I Can Talk About the Will of Fire, and I Can Love Konoha!

Kazuhiko was deeply conflicted. How should he choose his promotion mission?

It concerned the ultimate Mangekyō Sharingan technique he would awaken, so he had to be cautious.

Different members of the Uchiha Clan had completely different Mangekyō Sharingan techniques.

Kotoamatsukami, Tsukuyomi, Amaterasu, Kamui, and so on. Aside from Amaterasu, which Itachi passed on to Sasuke and gave them the same Mangekyō technique, no two Uchiha had ever possessed identical techniques.

So his choice of mission would determine what kind of Mangekyō technique Kazuhiko awakened in the future.

Based on the Mangekyō techniques he knew:

He ruled out ninjutsu-type techniques first.

Representative techniques: Amaterasu, Kagutsuchi.

Itachi's Amaterasu was an inextinguishable black flame, said to burn as hot as the sun, that consumed its targets completely.

But its actual combat record was dismal. No one had ever died to this technique.

Parenthesis: White Zetsu wasn't human. End parenthesis.

As for Kagutsuchi, it counted as two techniques together with Amaterasu. Without Amaterasu, what was the point?

Kazuhiko's assessment of ninjutsu-type techniques was that they were totally useless.

Amaterasu could burn someone for ages and only scorch their clothes. Aside from being useful against Akatsuki members who'd die if they took their clothes off, it was costly and slow. Ninjutsu-type techniques? Even a dog wouldn't want them.

Genjutsu-type Uchiha Chunin.

"Genjutsu is my foundation, but in the future I can get Kotoamatsukami from Shisui and Tsukuyomi from Itachi. Choosing this seems like a bit of a loss."

Those were all top-tier genjutsu, and Infinite Tsukuyomi was even beyond them.

If Kazuhiko chose the genjutsu branch, he couldn't think of any technique that would surpass these Mangekyō techniques.

Should he rule out the genjutsu branch too?

But this mission could upgrade his [Genjutsu Mastery] trait.

If his genjutsu improved further, he could try helping Shisui awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan.

With Shisui's Kotoamatsukami, Danzo would no longer pose a threat to Kazuhiko or even the Uchiha Clan.

"Genjutsu branch: undecided."

Had any Uchiha ever awakened a taijutsu-type technique?

Did Madara's ability to fight on par with Hashirama count?

If it did, then the taijutsu branch seemed pretty great.

In the Naruto world, even if you had power on the level of a Super Kage, a fatal injury would still kill you.

A taijutsu-type Mangekyō that strengthened the body was very appealing to Kazuhiko, whose taijutsu was currently a five-out-of-ten disaster.

"Taijutsu branch: undecided. Undecided."

"Space-time techniques? Absolutely top-tier. They're definitely top-tier."

Obito's dual Kamui was downright broken. Among Mangekyō techniques, it was the best of the best.

As long as he awakened a space-time technique, it would definitely be powerful, whatever its mechanics.

"But could it be even stronger than Kamui?"

Kazuhiko put a question mark beside the space-time branch.

"Space-time branch: undecided."

Summoning-type Uchiha Chunin?

What was that supposed to mean?

Uchiha the Druid!

That would make team fights quite a sight.

Support and enhancement techniques.

"I don't play support. Who am I supposed to enhance? Enhance my ass!"

Ruled out! The support and enhancement branch had to go.

"Sealing-type Uchiha... rule-based techniques..."

They sounded powerful.

A notification from [Deep Blue] suddenly rang out, interrupting Kazuhiko's indecision.

[Shimura Danzo's favorability toward you has plummeted to: Hatred (A naturally evil Uchiha brat. If the old man can't control him, he must be eliminated immediately!)]

[Shimura Danzo's independent trait pool has been unlocked]

[Kage Level trait draw opportunities +2]

The sudden hatred and Kage Level trait draw opportunities left Kazuhiko stunned.

He immediately understood:

Danzo had definitely learned that Shota had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

The Uchiha Clan had long been watched like a sieve.

Senju Tobirama had established a system for monitoring the Uchiha Clan.

After the Nine-Tails' rampage, the Third Hokage and Danzo had expanded that surveillance on every front.

Not one member of the Uchiha Clan was exempt. Everyone was under surveillance, from Uchiha Fugaku to ordinary civilians.

Besides the camera network and the Anbu, the Root organization also kept them under constant watch. On top of that, a sensory barrier had been set up around the Uchiha Clan Compound.

Through the barrier, the Konoha High Command could detect fluctuations in Sharingan chakra and large gatherings of chakra at any time.

All these surveillance methods corroborated one another. The Uchiha had no secrets from Danzo or the Third Hokage.

After all, Danzo had even mastered Izanagi, a forbidden Uchiha technique.

So Kazuhiko wasn't surprised at all that Danzo knew about the awakening.

What he was curious about was this:

"Is Danzo really Kage Level?"

He rubbed his chin and thought carefully.

In the original story, Danzo's strength had always been a mystery.

Kotoamatsukami plus ten Three-Tomoe Sharingan—that state was beyond question. Although Sasuke had killed him alone, his strength was absolutely Kage Level.

What did the current Danzo have?

A Summoning Animal, powerful Wind Release, and an unknown number of Sealing Jutsu. Perhaps he also had a Sharingan and Izanagi.

Looking at it that way, calling him Kage Level wasn't wrong.

Besides, he had been Senju Tobirama's student, one of the Hokage candidates trained by the Second Hokage.

Compared to those top-tier Kage Level fighters, Danzo would only humiliate himself. But he could indeed be considered an ordinary Kage Level ninja.

"Kage Level is great, Kage Level is wonderful..."

Kazuhiko looked at the trait draw opportunities Danzo had contributed and grinned.

"Even though you're dead set on killing me, I still have to thank you for the Kage Level opportunities."

A free draw was a free draw. He'd be a fool to turn it down.

But his smile soon faded, and his expression grew serious.

Danzo was no joke. That old bastard would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

If he decided to eliminate Kazuhiko, he was capable of anything.

You couldn't guard against a thief every day.

He had to strike first, before Danzo made up his mind.

Shimura Danzo and the Root organization, you just wait!

Anyone who dares to point out my faults to my face will be executed. Anyone who advises me will be granted suicide. Anyone who criticizes me in the streets or at court and lets me hear of it will have their entire clan wiped out.

[Sarutobi Hiruzen's favorability toward you has risen sharply to: Friendly (Keep displaying your Will of Fire, and he'll come to trust you completely)]

[Sarutobi Hiruzen's independent trait pool has been unlocked]

[Kage Level trait draw opportunities +1]

Kazuhiko was a little surprised to see his favorability at [Friendly].

For an Uchiha ninja, that was already quite a high opinion of him.

The Third Hokage would treat him like he mattered instead of looking down his nose at him.

"I can keep milking the Third Hokage for favorability and draw opportunities... Maybe I can get some other benefits too."

The Third Hokage might not have been cut out to be Hokage, but he was undeniably good at training ninja.

The Legendary Sannin—Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade—were all Kage Level.

Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God, Might Duy's Eight Inner Gates, and Hatake Sakumo, a Kage Level fighter, had all emerged and made names for themselves in the Shinobi World during the Third Hokage's term.

That showed the Third Hokage was willing to train and invest in Konoha's talented young ninja.

Though how well he protected those talents was another matter.

But that was fine.

I can talk about the Will of Fire, and I can love Konoha!

I welcome the Third Hokage giving me Flying Thunder God, the Eight Inner Gates, and Impure World Reincarnation, an Uchiha genius.

In the future, when I carry the title of Hokage—or even Raikage or Mizukage—I'll make Konoha great again!