Uchiha Tajima looked delighted, too. He had always been proud of his son, Madara. With a wave of his hand, he rose and said, "Good. We'll discuss the specifics of the tactics later. Now that we've settled on a strategy, we must make absolutely sure the Hyuga Clan can't break out."
His gaze turned cold, and he said in a low voice, "Prepare to issue the Uchiha Seal Order!"
"The Uchiha Seal Order?"
Shin murmured in surprise. He had never heard of such a thing before.
"Inform every clan in the Ninja World: if they see a Hyuga Clan ninja operating outside their territory, they can claim a reward of 1,000 from the Uchiha Clan for killing a Hyuga Genin, 5,000 for a Chunin, and 10,000 for a Special Jonin."
Uchiha Tajima paused briefly, then a murderous aura abruptly radiated from him. "Next, 100,000 for killing a Hyuga Jonin, 500,000 for an Elite Jonin, and for a Peak Jonin..." He stopped, gritted his teeth, then continued, "1,000,000. As for Hyuga Tenin and Hyuga Shinshu, well... let's leave those two out of it."
"The Uchiha Clan must be incredibly wealthy," Shin thought, tongue-tied by Uchiha Tajima's offer. Just how rich did you have to be to put up rewards like that?
In reality, he knew that the other clans could probably kill Jonin at most, and not many of them. Once you reached Elite Jonin, most shinobi in the Warring States Period could only look up to you. As for Peak Jonin, Uchiha Tajima was probably just naming a price without expecting anyone to claim it. Of course, if someone really did bring him the head of a Hyuga Peak Jonin, he'd be more than happy to pay.
After discussing a few more details, Uchiha Tajima declared the meeting over.
Like most of the others, Shin got up and left. Madara, however, was held back by Uchiha Tajima and went with several of the strongest Peak Jonin to the reception room. They were probably going to discuss the details of their tactics against the Hyuga Clan.
After leaving the hall, Shin touched the long sword in his hand, thought for a moment, then headed to the right side of the clan grounds. That was where the Uchiha Clan's Martial Arts Arena stood. The Uchiha children spent most of their time there practicing ninjutsu or sparring with one another. Shin and Madara had often trained there together, though it had been over two months since he'd last gone.
After answering questions about where he'd learned his ninjutsu today, Shin knew he was drifting farther and farther from the Uchiha Clan's inner circle. Uchiha Tajima would never trust him. As long as Uchiha Tajima was in power, Shin would never become one of the Uchiha Clan's leaders. The plan they'd discussed today was a case in point: one of the main reasons Tajima had let Madara present it was that he knew what would happen if Shin did.
Uchiha Tajima and the others might adopt the plan, but they certainly wouldn't let Shin stay and discuss the next steps. It had nothing to do with strength or intelligence. It all came down to trust.
A vague plan began to take shape in Shin's mind. It was only an idea for now, but he firmly believed he'd make it happen. It didn't matter that Uchiha Tajima didn't trust him. He and Uchiha Madara got along well, and Madara's personality meant he wouldn't care about something as trivial as where Shin had learned his ninjutsu. If Madara became clan leader, everyone would be happy.
Shin had always thought he was a fairly broad-minded person, but after yesterday's events, the more he thought about them, the angrier he got. He realized that he actually held a grudge over the smallest things. So whether it was the Hyuga or Uchiha Tajima, he'd quietly filed them away in the back of his mind. There was plenty of time. They'd see about that someday. One day, he'd blow them all to hell with Susanoo.
That's just the kind of petty person I am, Uchiha Shin thought.
When he reached the Martial Arts Arena, he walked right in. Lots of Uchiha children were sparring, while others practiced shuriken or Fire Style. There was no shortage of activity.
Shin patted his cheeks, putting on a warm, sunny smile, then walked over to a child practicing Fire Style.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
The child spat out a huge ball of fire toward the open space ahead. A moment later, the flames went out. Clutching his upper lip, he cried out in pain, "I burned myself again! What am I doing wrong?"
Shin smiled and said, "When you were forming the Hand Seals just now, you bent your left index finger. That makes the chakra flames of the Great Fireball tilt upward, so it's easy to burn yourself."
The child jumped, only then realizing someone had come up beside him. He turned around and saw Shin smiling at him. His eyes lit up, and he stammered, "M-Master Shin."
Uchiha Shin and Uchiha Madara were the most admired members of the Uchiha Clan's new generation. Their reputations had reached new heights after they teamed up that night to kill a Hyuga Jonin and save everyone. The younger generation looked up to them. But lately, Shin and Madara had rarely come to the Martial Arts Arena.
Shin smiled gently. "Don't call me 'Master.' We're the same age. Just call me Shin or Big Brother Shin, whichever you prefer. I'll show you how to form the Hand Seals for the Great Fireball. Watch closely."
As he spoke, Shin held out both hands and performed the six Hand Seals—Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, and Tiger—in order. He deliberately went slowly so the child could see clearly, taking a full five seconds to finish.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A ball of fire many times bigger than the child's shot roared out and landed in the lake in the distance. Since the Uchiha Clan specialized in Fire Style, they'd dug an artificial lake in the Martial Arts Arena specifically for the children to practice their Fire Style techniques.
"Th-That was amazing!" The child gazed at Shin in adoration.
"Look, it's Master Shin! Master Shin's at the Martial Arts Arena!" A little girl with sharp eyes spotted what was happening. The Uchiha children immediately stopped practicing and hurried over.
"Master Shin, my name is Uchiha Rin. Please teach me!" The little girl's cheeks flushed as she spoke excitedly.
"Don't call me 'Master.' We're the same age. I hope you'll teach me, too." Shin smiled at her, making her even more excited. She thought Master Shin was so approachable, completely different from young master Madara.
"Master Shin, I don't understand the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique. How do you control the direction of the flames?"
"You need to train your chakra control first. There aren't any shortcuts."
"Master Shin, I can never hit the bull's-eye when I throw Kunai and shuriken. Do you have any tips?"
"Uh, your stance when you throw isn't quite right. Let me help you fix it."
"Master Shin..."
Shin showed no hint of impatience as the questions kept coming. He patiently explained everything in detail.
Shin had a reason for doing this. Uchiha Tajima was too strong, and his prestige among the clan's leaders was too great. As long as Tajima refused to give way, even becoming an Elite Jonin wouldn't be enough for Shin to enter the inner circle of power.
But none of that mattered. The next generation would be the backbone of the future. All Shin had to do was build up his reputation among the children and show them some kindness. They'd remember what he'd done for them.
Little by little, he'd eventually become the most respected among them. And in the Warring States Period, those children would soon become the clan's backbone. By then, without even realizing what had happened, Shin would become the most influential person in the Uchiha Clan—someone even Uchiha Madara couldn't compare to.
Shin had put Uchiha Madara forward for this very reason. Madara could draw everyone's attention, while Shin quietly turned the next generation of clansmen into his own support. In the future, the Uchiha Clan would belong to Uchiha Shin.
With a smile, Shin continued explaining the ins and outs of various ninjutsu.
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