At exactly eight that evening, the piercing cry of an eagle announcing an emergency meeting rang through Konoha, its shrill call carrying across the entire village. Every registered Jonin in Konoha headed to the Hokage Office Building.
The Third's expression was grim as he announced to the ninjas waiting in the hall below, "One of Konoha's founding clans, the Uchiha Clan, a top family in the Ninja World, was found dead to the last member by the Anbu this evening."
"The culprit who wiped out the entire Uchiha Clan was Uchiha Itachi, son of Uchiha Fugaku, the Uchiha Clan Head. Only one orphan remains, Uchiha Sasuke, and he is being treated!"
The ninjas standing in the hall all looked at the Third in astonishment, as if asking, Lord Third, are you joking? The Uchiha Clan had hundreds of members. How could Uchiha Itachi have wiped them out without alerting the Anbu?
Then the Jonin turned to look at Hyuga Hiashi, their gazes filled with strange expressions.
Hiashi, looking dazed, said nothing. He wasn't so happy that he invited all the Jonin to a barbecue. Instead, he asked in utter confusion, "Lord Hokage, what makes Uchiha Itachi capable of wiping out the entire Uchiha Clan by himself?"
When Hiashi heard about the Uchiha Clan Massacre, he had indeed felt a moment of schadenfreude. But then came a sorrowful sense of there being no joy in a rabbit's death when the fox grieved. The century-long rivalry between the two great bloodline clans with ocular jutsu had ended with hundreds of Uchiha dead.
"Mangekyō Sharingan," the Third said gravely. "In my capacity as Hokage, I hereby declare Uchiha Itachi an S-rank rogue ninja. If you discover his whereabouts, do not act rashly. Go immediately to the nearest contact point."
At the words Mangekyō Sharingan, most of the Jonin present fell silent. The only exception was Outlaw, who had lucked his way through the written exam for Jonin by coasting along with the crowd. He looked utterly bewildered, his bright green jumpsuit standing out the most.
After announcing the Uchiha Clan Massacre, the Third didn't send the Jonin home to rest. Instead, he began assigning tasks, asking Jonin with no recent missions or leave to stay and help set up a temporary defense plan for Konoha.
"Lord High-ranking Dark Spirit, look what I brought you. I guarantee you'll be pleased!"
High-ranking Dark Spirit seeped out of the shadow on the wall, wearing a thoroughly smug expression.
"Bring me something from the land of the living. If it has anything to do with the Underworld, wait until I've recovered my energy."
Fuyuki looked thoroughly troubled. Seeing a scene like a slaughterhouse for the first time had been a lot to take in for a scholar from a civilized society like him. His studies hadn't involved charging into battle with a rifle, much less anything this bloody.
"Don't worry, Brother Moon Worm. I guarantee this is as wholesome as it gets." As High-ranking Dark Spirit spoke, it reached into the dark cloud around its lower body and pulled out several jars of eyeballs soaked in Saline Solution, along with a few pieces of blood-red meat.
""
Fuyuki's eye twitched faintly. He sighed. "Maybe we have different ideas of what 'the land of the living' means."
"How could they be different? It's the same for everyone! These Mangekyō Sharingan have two ocular jutsu, 'Amaterasu' and 'Kagayaki.' Amaterasu's flames can easily reach three thousand degrees, while Kagayaki's genjutsu can destroy spirits with a flash of intense light. How is that not wholesome?" High-ranking Dark Spirit declared confidently.
"Forget it. I don't want to argue with you. Find some time to go to Kusagakure and rescue a girl named Karin. Have her sign the 'Elemental Dawn contract,' then train her with everything you've got. I need her Chakra-zilla." Fuyuki didn't want to know how High-ranking Dark Spirit knew what the Mangekyō Sharingan could do.
If it went on, he probably wouldn't be able to stomach his late-night snack.
"High-ranking Yang Spirit, I'll leave the eyes in your care. Until I find a suitable user, nourish them with pure Yang-Style Chakra."
At Fuyuki's call, a High-level Spirit with perfect proportions and long legs strode in from outside the room and took the bottles of Saline Solution from High-ranking Dark Spirit.
