Exchange Students

"Itachi, according to the information obtained from the Naka Shrine, the Uchiha Clan's Mangekyō Sharingan can be upgraded to the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, and even the legendary Rinnegan..."

"The current leader of Akatsuki, Nagato Uzumaki, possesses the only pair of Rinnegan in the Shinobi World, but these eyes most likely don't belong to him, but rather to Madara Uchiha..."

In the Uchiha Clan's territory, Kato Osamu sat quietly in the main hall, while Itachi Uchiha knelt before him.

Since becoming the Fifth Hokage, Setsuna Uchiha felt that he was not suitable to serve as the head of the Uchiha Clan at the same time, so he directly appointed the Yashiro Uchiha as the interim head of the clan, waiting for Itachi Uchiha to get older before taking over the position.

As a 'hero' of the successful coup in the Uchiha Clan, Itachi Uchiha's final 'choice' earned him the prestige of the clan, not to mention his father, the clan head, who died in battle. Of course, most of the clan members did not know Fugaku Uchiha's final stance.

"Lord Kato, before my father died, he entrusted his Sharingan to the Ninja Cat Clan. Now, I have retrieved it..." Kato Osamu glanced at Itachi Uchiha, who was kneeling on the ground. He took out a Mangekyō Sharingan from his robes, which contained Fugaku Uchiha's Mangekyou Sharingan.

Although Madara Uchiha likely used his brother's Mangekyō Sharingan and fused Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, the blood ties between father and son are stronger, so there's no reason why they couldn't fuse...

Without speaking, Kato Osamu frowned slightly, deep in thought...

The information obtained from the Naka Shrine almost completely made Kato Osamu understand the secret of the Sharingan, and also made him even more certain that Nagato's Rinnegan definitely did not belong to him.

What puzzled him was that the Infinite Tsukuyomi mentioned on the stone tablet written by the Sage of Six Paths —'Only the Infinite Tsukuyomi can bring true peace to the Shinobi World' —was completely different from the idea of Sage of Six Paths who wanted to destroy Kaguya Ōtsutsuki in his memory.

As the moon that sealed Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths would never have wanted to use it to release any Ninjutsu, as this would only hasten the collapse of the seal. Furthermore, using the moon as a medium for jutsu would inevitably allow Kaguya Ōtsutsuki to intercept a large amount of energy, inevitably leading to her arrival in the Shinobi World even faster...

'It was probably through this stone tablet that Madara Uchiha learned about the Infinite Tsukuyomi, and firmly believed in it...'

"The part of this stone tablet about the Sharingan can be trusted, given the successful example of Madara Uchiha. However, the latter part, regarding the Infinite Tsukuyomi, is probably not the Sage of Sage of Six Paths' original intention..."

Shaking his head slightly, Kato Osamu considered a possibility: a thousand years was too long; perhaps this stone tablet hidden deep within the Naka Shrine had been altered by someone with ulterior motives...

"In that case, Itachi, during this time, Kabuto will help you conduct the necessary tests, adjust your physical condition, and then attempt to fuse the Mangekyō Sharingan..."

"Kabuto, come in..."

The door opened with a click, and Kabuto Yakushi appeared in the doorway, a faint smile on his face, quietly watching Itachi Uchiha.

"Teacher Xu, Lord Orochimaru's base in the Land of Rice Fields has been emptied out. Everything has been moved to the Root base. Jonin Yamakaze leading his men in testing and adjustments, and we expect to officially begin operations in three days..."

"That's good... Kabuto, I'll leave all the experiments related to the Mangekyō Sharingan to you..."

"Yes!"

Kato Osamu had already discovered that Itachi Uchiha's body was severely depleted after forcibly using the Mangekyō Sharingan to activate Susanoo. He was still too young, and his body was not fully developed. If this continued, he would inevitably suffer from serious illnesses and die young.

Now that Kabuto has come to help Itachi Uchiha recover, if they can try to fuse with the Uzumaki Bloodline again to completely improve his physique, and then after he fuses with the Mangekyō Sharingan and achieves the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, and then fuses with Hashirama Cells, perhaps he can awaken another pair of Rinnegan...

"Teacher Xu, Mei Terumi, along with Hinata Hyuga and Karin Uzumaki, have arrived in Konoha and are currently at the Hokage Building negotiating with Hyuga Hiashi, the head of the Hyuga Clan, and the Fifth Hokage, Setsuna Uchiha..."

"Okay, I understand..." Upon hearing this, Kato Osamu stood up, patted Itachi's shoulder, patted Kabuto's head, and then headed towards the Hokage Building.

Inside the Hokage Building, the atmosphere was somewhat heavy. Several people sat facing each other; Hinata seemed a little uneasy, while Karin Uzumaki looked around with curiosity. Mei Terumi and Setsuna Uchiha were talking...

When Hyuga Hiashi received the news, he was somewhat shocked, as if he had misjudged the situation...

But judging from the results, it seems pretty good...

When he arrived at the Hokage Building, he saw Hinata Hyuga, who had changed from her previous timid demeanor to someone with a bit of confidence, speaking more freely and openly. For a moment, he was somewhat incredulous, and then a slightly complicated feeling welled up inside him...

After leaving the Hyuga Clan, Hinata Hyuga seems to have changed. Surely it can't be the Hyuga Clan's fault...

