System's New Function: Red-Name Scan

Morning light passed through the paper door and fell across the tatami.

Uchiha Fugaku sat cross-legged behind the low table. The tea at his side had long since stopped steaming. A list lay spread out before him, the ink already dry, its surface densely packed with names.

Xuan Shi sat across from him, playing with a shuriken.

"These are all the people currently able to access the clan's core secrets." Fugaku's voice was low, his finger tapping lightly on the tabletop. "Forty-two in total. We still don't know how many pairs of eyes among them are watching on Danzo's behalf."

Xuan Shi stopped moving and slapped the shuriken onto the table.

"We'll know soon enough."

He closed his eyes, sinking his consciousness deep into his mind. In the darkness, the semitransparent panel only he could see hovered there.

[Clan Prosperity: 15 points]

These were still the base points the system had awarded him after yesterday's rewind.

Xuan Shi did not hesitate. His will touched the exchange option.

[Spend 5 Prosperity points to exchange for temporary function: Faction Identification Radar?]

[Description: Range of 500 meters in all directions. Duration: 1 hour.]

"Exchange."

As 5 points were deducted, Xuan Shi opened his eyes.

His vision had changed.

It was as if a pale-blue filter had been added to the air. Above Fugaku's head, a green marker appeared, with a note beside it: [Friendly · Absolute Trust].

Xuan Shi stood up and straightened the collar of his Police Force uniform.

"Father, summon everyone." He looked toward the door. "It's time to clean house."

Ten in the morning. The underground chamber of Naka River Shrine.

This was the Uchiha Clan's most secret meeting place. The walls on all sides were painted with the red-and-white fan crest.

All forty-two core members of the clan had arrived.

They knelt on cushions on both sides, arranged by seniority and position. The elders rested with their eyes closed, while the younger jonin exchanged glances from time to time. The atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

Xuan Shi sat in the shadows of the corner.

His gaze swept over the head of every person present.

Most of the people had green markers over their heads, or white markers representing neutrality. But in the crowd, several glaring blood-red markers were flickering.

Fugaku sat in the main seat and coughed once.

The low murmurs in the chamber instantly vanished.

"I called everyone here today because the Police Force has received too many complaints recently." Fugaku picked up a scroll, his tone sounding somewhat weary and hesitant. "The villagers are very dissatisfied with how strictly we enforce the law, and word has also come from the Hokage Building telling us to rein ourselves in a little."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the crowd. "I'm considering whether we should reduce the Police Force's patrol range to show goodwill to the village."

The moment his words fell, a middle-aged jonin seated on the left shot to his feet.

"Clan head! What kind of joke are you making?"

This man was named Tieshan Uchiha, a famously hardheaded figure in the clan who hated weakness more than anything.

Tieshan's face flushed red, veins bulging on his neck as he pointed at Fugaku and roared, "We are Konoha's Police Force! Maintaining public order is the authority granted to us by the Second Hokage! Why should we care about the expressions on those civilians' faces?"

"Tieshan, sit down," the grand elder scolded with a frown.

"I won't sit!" Tieshan shoved away the companion who tried to pull him back, spittle flying. "The village has gone too far! Not only did they drive us into this remote corner, now they even want to strip us of our law-enforcement authority? Clan head, if you're afraid of those higher-ups, then give up your seat!"

Those words were extremely grating.

Many of the younger clansmen around them showed angry looks, clearly stirred up by Tieshan's words.

Xuan Shi sat in the corner, watching the scene coldly.

In his vision, this "tough guy," Tieshan Uchiha, who seemed to defend Uchiha glory more than anyone else, had an enormous red marker over his head.

[Name: Tieshan Uchiha]

[Faction: Konoha · Root (double agent)]

[Mark: Cursed Seal of Tongue Eradication (active)]

What a show.

Danzo had played this move brilliantly.

It was not only the weak-willed advocates of peace who could be spies. On the contrary, people like this, who mixed into the crowd, acted more extreme than anyone else, shouted for violence at every turn, and tried to intensify conflicts to the point of no return, were the deadliest poison.

"I also think Tieshan is right!"

Another person stood up.

It was the squad captain in charge of maintaining the clan's barrier, Inagaki Uchiha.

Inagaki drew the short blade at his waist and stabbed it hard into the floor. "We have the Sharingan. Why should we suffer this kind of humiliation? If the village shows no kindness, don't blame us for showing no loyalty! At worst, we'll drag them down with us!"

Xuan Shi looked over.

Another red name.

[Name: Inagaki Uchiha]

[Faction: Konoha · Root]

[Mark: Cursed Seal of Tongue Eradication (active)]

The situation began to spiral out of control.

Driven by these two, three more clansmen stood up in agitation and echoed them, clamoring that they should show Konoha's higher-ups some color.

"Enough!"

Fugaku slammed the table.

Although he had not activated the Mangekyo Sharingan, the aura of someone long accustomed to power still pressed everyone into a momentary suffocation.

