"Ahhhhhhh—!!"
Another anguished scream shot into the sky. Uchiha Koichi stopped in his tracks and squinted up.
The branches trembled as a flock of birds flapped about in panic, feathers flying everywhere... So there really were that many birds in the clan compound.
"What number is this?" Uchiha Amano shook his head and sighed. "That voice... Tsk, it's enough to make anyone who hears it weep."
"Your sympathy doesn't sound very sincere." Uchiha Koichi rubbed his eyes, still shaken. "Good thing I've already awakened the Three-Tomoe. Otherwise, you'd never let me hear the end of it."
"Ahhhhhhh—!!!"
This time, it seemed as though even the ground was trembling. "No way, again?" Koichi sighed. It was just a little black room. Only promising clan members got sent in there, so why was their tolerance so disappointing?
...What did he mean, "just" a little black room? Even if it was only a little black room, anything connected to Uchiha Masahiko became a lethal technique!
Uchiha Amano rested his chin in his hand, lost in thought. "That's it! We should add a soundproofing seal." He slapped his palm with sudden realization. "I knew something felt off! I'll suggest it to Lord Masahiko later."
Koichi's eye twitched. So that was all he was worried about?
"It's so loud, it'll disturb the clan head's rest." Amano nodded solemnly. "We're already close to the inner compound." Another devoted clan-head admirer. No wonder he was Uchiha Zhi's successor.
"Um... may I ask what's been happening lately?" A passing clan member asked nervously.
"Oh, don't worry. The Seventh Elder's just running an experiment," Uchiha Amano replied calmly.
The man turned even paler. Had Lord Masahiko, who'd wreaked havoc on countless flowers, plants, and small animals, and almost even the Matatabi, finally decided to go after his own people? Ahhh, Clan Head! Had you given up on us completely?
"How many Tomoe have you awakened?" Koichi cut in.
"Two-Tomoe..."
Koichi patted him on the shoulder. "Then don't be too curious. You'll get to experience it firsthand sooner or later."
Hey, I really don't want that chance!
"Let's go, Koichi. By the way, the one looking after the young lord—what was his name again?"
"You mean Hoshino Zhan?"
"Right~" Amano turned his head, wearing a lazy smile. Having known him for years, Koichi could easily spot the killing intent behind it. "...You found out?"
"Heh, don't forget I used to work in Intelligence!" Amano said offhandedly, a blade of grass between his teeth.
"Don't touch him," Koichi warned. "That kid's no simpleton. The clan head has a use for him. Besides, his older brother is one of the leaders of the Ming Society outside the clan."
The Ming Society was the largest base for Ming Studies scholars, as well as the most influential academic society and source of public opinion on the continent.
Amano narrowed his crimson Sharingan, its Three-Tomoe turning ever so slowly. "Yeah, don't worry. The kid's lucky—I've been killing too many people lately, so I've decided to take a break and cool my temper. I won't kill him."
Koichi didn't try to stop him. Uchiha had never been the sort to take a loss lying down, and Hoshino Zhan would sooner or later pay for what he'd done. Let Amano teach him a small lesson. At least it would show him that the world was bigger than he thought—a good older brother couldn't solve everything!
"Achoo!" Hoshino Taku, who was using the alias Ming Tuo, sneezed and hastily grabbed the papers before they could fall to the ground.
"Mr. Taku, you should take care of your health." A scholar poured him a cup of hot tea. "You can leave these trivial matters to us."
Hoshino Taku smiled warmly. "It's nothing. Perhaps the spring has been a little cold this year. By the way, what was the matter Takafumi said needed serious discussion?"
Aoki Takafumi pushed up his glasses. "Mr. Taku, I already reported the rampant deification of gods in document 2013."
Hoshino Taku opened the file in front of him and skimmed it. "Religion?"
"Yes. 'The God-Slayer Arrives,' 'The Evil God Is Born,' 'The Great God of Light,' 'The Savior'... They're all popping up." Aoki Takafumi's lips curled into a cold smile. "They're recruiting followers, raking in money, and opposing the Ming Society under all sorts of banners. They haven't gained much traction yet and are only active in the countryside, but we should be prepared. We've weathered plenty of storms; let's not stumble over a bunch of brats." As a political research organization, the Ming Society's scholars had all faced assassination attempts to one degree or another. Without the Uchiha Group's protection, ordinary people like them would have been left without a place to die.
"Matters concerning gods and spirits have always been hard to explain. We need only keep our distance," one scholar said. "How could something so disorganized challenge the Ming Society?"
Aoki Takafumi made no comment and turned to another scholar. "Hisanobu, what do you think?"
"We haven't even settled the affairs of the living. To worship the absurd is sheer folly."
"Most people these days are like that," Hoshino Taku said calmly. "Let's see how we can deal with it."
