False Loyalty, True Backing

"Taichi, your father seems to really disapprove of you relying on the Sharingan. Why is that? The Sharingan is very powerful!" On the way, Shiro asked Taichi this question.

If he truly wanted Taichi to master powers beyond the Sharingan, he wouldn't need to find someone capable of defeating Taichi; he could simply demonstrate powers beyond the Sharingan Taichi.

This should be very simple for the Uchiha Clan.

"Actually, I knew from a young age that my father didn't want me to awaken the Sharingan, because I used to really admire Sharingan. But every time I talked to my father about it, he would scold me severely."

"I didn't understand at the time. Why was that? This was clearly the power of our Uchiha Clan, so why would my father reject it? It was so powerful."

"It wasn't until I awakened my Sharingan that I understood what it meant..." At this point, Taichi touched his eyes.

"The Cursed Eye?" Shiro thought silently as he glanced at Taichi's eyes.

"However, the appearance of these eyes has a special meaning for me! I will not give up on them!"

"You'd have to be crazy to give up."

"On another note, I'm not interested in the secrets of your eyes, but since you've mentioned it, your father must have awakened the Sharingan as well. Perhaps you should talk to him."

"And let him see your Lightning Release Nintaijutsu while you're at it. Also, are you really, really not interested in it?" Shiro waved the scroll in front of Taichi's eyes again.

Although Taichi had previously dismissed this Ninjutsu indifferently, Shiro still wanted to give it a try!

"Tch, don't bother trying. I can learn this skill once you exchange it with the family, so I'm not in a hurry. Alright, we're here. The Fourth Elder's residence is just ahead."

"Residence? Don't you have an office?"

"Office? What office? We're just a ninja clan, what do we need that for?" Taichi looked at Shiro with surprise.

"... Okay, I was overthinking it."

After saying that, Shiro and Taichi straightened their clothes before knocking on the door.

Who is it?

"Hmm?" Shiro raised an eyebrow, feeling that the girl's voice inside sounded familiar.

"Whoosh~"

"Shiro? What brings you here?"

"Mizuki?"

"You two know each other?"

"Yes, he's from my class, you know his brother too."

"Hmm? I know him too? Who is he?"

"The moon."

"Come in first, don't stand at the door."

"Shiro, Taichi? What brings you here?" Uchiha Yue asked in surprise upon seeing Shiro and Taichi.

"We need to speak with the Fourth Elder."

"What? You two know each other?" Mizuki's father asked curiously.

"Yes, we met during this mission."

"I see. What a coincidence! It's been a long time, Emiya Shiro."

"It's an honor that the Fourth Elder actually knows my name."

"Haha, we will certainly remember Lord Sakumo's disciples. Alright, let's end this small talk here. You just said you came to see the Fourth Elder, which means you came on official business, right?"

Upon hearing this, Shiro straightened his expression and replied, "Yes, I want to make a deal with the nobles in the name of the Emiya Family."

Sensing the serious atmosphere between them, everyone quieted down so as not to disturb them.

"I see." The Fourth Elder took a sip of tea and then continued, "Although you Mizuki are friends, I'm a person who keeps public and private matters separate, and this won't affect our cooperation. I hope you understand that."

"I know, Fourth Elder. Actually, before coming here, I didn't know you were the Fourth Elder."

"Okay, I understand. So, what do you want? And what are you willing to exchange it for?"

"I'd like to trade this for your technology in managing the Herb Garden."

"What is this?" The Fourth Elder did not rush to take it, but asked first.

"This is my spoils of war, Lightning Release Nintaijutsu from Cloud Village."

"The Raikage lineage?" That was the Fourth Elder's first thought, but then he dismissed it, "No, it shouldn't be. You can't get that thing, but it shouldn't be bad either."

The Fourth Elder took another sip of tea and said, "In terms of value, it's enough. But why should I trade with your Emiya Family? We don't need this one Ninjutsu."

"What about adding the loyalty of my Emiya Clan?" (The reason will be explained later.)

"Huh?" The Fourth Elder was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter, saying, "Your plan is good, but we'll suffer this loss!"

Upon hearing this, Shiro and the Fourth Elder exchanged a smile, leaving the others looking on in utter bewilderment.

In fact, Shiro's plan was very simple: to find a powerful backer so that the Emiya Clan could develop.

The Hatake Clan consists of only a few people, and can't even be called a clan, so they can't be relied on. Besides, Sakumo is going to commit suicide in a few years, and Shiro doesn't know if he can persuade him to stay.

Therefore, Shiro would prepare for the worst.

Moreover, this is no longer the Warring States period. Loyalty now is more like choosing sides, and once Shiro becomes stronger in the future, this relationship certainly cannot be maintained.

Therefore, Shiro ultimately profited, and of course, the Uchiha didn't lose either, since the Lightning Release Nintaijutsu and the related technologies of the Herb Garden were not that different to begin with.

The subsequent protection was even simpler; the Police Force was all Uchiha people, so this ally was practically given away for free.

Furthermore, the Fourth Elder learned through his own channels that Shiro could create a flying puppet that could be mass-produced, which meant they would benefit even more.

At the same time, Shiro is not afraid that this will create a rift between him and the Third Hokage and the others, since Taichi is his teammate, and this Kizuna can cover up many things.

After all, the Third Hokage himself had an Uchiha teammate, and they had a pretty good relationship.

But really, it's not a big deal if there's a distance between us. It just means less money and less exercise, right?

emmmmm...

Shiro felt it was quite important, and it was best to avoid it altogether...

"Then it's settled. I'll have them organize that document and bring it to you later. Let's skip the other ceremonies; they're not customary these days."

Of course, Shiro knew that this was just the Fourth Elder's excuse. For large families like this, tradition was the most important thing. If it were true loyalty, this step would not be omitted.

Clearly, the Fourth Elder did not want to truly accept the Emiya Clan's allegiance, because behind Shiro stood Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo.

If they act rashly and the village mistakenly believes they have joined forces with White Fang, it would be troublesome. This is one of the reasons why Shiro tacitly refrained from taking action.

Although he was very embarrassed, Shiro had to admit that the success of this matter was entirely due to Sakumo, if Shiro's master had not been Sakumo.

Shiro estimates that he'll have to use a lot of persuasion and incur a lot of favors before he can possibly succeed.