan's Monstrous Talent

"Clan Head, Lord Shikokuin has arrived."

Fugaku was in his room, going over the financial accounts.

Over the past few days, in order to provide food, clothing, and shelter for Thousands of People, the Uchiha Clan had made large-scale purchases in batches from the surrounding area, while using the opportunity to learn about this unfamiliar world.

More than half of the box of money Kenma had left behind had already been spent.

Seeing how enormous the expenses were, Fugaku had stepped in personally to see whether there was any way to cut costs.

Upon hearing the report from the people on duty outside, Fugaku did not dare delay and immediately rose to head out.

At the same time, he instructed the subordinate beside him, "Yakumi, bring the two elders and Shisui here. Have the clansmen whose aptitude has been tested gather in front of the main hall."

"Yes."

Fugaku hurried to the entrance of the courtyard. The two elders and Shisui, who had been training the clansmen, had also rushed over after hearing the news.

The four waited at the gate for a while before two carriages approached from afar. As soon as they stopped outside, the four stepped forward.

"We pay our respects to you, my lord."

The carriage curtain was lifted, and a tall man stepped down. He wore black clothes, a katana at his waist, unusually thick eyebrows, and a stern, upright face that never seemed to smile.

It was Kenma.

After having the four people before him rise, Kenma swept his gaze across their faces and nodded inwardly.

After ten days of living in Soul Society, the Uchihas looked much better. At the very least, the uncontrollable panic they had displayed upon first arriving in Soul Society had faded.

How should he put it? They had gained that Uchiha flavor Kenma remembered.

"It seems you have already adjusted to life here."

"Thank you for your concern, my lord. We are deeply grateful. Even if we died nine times, we could never repay your kindness."

As the head of the clan, Fugaku immediately stepped forward to declare the Uchiha Clan's loyalty on behalf of them all.

The three behind him hurriedly nodded in agreement.

Kenma lightly shook his head. "It was merely a small effort. There is no need to exaggerate."

"To you, my lord, it may have been a small effort. But to us, it is a kindness we can never repay across countless lifetimes. The fact that we are still here today is entirely due to your grace. The Uchiha Clan swears to serve you unto death."

Looking at the solemn expressions of the four Uchihas and hearing them speak endlessly of his kindness, Kenma nearly thought he was some nation's sun.

Still, their grateful attitude truly put him in a good mood.

Weren't these Uchihas quite sensible? How had things gotten so bad in Konoha that they had nearly flipped the table?

It seemed Konoha's higher-ups, the F4, truly did not understand governance.

Kenma pointed to the carriage behind him and said to Fugaku and the others, "These are weapons and supplies I brought from home. Move them inside."

"By your command."

Setsuna waved a hand, and the Uchiha clansmen standing guard inside and outside the courtyard immediately came forward to unload the goods.

Kenma led the four Uchihas inside, asking as they walked, "You should have gained some understanding of Soul Society over the past few days. How have you adapted?"

"In reply to my lord, everything has been well. The land, customs, and way of life here are similar to the Ninja World. After ten days, the clansmen have adapted very well. It feels no different from when we were alive. Sometimes, we even forget that we have already died."

At the end, Uchiha Fugaku offered an example almost like a joke.

Just as he had said, the Uchiha Clan had many Ninja, and their adaptability was exceptionally strong. They quickly accepted life after death.

Moreover, these Uchiha Ninja had information gathering ingrained in their instincts. Through their brief contact with the outside world, they had already learned most of what there was to know about this world.

Soul Society, Seireitei, Soul Society, the Spirit King, nobles, Hollows, and, most importantly, Shinigami!

The Gotei 13!

Aside from extremely secret information, Fugaku and the others had already investigated everything else.

The so-called Shinigami were not the omnipotent gods of death they had imagined, but rather a profession akin to samurai or Ninja.

He had also heard that among these Shinigami, those standing at the pinnacle were the captains of the Gotei 13, each possessing power that transcended the mundane world.

Some were even said to be able to destroy heaven and earth, capable of anything!

Though they had been Ninja in life and possessed formidable strength, they truly did not amount to much before those Shinigami.

Naturally, the Uchiha Clan had investigated their new Lord with particular care.

Though information about individual Shinigami was difficult to uncover in Soul Society, they could still learn certain widely known facts.

For example, the name Shikokuin!

One of the Four Great Noble Clans that stood at the very peak of Soul Society, descendants of those said to have followed the Spirit King in creating the world, exalted figures whom even the famed Gotei 13 had to protect!

The Uchihas could understand that much.

Nobles were bound to have illustrious origins. Their Uchiha Clan itself was a direct descendant of the legendary Sage of Six Paths in the Ninja World.

And the Lord they served was surely a member of one of those Great Noble Clans.

After learning what Shinigami truly were, Fugaku and the others honestly felt greatly relieved.

After all, there was an enormous difference between facing the God of Unimaginable Divine Might and facing someone with immense power.

At least for the Uchiha Clan, the pressure of facing those two was worlds apart.

Even so, the Uchiha Clan's loyalty toward Kenma had not changed in the slightest.

In Fugaku and the others' hearts, they even felt much closer to him than before.

As Kenma and his group entered the innermost courtyard, they saw it packed with people.

They stood in rows, and upon seeing Kenma enter, they all dropped to one knee.

"We pay our respects to you, my lord!"

The voices of at least a hundred people combined into a deafening roar.

Watching the scene before him, as though he were waiting to inspect them, Kenma waved for them to rise and asked Fugaku and the others, "What is this?"

Shisui immediately stepped forward and replied, "My lord, these are all people who can feel Hunger."

Kenma suddenly turned back, shock bursting forth in his eyes as his gaze landed on the faces of those Uchiha clansmen. Every one of them was expressionless, with a cold presence that exerted immense pressure.

There were even some children among them who were still quite young.

He looked at Shisui again and frowned slightly. "All of these people are?"

"Yes, my lord."

After receiving confirmation from Shisui once more, Kenma would have been lying if he said he was not shocked.

Feeling hunger meant they had decent aptitude and could become Shinigami.

And there were at least a hundred people before him, nearly one-seventh or one-eighth of the entire Uchiha Clan.

That ratio was terrifyingly high!

At least in Kenma's memory, it was almost unheard of in the entire world.

Soul Society had an enormous population, gathering Lost Souls who had died in the Human World over many years, but how many Shinigami had there been over all these years?

Kenma had once estimated that each division had at least two hundred members. With thirteen divisions in Seireitei, plus the nobles and guards, as well as the experts in Soul Society, there might not even be five thousand in total.

Compared with Soul Society's total population, calling Shinigami one in ten thousand would already be an exaggeration by ten thousand times.

If those of noble birth were excluded, and only the number of Shinigami who had risen from Soul Society were counted, the number would likely be even lower.

Otherwise, after Grandfather had adopted him, he would not have treasured him so dearly, even teaching him language, swordsmanship, tea ceremony, and other skills that ordinary Lost Souls had no use for.

Yet the Uchiha Clan had a Talent Rate as high as one-seventh or one-eighth!

Could this clan truly possess Divine Favor?

They had been powerful in life, and even after changing worlds in death, they were still the same?

And the Uchiha Clan's monstrous talent had not yet finished shocking Kenma!

After taking a deep breath, Shisui continued, "My lord, over these past few days, we discovered something that we were just about to report to you."