"Fifth Hokage, that's roughly how it is. I rescued Hinata by chance, and she's now my student..." Mei Terumi patted Hinata's head, seemingly quite pleased with her transformation over the past two years.

"Hinata is my daughter, and more importantly, the head daughter of the Hyuga Main House. She must return to Konoha... Lord Hokage, the bloodline of the Hyuga Clan cannot be allowed to flow outside..." Mei Terumi Hyuga Hiashi. He recognized her; she was Jonin Kirigakure, but had disappeared without a trace. He never expected her to be in the Land of Grass...

"The Byakugan is precious, but I don't even consider it... Hyuga Hiashi, Hinata is now my student... If she doesn't want to, you can't force her!"

Seeing the two exchanging a slightly confrontational Setsuna Uchiha frowned. He had no idea what Kato Osamu was up to...

"Master, let me speak... I don't want you and Father to argue because of me..." Hinata glanced hopefully at Mei Terumi Hinata, then turned to look at her biological father, whom she hadn't seen for two years...

Looking at Hyuga Hiashi's dignified appearance, certain memories flooded back, and she unconsciously clenched her hands. The Hyuga Clan was indeed her home, but after living in Hidden Spirit Village for two years, aside from the initial unfamiliarity and unease, she also really liked the happy, carefree, and unrestrained feeling that came with getting used to it.

"Father, when I was at home, everyone treated me very well. I had no worries about food or clothing, and the clan helped me with everything. The Konoha clan is a prestigious family in the Hyuga Clan, and everyone in every village respected me..."

"But maybe I'm not very talented, and I always disappoint you... I... I always feel like I'm a failure... But I've tried my best..."

"In Hidden Spirit Village, although people didn't respect me like my clansmen did, I was very happy, and I made many friends... My master was also very good to me..."

"Bang!" Hyuga Hiashi's face was extremely ugly. He slammed his hand on the table, interrupting Hinata Hyuga's words. "You are a member of the Hyuga Clan. From the moment you were born, you have borne the mission and responsibility of the Hyuga Clan! Hinata Hyuga, you are running away! You are too willful!"

"Father! I used to always... I was always afraid to express my opinions... Now... I've changed! I... I'm very unhappy at home, I won't be coming back!"

Hinata, contrary to her usual behavior, argued with Hyuga Hiashi, pursing her lips and tilting her head back, but she did not back down at all. Even Mei Terumi's eyes showed a hint of relief and a smile.

'That's how it is...' Although Hyuga Hiashi's face showed displeasure, his opinion of Hinata had changed considerably, and he felt quite gratified. As the Main Family of the Hyuga Clan, Hinata was a potential future clan leader. She might not be talented or skilled in Gentle Fist, but she couldn't be so timid and submissive.

The only thing he disliked about Hinata was her weakness...

In the Hyuga Clan, if one cannot become the head of the family, then one can only become a branch family member, branded like Caged Bird. How could he bear to do that to his only daughter...?

Perhaps it was the wrong approach, or perhaps she found it difficult to express herself. The more Hinata suppressed her feelings, the less she dared to express her opinions, and the more timid she became, the more disappointed he became...

"Alright... let Elder Kato decide this matter..." Setsuna Uchiha frowned, interrupting the two's argument.

Since Orochimaru became an elder, Kato Osamu also became an honorary elder of Konoha. Although he disliked showing off, after several encounters with Hyuga Hiashi, he vaguely realized that Kato Osamu, as Konoha's honorary elder, was now the true power Konoha the scenes...

As they spoke, Kato Osamu appeared at the office door, smiled at Mei Terumi, and then, meeting everyone's gaze, sat down in the main seat. After a moment of silence, she slowly spoke, "Regarding this matter, I plan to implement an exchange student system between Konoha and Hidden Spirit Village..."

"Hinata Hyuga and Karin Uzumaki are the chosen candidates. During their training in Konoha and Hidden Spirit Village, they adhered to the ninja rules of the other village and thus held ninja identities from both villages..."

"This is just the beginning, laying the foundation for a military alliance between Konoha and Hidden Spirit Village..."

Hyuga Hiashi frowned. If this was the case, Hinata's situation would have a good solution, but he also felt that such an important matter shouldn't be decided so hastily. He hesitated, remaining silent for a moment...

"Fifth Hokage, what do you think?" Kato Osamu glanced at Setsuna Uchiha, who was still deep in thought, and didn't urge him, but waited quietly.

Although this matter wasn't communicated to Setsuna Uchiha beforehand, having more allies and fewer enemies is a good thing for Konoha. It can be considered his first achievement as the Fifth Hokage since taking office, especially since Kato Osamu has the power to make decisions in Hidden Spirit Village...

Thinking this, Setsuna Uchiha smiled and nodded, "Konoha has always been peace-loving, and an alliance with Hidden Spirit Village is certainly a blessing in disguise..."

"Then, let's convene an elders' meeting..." Kato Osamu smiled at Hyuga Hiashi's slightly puzzled look. He could, of course, make decisions on anything with a single word. If it were just a matter of force, he could even slaughter everyone in Konoha in a single night. But some things couldn't be done that way. Even just having them participate in a formality and knowing this information in advance was a sign of respect...

The human heart is like a knife; when united, it can withstand a thousand armies, but once it collapses, it can crumble in an instant.