Some of Fuyuki's listlessness was due to the psychological shock caused by Itachi's brutality. But the main reason was that he had performed a new summoning, bringing forth Life of Vodal, a High-ranking Yang Spirit, and draining his own chakra reserves.
High-level Spirits had the strength of Jonin. When Fuyuki created them, they were only shells, with no chakra inside. They had to refine their own chakra or take it from their contractors.
Summoning a fully formed High-level Spirit would leave Fuyuki lying in a coffin, waiting for eight Kumogakure ninjas to carry it.
High-ranking Yang Spirit poured out the saline and stuffed the two eyeballs into its own belly, looking disgusted, as though it had been defiled. "It smells awful. There's a nauseating stench. And it's cold, making my stomach uncomfortable, like I'm on my period."
The green-skinned Yang-Style Elemental Spirit with a golden-ratio physique spoke in a voice brimming with macho swagger, leaving Fuyuki devastated. Hadn't he only redesigned High-ranking Yang Spirit because he disliked its macho rabbit-head look?
Instead, he'd made a reverse Nezha, with a devilishly sculpted body and an incredibly boorish, booming voice.
As for its looks—sorry, there were none. High-ranking Yang Spirit was a Faceless Spirit.
"You two, get out. Don't bother me. I need some peace and quiet." Fuyuki waved them away. "And don't forget to find a contractor. If you run into trouble in Kusagakure, you can ask me for help. With my skill in magic, I can still contribute a little."
Uchiha Itachi was a cheapskate. He'd had a Summoning Contract for so long and never made his Summoned Beasts do any work!
The Elite Jonin-level chakra he contributed once a week wasn't even enough to cover Fuyuki's usual detox, beauty, and skin-care treatments for his body!
Without finding more contractors, Fuyuki's plan to grow stronger while lying around and letting Yang-Style Spirits take care of his body would fall apart. He didn't want to go back to the boring days of getting up early for morning exercise.
"Master Fuyuki, the Clan Head is back," Natsumi said to Fuyuki through the door.
"Okay, I know."
Fuyuki straightened his rumpled clothes and knocked on the study door with a serious expression. "Father, I have something urgent to discuss with you."
"Come in."
"Good, I have something to discuss too—" Hiashi had only just begun to gather himself when his rebellious son rudely cut him off. "Put your matter on hold. Uchiha Itachi stole my missing Summoning Scroll. I want to request a budget of two hundred million ryō to send ninjas to retrieve it."
"Two hundred million?" Hiashi frowned. "Do you know how much money that is? The head of an Elite Jonin is worth only thirty million. I won't approve that much funding for a Summoning Scroll of unclear significance."
"It isn't of unclear significance. The summoning grounds bound to me by a Summoning Contract have seven Jonin-level Summoned Beasts, two at Kage Level, and one Super Kage-level expert."
Fuyuki feigned a gloomy expression and made the hand seals for the Summoning Jutsu for show. The High-ranking Yang Spirit, still carrying several pairs of Sharingan in its belly, appeared before Hiashi. "This is a chakra spirit I only recently learned to summon. There are seven like it."
"If we don't get them back, our Hyuga Clan will lose two Kage-level experts and one Super Kage-level expert forever!"
Hiashi fell silent for a moment. "Stop talking nonsense. I watched you grow up, and I've never known you to sign a Summoning Contract with any creature. Just tell me the truth. That excuse won't fool two hundred million ryō out of me."
"Uh..." Fuyuki was stunned. He couldn't understand how his Old Father had figured out he was up to something.
The Hyuga Clan had the Byakugan. Each time Fuyuki formed hand seals, his chakra had already been gathered. The so-called Multiplication Summoning Technique didn't need hand seals at all. Hiashi even knew that the Summoned Beasts Fuyuki called forth were formed from his own chakra.
As for how Hiashi knew? Well, if Fuyuki shaved his head, he'd be surprised to discover a Cursed Seal tattooed on his scalp.
The name of that Cursed Seal was the "Contract Seal"!
To make Fuyuki fall in love with the family's traditional craft, his humble Old Father had already tried every means at his disposal.
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