I Will Not Keep This Glory to Myself

When the clansmen realized they had a chance to fight on the front lines, they displayed a side rarely seen on the faces of most shinobi.

The excitement of battle, the thirst for blood, and the determination to revive their clan.

The only thing Uchiha Kyu did not see was cowardly fear of the battlefield.

The Uchiha Clan never lacked courage. They only lacked a way to unleash it.

"Very good. I cannot see even a trace of fear toward the battlefield in your eyes."

"All I can say is that you truly deserve to be called members of the Uchiha Clan."

Uchiha Kyu's rare praise made the clansmen present instinctively straighten their backs, accepting the compliment as though it were only natural.

They had endured humiliation for so many years. Now that they finally had an opportunity, they treasured it all the more.

Uchiha Kyu had already arranged the roster of clansmen heading to the front lines before taking action.

Nearly every clansman whose name Uchiha Kyu called had either failed to awaken the Three-Tomoe Sharingan or had not awakened the Sharingan at all.

Clansmen with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan had basically reached the peak an ordinary Uchiha clansman could attain.

To awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, understanding life and death alone was not enough. It also required talent—a talent for loving to the utmost extreme.

Uchiha Obito was the most obvious example.

The purest emotions were born, and amid gain and loss, one came to understand and reshape one's values. That intense emotional stimulation generated Yin Release chakra, which surged into the eyes and ultimately gave birth to the Sharingan.

Uchiha Kyu did not actually approve of this method of awakening, because it could easily lead clansmen down an extreme path.

Whether it was Uchiha Obito or Uchiha Itachi, both had ultimately gone to extremes, and in the end, the two of them had personally joined forces to destroy the Uchiha Clan.

Uchiha Shisui might not have seemed extreme, but in truth, he was the most extreme of them all.

Otherwise, he would not have awakened the strongest genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami, which could alter a person's lifelong beliefs with just a single glance.

Kotoamatsukami was such a bug-like ocular technique that if the original author had not forcibly written Uchiha Shisui to death, the later plot probably could not have continued.

That was also why Uchiha Kyu had always been wary of Uchiha Shisui and would never turn hostile toward him unless it came down to the very last moment.

After all the names on the roster had been called, Uchiha Kyu looked toward Uchiha Itachi, who was sitting obediently beside Uchiha Mikoto.

As for Uchiha Itachi's arrangements, Uchiha Kyu would not continue allowing Fugaku Uchiha to ruin his rather gifted cousin.

"From today onward, Uchiha Itachi, you will stay by my side."

"Clan Head, are you planning to take Itachi as your disciple?"

Fugaku Uchiha rose to his feet with excitement written all over his face. He did not want to miss this opportunity.

If his son could grow up by Uchiha Kyu's side, then his future would surely be limitless.

"That will depend on his performance in the future."

Uchiha Kyu neither refused nor agreed, giving only a vague reply.

"Don't just stand there like an idiot. Go on over."

Seeing her son standing there dumbly, Uchiha Mikoto anxiously gave him a push.

Prompted by his mother, Uchiha Itachi quickly snapped back to his senses and walked over.

"Stay obediently by my side from now on. Watch carefully, learn carefully, and you will naturally find the answer in your heart."

Uchiha Kyu did not yet harbor such great hostility toward Uchiha Itachi. After all, he had not committed any monstrous crimes yet, nor had Hiruzen Sarutobi completely brainwashed him.

If he could be saved, then he could become one of Uchiha Kyu's own and be put to use.

"Yes." Uchiha Itachi obediently agreed.

Every clansman present looked at Uchiha Itachi with envy. They too hoped their descendants would catch the Clan Head's eye.

Unfortunately, their descendants were simply not up to the task. Not one of them possessed talent greater than Uchiha Itachi's.

Uchiha Kyu pulled Uchiha Itachi to his side and continued.

"The clan still has many problems. They cannot be completely resolved in a short time."

"We must proceed step by step. In the near future, Konoha will surely submit beneath the feet of the Uchiha Clan."

"I will not keep this glory to myself. Let us strive together, gentlemen."

Uchiha Kyu's words seemed to carve themselves into the minds of the clansmen present, and the entire crowd erupted with excitement.

Huo Uchiha, seated in the front row, reacted even faster than Uchiha Okamoto.

Huo Uchiha dropped to one knee, clenched one hand into a fist against his chest, his eyes glistening with excited tears as he shouted.

"Your subordinate swears to serve the Clan Head unto death and strive for the clan's glory for the rest of my life!"

Spurred on by Huo Uchiha's impassioned declaration, the others all knelt and swore their oaths in unison.

Everyone sincerely acknowledged this young Clan Head and was willing to pledge their loyalty to him.

No one had ever said such words before. From beginning to end, glory had always been enjoyed by individuals alone.

The only person who dared speak such words in public was the current Clan Head.

Just for those words, even if they died in battle someday, the Clan Head would surely not mistreat their families.

This clan assembly came to a successful conclusion.

For the Uchiha clansmen, the moment the gathering dispersed, the moment they stepped out of the meeting grounds, a visible future awaited them.

Fugaku Uchiha watched his cousin Uchiha Kyu leave Naka Shrine, his gaze complicated.

"Fugaku." Uchiha Mikoto looked at Fugaku Uchiha worriedly, afraid that her husband would not be able to accept reality.

"It's fine. He's stronger than I am."

Fugaku Uchiha revealed a relieved smile, taking Mikoto's hand in one hand and Itachi's in the other as they headed home.

"Come on. Let's go home."

At that moment, Fugaku Uchiha felt an unprecedented sense of ease and happiness.

However, the Uchiha Clan's large-scale assembly during such a sensitive period left Konoha's already tense upper ranks exceptionally nervous.

"Sarutobi, at this stage, we should hurry up and root out the mole. There are very few people who can access the Sealing Scroll, aren't there?"

Danzo did not know whether it was Orochimaru, but that did not stop him from steering the matter in that direction.

Orochimaru knew too many of his secrets. If Danzo wanted to become Hokage, he had to weaken Sarutobi's strength.

Once the millstone was no longer useful, it was time to kill the donkey. He would get rid of Orochimaru first.

"Danzo, I will give you an explanation for this matter."

Hiruzen Sarutobi had actually noticed Orochimaru long ago. The main issue was that some recent Anbu investigations had revealed that Orochimaru had colluded with Danzo behind his back.

That was what angered Hiruzen Sarutobi the most. As for secretly researching the First Hokage's cells, that was not much of an issue at all.

However, this matter could not be exposed publicly. Once it was exposed, even Hiruzen Sarutobi himself would be unable to protect Orochimaru.

"Sarutobi, you had better remember what you said."

Danzo left the Hokage Office with a grim expression.

Thick smoke concealed Hiruzen Sarutobi's aged, troubled face, and he could not help feeling somewhat disappointed in Orochimaru.

"Minato, continue arranging for people to monitor the Uchiha Clan from farther away. At present, we cannot afford even the slightest carelessness."

"Furthermore, reports from the front lines say that several shinobi villages are making restless moves along the borders."

"One misstep, and a war we do not wish to see could erupt in an instant."

"I understand, Lord Third."

Minato Namikaze knew the gravity of the situation and promptly arranged for the Anbu to monitor the Uchiha Compound from afar.

At this stage, Uchiha Kyu was no longer someone they could kill whenever they pleased.

If they failed, then Uchiha Kyu's Flying Thunder God Technique would become a disaster for Konoha.