The Uchiha's Chaotic Dance of Demons

The routine clan meeting happened to coincide with the holiday.

Inside the Uchiha assembly hall, Rikusei glanced sideways at Kaku, who was sitting in the front row staring intently at the Flame Gunbai. He found it increasingly suspicious; no matter how he looked at it, this had all been staged.

Sensing the gaze from behind, Kaku, who wore his brown hair in a short ponytail, turned to the boy and offered a warm smile rarely seen at the academy.

Too fake!

Startled by the insincere acting, Rikusei couldn't help but hug his arms, suppressing the goosebumps rising on his skin.

As more people sat cross-legged on the wooden floor, the spacious hall gradually grew lively.

Unlike the general clan meetings held for the Dance King competition, this specific gathering required members who had awakened their Sharingan to attend.

Dressed in a slightly oversized High-Collar Robe, Rikusei sat steadily in the second row on the left, thanks to his status as the clan head's disciple; his small figure was particularly conspicuous among the crowd.

The first row was occupied by the elders of the Uchiha Clan and the captains of various squads. With a hint of amusement in his heart, Rikusei thought that quite a few of these people had likely surrendered to the Senju Clan in the past.

That was all in the past, though. Whether to follow Madara in a desperate struggle or to drift with the tide and surrender to the Senju—it was a dilemma.

Rikusei didn't want to judge anyone; if he had transmigrated earlier, he would have followed them to surrender to the Senju Clan as well.

After hundreds of years of fighting, the merging of ninja clans was the inevitable trend of the times; it could not be shifted by individual will.

Without much of a wait, everyone was in place.

Rikusei silently counted the attendees. Despite the ravages of war, the number of Uchiha who had awakened their eyes was still quite substantial, reaching seventy.

As Madara slowly walked up to the front of the stage and stood before the wall adorned with the Flame Gunbai and the "Uchiha" plaque, he looked out at the crowd: "Kaku! Proceed with explaining the positions the Uchiha Clan will hold within Konoha."

"Yes, Clan Head." Kaku rose from the front row, stood slightly behind and to the left of Madara, and said: "The main departments the Uchiha Clan will serve in are the Police Department, the Interrogation Department, and the Logistics Department!"

"The Police Department will be led by Setsuna as Captain-General."

"The Interrogation Department will be led by Huoli as Captain-General."

"The Logistics Department will be led by Tobihi as Captain-General."

Kaku stared at the figures mentioned, his tone extremely serious: "Since you all belong to different squads and shoulder other missions, the spots will be filled via voluntary application. Once you arrive at your new departments, you will be reorganized alongside ninjas from other clans."

"You may discuss this now."

As his words fell, the expected murmurs did not arise; the scene fell into an eerie silence.

Madara calmly took in the expressions of his clansmen below and said: "If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

"We are already married, so we need to go home and discuss it with our families."

A man with a cross-shaped scar across the bridge of his nose spoke in a gentle tone that didn't quite match his temperament.

"Those who have families should indeed discuss it. What about those who are not married?" Madara's gaze swept through the crowd; as their clan head, he knew exactly who was unmarried.

Rikusei watched the crowd sink back into silence, unable to suppress his inner snark: Teacher, you are the leader of the unmarried group yourself! Hashirama's brat has already started executing missions.

"I'll reserve a spot in advance; I want to go to the Logistics Department!"

Rikusei lowered his hand and shook his head at the crowd, which had begun to snicker, signaling that he wouldn't lower himself to their level.

"Is Rikusei participating?"

On the wooden stage, Kaku sighed helplessly at the foolishly grinning clansman—they would regret it once they realized what they were losing—and teased the boy who had raised his right hand below.

"He is still young; he will naturally go where he belongs once he graduates." Madara's voice caused the good-natured laughter in the room to recede like a tide, leaving only silence.

Opportunities to tease the clan head's disciple in public were rare, so one had to seize them whenever possible. That is a genius who awakened his eyes at five, Setsuna thought to himself as he led the laughter.

