Origins of Ninshū, Sweeping Reforms

"Lord Lu Ming... are you saying that we Uchiha and the Senju clan are actually..." Itachi's voice tightened.

"That's right."

Lu Ming looked at Itachi.

"The Sage of Six Paths founded Ninshū. Every ninja clan in the Shinobi World today descended from the divisions and evolution of Ninshū!"

"And we Uchiha inherited the bloodline of Indra, the Sage of Six Paths' eldest son. We perfectly inherited the Sage's 'Sage's Eye'—these Sharingan, capable of seeing through all things and controlling genjutsu!"

"The Senju clan, meanwhile, inherited the body of Asura, the second son. They inherited the Sage's 'Sage Body,' which is the source of their immense vitality and Wood Release!"

Lu Ming spread his arms, the Mangekyō Sharingan in his eyes radiating Kamui.

"That is why, across the entire Shinobi World, only our two clans can stand above all others! We were born at the pinnacle of the Shinobi World!"

Itachi's scalp went numb.

No wonder the Uchiha Sharingan possessed such terrifying potential for evolution.

No wonder Hashirama's Wood Release could suppress the nine Tailed Beasts! This was the power of gods!

"But what about now?"

Lu Ming sneered.

"The Senju clan abandoned its family name for the so-called goal of 'integrating into Konoha.' Now, it has completely declined, unable to find even a single descendant capable of holding up its name!"

"Looking across the Shinobi World today, only the Uchiha Clan can rely on this godly bloodline to crush everything with absolute strength!"

Lu Ming walked up to Itachi.

"Itachi, what are you still hesitating for?"

"As long as we restore the Uchiha to greatness, as long as we possess the absolute power to suppress the entire Shinobi World, we will never need to beg for peace!"

"At that time, if the Uchiha speak a single word, who would dare start a war? Who would dare cause slaughter? With a single word, we could restore peace to the entire world!"

Itachi's blood surged.

Restoring peace to the world with a single word.

What grandeur! What dominance!

Itachi raised his head and gritted his teeth.

"But... Lord Lu Ming, power without restraint becomes a disaster."

"If the Uchiha possess the power to suppress everything, who can guarantee that this power will not run wild because of ambition and bring even greater war to the Shinobi World?"

Lu Ming smiled as he looked at Itachi.

"Excellent question. That is precisely why I need you and Shisui."

"What?" Itachi froze.

"I promise that I will use ironclad rules to restrain the clan's power. I will never allow strength to become a tool for creating war."

Lu Ming patted Itachi on the shoulder.

"And you and Shisui will be the double guarantee I place upon that promise!"

"You two are the people in the Uchiha Clan who desire peace the most and possess the clearest minds."

"If one day the Uchiha's power truly spirals out of control, if I, Lu Ming, am truly consumed by ambition and become a demon who brings chaos to the Shinobi World..."

Lu Ming stared into Itachi's eyes.

"Then use the blades in your hands and your Mangekyō Sharingan to stop me!"

Those words shattered Itachi's inner defenses.

He looked at the new clan head before him, his eyes reddening.

Lu Ming had personally handed the power to check himself over to Shisui and him!

What magnanimity! What courage!

Every concern in Itachi's heart was completely swept away.

Bang!

Itachi dropped to both knees, pressing his forehead to the bluestone floor.

"Itachi swears to follow the clan head unto death! For the greatness of the Uchiha, I am willing to shed every last drop of my blood!"

Itachi Uchiha had truly become the sharp blade in Lu Ming's hand.

The next morning.

Uchiha District, central square.

Everyone looked toward the raised platform at the front of the square.

Lu Ming wore a black Divine Robe symbolizing his status as clan head, a short sword at his waist, as he strode onto the platform.

Behind him stood Uchiha Shisui, Fugaku Uchiha, and the Temple's thirteen captains in a single row.

"Greetings, Clan Head!"

Several thousand clansmen dropped to one knee, their shouts resounding through the heavens.

Lu Ming raised a hand, signaling for everyone to rise.

"Today is my first day officially taking office as the Uchiha clan head and concurrently serving as the head of the Konoha Military Police Force."