"This matter still needs long-term consideration." Fugaku's face darkened, as if he were struggling to suppress his anger, yet also seemed to be evading a decision. "We'll adjourn for today. Everyone go back and calm down."

"Clan head!" Tieshan still wanted to speak.

"Get out!" Fugaku grabbed the teacup and smashed it on the floor.

Fragments flew everywhere.

Tieshan gritted his teeth and glared resentfully at Fugaku, then turned and strode away. As he left, he deliberately shot a look at the red names who had echoed him.

The crowd dispersed one after another.

Everyone had a belly full of anger, and no one noticed that Xuan Shi, sitting in the corner, had not spoken the entire time. He had only been writing and sketching in his notebook.

Ten minutes later.

Only Fugaku and Xuan Shi remained in the chamber.

The indecision and anger on Fugaku's face vanished instantly, replaced by a cold calm.

"How was it?" Fugaku asked.

Xuan Shi tore a page from his notebook, walked to the table, and pushed it to Fugaku.

"More than expected."

Xuan Shi pulled out a chair and sat down, pouring himself a cup of water. "Five in total. Tieshan, the one who jumped the highest just now, is the leader. Then there's Inagaki, and Shinichi, who sat by the door and never spoke but kept glancing around."

Fugaku picked up the list, his gaze falling on the words "Tieshan Uchiha."

"Tieshan..." Fugaku's fingers tightened, and the paper made a faint crisp sound. "He's my cousin. He followed me in the Police Force since we were children. I never expected even he would be one of Root's people."

"Precisely because he was a trusted subordinate, Danzo was willing to pay a high price to turn him." Xuan Shi took a sip of water. "He's the one who usually shouts the loudest about a coup, and he's the one spreading hateful rhetoric among the clansmen. If I didn't have... special means, I'm afraid I'd still think he was a loyal fool."

"Danzo wants to use his mouth to force the Uchiha onto a dead end." Fugaku lit the note over the candle flame.

The fire swallowed those five names.

Ash fell onto the tabletop.

"When do we move?" Fugaku asked.

"Tonight."

Xuan Shi stood, walked to the chamber door, and glanced back.

"The order Danzo gave them should be to intensify the conflict. In that case, we'll go with the flow." There was no expression on Xuan Shi's face. "Tonight, invite all of them to my house. Say that... I'm planning an attack on the Hokage Building and need those few 'radical' core members to discuss the details."

Fugaku looked at his son.

In that instant, he felt that the youth before him resembled a ninja walking in the darkness more than he did.

"How do we handle that curse mark?" Fugaku asked. "The Cursed Seal of Tongue Eradication. Once they try to reveal secrets about Danzo, their entire bodies will be instantly paralyzed, and they may even die."

"We don't need them to talk."

Xuan Shi pushed open the door. The sunlight outside was somewhat glaring.

He narrowed his eyes, his voice like an ice-tempered blade scraping across bone.

"Dead men don't need to speak. What I want isn't a confession. I want these nails pulled out cleanly."

Night fell.

The streets of the Uchiha compound were brightly lit.

Uncle Teyaki's senbei shop was still open. Several off-duty Police Force members had gathered together to drink and brag. Although word of the argument at the daytime meeting had spread, it had not affected the lives of ordinary clansmen.

Xuan Shi's small courtyard was located on the west side of the clan compound, right beside the Naka River.

A cherry tree was planted in the courtyard. It was not the flowering season, and only bare branches stretched toward the night sky.

No lamps were lit inside.

Xuan Shi sat cross-legged in the center of the main hall. Beside him lay that standard-issue ninja blade.

He was waiting.

Although the system radar's time had already ended, those red afterimages were still engraved in his mind.

If these people were not eliminated, any plan would be empty talk. In his previous life, the contents of every secret meeting of the Uchiha Clan would be placed on Danzo's desk the next day. This was one of the roots of the tragedy of the clan's extermination.

Faint footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.

"Captain Xuan Shi?"

It was Tieshan Uchiha's voice. He had deliberately lowered it. "You called us here?"

"Come in," Xuan Shi said.

The courtyard gate was pushed open.

Five figures filed in.

Aside from Tieshan and Inagaki, there were three other clansmen marked as red names. They were all wearing dark civilian clothes, their expressions wary as they surveyed their surroundings.

"Why aren't the lights on?" Tieshan walked into the room, grumbling with some dissatisfaction. "Making it all mysterious. You said in your letter that you had a major plan. What is it? Have you finally decided to make a move against those higher-ups?"

Xuan Shi did not move.

In the darkness, only his blurred outline could be seen.

"Close the door," Xuan Shi said.

Shinichi, who entered last, shut the door as told and even casually set up a soundproof barrier.

That saved Xuan Shi some trouble.

"Everyone, sit."

Xuan Shi's voice was very steady, with no emotion audible in it.

The five sat down across from him.

Tieshan was somewhat impatient. "Xuan Shi, if you have something to say, say it. I really had enough of the clan head's pathetic performance today! If you've got the guts to do something big, I, Tieshan, will be the first to support you!"

