Meeting

Uchiha Hirotomo dragged his weary body along and slowly pushed open the door to his home. The moment he stepped inside, he still felt as though he were trapped in an illusory dream.

Everything that had happened today felt unbelievable. He had expected to successfully establish ties with the Sarutobi Clan, but it was still a matter of great significance.

As Hokage, his most urgent duties were to maintain peace and stability in Konoha and promote unity and cooperation among the various ninja clans.

What truly surprised Uchiha Hirotomo, however, was reaching an agreement to cooperate with the Ino-Shika-Cho clans. After all, the three clans had always been closely intertwined, acting as one, and had never formally partnered with any other ninja clan.

And now, the Uchiha Clan had actually managed to break with tradition and enter into a partnership with Ino-Shika-Cho. This was undoubtedly a groundbreaking move.

At the thought, Uchiha Hirotomo couldn't help looking up toward the courtyard where Uchiha Kō lived, sighing inwardly. There was no denying it: Uchiha Kō was exceptionally capable and far-sighted.

Compared with those old fools in the clan who did nothing but harp on about the so-called "glory of the Uchiha," Kō was simply on another level.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Kō was alone in his room, intently tallying up the generous rewards granted by the system. Suddenly, a crisp notification rang out: "Ding! Congratulations on completing the hidden achievement—'Sending Charcoal in Snow.'

Because the Uchiha Clan became the first clan to invest in Sarutobi Hiruzen, you have been rewarded with a peerless weapon—the Blazing Heaven Fan (folding fan).

The fan's blades are wreathed in roaring flames. It can be used as a formidable close-combat weapon, and when performing Fire Release techniques, a light wave of the fan can greatly enhance their power." Uchiha Kō smiled with satisfaction when he heard the news.

"Ding!" Another crisp notification rang out. Uchiha Kō's heart leaped with joy: his successful partnership with Ino-Shika-Cho had triggered a hidden achievement—"Fewer Enemies, More Friends."

With the pleasant chime, the system generously awarded him 6,000 points. His total points had now reached an impressive—.

Uchiha Kō's lips curved into a satisfied smile. He slipped a hand into his robe and carefully took out the Blazing Heaven Fan.

The fan's blades glinted coldly, their sharpness unmatched. The fan itself was translucent and lustrous, with a smooth, delicate sheen like red jade. A lifelike fire dragon was emblazoned across it, as though it might leap from the fan at any moment.

"What a treasure!" Uchiha Kō murmured in admiration. With a thought, he sent the Blazing Heaven Fan back into his system inventory.

Then he slowly closed his eyes, looking utterly exhausted. To earn Uchiha Hirotomo's regard, he had forcibly activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

That had consumed a tremendous amount of his mental energy. Even so, he had forced himself to shake off his exhaustion and first accompanied Uchiha Hirotomo to the Sarutobi Compound to build a friendly relationship with Sarutobi Hiruzen, then exchanged probes with Nara Rokumei. After that string of psychological games, Uchiha Kō was completely drained, body and mind.

At last, he trudged back to his home in the clan compound.

As soon as he entered, he collapsed onto his bed without even taking off his clothes and quickly fell asleep. But Uchiha Kō had no idea that the next morning, the people in the village who had once slandered the Uchiha Clan would suddenly vanish as if they had been spirited away. From then on, not a word about them was ever heard again.

The members of the Uchiha Police Force strode out of their homes, full of energy, to begin their duties. Along the way, they sensed an atmosphere completely different from before.

The villagers along the route not only gave them friendly, respectful looks; some even came over with a smile and offered each of them a cup of cool water.

The Uchiha Police Force members were both surprised and delighted by this unprecedented warmth.

These heartwarming scenes were quickly reported to the head of the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Hirotomo.

At that moment, Uchiha Hirotomo stood by the window, gazing at the bright sunlight outside as the corners of his mouth lifted of their own accord. He thought to himself, As expected, Kō's approach was absolutely right!

Thinking back to last night, when he and Kō had gone to the Sarutobi Compound to invest, and considering the Police Force's report today, everything was crystal clear to him.

That morning, an important postwar meeting was about to be held. To everyone's surprise, Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen had specifically dispatched members of his Anbu to the Uchiha Clan Compound to personally notify Uchiha Hirotomo to attend.

Even more notably, as the Anbu members were leaving, they had made a point of reminding him, "Don't forget to bring Uchiha Kō along."

Once he received the message, Uchiha Hirotomo wasted no time and headed straight for Uchiha Kō's home. When he reached the door, he knocked lightly a few times, but there was no response from inside.

So he knocked harder and called out, "Kō, wake up already!"

The only answer was a muffled groan: "Ugh, what are you doing~ I haven't slept enough! Let me sleep a little longer~" Uchiha Kō's morning grumpiness had kicked in, and he was lying in bed, refusing to get up.

Seeing this, Uchiha Hirotomo's eyes shifted as a sudden idea came to him. He formed Hand Seals and called out, "Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

In an instant, two scorching little fireballs streaked through the air like shooting stars, heading straight for Uchiha Kō's blanket.

Uchiha Kō woke up instantly. The moment he sensed the chakra, his drowsiness vanished, and he snapped into battle mode.

"Magnet Release: Great Wind Curtain!" Uchiha Kō leaped up and raised both hands. A curtain of Iron Sand appeared, and the Phoenix Sage Fire was extinguished the moment it struck.

Only after Uchiha Kō came to his senses did he withdraw his chakra. After all, the Great Wind Curtain blocked everything. No matter how capable you were, you couldn't get through!

"Come on, Clan Head, what time is it? It's not even eight yet, and you're making me get up. I don't want to go to morning classes!" Uchiha Kō whined.

Uchiha Hirotomo was at a loss for words. "Lord Hokage is holding a meeting and specifically asked for you to come. Why don't you go tell him that?"