First Draw, Musō Isshin

After Danzo left, Sarutobi Hiruzen also began considering this newly emerged Uchiha prodigy.

Should he win him over gently like Shisui, or continue tightening surveillance on the Uchiha clan as Danzo had suggested?

Inside the Hokage Office, only the sound of him smoking remained.

Meanwhile, after returning home, Xuanye shut all the doors and windows and quietly sat on the floor.

At the same time, he said to the system in his mind:

"System, begin the draw."

[Initiating draw]

The system interface immediately flashed with countless figures, many of whom Xuanye recognized as they flickered past.

A moment later, the flashing interface slowly came to a stop, finally settling on a figure who had left a deep impression on Xuanye.

She was tall and upright, with fair skin. Her dark purple hair was braided into a thick, long plait, the tips fading into a pale purple glow of lightning.

A distinct beauty mark rested beneath the corner of her right eye. She held a dark purple lightning-infused katana, her expression indifferent, carrying the aloofness and majesty of a god.

The Exalted Narukami Ogosho, Raiden Ei.

Xuanye had not expected his very first draw to pull such a heavyweight existence.

The world setting of Teyvat Continent meant that its upper limit was extraordinarily high, and Xuanye was looking forward to it.

As everyone knew, although Raiden Ei was not exactly sharp-minded, her combat ability was absolutely real.

[Draw complete. Selected character: The Seven Archons of the Mortal World—Raiden Ei]

[Obtained divine weapon—Musō Isshin]

Xuanye immediately felt an itch in his chest, as though he could pull a purple greatsword out at any moment.

At the same time, information about Musō Isshin appeared in his mind.

As the divine weapon that had been born alongside Raiden Makoto, Raiden Ei's elder sister, its greatest feat was undoubtedly slaying Orobashi with a single strike and carving out the fearsome Yashiori Gorge.

But no matter how powerful a divine weapon was, it depended on who wielded it.

The power Musō Isshin displayed in Raiden Makoto's and Raiden Ei's hands was completely different.

Xuanye could use it now, but if he wanted to fully unleash Musō Isshin's greatest power, he would likely have to pay no small price.

He was still far inferior even to Raiden Makoto.

Fortunately, Musō Isshin had another function: it could slowly improve its host's talent for lightning-nature cultivation.

The stronger the host became, the greater the power Musō Isshin could unleash. It was a two-way journey.

As the saying went, when one carried a sharp blade, the urge to kill arose naturally.

Now that he had the milk-scented slash, Xuanye felt as though everyone he saw was a marked target waiting to be beheaded. He desperately wanted to find something to cut.

"Xuanye, Elder told me to remind you not to be late for tonight's clan meeting... Holy shit!"

The moment Uchiha Inabi entered, he saw lightning flashing in Xuanye's hand, as though Xuanye were testing some new ninjutsu.

Seeing Uchiha Inabi barge in without knocking, a trace of irritation flashed through Xuanye's eyes.

"Could you knock first next time?"

Thankfully, he had not pulled Musō Isshin from his chest just now. If Inabi saw him draw a sword from his chest, how was he supposed to explain that?

Inabi was a brother he had grown up with. Xuanye did not want to silence him over something so minor.

"Sorry, sorry..." Inabi's apology lacked the slightest sincerity. He admitted his mistake this time, but would definitely dare to do it again next time.

Looking at Inabi, who was as shamelessly unyielding as a piece of tough gristle, Xuanye sighed, dispersed the lightning in his hand, and did not pursue the matter further.

After apologizing, Inabi recalled the lightning flashing in Xuanye's hand when he had pushed the door open and asked curiously.

"What were you doing just now? If you were practicing ninjutsu, why didn't you go to the training ground outside?"

Practicing ninjutsu at home—was he not afraid of blowing the house up?

Xuanye casually found an excuse. "I suddenly had an inspiration. I was just trying out a new ninjutsu."

Inabi did not ask further and brought Xuanye to the Uchiha Clan Compound—Naka Shrine.

Quite a few people had already arrived. Inside Naka Shrine were nothing but spiky-haired red-eyed Uchiha.

Any Uchiha who had awakened their eyes could attend the clan meeting.

However, only those with Three-Tomoe Sharingan or above, or those with the strength of a jonin, generally had the right to speak at the meeting.

Of course, not every Uchiha was a ninja. There were also many women, children, and elderly people among them.

Even so, five or six hundred people had gathered at the scene, all clan members who had awakened their eyes and possessed at least Chunin strength.

This was after the Uchiha had lost some of their ninja forces during the Third Great Ninja War.

One could imagine that at their peak, the Uchiha clan likely had more than a thousand ninja.

Xuanye listened as these people all appeared somewhat agitated, even discussing the village's unfair treatment of them.

Some had encountered hostility from Konoha civilians while carrying out ordinary patrols in the village.

Each of these incidents was like a straw, constantly intensifying the Uchiha's emotions and pushing the relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha toward the Abyss.

News that Xuanye had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan and successfully advanced to jonin had already spread throughout the Uchiha.

Moreover, he had defeated the controversial Copy Ninja Kakashi head-on. Xuanye could now be considered someone who had brought glory to the Uchiha.

Sitting several seats away from Xuanye was Uchiha Shisui.

He was a gentle Uchiha who almost never argued with anyone.

Yet because a jade brought trouble to its owner, and because he was too naive, he had committed suicide in grief and indignation amid Danzo's schemes in the original story.

Even after his death, he had been branded a traitor. His death had been utterly undeserved.

As if sensing Xuanye's gaze, Shisui turned around, smiled, and nodded at him.

Xuanye withdrew his gaze.

Xuanye still found Shisui deeply regrettable. At the very least, Shisui had not become Sarutobi Hiruzen's spy within the Uchiha like Itachi, nor had he personally destroyed the entire Uchiha clan in the end.

Although his methods were somewhat naive, he had genuinely wanted to change the relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha.

Of course, Xuanye was still considering whether he should lend him a hand.

Shisui had no other major flaws. He was merely too naive, and his saintly compassion was far too excessive.

More importantly, his Mangekyō was simply too dangerous, and he had even entertained the idea of altering Fugaku's consciousness.

As everyone knew, once a saintly fool appeared within one's own camp, they could be incredibly troublesome.

Soon, the clan meeting officially began.

The current clan head and three Elders sat at the head of the gathering and began discussing each agenda item.

Xuanye did not offer an opinion on most of the topics. He merely sat quietly in a seat at the very front.

Xuanye had attended several clan meetings before. They were nothing more than the same old complaints about Konoha's discriminatory treatment of the Uchiha and the various instances of targeting they encountered within Konoha.

Even the Elders began speaking freely, blurting out everything they could and could not say. The entire clan meeting was as lively as a marketplace.

Throughout Naka Shrine, the only ones who remained silent were Uchiha Fugaku on the stage, Shisui, and Xuanye.

"Heh."

Xuanye could not help but laugh softly.