Screening

"All right! Itachi, let's go find Hane together! After all, he's Itachi's beloved big brother!" Seeing that Itachi had returned to normal, Shisui spoke softly.

"Mm!" Itachi nodded heavily.

Near the edge of Konoha's forest stood an isolated wooden villa, its interior brightly lit.

In the living room, a group of youths dressed in the Uchiha Clan's traditional blue-black robes, bearing the flame fan crest on their backs, sat neatly in two rows on their knees.

Every one of them wore a tense, solemn expression.

Uchiha Retsuyō glanced at the clock beside him. "The time is almost here. Everyone, prepare to welcome the Young Clan Leader!"

"Yes, Captain Retsuyō!" everyone answered in unison.

A flash of fire suddenly appeared at the doorway, and everyone's expressions tightened at once.

Uchiha Retsuyō hurriedly rose and walked to the entrance. Through the crack in the door, he saw the delicate, youthful face outside and quickly opened it.

"The Young Clan Leader has arrived!" Uchiha Retsuyō shouted toward those behind him as he threw open the door.

Hane paused slightly, only to see two neat rows of clansmen bowing deeply with their foreheads nearly to the ground as they shouted, "We await the Young Clan Leader!"

Seeing this scene, Hane was at a loss for words. He looked at the stern Uchiha Retsuyō, who resembled a fiercely loyal guard.

"Brother Retsuyō, there's no need for this next time. Since when did the Uchiha start indulging in this sort of formalism?"

"Young Clan Leader, this is the clansmen's way of showing you respect. Today, when they saw you crush that old bastard Danzo's Wind Release Ninjutsu with one hand, they all came to hold you in high regard!" Uchiha Retsuyō replied earnestly.

Seeing this, Hane did not wish to say anything more and walked straight toward the seat of honor.

Strolling over to the place Uchiha Retsuyō had prepared for him, Hane casually sat down on the cushion at the head of the room. He then looked at Uchiha Retsuyō, who had taken the seat below him. "Brother Retsuyō, who owns this estate?"

"Reporting to the Young Clan Leader, I purchased this property temporarily for this gathering," Uchiha Retsuyō answered respectfully.

Hane was taken aback. He had not expected this fiercely loyal subordinate of his to be so wealthy.

But on second thought, that made sense. As the sole grandson of the Uchiha Clan's Second Elder, being rich was only natural.

"Brother Retsuyō, you've put a lot of thought into this. Once I have assets of my own, I'll naturally compensate you," Hane said with a faint smile.

"What is this compared to striving for the Young Clan Leader's great cause? Please do not say such things again!"

Hane opened his mouth slightly. He felt that the Uchiha clansmen all had a fundamentally submissive nature: once you beat them into submission, they would become incredibly considerate of you.

Looking at the fervent expressions directed at him, Hane pulled a faint smile.

So, this fervor was probably only superficial for now. In the end, this world spoke with fists.

Although he was only six years old, he had displayed overwhelming might at the clan assembly, leaving the clan elders in a sorry state. He had defeated the clan's genius Jonin, and during the conflict between the clansmen and the higher-ups, he had taken a blow from a Kage Level expert head-on. On top of that, his father was the clan leader.

Any one of those feats would have been enough to make an Uchiha famous within the clan, let alone all of them gathered in one person—and at his current age. To say that he had surpassed the ancestor Uchiha Madara was no mere compliment, but a fact.

However, Hane knew that this alone was not enough. It could only make the proud Uchiha clansmen outwardly fervent. To make them submit to him in both heart and body, they needed to personally experience Hane's true strength.

With that in mind, Hane decided not to say any more and went straight to the point. After all, once he succeeded, the Uchiha Clan would not only be able to directly control Konoha, but might even rise to become the Royal Family in the future.

When that time came, what would any of this matter?

Hane swept his gaze across the youths present. His spiritual power leaked out slightly, and everyone there, including Uchiha Retsuyō, instantly felt a suffocating pressure.

"I'm sure everyone understands Konoha's current attitude toward the Uchiha Clan. The Uchiha Clan has reached the point where we have no choice but to resist. Otherwise, in the near future, we will be nothing more than meat on the plate of Konoha's higher-ups."

The moment the youths heard Hane's words, they sat up straight, each staring at him without letting their eyes wander.