"Their influence is mostly in the north. The south belongs to Ming Studies. They've made some inroads, but only among a few ignorant men and women. Most people scoff at them." [If you don't understand life, how can you understand death?] Under the influence of Ming Studies, the Land of Lightning wasn't very religious. "Some similar organizations, secretly backed by foreign daimyō, have been kept outside our borders by the Uchiha and the Fujiwara Clan. But sooner or later, the Land of Lightning will have to reach out to the world."
The world—that was the unspoken goal of everyone in the Ming Society.
"So... should we ask Madara to step in?" Asking the Uchiha to step in meant using force to wipe out those spreading religious superstition. After living in a violent, blood-soaked world for so long, even ordinary people had grown accustomed to solving problems through killing.
"If we need to trouble Lord Madara over something like this, what use are we?" Those who studied Ming Studies might have their flaws, but they would never fall behind in the battle for public opinion. "Besides, we can't ban superstition, and we can't change ignorant people overnight. We might even ruin our reputation. In a situation like this... it's better to guide than to block."
The scholars present mulled over the phrase. "What do you mean, Mr. Taku?"
Hoshino Taku smiled gently. "They like inventing gods, don't they? We could give them a little help... It might not be a bad idea."
Aoki Takafumi met his gaze, understanding at once. "Exactly. Help them invent gods. The more, the better."
"But... what do you mean?" Quite a few scholars were confused. Ro and Hisanobu explained, "Anything in excess becomes cheap, and familiarity breeds contempt."
The scholars present understood at once. They were, after all, experts in the field of culture; it only took a hint. The excessive invention of gods could only weaken people's faith and pull the deities from their pedestals, even making people question whether gods existed at all. That was where monotheism had the advantage over polytheism. Wasn't the whole point of believing in a god to believe in an all-powerful, aloof, noble being?
Hoshino Taku's smile grew even gentler. "Yes, that's what we'll do openly. We can also occasionally dig up some private affairs about the leaders of those cults and give the public something to talk about over dinner..." Only a scholar could describe exposing someone's secrets, smearing them, and ruining their reputation in such refined terms.
If the representatives of the gods had such poor character, how much truth was there in the so-called "gods" they served? That was a vicious move!
"Still, we can't neglect the spread of Ming Studies," Aoki Takafumi added. "We need to come up with a plan soon to establish Yi Schools in the newly occupied territories of the Land of Fire. It may be tedious work, but it's important. I hope everyone will do their best."
Since becoming clan head, Madara had rarely visited the training ground. The cuffs of his dark blue shinobi uniform clung close to his wrists, and the matching red armor he usually wore over it had been taken off and set aside. A fine, slender strand of sea-blue silk wound down his waist-length hair. Several thin hidden blades rested between the fingers of his left hand. His fingertips struck their cold edges almost imperceptibly, constantly adjusting them to their ideal state. At the same time, he shifted their positions at a particular rhythm. He wasn't moving quickly, but to an onlooker, the blades seemed to leave afterimages.
Three years. He hadn't fought in close combat for three whole years. Against the Nine-Tails, which was said to have limitless chakra, he obviously couldn't rely on chakra or pure mental attacks.
His task now was to regain his instincts as soon as possible and sharpen his five senses to their limit.
Closing his eyes, Madara carefully sensed every tremor in the air, every current. An invisible pressure radiated from him, blanketing the entire training ground.
Uchiha Tai stood at the edge of the training ground, waiting quietly for him to finish.
Izuna hurried over. Uchiha Tai gave a slight bow. "Lord Izuna."
"Good day, Second Elder." Izuna glanced toward the training ground, then immediately lowered his voice. "What does my brother want with me?"
"The clan head received an invitation from the Senju. It concerns sealing the Nine-Tails."
"The Nine-Tails? They've heard something about it?" Izuna frowned, his tone displeased. "What's our Intelligence Division doing? How could we have no news?" Uchiha Etsu had withdrawn the family's businesses from the Land of Fire, but he hadn't pulled out the clan's agents or intelligence sources there.
...And so, after two years, the clan's Intelligence Division, under Uchiha Etsu, had taken the blame again!
"Then... what does my brother intend to do?"
"The clan will be left in your hands for the time being. I and the other elders will assist you."
"My brother's going alone?" Izuna asked urgently. "How can that be? We're at a critical juncture in the Land of Fire, and the Ming Society is facing a new problem. My brother needs to oversee everything!"
Uchiha Tai replied calmly, "The clan head has made arrangements for everything here. The Nine-Tails will have to be dealt with sooner or later. We couldn't help even if we went, and would only get in the way. Don't worry, Lord Izuna. Only Senju Hashirama will be going from the Senju side as well."
"But..."
Madara had finished training and was walking over. Izuna asked, "Brother, have you really made up your mind?"
"I'm going. Why wouldn't I?" Madara chuckled. "The Senju will soon join this war. As allies, we should naturally stay in touch."
Before you continue