Amid the vast ruins of the Empty Zone, there was a hidden village.
It was where the Ninja Cats gathered.
Uchiha Genmei brought Naka and Hikari with him.
With the consent of Hinai and Taka, the two guardian cats who watched over Nekomata,
they entered the house.
An old woman with gray hair and cat-ear ornaments
watched the three enter, her eyes narrowed.
"Genmei, Naka—you two boys are rare visitors." She sighed, then took another puff from her pipe.
She set down the pipe.
Her gaze flicked to Uchiha Hikari. "And this young lady... I feel like I've seen her somewhere before."
"Long time no see, Nekomata. It's Hikari."
The girl bowed slightly and answered Nekomata's question in a clear, bright voice.
"Hikari?" Nekomata leaned forward, even more puzzled, and opened her eyes wide to study the girl's face.
"That hairstyle... that face... that chakra... Hmm? Who was it again?"
A flash of inspiration.
Nekomata slapped her palm.
"I remember!"
"That pitiful little girl her clan treated like a weapon."
Coming back to her senses,
Nekomata was utterly astonished.
"W-wait... What?! It's been hundreds of years! Where have you been all this time?!"
Uchiha Genmei frowned, stepped forward, and explained.
"The Senju joined forces with the Sarutobi to seal her away. Time didn't pass inside the special seal. I found her recently and broke it."
Hearing this, Nekomata reined in her surprise, sat back down, and narrowed her eyes at Uchiha Genmei.
"Boy, you know the rules of the Ninja Cats."
Uchiha Genmei nodded.
"I know. You won't take either side."
"You know the state the Uchiha Clan is in now, Nekomata. I won't go into the details."
As he spoke, Uchiha Genmei clenched his fist.
His expression turned serious.
"I'm going to set things right! And for that, I need Maru-Maru's power!"
Hearing the heartfelt words of the young man before her, Nekomata gave no response.
She took a drag from her pipe.
"Phew..."
She exhaled a cloud of smoke and lowered her voice.
"I don't care what you do. The Ninja Cats won't break their principles!"
The boy sighed.
Chakra gathered around his eyes.
Whumm.
A gaze as deep and oppressive as an abyss descended! A bewitching red light bore down on Nekomata.
Boom!
The powerful chakra split the floor inside the house.
"Then... under these eyes, can you bend your principles just this once?"
Nekomata was utterly horrified!
She swallowed.
"Boy, your eyes?! Have they already reached the same level as that man's?"
The question burst out of her, masking the panic in her heart.
Unbelievable!
She couldn't possibly have misjudged it.
That ocular power was as strong as that man's.
She looked at the silent boy, then at the two people present, both of whom had activated their Mangekyō Sharingan.
"One pair of Eternal Eyes, two pairs of Mangekyō—and one of them is a weapon of war."
Her heart tightened.
She managed to speak with difficulty. "I understand. Maru-Maru's power is yours to use!"
A few days later.
Inside Konoha.
"So this is Konoha?"
Watching the crowds fill the streets, Hikari found the sight astonishing. In the Warring States era, such a throng of people had been unimaginable outside the capital.
Uchiha Hikari could hardly take it all in.
Seeing the children playing carefree in the city,
she was filled with emotion.
"So this is peace?"
Uchiha Genmei quietly watched Uchiha Hikari.
"This is peace. But the clan has grown increasingly arrogant because of Izanagi. I need your strength."
He patted the girl on the head.
Then he continued:
"You don't need to worry too much. Our cause is just. Once it's over, you can live the life you want in peace."
Uchiha Hikari's ears flushed red.
She nodded solemnly.
Her reply was barely audible. "Mm."
After settling Uchiha Hikari in,
Uchiha Genmei strode home,
lost in thought.
Yachihoko was so convenient. It would be best to start by placing a mark on Lord Hi-no-Kaku.
He'd better hand over power to me without a hitch.
After all,
when you killed the previous leader to take his place, the thing you feared most was
the instigator leaving no heirs behind.
Especially in the Uchiha Clan, where people were so prone to obsession.
His mind was made up.
He'd start tomorrow.
At a secret gathering place,
Uchiha Genmei looked at the people standing around him.
He was quite satisfied.
There were also the two one-eyed Uchiha who had recovered, along with Yuta and Jing.
Jing had joined of his own accord after recovering from his injuries,
out of gratitude for being saved.
Fifteen jonin in all.
Chiri, Hikari, and Naka!
Three powerful fighters with the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Chiri and Hikari in particular were exceptionally talented; they couldn't be judged by the usual Kage Level standards.
Great things were possible!
Clap, clap.
He clapped his hands,
and everyone turned to look at him.
Uchiha Genmei raised his chin.
His expression softened.
"Everyone, you've all introduced yourselves and gotten to know one another."
"You all know Hikari's ocular technique. She's already marked many of the clan's jonin."
Uchiha Chiri glanced at the girl standing beside her, staring blankly at Genmei and unable to look away.
She felt a little displeased.
She spoke with some awkwardness. "That's true... With Yachihoko, we can take control of everyone in the clan without hurting a single person. So, Genmei, what do you plan to do?"
Ignoring the girl's unusually awkward demeanor today,
he waved his hand,
and a stack of talismans, each marked with the character for "Immortal," appeared in his hand.
He waved the talismans and explained with a smile:
"These are Immortal Treasures made by Maru-Maru."
Uchiha Naka was confused. "Maru-Maru's Immortal Treasures? Lord Genmei, what do they do?"
Uchiha Genmei glanced at Uchiha Jing, who had just been discharged from the hospital.
"Jing, you know Maru-Maru best. Explain it to them."
Uchiha Jing stepped forward and spoke calmly.
"As you all know, Maru-Maru possesses a Sage Art that involves space-time."
"So what? Get to the point, Jing," Uchiha Naka urged impatiently.
He looked up at the others, who were listening intently,
and sighed.
He sounded a little helpless.
"Everyone, these Immortal Treasure Talismans can form a space-time barrier that can transport people over a wide area."
Uchiha Chiri's eyes lit up. "I see!"
"Exactly, just as Lady Chiri guessed." Uchiha Jing was pleased that someone had caught on.
He continued explaining unhurriedly:
"Even if a battle breaks out within the clan, we can transport people over a wide area. We won't have to worry about harming civilians or facing repercussions from the village."
"Ahem, ahem..." Seeing that everyone understood, Uchiha Genmei coughed to draw their attention.
He grinned, his voice rising slightly. "All right, everyone, go carry out your respective missions."
He swept his hand out.
He declared:
"Before us, there are no enemies we cannot defeat!"
Time flew by.
And once again,
it was the day when all the Uchiha who had awakened the Sharingan gathered at Naka Shrine for a meeting.
Uchiha Setsuna was on his way there.
His heart was heavy.
It should be fine. Hi-no-Kaku and Kagami are both on my side.
That detestable, terrifying, admirable brat!
It's still anyone's game!
His mind flashed back to the other day, after Uchiha Genmei had threatened him.
Uchiha Hi-no-Kaku and Kagami Uchiha, those two nuisances,
had both walked into his house.
That day.
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