Amaterasu-Omikami

The wisdom brought by the aura vanished.

The heaven-defying epiphany faded.

The information on the panel changed: Sharingan LV4 (Strong Shadow)

Eye Techniques: Right Eye—Amaterasu; Left Eye—Amaterasu-Omikami

"Hahahahaha! So that's what my eye techniques are?!"

In his mind,

the lingering afterglow of the epiphany

made it clear to Uchiha Genmei what his eye techniques were.

This Amaterasu

was not the version used by Uchiha Sasuke and the Weasel Brothers.

It was Uchiha Hikari's version,

the one that was even more flexible to control than Kagutsuchi-no-Mikoto.

Amaterasu-Omikami was even more outrageous.

It was an eye technique that turned Yin into Yang. It could empower and heal others or himself, granting them a healing blessing.

As for its healing power, the lingering afterglow told him it should be no weaker than the First's.

And that wasn't even the craziest part.

The most outrageous thing was

that this eye technique could reach its full power and bring the dead back to life!

It was the kind that made no sense and followed no logic. Even if you were blown to pieces, as long as there was the tiniest scrap of your body—even a single molecule—you could be revived.

Of course, the price was steep. It consumed a tremendous amount of eye power and chakra, and the cooldown was an astonishing ten years.

Feeling the powerful eye power

contained in his eyes,

hahahahaha! Who could kill me now?!

At that moment, the atmosphere in the Hokage Office was somewhat heavy.

The Third Hokage's expression was hard to read through the curling smoke. Shimura Danzō's was even worse.

In front of his good friend,

he dropped all pretense!

"Hiruzen! The Uchiha have become a serious threat!" His words were laden with hatred.

Originally,

he'd scrutinized the Uchiha with an electron microscope, but he still had a measure of tolerance.

As for the Will of Fire, back when Kinkaku and Kinkaku had cornered them that year,

to be honest,

he'd just been about to volunteer to hold the enemy off

when Hiruzen beat him to it.

He had to ask himself honestly:

when it came to putting Konoha first, he dared to say he was second to none.

He might not like them, but for Kagami's sake, he'd been willing to tolerate the Uchiha for the time being.

After all, the Uchiha were part of Konoha.

But! But!

That brat today—

just look at his arrogant expression!

His disrespectful attitude!

Danzō said bitterly,

"Intelligence reports show that Kagami has failed. The Uchiha becoming fully integrated into Konoha is like fishing for the moon in a well."

"He himself is in the faction that supports the village, while that damned Uchiha Setsuna only cares about the interests of the clan."

"And Uchiha Koh is even worse. As clan head, all he does is sit on the fence!"

"Look at the intelligence Kagami gave us! Including him, the Uchiha already have several Mangekyō Sharingan!"

Still not satisfied, Danzō pulled a report from inside his robes.

Thud!

He slammed it down on the desk.

"Hiruzen, take a look at what the Intelligence Division found! That kid is only fifteen, yet he managed to kill Guihao of Kumogakure all by himself!"

"The Uchiha's power is growing too fast, Hiruzen!"

"Kagami isn't completely devoted to Konoha, either. He actually concealed intelligence about the Uchiha being on the verge of internal conflict. He's let Teacher Tobirama down."

The Third Hokage exhaled a plume of smoke and calmly picked up the intelligence the Intelligence Division had extracted from Kazunosuke's mind.

After reading it carefully, he took one last puff, then set down his pipe.

"Let's ask Kagami first whether that kid can be won over."

At that, Danzō's anger flared.

"Hiruzen! What are you thinking? The intelligence already shows that the Uchiha are a powder keg! We can't let this opportunity slip by, and Kagami can no longer be trusted!"

"Root is ready. With Anbu, if I make the necessary arrangements, we can definitely deal with the Uchiha—"

Before he could finish, the Third Hokage spun around.

His gaze turned fierce!

A sharp, oppressive presence bore down on Danzō!

"Danzō! The Uchiha are part of Konoha, too! You would plot against our fellow villagers?!"

"I don't want to hear any more talk that undermines our unity!"

Looking at the fierce, stern, and imposing Sarutobi Hiruzen before him, Danzō felt disgust well up inside him.

So because the Uchiha hadn't caused trouble while you were Hokage, you thought they were good people?

Teacher Tobirama's analysis clearly explained just how unstable they were.

Now that you were Hokage, their power could be put to use for you. What about me?

I was only one step behind that day.

Just one.

The Hokage's seat should have been mine!

Hmph! Hiruzen was impossible to reason with.

I'll lead Konoha

my own way!

Just you wait, Uchiha!

With that,

he snorted. "Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"

He turned and headed for the door.

But just as he opened it, he heard:

"Danzō, I'm the Hokage!"

Bang!!!

The next day.

Morning.

Konoha's spring weather was bright and sunny, just like Uchiha Genmei's mood.

That morning, he took the report he'd written the night before.

On his way to work, he grabbed breakfast.

As soon as he arrived at the Police Force and checked in, a middle-aged member of the Military Police Force called out to him:

"Genmei, Lord Kagami wants you to explain yesterday's case in detail at his office."

Hmm?

Kagami Uchiha wanted to see him?

According to regulations,

today was indeed the day he had to submit last night's report.

But why was Kagami, who supported the village, asking for a report from him, a neutral faction member?

He wasn't even my direct superior.

Never mind.

As a disciple of the Second Hokage, Kagami held the rank of Superintendent in the Police Force.

He was only one rank below Uchiha Koh, the clan head and Chief Superintendent. One rank higher was enough to crush a subordinate.

Sigh~

Fine, I'd go.

No need to make work difficult for myself later.

After all, Kagami was a special case, part of the inner circle of Konoha's High Command.

"Sure, I'll head over right away."

He didn't know what Kagami wanted.

He'd just go see what it was about.

At that moment,

Kagami Uchiha was in his office,

looking over the report his subordinate had sent him the night before.

"Unbelievable!"

"Genmei actually killed Guihao in a fair fight?"

His face filled with admiration.

He was genuinely happy that another strong shinobi had emerged from his clan.

He pondered.

That morning, Koharu and Homura had looked rather strange in Hiruzen's office.

They'd also asked him to see if he could win Genmei over.

Indeed,

even without the Mangekyō, this strength would make him a prominent figure in the Shinobi World.

Knock, knock, knock.

The knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Come in."

A handsome young man walked in.

"Lord Kagami, here's the report."

He took Uchiha Genmei's report and read it quickly.

Then he put the file down.

He looked up

at the serious-faced young man before him.

"Team Leader Genmei, what do you think of the village and the clan?"

Uchiha Genmei's heart gave a jolt.

Here we go. Let's see what you're really after.

"Lord Kagami, the village and the clan are both part of Konoha."

Looking at the completely earnest young man, Kagami covered his face.

He said helplessly, "What a slippery answer! Fine. What do you think the Will of Fire is?"

"The Will of Fire? It means the Uchiha have always stood united around the Hokage."

"Under the Hokage's leadership, we should step up and take responsibility, shoulder the burdens of our era, brave hardship and danger, and press into the heart of every challenge."

"We should contribute to Konoha's development and build the road to its revival, remember our responsibilities, fulfill our duties, and keep striving!"

Kagami Uchiha stared at the young man, who continued speaking with such eloquence.

His eyes widened, and his mouth fell open.

He was stunned!

His expression was as if he'd just witnessed

something unbelievable.

This kid—

why did he seem to understand the Will of Fire even better than Hiruzen?

Danzō retreated to Root Base. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became; the angrier he became, the more he thought.

After a pause,

"Someone, bring me that intelligence report."