"I know that most of you came here because you were drawn by my strength. For that, I, Uchiha Hane, am honored that you trust a child like me so much. Now, let's begin with a simple introduction so I can get to know you all!"

"Yes, Young Clan Leader!"

The Uchiha youths answered in unison.

"I am Uchiha Xuan. Greetings, Young Clan Leader!"

"I am Uchiha Jingjie. Greetings, Young Clan Leader!"

"I am Uchiha Shuxiong. Greetings, Young Clan Leader!"

The many youths respectfully introduced themselves one by one.

Relying on his powerful memory, Hane instantly committed their appearances, traits, and names to memory.

Only after everyone had finished introducing themselves did Hane speak calmly.

"Everyone, I'm sure you have all personally felt the difficulties facing the Uchiha Clan today. What I wish to say is this: if a clan is divided in heart, it will fail at anything it attempts. If we want to oppose Konoha's higher-ups, our own clan must first stand united. I hope that from now on, there will be no more absurd divisions like the Radicals and the Moderate Faction."

"Not only that, our immediate goal is to eliminate these two divisions within the clan. From now on, the entire clan may have only one voice—my voice. Can you do that?"

Hane looked sharply at the Uchiha youths before him.

At once, several youths' expressions changed, and the way they looked at Hane was no longer as fervent as before.

Hane had expected this. This was the Uchiha: everyone had their own reasons for being stubborn. Only through overwhelming strength and unchangeable facts could they be made to truly submit.

Hane was entirely unmoved by their change. He simply waited for their next response.

"I, Uchiha Retsuyō, will surely abide by the Young Clan Leader's will!"

The first to step forward was, without question, Uchiha Retsuyō, whom Hane had beaten into submission.

"And the rest of you?" Hane nodded at Retsuyō, then looked toward the others.

"Young Clan Leader, I admit that you are a genius the Uchiha Clan has not seen in a century, perhaps even comparable to our ancestor Uchiha Madara. But isn't it too arrogant to think that we alone can control the will of the entire clan?"

A clan youth stood up, enduring the powerful pressure Hane gave off, uncertainty flickering in his eyes.

He had originally thought that the Young Clan Leader so highly praised within the clan would be a rational person, but he had clearly been mistaken. That arrogant tone made him somewhat resentful. After all, not even their ancestor Uchiha Madara had been able to completely control the thoughts of the entire clan.

"You don't need to understand how I intend to do it. I only want to know whether you agree with what I just said," Hane replied with a light laugh.

"Forgive me, but I find it difficult to understand. If this is how the Young Clan Leader thinks, then how are you any different from our ancestor Madara? Captain Retsuyō, I'll take my leave." With that, the Uchiha youth swiftly rose and headed outside.

Uchiha Retsuyō's expression turned ugly. He had carefully selected this group, yet someone was leaving right at the start. It was clearly a slap in his face.

Hane showed no reaction. Instead, he calmly continued, "Is anyone else leaving?"

Immediately, more than ten hesitant Uchiha youths hurriedly bowed to Uchiha Retsuyō and quickly left.

They had come today merely to hear what insights this youth comparable to their ancestor Madara might have. Yet he had opened with such dictatorial words. Out of consideration for appearances, they had not been the first to stand up, but now that someone had taken the lead, they could only excuse themselves.

Hane watched the clansmen leave one after another with deep eyes. He had never intended to keep too many people today. Resources were limited, and only by first screening out clansmen with divided loyalties could he keep those who truly believed in him as his first batch of elite enforcers and waste fewer resources.

After all, there were only so many medicinal herbs at present. It was clearly unrealistic to enhance every clansman sitting here. Rather than let those who followed him feel it was unfair, he might as well first select a group most loyal to him and establish ranks. Once resources became more plentiful in the future, they could be distributed according to seniority. Those who left today would surely regret it enough.

Only when twelve clansmen remained seated did Hane nod in satisfaction.

"Brother Retsuyō, there's no need to feel guilty. People's hearts are prone to change. Once we achieve results in the future, the clansmen will know who was right and who was wrong." Hane glanced leisurely at Uchiha Retsuyō, whose face had darkened so much it seemed ready to drip water.

"Young Clan Leader, I failed to choose the right people. Will this affect your plans going forward?" Uchiha Retsuyō asked with a slight bow.

"No. I expected them to leave. All right, now let me explain what we will do next!" Hane answered calmly.

"Yes, Young Clan Leader!" the remaining people answered in unison.