The Opportunity for Change

He swept his gaze over everyone in the Shrine Hall and slowly said:

"Uchiha should not be confined to Konoha. We should flourish in many places!"

"Nor should we be confined to the Police Force. For example, this."

Zhengye took out the [Ninja Tool Sharpness Recipe: Iron-Cutting] he had drawn from the system.

Metalworking recipe. Ninja tool sharpness +30%. Can cut through ordinary iron tools.

He handed it to Fugaku. "I acquired this by chance. It should be able to open up another path for our Uchiha."

As Fugaku took it, astonishment appeared on his face. Thirty percent additional sharpness!

The potential of such a metalworking recipe was enormous. A tiny sheet of instructions could bring the Uchiha substantial profits.

After looking it over, Fugaku immediately passed it to Elder Tenghong beside him.

The elder's expression shifted. "Zhengye, you're handing something this valuable over to the clan?"

Zhengye understood the value of this item perfectly well, but since he had come to this world, he was not going to spend his life fixated on money.

He wanted to live brilliantly! Freely! Happily!

"Don't worry about it. Like I said, when the cake is small, even if you swallow it whole, you won't get much. But once the cake grows bigger, you'll gain far more."

"It would be much better to let the clan handle this recipe than for me to operate it alone."

"Of course, this is merely one path to broaden Uchiha's development. We will need to open up many more paths in the future."

"Most importantly, from now on, we Uchiha should only selectively comply with any orders from Konoha!"

"Reduce unnecessary losses. Only when our clansmen continue to grow in number can the Uchiha Clan develop!"

In the past, their meetings had always revolved around handling the relationship between the Police Force and Konoha's civilians, or dealing with complaints against the Uchiha.

They had never expected Zhengye to make them view the issue from an entirely different angle.

Everyone's eyes lit up.

"That settles the broad direction. It's late tonight, so we'll discuss everything else another day."

"Those with the Mangekyō Sharingan, stay behind. Everyone else, go rest."

After laying out his policies, Zhengye dismissed the meeting.

Everyone rose to their feet, bowed to Zhengye with wholehearted conviction, and withdrew.

Elder Tenghong and the others took the metalworking recipe away to discuss whom they should cooperate with.

Before long, only five people remained: Zhengye, Fugaku, Itachi, Shisui, and Inabi, all of whom had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Zhengye made a gesture and led them deeper into the shrine.

They arrived before the Stone Tablet.

Fugaku was curious about how Zhengye knew of the tablet, while Itachi was wondering whether it would bring some change to the Uchiha in the future.

"Take a look with your Mangekyō Sharingan," Zhengye said to Shisui and Inabi.

They were the only ones present who had not seen it.

After the two activated their Mangekyō Sharingan and looked, both were somewhat surprised.

Inabi scratched his head. "This... what does this mean?"

Zhengye could not help smiling. There were not many words on the Stone Tablet, but they were roughly like classical writing. It was entirely possible that Inabi, who disliked reading, could not understand them.

Shisui quietly explained a few lines, then asked Zhengye, "Do you know what comes after that, Zhengye?"

A faint curve rose at Zhengye's lips. "Why would I have to know what comes after?"

Shisui froze. "Doesn't it say that this contains a way to save the Uchiha Clan...?"

Zhengye abruptly waved a hand, cutting him off. "What if it's fake?"

Everyone present was stunned. Honestly, they had never considered that possibility.

"Even if most of what it says is true, what if someone replaced the crucial parts with falsehoods?"

"For example, what if the later content says that all clansmen must be sacrificed in blood? Would you still follow it?"

Fugaku and the others' expressions changed drastically. "How could that be!?"

He stared at the Stone Tablet, a complicated look flashing through his eyes. This Stone Tablet, a secret guarded by the Uchiha for generations—had someone truly tampered with it?

Zhengye's expression remained solemn as he pointed to his Sharingan.

"You all know how greatly the Uchiha Sharingan affects its host's emotions."

"Back then, Uchiha Madara acted on his own will and caused the deaths of countless clansmen."

"I would not be the least bit surprised if someone appeared in the future who believed in this Stone Tablet."

Zhengye's words sent a chill through everyone present.

Itachi hesitantly asked, "Senior Zhengye, could that masked man wandering near the shrine have been examining the Stone Tablet?"

By this point, Obito had already begun moving around the Uchiha Clan Compound.

Fugaku looked at Itachi in confusion, not knowing who this masked man was.

"Could it be that he was altering the Stone Tablet?"

Zhengye deliberately spoke vaguely, muddying the waters.

After all, Black Zetsu had already altered this Stone Tablet. They had to eliminate any possibility of the clan's Mangekyō Sharingan users being deceived.

Itachi nodded grimly. He had seen the masked man slaughter Uchiha clansmen, so secretly altering the Stone Tablet here was entirely possible.

Seeing Fugaku's doubts, Zhengye did not explain it to him personally, leaving Itachi the opportunity to communicate with him.

"Tomorrow's meeting probably won't start so early. I'm going to get some sleep first."

"Fugaku, if you have any questions, ask Itachi. He understands it very well."

Zhengye waved his hand, ending the conversation.

Hyuga Clan Compound.

In the Main House courtyard's meeting hall, bright lanterns illuminated the place as if it were daytime.

"Tonight, Uchiha Fugaku completely handed over authority to Uchiha Zhengye. Perhaps the Uchiha are considering another way to survive in the village."

"Qingyu, attend tomorrow's meeting with me. See whether we can cooperate with the Uchiha."

Besides Hiashi, four others sat in the Hyuga Clan's meeting hall.

The three elderly men were elders of the Main House. The fourth was Hyuga Qingyu, the Fourth Elder in charge of the Branch House, who had been promoted by the Main House after Hizashi's death.

He was over twenty years old, with handsome yet cool features, but he was a man of few words.

Upon hearing Hiashi's words, he merely answered in a low voice.

"Elders, we'll end today's discussion here. We'll discuss the rest after tomorrow's meeting concludes."

Hiashi did not know what move the Uchiha would make. After a brief discussion, he dismissed the meeting.

Two years ago, during Hinata's birthday, the incident in which Hizashi died in another's place had occurred. Overall, Konoha had forcibly sacrificed the Hyuga Clan's interests to stabilize the village.

After that, the relationship between the Hyuga Clan and the village had fallen to its lowest point.

Especially after the Main House discovered that the Branch House had begun passively resisting them following Hizashi's death, their resentment toward Konoha deepened even further.

Although the Third Hokage had specially allowed Hyuga Hinata to interact with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Naruto Uzumaki.

That was nothing more than an empty promise.

After all, the Hyuga Clan still did not know whether the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki would be able to become a fighting force in the future.

The Hyuga Clan was currently working tirelessly to appease the Branch House while actively seeking change.

Now, the emergence of Uchiha Zhengye was precisely the opportunity for that change.

Coincidentally, Hyuga Qingyu thought so as well.

However, he believed this was not an opportunity for the Hyuga Clan to change, but for the Branch House.

He walked out of the Main House courtyard and saw the sun rising over the horizon.

He felt as though Lord Hizashi was still watching him from the heavens.

Lord Hizashi, I will help you see that day.