My Will

"You... Uchiha Kaede... what are you doing?"

"Rebelling, are you..."

"Bastard..."

Amid the cursing, there were also those calmly waiting to hear more, though one grumbled inwardly—why did his eyebrows have to be shaved too? Didn't they know that when a man got old, he treasured such things?

Kaede stood up calmly, his Mangekyo revealed to the crowd for the first time. "Shh. You old geezers are too noisy."

"That's..."

"A Mangekyo Sharingan, no mistake."

"What gives this brat the right to awaken a Mangekyo?"

"What gives him no right?"

Kaede moved his small table to the center, sat down, and said, "Today there's only one matter: to tell you all. From today onward, I call the shots in the Uchiha. Who agrees, who opposes?"

In an instant, dead silence!

"Kaede, do you want to be clan head?" Fugaku, seated at the head, finally spoke.

"Clan head? At least not yet." He still planned to coast under the Third Hokage, at least until he became part of the Third's faction.

"Then I'll wait for you to take my place."

"The clan head is so magnanimous—won't you fight me?"

"I will. Let it be the day you come to take over as clan head!" Fugaku looked into Kaede's eyes, liking them more and more. Those eyes were still so captivating.

A Mangekyo fusion between non-blood relatives couldn't awaken the Eternal Eye. It seemed Fugaku had already awakened his Mangekyo and was eager to test his strength.

"It's a deal!"

A layer of blue arms and ribs materialized on Kaede's body surface, enveloping him and lifting him into the air. He looked down at the elders and said, "Listen clearly. My will is the Uchiha's will. If today's matter leaks, I'll slaughter you. What Madara didn't dare do, I'll do. What Madara didn't dare think, I'll think. There's only one goal: make the Uchiha the strongest in the shinobi world. Those who follow me prosper; those who defy me perish."

"Is that Susanoo?" They no longer doubted, kneeling on the ground. The era when the Uchiha were ruled by the Mangekyo had come again. They were witnesses to past glory and followers of renewed glory.

Seeing he had subdued all the elders, Kaede silently wiped his sweat. Showing off was exhausting.

"Starting tomorrow, the Military Police Force will strictly inspect all goods entering the village, especially corpses and the like. Any unidentified corpses are absolutely forbidden from entering Konoha."

Orochimaru dares threaten me? Let's see how you continue your human experiments without a source of corpses. If you've got the guts, go kill villagers!

"What's the meaning of this?" the bald elder asked, puzzled.

"Just do as I say. I'll tell you the answer when the time is right.

Second matter: secretly purchase military rations pills, ninja tools, Explosive Tags, and other supplies, stockpile them. Also buy and stockpile grain from the various grain-producing nations. Don't be stingy with money. Money can be earned again, but if people are lost, it's all over.

Use sealing scrolls to bring them into the village. Absolutely do not let the village notice anything unusual, understand?"

This time, even Fugaku sensed something was wrong and couldn't stay seated. He asked, "Kaede, are you planning to betray the village? With the Uchiha's wealth, the supplies you buy could support a small-scale battle."

He was truly afraid that this seemingly steady young man would be intoxicated by power and dare to lead the clan to fight the Third Hokage for the position of Hokage.

"It's not for betrayal. It's to prepare for the Third Shinobi World War. In recent years, the shinobi world has been seeing friction again. Once a trigger appears, the Third War should break out. I believe everyone can see that.

But I think this time, Konoha will face a siege from the Four Great Nations. It will be extremely brutal. Supplies will definitely become scarce. I want you to stockpile early so that when the village makes things difficult and refuses to give the Uchiha supplies, we can still support ourselves," Kaede explained to Fugaku.

This explanation put Fugaku somewhat at ease. The young man still had patience.

"A siege from the Four Great Nations? That shouldn't happen, right? The other ninja villages have plenty of grudges among themselves. There's no reason for them to all gang up on Konoha."

"Grudges are trivial. The important thing is that Konoha won both previous shinobi world wars. In recent years, Konoha's development has quietly surpassed the sum of all other ninja villages.

This imbalance means the Four Great Ninja Villages can no longer afford to let Konoha develop unchecked. If the Third War breaks out this time, the four nations might still fight each other, but their main focus will be on crushing Konoha.

If Konoha is allowed to keep developing, using the Land of Fire's fertile land, what room will be left for other ninja villages? The Land of Fire occupies the most fertile land on the continent. Who isn't envious? Profit stirs hearts, and the shinobi world has never lacked ambitious men."

Kaede and Fugaku exchanged opinions continuously until evening, when the clan meeting—which had seen no major incidents—finally dispersed. Tong, who had been silently crouching in a corner, witnessed firsthand how a single youth had changed the Uchiha.

"Kaede, you were so amazing just now, making all those elders bow their heads."

"Don't say that, Tong. Help me up a bit. I can't see clearly," Kaede said, feeling his eyes had gone blind, and the pain was terrible—like someone was constantly stirring a knife inside them.

Every nerve stung, numb and itchy, making him want to gouge his eyes out right now.

Tong, who had been a step behind, quickly moved forward. She covered her mouth in disbelief, holding back a cry. "Kaede, your eyes?"

Her voice carried a sob, letting Kaede know she was very worried.

"Don't cry. I'm fine. My eyes just overloaded a bit. They'll be better in a few days. Don't worry."

"But they're bleeding, Kaede. Are you really okay?"

"Silly girl, when have I ever lied to you?"

"You're always lying to me!"

"Am I? I'm not that kind of person."

"Hmph! Kaede, you are."

"Fine, I am, okay?"

"You're lying to me again."

Supported by Tong, Kaede bickered with her the whole way, letting the distraction ease his suffering.

Back home, alone, he dared to crawl into the basement, undo the seal.

"What a sorry state you're in, original," said a perfectly intact shadow clone left behind. Kaede needed him to handle the next few days, because he was about to go dormant.

"Pfft." His fingers plunged into his eye sockets, gouging out the ruined eyes.

He lay down inside the stone coffin on the floor.

His body was no longer human; within it gestated a mysterious Golden Energy. All along, he had relied on this energy to suppress the vile growth of his pupil power.

At the same time, this mysterious Golden Energy was repairing his body. But now, the energy was extremely scarce. To speed up the healing of his eyes, he needed to fall into a deep slumber, reduce energy consumption, and let it focus entirely on restoring his vision.

Kaede's original slept underground. The shadow clone took over his work and daily life.

Konoha Root Headquarters

"Lord Danzo, our experiment is at a critical stage. Where are the materials I requested?"

"Orochimaru's been having some trouble lately. It'll be a few days."

"What trouble could stump Root? Lord Danzo, you wouldn't be holding back, would you?"

"The Uchiha have been active lately. They're inspecting all goods entering the village, especially corpses—they've been extremely strict. Two batches of materials have already been destroyed by the Uchiha." Danzo's face darkened, his expression terrifying.

The Uchiha were truly insufferable!

Danzo had not yet wrapped his head in bandages, becoming the bandage man.

"The Uchiha, huh... What an interesting specimen," Orochimaru said, licking his lips like a snake flicking its tongue.