"Kurotsuchi, show Jingxin around the house first." Ōnoki's face was taut as he gave her the order. Then he turned to Kitsuchi. "Come with me."
Ōnoki flew toward the Tsuchikage Office. Once they were a short distance from home, he instructed Kitsuchi, "Notify all the senior officials. I'm calling an important meeting."
Kitsuchi left to carry out the order.
Ōnoki hurried back to his office, floating inside.
The heavy stone door closed behind him, shutting out every sound from the outside.
He walked to the stone table and picked up the short registration form.
Ōnoki's gaze locked onto the three characters in the name Uchiha. The old man's fingers tightened around the paper without him realizing it, his knuckles turning faintly white.
That surname was the mark of an era, a symbol of a power that made people tremble.
Ōnoki closed his eyes, and the figure of that man seemed to rise before him once more.
Madara Uchiha.
At the First Five Kage Summit, Ōnoki had been no more than the First Tsuchikage's bodyguard.
Madara had merely stood there, yet the chakra radiating from him was like tangible darkness, pressing the air from everyone's lungs.
It was a terror beyond the power of any one person, something close to a natural disaster.
The Uchiha Clan was born for battle. The Sharingan's genjutsu, perception, and ability to copy techniques...
Every one of those abilities was enough to make any shinobi village covet them—and enough to make any opponent tremble.
Deep wariness was etched into his bones.
But now, an orphan of the Uchiha Clan—a seven-year-old child—had come to Iwagakure of his own accord.
The old man opened his eyes, his gaze coming back into focus.
He slowly sat down and began analyzing, word by word, every sentence Jingxin had spoken that day and every expression he had made.
His ability to analyze with a calm bordering on coldness, his precise grasp of the situation among the great shinobi villages, his respectful yet composed attitude toward Ōnoki, the Tsuchikage...
Could the mind of a seven-year-old child really be this sharp?
Ōnoki instinctively compared Jingxin with the stories he remembered about Madara Uchiha's childhood.
Madara's arrogance and domineering nature were completely different from the composure and reason Jingxin had shown.
No, it wasn't just a difference.
Ōnoki keenly sensed that there was something even more frightening about Jingxin.
An absolute command over his own emotions and desires, and a perspective on the larger picture that went beyond his years—one that was almost strategic in scope.
Madara's power was a volcanic eruption, wild and violent.
Jingxin's potential was more like an undercurrent in the deep sea: seemingly calm, yet harboring immeasurable energy.
More importantly, the Uchiha Clan embodied extreme love, and its members could easily fall into the opposite extreme.
But Jingxin, with his state of mind and his reason, seemed incapable of "falling."
"Compared to Madara at the same age... he might be even more outrageous..."
Ōnoki murmured hoarsely.
The conclusion sent a shiver through him.
He clenched his back teeth, jaw tight, trying to suppress the excitement surging in his chest.
What would it mean if Iwagakure could truly have an Uchiha of its own, one who was completely loyal—a genius whose potential might even surpass Madara Uchiha's?
Iwagakure's power would rise to unprecedented heights.
The balance among the Five Great Nations would be shattered completely!
But all of this depended on Jingxin's sincerity.
Ōnoki's gaze dropped to the line at the bottom of the form: Chakra nature—Fire, Wind, Earth.
Fire, Wind, Earth.
Dust Release?!
The words exploded in Ōnoki's mind like a clap of thunder.
Dust Release, a Kekkei Tōta that surpassed Kekkei Genkai.
It was formed by combining the Chakra Nature Transformations of Earth, Fire, and Wind. It was Ōnoki's signature technique, the one with which he had made his name throughout the Ninja World, and one of Iwagakure's greatest secret arts.
An Uchiha who naturally possessed the foundational—and most precious—chakra natures needed to learn Dust Release.
All his restraint, all his reason, snapped at that moment.
Ōnoki sprang up from his stone chair and braced both hands on the edge of the table, trembling slightly from the force he exerted.
"Heh... Hahaha... Hahahaha!"
Ōnoki raised his head. The corners of his wrinkled old face stretched almost to his ears, revealing two rows of pale teeth.
"Kyoshin Uchiha." Ōnoki's laughter subsided, but the fervor in his eyes did not fade in the slightest. "Good! I'll bet on you!"
Kitsuchi acted quickly.
Iwagakure's senior officials swiftly gathered in the Tsuchikage Office.
The atmosphere was heavy.
Ōnoki got straight to the point. "Kyoshin Uchiha is in our village."
"An Uchiha?!" Several people cried out, their expressions changing as fear and wariness mingled.
Ōnoki briefly explained Jingxin's situation.
When they heard about his chakra natures, the senior officials drew heavy breaths and lost their composure.
"We have to confirm his sincerity!" the head of the Intelligence Department said excitedly.
"If it's true, we should devote every resource to cultivating him!" The Education Minister's eyes lit up. "A loyal Uchiha genius would be of immense importance."
The meeting's course was clear: confirm his loyalty first. Once it was confirmed, he would become a core strategic asset.
"His bloodline needs to be continued, but we must be careful about how we go about it," one minister said. "We all understand what kept him from going to Kumogakure, according to his own theory."
"In a few years, we can create an 'accidental' opportunity."
The others silently agreed.
They then drew up a covert observation plan.
Experts from the Interrogation Department and Intelligence Department were secretly dispatched to observe and analyze him from every angle without provoking his suspicions.
The tests began quietly.
Jingxin's life in Ōnoki's home was disciplined and diligent.
His daily training consisted of Shuriken, ninjutsu, and chakra extraction.
When he had plenty of chakra, he created Shadow Clones and used Sharingan Genjutsu on himself, recreating scenes that filled him with fear.
Each time he faced his fear and forcibly broke free, his will grew tougher, and the power of his Sharingan advanced as well.
He devoted a great deal of time to training and almost never did anything unnecessary.
The observers in hiding recorded all of it.
A week later, all the reports came to the same conclusion.
Jingxin was resolute, clear about his goals, and utterly sincere.
Ōnoki's doubts vanished. He summoned the senior officials for another meeting.
The mood was upbeat.
"The observation period is over. Since he spends every day training, we have very little to analyze, but Kyoshin Uchiha can be trusted." Ōnoki's words lifted everyone's spirits.
"Let's draw up a training plan," the Education Minister said.
"We shouldn't rush the development of his Sharingan," another minister added. "We don't have experience with that."
"And there's Dust Release," Ōnoki said slowly. The meeting room fell silent. "Don't forget his chakra natures."
There was no need to explain how important Dust Release was to Iwagakure.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Tsuchikage of each generation had conquered the world with Dust Release.
But Dust Release was so difficult to learn, with such demanding prerequisites, that even now, Ōnoki was the only one in Iwagakure who had mastered it.
Judging by Jingxin's diligence and the speed of his progress over the past week...
If Ōnoki personally trained him, then...
An Uchiha who could use Dust Release?
Before you continue