To be honest, that was out of the question. The system was one of his greatest trump cards. Although it sometimes screwed him over, he absolutely couldn't let anyone find out about it. Besides, even if he confessed to having a system, they probably wouldn't believe him.
Every other explanation had glaring holes, so after thinking it over, Shin simply gritted his teeth and decided to stick to one story without ever backing down.
He took a sip of tea and set down the cup. "I created the Crow Clone and Rasengan myself," Shin said softly.
Uchiha Tajima furrowed his brow and tapped the table twice with two fingers. "What about the jutsu you used last night, the one that let you move back and forth through space? Did you create that yourself too?"
Shin had already prepared an answer. He couldn't claim he'd created this jutsu himself, or it would sound too ridiculous. With a serious expression, he said, "When I was injured, I dreamed of an old man who taught it to me. He said his name was Otsutsuki Hagoromo."
"Otsutsuki Hagoromo?" Uchiha Tajima's brow furrowed even deeper. The founder of the Uchiha Clan was Indra, the Sage of Six Paths' eldest son. Although no one knew how many years had passed, a few scattered records of the Sage of Six Paths' real name remained. Hearing it made Tajima somewhat suspicious.
Of course, he wasn't going to believe Shin's story. He was a straightforward fighter, not a fool. No one would believe an explanation like that.
"That explanation of yours is hard to believe," Uchiha Tajima said, fixing him with a stern gaze. His imposing presence alone was intimidating.
Shin met his gaze without fear. "I'm telling the truth."
They stared at each other for a full five minutes before Uchiha Tajima looked away. "I see." He didn't bring it up again. Rising to his feet, he said, "We've wasted quite a bit of time. The Clan Meeting is about to start. Come along."
Shin quietly steadied his breathing and touched his head, though there was no cold sweat there. The invisible pressure of holding the gaze of a Kage-level Expert for so long had been immense.
He could also clearly sense that Uchiha Tajima was dissatisfied with his answer. That meant Shin would be kept away from the Uchiha Clan's inner circle from now on—or at least for as long as Tajima was alive.
"Heh... As long as he's alive. In the Warring States Period, people die fast."
A cold glint flashed in Shin's eyes and vanished at once. He started to rise, but his legs gave way, and he nearly fell back down. He gave a wry smile. After sitting on his knees for so long, his legs had gone numb.
He picked up the Heaven Cloud Sword and followed Uchiha Tajima into the Conference Hall. Most of the people had already arrived. Shin spotted Uchiha Madara sitting at the back, went straight over, and sat cross-legged beside him. Ah, much better.
Uchiha Tajima took his place at the head of the room. A few more people arrived shortly afterward, and once everyone had gathered, he said calmly, "Does everyone know what happened last night?"
The people below nodded.
Uchiha Tajima continued, "At first, I thought it was just a Hyuga girl fooling around, so I didn't take it too seriously. I didn't expect that old bastard Hyuga Shinshu would sneak over too. Fortunately, we discovered them in time, and I arrived soon enough. Unfortunately, he still escaped. But I landed a blow on him. Judging by his age, I estimate it'll take him at least a month to recover. This is a great opportunity. What do you think?"
Uchiha Zhan stood up at once, fuming. "The Hyuga Clan has grown more and more brazen. They've even come right to our doorstep! Do they think they can do whatever they want just because they've allied themselves with the Senju Clan? Clan Head, I'm willing to lead our people against the Hyuga Clan myself. If we don't teach them a lesson, how will the Uchiha Clan ever make a place for itself in the Ninja World?"
The other Uchiha were just as indignant. To the proud Uchiha, having someone come right to their doorstep was like having someone piss on their heads in front of them. It was an unbearable humiliation.
Uchiha Tajima cleared his throat, quieting them down. "Since everyone agrees that we should go to war with the Hyuga Clan, then we'll fight. But the Hyuga aren't some insignificant clan. We'll need a detailed plan. They've shamelessly attached themselves to the Senju, so we'll also have to watch for the Senju's movements."
Another middle-aged Uchiha rose to his feet. His name was Uchiha Bujin, and he was also a Peak Jonin.
"Clan Head, now that we've decided to declare war on the Hyuga Clan, we need to determine what kind of war we're fighting: a small-scale reprisal, a medium-scale local conflict, a large-scale full-fledged war, or... a war of extermination?"
Uchiha Tajima sneered, making no effort to hide the killing intent in his eyes. "The Hyuga Clan must pay for this. But we've lost Kazama Valley, and the Senju can easily take the initiative, whether they choose to reinforce the Hyuga or attack us. We need a powerful enough fighter to lead our forces and hold them back."
Thinking it over, Uchiha Tajima fell silent. A short while later, he asked, "How are things going with Dou?"
The Uchiha below exchanged glances and began murmuring among themselves.
Uchiha Zhan spoke up. "Are you thinking of bringing Lord Dou back? There's no real need, is there? He has more than a dozen middle-sized clans over there. They've been much more obedient in recent years, but if Lord Dou leaves so suddenly, they might cause trouble."
The Hyuga Clan was one of the Warring States Period's leading clans. On the surface, it had two clan-head-level fighters: its clan head, Hyuga Tenin, and its Great Elder, Hyuga Shinshu.
The Uchiha Clan was one of the Ninja World's two great clans and had as many as four clan-head-level fighters. Besides Uchiha Tajima, there were Uchiha Goten, Uchiha Burin, and Uchiha Dou.
Uchiha Goten had once been the Uchiha Clan's Great Elder. Two years ago, during a Senju ambush, Hyuga Tenin, Senju Butsuma, Senju Rajin, and Senju Unjin had joined forces to attack him. He died on the battlefield covering Uchiha Tajima's retreat.
That meant the Uchiha Clan now had only three clan-head-level fighters.
Uchiha Burin was stationed in the south, keeping the three leading clans—the Chiba Clan, Aburame Clan, and Fuma Clan—in check and preventing them from making any reckless moves.
Uchiha Dou was in the north, keeping more than a dozen middle-sized clans under pressure.
To the west lay a perpetually rainy land, mired in chaos. It didn't need much attention. To the east were the Senju and Hyuga Clans, though most of their neighboring territory bordered the Senju Clan.
Uchiha Tajima sneered. "They're only a few middle-sized clans. There's no need to worry about them. Bring Uchiha Dou back, and bring Uchiha Burin back from the south as well. This time, we'll make the Hyuga pay dearly."
Before you continue