Betting

After conversing for a while, Uchiha Fugaku looked at the four renowned ninja blades resting on the ground.

They were the Twin Blades Hiramekarei, the Kubikiribōchō, the Nuibari, and the Kabutowari.

The owners of these four blades had been slain by Uchiha Akira, making them his spoils of war.

Seeing Uchiha Fugaku hesitate as if he had something to say, Uchiha Akira spoke up: "Clan Head, do you have need of these four blades?"

Hearing him take the initiative, Uchiha Fugaku felt a weight lift from his heart.

These were no ordinary weapons; each one could forge a powerful elite jōnin.

Now, in the final stages of the Third Shinobi World War, with the annihilation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and the arrival of Minato Namikaze, Kirigakure's defeat was a foregone conclusion.

Once defeated, Kirigakure would certainly exhaust every means to ransom these four blades back.

Therefore, these blades carried significant political weight.

The Uchiha Clan was currently throwing its full support behind Minato Namikaze, naturally seeking every opportunity to add weight to his side of the scale.

Uchiha Fugaku deliberated for a moment before saying, "Akira, I believe you have heard the rumors. Once this war ends, the Third will step down, and we will select our Fourth Hokage."

"I know; the upper echelons have already let word slip," Uchiha Akira nodded. He looked at Uchiha Fugaku and asked, "Does our Uchiha Clan intend to bet on the Yellow Flash?"

"Correct," Uchiha Fugaku nodded, his voice dropping. "Orochimaru is one of the Sannin and already commands a vast network of followers and subordinates. If our Uchiha Clan approaches him, it would merely be icing on the cake; he might not place much value on us."

"Minato is a rising star. His foundation within Konoha is far inferior to Orochimaru's. To him, our Uchiha Clan would be like charcoal in the snow—a perfect, mutually beneficial match."

A smile appeared on Uchiha Fugaku's face as he continued, "While Orochimaru is indeed renowned in Konoha, after Minato repelled Iwagakure and Kumogakure, the actual weight of the 'Yellow Flash' title has surpassed that of the Sannin. On the battlefield, the deterrent power of the Yellow Flash far exceeds that of the Sannin."

Finally, Uchiha Fugaku added, "Furthermore, although Orochimaru is one of the Sannin, he lacks popular support. I do not favor his chances in this race for the Fourth Hokage."

Uchiha Akira nodded in agreement. "Orochimaru's reputation among the people is indeed lacking. By comparison, Minato-jōnin is like a sun that warms the heart. After the war, the people of Konoha will need a sun to light the way forward."

As he spoke, he glanced at the blades in the corner. "Since these items can serve as our stake, Clan Head, take them. The future Hokage is worth our investment."

Hearing Uchiha Akira's words, Uchiha Fugaku smiled, then said solemnly, "Akira, your contribution will not go unrewarded. I will secure one or two ninjutsu recorded in the Sealing Technique scrolls for you."

These four blades were crafted by Kirigakure at great cost and held immense value; anyone who mastered them could easily become a jōnin.

Trading them for one or two sealing techniques was technically a loss.

Most ninjutsu recorded in the Sealing Technique scrolls were extremely difficult to learn, or even forbidden.

The recorded techniques were powerful; the Flying Thunder God had created the Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze, and the Spirit Transformation Technique had created Tsunade's boyfriend, Dan Katō.

However, Uchiha Akira didn't care much; even if he obtained them, he wasn't guaranteed to learn them.

Sometimes, there was no need to over-calculate.

"Must I wait until the Yellow Flash takes office?" Uchiha Akira asked.

This was Konoha Year 50; once the war ended, Minato Namikaze would immediately assume the position of Fourth Hokage.

With not much time left, Uchiha Akira had the patience to wait.

"Indeed," Uchiha Fugaku nodded, his voice grave. "As the Third grows older, he has become somewhat indecisive. You will need to wait patiently for a while."

"Don't worry, Clan Head, I have that much patience," Uchiha Akira nodded.

"By the way, Clan Head, has there been any progress regarding the theft of the Byakugan from the Hyuga Clan?" Uchiha Akira asked.

"Heh," Uchiha Fugaku chuckled. "What progress could there be? The Kirigakure ninja who set the trap were slippery. Our Konoha ninja couldn't find a trace of them; it's as if they evaporated into thin air."

"In my opinion, the loss of the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan is a done deal," Uchiha Fugaku said with a gloating smile.

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Akira couldn't help but laugh as well.

The Byakugan was in his own hands. Though he didn't know what use it had, as a transmigrator, he had an instinctive urge to hoard rare treasures.

A treasure like the Byakugan was well worth keeping.

With Uchiha Akira's permission, Uchiha Fugaku took the Twin Blades Hiramekarei, the Kubikiribōchō, the Nuibari, and the Kabutowari and headed toward Minato Namikaze's tent.

News of the near-total annihilation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist spread across the battlefield rapidly.

When people learned that the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had been dismantled by a group of teenagers from the Uchiha Clan and a single genin from Konoha, jaws dropped across the entire front.

For a time, the reputations of Uchiha Akira and Might Duy soared, spreading throughout the Five Great Shinobi Nations, and for a moment, no one could match their momentum.

Uchiha Akira was one thing; the Uchiha Clan was synonymous with strength, and many powerful ninja had emerged from their ranks during the Third Shinobi World War.

Among them, the clan head Uchiha Fugaku was quite famous, and Uchiha Shisui had earned a fearsome reputation on the Kirigakure front.

Therefore, even though Uchiha Akira was only in his teens when he killed four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, people found it reasonable.

With Uchiha Shisui as a precedent, another prodigy like Uchiha Akira was to be expected.

But once the information about Might Duy was unearthed, it was shocking.

A genin, and one who could only use taijutsu at that, had erupted with such terrifying power that he had taken out two elite jōnin in two moves—it was mind-boggling.

The situation on the battlefield was now completely one-sided. After Minato Namikaze arrived, Kirigakure was in full retreat.

As the saying goes, a defeated army is like a collapsing mountain. Konoha had arrived with the momentum of having defeated Iwagakure, and with Kirigakure having lost six of their Seven Ninja Swordsmen, they could no longer withstand Konoha's offensive.

Kirigakure's defeat was sealed, and Uchiha Akira finally earned a rare two-day break.

After resting for two days, Uchiha Fugaku came knocking with a new mission.

The new mission was to escort a group of wounded soldiers back to Konoha ahead of schedule for medical treatment.

Conditions on the battlefield were ultimately limited, and many of the wounded could only receive basic stabilization.

Uchiha Fugaku looked at Uchiha Akira with a smile and said, "By the way, I have already spoken with Minato. Once he becomes Hokage, he will allow you to choose two jutsu from the Sealing Technique to study."

"Then I thank the Clan Head." Uchiha Akira nodded.

Being able to choose any two jutsu was quite unexpected for Uchiha Akira.

The value of this offer far exceeded being assigned two specific jutsu.

The Sealing Technique contained powerful arts like the Flying Thunder God, as well as techniques like the Shadow Clone Technique, which, while not difficult to master, were considered forbidden for the average person.

Now that he could choose any two, he would need to give it some serious thought when the time came.