It was already getting dark, and Yan had returned to Konoha.
His trip to the Ninja Cat Clan had served two purposes.
The first was to negotiate a comprehensive partnership with the Ninja Cat Clan, but unfortunately, in the end, he'd still had to rely on his fists.
The second was to test his Mangekyou abilities and the Kekkei Genkai he'd received from the system.
As for the Kekkei Genkai...
Since the system had let him choose, he would've been an idiot not to pick Yin-Yang Release.
Yin-Yang Release had shown itself to be incredibly powerful in the original story, and its abilities were remarkably versatile.
Reality had proven that to be true.
The two unsealed jutsu Yan had recently developed, Yin-Yang Sealing and Virtual-Real Conversion, were only simple applications of Yin-Yang Release, yet their effects were insanely powerful.
Unfortunately, Yin-Yang Sealing was only a god-tier technique for beating weak opponents.
Not only did it require preparation beforehand, but it was also useless against anyone with a high level of skill in Yin or Yang Release. Its upper limit depended on the user.
As for Virtual-Real Conversion, Yan could only make himself intangible for now. Affecting other objects would take a long time to master.
There were also some other applications.
Things like Life Drain and granting others vitality, or Matter Creation and Consciousness Manipulation, would require some proper research once he got back.
As far as he knew,
Yin-Yang Release should be able to replenish the ocular power of his Mangekyou, but he didn't have any concrete ideas yet. He'd have to take it slowly.
He couldn't just rely on brute force and hope for a miracle!
If he made himself an idiot in the process, that would be a disaster.
And if he had to name a drawback to Yin-Yang Release, it was that it consumed a lot of chakra.
Just using Yin-Yang Sealing and Virtual-Real Conversion had drained three-quarters of Yan's chakra.
That didn't even include the ocular power he'd spent using his Mangekyou.
Yan was a member of the Uchiha Clan, after all.
Although his chakra reserves couldn't match those of the Senju or Uzumaki, they were still far greater than those of most clans in the Ninja World.
Yet even he couldn't withstand Yin-Yang Release's chakra consumption.
What a shame.
Without his Mangekyou and Yin-Yang Release, Yan could only be considered one of the stronger elite jonin. With them, he was invincible at Kage Level.
He might even be able to take on Nagato, the strongest man alive.
As for his Mangekyou...
Both of its abilities were simple, yet incredibly powerful.
World Void was a Space-Time Ninjutsu. He could fight or flee with it. Its range was limited, but he could just move fast enough to dodge anything.
Divine Oracle could enhance all ninjutsu, including Yin-Yang Release. That was insanely badass!
A tavern in the center of Konoha.
The entire tavern had been booked, and only seven or eight people were inside.
A closer look showed that
every one of them was a clan leader.
More people continued to arrive, taking seats according to the strength of their clans.
Before long, the number of people in the room had grown from seven or eight to nearly twenty.
They drank and chatted as they waited for over an hour.
At last, the leader of the Inuzuka Clan, Inuzuka Tsume, who had red, inverted-triangle markings on her cheeks, began to grow impatient.
"Seriously, when is that Uchiha Yan guy getting here? I still have to go home and keep an eye on my son!"
Hearing Inuzuka Tsume's complaint, Nara Shikaku smiled and poured her a cup of tea.
"Don't worry, Clan Leader Inuzuka. Uchiha Yan wouldn't have summoned so many clan leaders if he didn't have something important to discuss. He wouldn't stand us up."
Inuzuka Tsume picked up the cup and drained it in one gulp, spitting out a few bits of tea leaves along with it.
"Ptooey, that's awful."
Then she looked up at Nara Shikaku and asked, "What does Uchiha Yan want with us, anyway?"
Nara Shikaku shook his head. "I don't know!"
"Hmph!" Inuzuka Tsume pursed her lips and turned away.
The other clan leaders were getting restless, too.
There was no need to make people wait this long.
If Uchiha Yan hadn't made such a huge scene a couple of days ago, they wouldn't have bothered coming. They'd only shown up because they wanted to get a feel for the situation.
"Creak!"
The tavern door swung open.
Thinking Uchiha Yan had arrived, the clan leaders all turned to look.
But a somewhat old man in ordinary clothes walked in, followed by several others.
"Lord Hokage!"*N
Seeing the old man and those behind him, the clan leaders quickly rose and greeted them respectfully.
"Two Advisors!"*15
"Hyuga Clan Leader!"*10
"Elder Danzo!"*5
"..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled, took a puff of his pipe, and waved a hand casually.
"Don't be so formal, everyone. I'm here representing the Sarutobi Clan, so make yourselves comfortable."
Then he walked toward a seat farther inside.
Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, Hyuga Hiashi, and Shimura Danzō, who wore a dark scowl, followed him.
Once they were seated, the clan leaders took their seats again.
After settling into a comfortable position, Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced around at the guests and frowned slightly.
"Has Uchiha Yan not arrived yet?"
Everyone shook their heads and were just about to reply when
a hearty laugh suddenly came from outside.
A young man with short, dark hair walked in, speaking as he entered.
"Sorry, sorry. There was a lot to take care of within the clan, so I'm late. I hope you'll forgive me."
He walked over to Sarutobi Hiruzen and sat down beside him.
Bang!
The tavern door shut.
That meant all the clan leaders who'd been invited to the gathering had arrived.
Everyone focused on Yan, waiting for him to explain why he'd called them together.
Yan cleared his throat and spoke with a serious expression.
"Everyone, I've gathered you here today to discuss the Uchiha Special Zone."
"As everyone knows, the Uchiha Clan has been granted an autonomous region, and we're bound to begin major construction there soon!"
"In my view, this isn't just an opportunity for the Uchiha Clan. It's also a chance for every clan here to rise to greater heights."
"So I invite each of you to bring your clans into this project. Let's work together and lead Konoha back to glory."
As soon as he finished speaking,
"Uchiha Yan!" Shimura Danzō blurted out impatiently. "What scheme are you plotting this time?"
Yan frowned and asked, looking puzzled, "Let's set aside whether it's a scheme or not."
"Clan Leader Shimura, may I ask what sort of business the Shimura Clan runs?"
Shimura Danzō was at a loss for words.
He didn't have a damn bit of clan business.
Back when he'd been building Root, he'd pulled large numbers of shinobi and money from his clan. The Shimura Clan's expenses had long since exceeded its income.
By now, all that remained was an old, rundown clan compound.
No one would want it even if he gave it away.
Root had plenty of shady business dealings, though, but those weren't something he could talk about.
Some of them were things even Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't know about. Bringing them up could cause trouble!
"Enough, Uchiha Yan. Let's get back to the point," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, stepping in to smooth things over when he saw Shimura Danzō struggling.
"Fine!" Yan smacked his lips and quickly moved on.
"Then I'll start by explaining my plan."
Before you continue