"You've all seen it, right? This is how much stronger Kaito became after receiving an injection of White Zetsu Cells."
"Does anyone still have any doubts?"
Masaki Uchiha's challenge echoed through the shrine.
Everyone present answered in unison, "No."
Good, they had plenty of spirit. But they still needed a sense of urgency.
Masaki Uchiha gave a knowing smile and told them, "However, the supply of White Zetsu Cells is limited. It's first come, first served, with the jōnin given priority."
Hearing this, the clan members scrambled to crowd around Masaki Uchiha.
"Clan head, inject me first!"
"Clan head, me!"
"Don't shove! I was here first. Inject me first, clan head!"
Watching the noisy scene unfold, Uchiha Fugaku's forehead veins bulged. He roared, "All of you, shut up!"
The hall fell silent at once. After all, he had only just stepped down as clan head, and he still had a Mangekyō Sharingan. His authority hadn't yet faded.
Though the others were unhappy, they didn't say another word.
"Look at yourselves! What kind of conduct is this, making such a racket? Have you no pride as Uchiha? Is this how the strongest clan in Konoha should behave?"
Then Uchiha Fugaku changed his tune, looking hopefully at Masaki Uchiha as he said, "Clan head, we agreed that I'd get the first injection. You can't go back on your word."
"Hahaha, don't worry, Deputy Minister Fugaku. We don't have many injections, but every jōnin will get one. Just as I said, you'll be first." Masaki Uchiha laughed and patted Uchiha Fugaku on the shoulder. "And I'd appreciate it if you could help Deputy Minister Fugaku keep order and get everyone lined up. We'll start the injections shortly."
"Ichiro, Shun, come over here and help Deputy Minister Fugaku keep order."
Masaki Uchiha called out to his bodyguards.
"Yes, clan head."
Two young men with remarkably similar faces but different hairstyles stepped out of the crowd.
The older one was Uchiha Ichiro. He had coarse, spiky black hair, was twenty-six years old, and was an elite jōnin.
The younger one, Uchiha Shun, wore his hair in a short crew cut and carried a katana on his back. He was twenty-four years old and an elite jōnin.
The brothers had fought alongside Masaki Uchiha throughout the Third Great Ninja War. They were his most trusted confidants, and, more importantly, they were sharper than many of their fellow clan members.
"Yusuke, go get the elders and tell them I have something to discuss with them." Masaki Uchiha turned to a young man with a scar on his face among the bodyguards.
Uchiha Yusuke replied, "Yes," then left using the Body Flicker Technique.
"Everyone, come over and form two lines!" Uchiha Ichiro and Shun began organizing the crowd.
The once noisy hall gradually fell into orderly lines.
Masaki Uchiha was quite pleased with the sight.
They were ready to be put to use.
In all of Konoha, the only people who were hard to reason with were the Uchiha. After all, those red-eyed fanatics were all "mentally unstable."
And when it came to getting stronger, they became even more "spirited."
Before long, Uchiha Yusuke brought the elders over.
As soon as they entered, they were bewildered by the sight before them. Why were these unruly Uchiha lining up for injections?
What was in the injection?
Why were they so eager?
And why were they lining up?
Could it improve their brains, too?
Masaki Uchiha immediately understood the questions on the elders' faces, but still explained, "Elders, the injection they're receiving can nearly double a ninja's strength."
"You all know that once the Sharingan reaches three tomoe, its ocular power becomes difficult to increase. But this can raise it further."
"It can even eliminate the side effect of the Mangekyō Sharingan: blindness!"
The elders could no longer sit still. The First Elder urgently asked, "Clan head, is this true? Has it been tested? Are there any side effects?"
"Elder Setsuna, don't worry. We've already tested it, and the results are even better than I described. There are no side effects."
As if! Obito Uchiha had used it and loved it!
Improving the clan's strength couldn't wait. It was time to lay the groundwork for the plan ahead.
"Elders, take a look at the people who've received their injections. See what's changed."
Just then, Uchiha Tetsuya finished his injection. His aura surged, his old injuries slowly healed, and his chakra rapidly increased.
"Phew."
A wisp of white mist escaped Uchiha Tetsuya's mouth. He clenched a fist and felt the changes in his body, especially the ocular power of his Sharingan.
"Clan head, I feel like I could punch through a wall with my strength alone. It's as if my ocular power is about to overflow."
Seeing how he looked like he thought he was strong now, Masaki Uchiha wasn't about to indulge him. "Come on, take one ordinary punch from me."
As he spoke, he punched Uchiha Tetsuya in the chest.
Uchiha Tetsuya saw no way to dodge, so he quickly raised both arms to block.
"BOOM!"
"Beating someone until they're plastered against a wall" was a perfect way to describe what Masaki Uchiha had just done.
Uchiha Tetsuya was embedded in the wall. A little blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but he was still conscious.
He lifted his head and shouted excitedly, "Clan head, I can take one of your punches now!"
The other clan members stared blankly for a moment, then began shouting.
"Long live the clan head!"
"The clan head is awesome!"
"The clan head is the strongest!"
Masaki Uchiha turned to the elders. "You've seen it for yourselves, elders. Before, Tetsuya would cough up a lot of blood after taking one of my punches. After the injection, he's clearly stronger than before."
Elder Setsuna hurried forward and grabbed Masaki Uchiha's arm, asking excitedly, "Clan head, can everyone in the clan get this injection?"
"Elder, please don't get ahead of yourself. We don't have many injections right now, so the jōnin will be given priority. The rest of the clan will have to wait until later."
Masaki Uchiha first reassured Elder Setsuna, then looked at the other elders. "I've asked you here today to discuss something important."
"I want to hand over half of the Metropolitan Police Department and the Logistics Bureau to the ninja clans that support the Uchiha and the civilian ninja who support the Fourth Hokage."
"I've also reached an agreement with the Fourth Hokage: the Uchiha will send a group of people into Anbu."
The elders had been about to object, but at those last words, their faces lit up with joy.
At last, Uchiha would be able to enter the Hokage's inner circle. Choosing Masaki Uchiha as clan head had been the right call.
"Uchiha Tetsuya will be in charge of the Uchiha in Anbu. The elders can choose the rest of the personnel."
The elders, already delighted, were now overjoyed. Giving up half of the Metropolitan Police Department and the Logistics Bureau wasn't so hard to accept after all.
At last, they could place some of their friends and relatives in the Hokage's own Anbu.
Anbu was such a tempting prize. It was only right for the Uchiha to claim a share.
Compared with the real world, Anbu was like the personal force of a country's highest military leader.
It had the best weapons and the best benefits. Its members were first in line for promotion, and they were always the first to hear about any changes.
As for the risks?
They were ninjas. What was there to say about risk?