Toji was a staunch believer in Bloodline Theory.
In the Shinobi World, one's family and bloodline determined one's fate.
Descendants inherited their ancestors' talents; a genius's ancestors were surely geniuses as well.
In the end, only a select few could break through their limits through hard work alone.
There were countless genjutsu in the Shinobi World. Setting Infinite Tsukuyomi aside, there might be many opinions on which genjutsu ranked second, but there had always been only one strongest genjutsu—Kotoamatsukami.
Kotoamatsukami was the unique ocular technique of Shisui Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan.
And by reversing Toji's Bloodline Theory, Kagami Uchiha, as Shisui's ancestor, surely possessed the same supreme talent for genjutsu. Like Shisui in the future, Kagami cared deeply for the village and would later be chosen by Tobirama Senju to become a member of his personal guard.
Even taking a step back, no one with Kagami in their name was weak.
This year—
Kagami's ancestor stood before Toji, still just a boy who had turned ten.
"The makings of a Hokage..."
"My son Kagami has the makings of a Hokage!"
"The Uchiha have produced a Hokage!"
The surrounding Uchiha clansmen beamed at those words, unconsciously straightening their backs.
To them, this was the finest New Year's blessing.
Lord Madara was gone, but life had to go on. The position of Hokage was the Uchiha's goal.
Everyone knew that Toji was impartial and possessed exceptional character and prestige. His assessment was the fairest in all of Konoha.
"I didn't expect you to think so highly of Kagami."
"Yes. Mainly because he has such an excellent teacher as you, Chiri."
Toji's tone was serious.
Without him, Uchiha Chiri might have died young from Bloodline Disease last year. But now her fate had been rewritten, and she had become Kagami Uchiha's mentor...
With all these interventions, the Uchiha Clan might return to the height of its glory.
By then—
There would be not merely one, or two, but perhaps... three pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan standing together in the same era within the clan.
He wanted them too badly.
Kagami Uchiha was also someone worth investing in.
Accompanied by Chiri, Toji spent the entire afternoon strolling through the Uchiha Compound and was treated to dinner as well.
As he was leaving, Uchiha Bing approached the two of them.
The one-eyed Uchiha Bing had become even more gloomy in demeanor. He gave Toji a slight nod, then walked over to Chiri. His remaining eye covertly glanced at Toji.
"Clan Head..."
Chiri looked at Toji, her gaze carrying a trace of apology.
Toji understood. He silently stepped aside and eavesdropped on their conversation with the keen senses granted by Earth Grudge Fear.
"What is it, Bing?"
"Once the New Year is over, I hope the clan will appoint me to join the mission to hunt down Uchiha Yan."
The air suddenly froze.
The harmonious New Year scene seemed to be sliced apart by a kunai, exposing the cold and brutal undertones beneath.
Chiri's expression turned solemn. "You don't need to push yourself this far."
"I know her best. I know her habits. I am the person in the clan most suited to pursue her. I will bring her back... and if I cannot, I will kill her with my own hands."
Uchiha Bing's voice did not ripple in the slightest.
"She is my younger sister, but she is also a member of the Uchiha. I cannot allow the clan's Bloodline to flow outside the clan. I have already made up my mind."
Just last year, he had been inciting his clansmen to defect, but after Izanami's twisted baptism, Uchiha Bing seemed to have accepted his fate.
He had completely turned against his former self, even willing to strike down his own younger sister.
The Uchiha...
Madness truly ran through this clan's veins.
"You..." Chiri fell silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Wait half a year. If Uchiha Yan has not been captured by then, you will carry out this mission. I trust your resolve. Bring Uchiha Yan back alive."
"Tell her that both I and the Hokage can forgive this one mistake of hers—and only this one."
"Yes!"
The second day of the New Year.
Toji received an invitation from the Senju Clan.
His current position was like that of a special existence caught between the Senju and the Uchiha.
Though the two clans no longer had open bloody conflicts, they were still competing in secret, each wanting to prove to everyone else in the village that their own clan was superior and stronger—
And Toji had become the focus of their secret rivalry.
Fine wine and delicacies, lavish gifts...
He received an extraordinarily warm welcome from the Senju Clan.
The Reverse Cursed Technique he had developed for the Senju Clan had benefited many Senju clansmen. Quite a few had recovered their lives thanks to that technique, and they respected him all the more for it.
Tobirama looked as usual when he saw him, as if the unpleasantness from that day had never happened, becoming an unspoken secret between them. Meanwhile, Takayuki, Hashirama's son, welcomed the New Year at the Senju Compound alongside his fiancée.
"Still not an adult yet..."
"One step closer to Tsunade being born?"
Toji maliciously speculated.
Then he saw Hashirama.
The other man still looked as carefree as ever, but in Toji's eyes, Hashirama had gained several faint wrinkles at the corners of his eyes compared to two years ago.
Even the God of Shinobi would grow old...
Hashirama was already forty-one this year.
"Yo, Toji, Happy New Year!"
"Happy New Year, Hashirama."
Hashirama suddenly changed the subject. "I heard you went over to the Uchiha yesterday? How was it?"
"Brimming with vitality, with everything flourishing. The Uchiha clansmen are all celebrating peace."
"I see. That's not bad." Hashirama nodded. "But that isn't what I meant."
"Hm?" Toji paused slightly. "Then you meant..."
"How are things between you and Uchiha Chiri now?" Hashirama waggled his eyebrows at him and even nudged him with his elbow. "She's officially the clan head now. Her strength and authority both stand at the peak of the Shinobi World. Toji, don't you have any thoughts about it? You two are about the same age, right?"
"That..."
Toji felt somewhat helpless.
Being urged to marry during the New Year really was the same everywhere.
He casually brushed him off. "My ambition is to become the greatest doctor and put an end to this troubled era. The Shinobi World has not yet attained true peace, and I have not yet achieved my goal. I have no mind to consider personal matters for now."
"Oh, those two things don't conflict."
Hashirama continued egging him on, looking as though he wanted to immediately arrange a marriage alliance between the Zenin and Uchiha clans.
Before Toji could respond, Mito Uzumaki reached out, grabbed Hashirama by the ear, and dragged him aside. "What are you always meddling in young people's affairs for?"
"Ahem, let's talk business."
Hashirama's old face reddened as he changed the subject.
"Toji, Mito told me that you have a talent for learning Sealing Jutsu."
"So I thought that, on behalf of the Senju Clan, I'd give you a Sealing Jutsu as a New Year's gift."
"You mentioned before that the Zenin Clan has a special constitution, long lifespans, and ages more slowly than ordinary people... So after discussing it with Mito, we decided to teach you the Yin Seal."
"As for the Yin Seal's specific effects..."
Hashirama looked to the side. "Mito, explain it to Toji."
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