"Is that so?"

Xuan Shi slowly raised his head.

Although the room was pitch-black, those scarlet eyes were especially striking. Three tomoe slowly rotated in his pupils, as if they were going to suck in a person's soul.

"Uncle Tieshan, I do indeed have a plan."

Xuan Shi gripped the hilt of his blade.

"The first step of this plan is to clean all the rats out of the house."

Tieshan froze for a moment, then his expression changed slightly. "What do you mean? Who's a rat?"

"How is Root's treatment?" Xuan Shi suddenly asked.

The question came without warning.

Tieshan's pupils abruptly shrank. He instinctively tried to draw his blade, but his mouth reflexively denied it. "What nonsense are you talking about! What Root?"

Clang—

The cry of a blade rang through the room.

Xuan Shi's figure vanished from where he stood.

The next second, a piercing scream rang out.

The short blade Tieshan had only half drawn fell to the floor. He clutched his right wrist, blood gushing through the gaps between his fingers.

"Move!"

Inagaki reacted the fastest. With a roar, his hands formed seals as he prepared to release ninjutsu.

But someone was faster than him.

Behind the folding screen, a black shadow flashed out instantly.

It was Uchiha Fugaku, who had been lying in ambush here all along.

He did not use ninjutsu, only a body-impact from taijutsu. Fugaku kicked Inagaki in the chin, and the crack of bone was clearly audible. Inagaki's entire body flew backward, smashing through the wooden cabinet behind him.

The remaining three panicked and turned to flee.

"Kotoamatsukami: Radiance."

A green afterimage blocked the doorway.

It was Shisui Uchiha.

He had not activated his Mangekyo; he merely used the Body Flicker Technique together with genjutsu. The three only felt a flash of green light before their eyes, and their bodies instantly stiffened, their gazes turning blank and lifeless.

The battle ended too quickly.

From the moment Xuan Shi drew his blade to everyone being subdued, no more than five seconds passed.

Tieshan clutched his severed hand, his face pale as he knelt on the floor, staring around in terror.

Fugaku, Shisui, Xuan Shi.

The three strongest Uchiha were all here.

This was a dead end.

"You... you people..." Tieshan panted, still trying to argue. "Are you insane?! I'm one of you! I did it for the clan..."

Xuan Shi walked up to him and looked down at him from above.

"The Cursed Seal of Tongue Eradication prevents you from saying Danzo's name, doesn't it?"

Xuan Shi crouched, the tip of his blade lifting Tieshan's chin.

"Doesn't matter. I don't need you to say it."

In Xuan Shi's left eye, the three tomoe suddenly spun wildly, linking into a strange pattern.

This was no ordinary genjutsu.

This was the authority the system had granted him—[Causal Regression: Forced Memory Reading] (Prosperity cost: 10 points).

"Look into my eyes."

Tieshan wanted to close his eyes, but his body would not obey him at all. He met those crimson pupils, and felt as if his brain were being viciously stirred by a pair of red-hot tongs.

"AAAAAAAH—"

The scream was locked tightly inside the room by the barrier.

In Xuan Shi's vision, countless shattered images flashed past like slides.

A gloomy underground base... Danzo's back... the orders he gave... and the scene of Tieshan kneeling on the ground as a cursed seal was carved onto his tongue.

Half a minute later.

Xuan Shi closed his eyes and cut off the eye technique.

Tieshan collapsed to the floor like a heap of mud, foaming at the mouth, his eyes rolled back. His mind had clearly broken.

Xuan Shi stood and rubbed his slightly swollen temples.

"I got the intel."

He turned and looked at Fugaku and Shisui.

"Danzo's mission for them wasn't just to intensify the conflict." Xuan Shi's voice was very cold. "He also ordered them to deliberately leave a gap in the Police Force's patrol route on the night the Nine-Tails jinchūriki gives birth."

Fugaku's face instantly turned livid.

"Leave a gap... to let who in?" Shisui asked.

"Doesn't matter who." Xuan Shi wiped the blood from his blade and sheathed it.

"Since Danzo wants us to be his inside men, then we'll cooperate with him properly."

Xuan Shi walked to the window and pushed it open a crack.

The night wind blew in, carrying a trace of chill.

"Starting today, these five people are 'alive.'" Xuan Shi looked back at the five unconscious spies on the floor. "Shisui, how long can your genjutsu control them?"

"If it's only daily activity and simple reports, I can cover their consciousness long-term," Shisui replied.

"Good."

The corner of Xuan Shi's mouth curved, but there was no smile in his eyes.

"Then let them keep writing letters to Danzo. Tell him: Tieshan Uchiha has successfully incited the clan's radical sentiments, and everything is proceeding according to plan."

Fugaku looked at his son and took a deep breath.

"You want to turn Danzo blind."

"No."

Xuan Shi looked at the pitch-black night outside the window, as if he could see the one-eyed old man hidden in the shadows.

"I want him to watch the play we're putting on, and walk step by step into his grave."