"So, have you made your decisions?" After the laughter, the atmosphere became more relaxed, and Kaku steered the topic back: "By working in the village, you will no longer take commissions from the village or the clan. The village will pay your salaries."

"?!"

Madara's face beamed with the smile of a fisherman who had made a successful catch as he watched the crowd suddenly erupt into a clamor.

Rikusei watched with a conflicted expression as people scrambled to stand up and join the crowd, blocking his view entirely.

Well, they won't chase the rabbit until they see the hawk.

Kaku looked helplessly at Madara, who wore a fisherman's grin, and shrugged, expressing sympathy for the rowdy clansmen.

"How can you still call yourselves Uchiha acting like this!" Setsuna, who had half a mask wrapped around his forehead, stood up, waved his arms, and scolded the chaotic crowd loudly: "Are you not ashamed? Sit down at once!"

Rikusei's gaze passed over the crowd as they sat back down, looking at Setsuna, who stood to Madara's right—a man with a straightforward personality, someone whose joys and angers were easily worn on his sleeve.

Because he resembled Izuna somewhat, Setsuna had taken good care of him at the Clan Academy, answering all his questions regarding ninjutsu without hesitation.

"Those who want to participate in the village departments must be mentally prepared." Madara's eyes swept across their faces, his sharp gaze making their hearts tremble: "You will be working alongside people from other clans, such as the Senju Clan—no, the Senju Clan no longer exists."

Although the news of the Senju Clan's disappearance had long been circulating widely in the village, and many ninjas present had encountered Senju clansmen who were beginning to change their surnames, hearing the news from the clan head himself still brought a sense of sorrow. A century of conflict had finally come to an end.

Madara continued to his clansmen, who were shrouded in melancholy: "Those who cannot get along harmoniously with other clans—Kaku and I are very clear on this—need not apply."

"Now, let's talk about another matter."

The calm Madara was instantly filled with a fighting spirit as vast as a raging sea, and he said to the crowd with great enthusiasm.

"?"

Kaku looked at Madara on his right with a blank expression, completely bewildered; no one had told him about this when he went to attend the preliminary meetings.

"It is to capture all the Tailed Beasts!" Madara said calmly, having regained his composure.

His indifferent words were like a burning meteorite from the heavens plunging into the ocean known as the assembly hall, stirring up triple waves amidst the heat; the first wave surged through their bodies, the second surged into their hearts, and the third was the collective exclamation of the crowd spreading in all directions.

With the instigator's lazy tone echoing against the crowd's astonishment, Rikusei did not want any clever individuals to discern anything from his reaction.

He did not even need to feign anything, for everyone was terrified by this prospect.

These were the Tailed Beasts, after all!

If it were only one or two, with the Clan Head present, it would be no problem.

But in the end, they were not the Uzumaki Clan, who were masters of sealing techniques.

The Uzumaki?

Some people present had already realized that if the Clan Head could say such a thing, it must be a joint effort between the Uchiha, the Senju, and the Uzumaki clans.

The Uzumaki were cousins to the Senju; if they had their assistance, there should be no problem, especially since Uzumaki Romi, that grandmaster of sealing, was still alive.

"Those who do not wish to take up posts in the village may join the Tailed Beast Hunting Squad, which I shall lead," Madara said to the crowd, his eyes filled with flames, once the people had quieted down.

"That's wonderful! We can fight side-by-side with the Clan Head again!"

The younger Uchiha, unable to restrain their temperaments, began to cheer loudly.

Setsuna, standing on the wooden platform, had no intention of managing the excited crowd; his own heart was already surging with emotion as he muttered, "This time, we aren't facing the familiar Senju Clan, but Tailed Beasts capable of changing the color of the heavens and the earth!"

Kaku looked helplessly at the ecstatic crowd ahead; Madara possessed exactly that kind of charisma, capable of making their blood boil with just a few words.

"Then what about me?!"

Rikusei, who had stood up only to be drowned out by the crowd, voiced his question, which was immediately swallowed by the excited cheers.