Empowered by chakra, Lu Ming's voice reached every corner of the square.

"The Uchiha of the past were a disorganized rabble, a soft target anyone could bully. But from today onward, those days are gone forever!"

Lu Ming swept his gaze over the crowd.

"I announce that the Uchiha Clan will begin comprehensive reforms starting today!"

The entire crowd held its breath and listened intently, afraid of missing even a word.

"The first resolution!"

Lu Ming raised one finger. "Establish the Hidden Dragon Hall within the clan!"

"From today onward, all children in the clan under the age of ten will no longer receive the old free-range style of family education."

"They will all enter the Hidden Dragon Hall together for unified, high-intensity closed training!"

"The Temple's elite ninja will personally oversee instruction at the Hidden Dragon Hall, teaching the finest taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu!"

"Annual assessments will be held. Outstanding students will advance directly into the Uchiha Shrine and become the clan's core fighting force! The rest will be assigned to the Military Police Force or standard mission squads according to their strengths!"

An uproar broke out.

The First Elder stood below the platform, his beard trembling.

"Centralized training? Personally taught by the Temple's elites?"

Tears streamed down the First Elder's aged face.

"Wonderful! Before, we relied entirely on the children fumbling through things themselves or being taught by their parents. How many promising talents did we waste?"

"Lord Lu Ming intends to build an endless army of geniuses from the very foundation!"

The clansmen with young children flushed red with excitement.

The Temple's elites were all top-tier experts with Three Tomoe Sharingan.

Having experts of that caliber personally teach their children was treatment they had never even dared dream of in the past!

"The second resolution!"

Without giving the crowd time to catch its breath, Lu Ming continued.

"Within the Temple, establish the Secret Arts Hall!"

Lu Ming turned his gaze toward several elders below the platform.

"First Elder, Second Elder, all of you senior elders may be too old to fight on the battlefield, but what fills your minds is the priceless treasure accumulated by the Uchiha Clan over countless centuries!"

"The Secret Arts Hall will be personally overseen by all of you elders."

"Your task is to research, improve, and upgrade the clan's ancient secret arts, and uncover the ninjutsu treasures we have overlooked!"

The elders trembled from head to toe upon hearing this.

They had believed that after Lu Ming took power, he would find old bones like them troublesome and push them to the margins.

They had never expected Lu Ming to entrust them with such an important task and place them in charge of the clan's ninjutsu core!

"Rest assured, Clan Head!"

Leaning on his cane, the First Elder's voice trembled.

"Even if this old man must stake his life on it, I will certainly carry forward the Uchiha's secret arts!"

Lu Ming nodded and unveiled the most crucial measure of today's reforms.

"The third resolution: beneath the Secret Arts Hall, establish the Hundred Arts Pavilion!"

"The Hundred Arts Pavilion?"

The clansmen exchanged looks, their faces full of confusion.

The name sounded completely unrelated to combat or ninjutsu.

"That's right, the Hundred Arts Pavilion!"

Looking at the confused crowd below, Lu Ming explained loudly.

"The Hundred Arts Pavilion's business will cover every industry, including food, clothing, transportation, research, medicine, and more!"

"I want every clansman who has not awakened the Sharingan or is not skilled in combat to join the Hundred Arts Pavilion and use our ninja advantages to conduct business and make money!"

Everyone's eyes widened.

Business? Making money?

"Clan Head..."

Uchiha Yashiro could not help stepping forward, his face full of confusion.

"We are the noble Uchiha Clan, Konoha's combat elite."

"To have us do the work of common merchants, this... this would disgrace our status!"

"Yes, Clan Head. As long as we take high-level missions, we can earn generous rewards. Why bother with food and clothing?"

Lu Ming sneered.

"Disgrace our status? Rewards from high-level missions?"

Lu Ming pointed at Yashiro's nose and sternly demanded.

"Yashiro, answer me! How much of the Military Police Force's budget was withheld by the Konoha Leadership last year?!"

Yashiro's entire body stiffened as he answered through gritted teeth.

"Nearly... nearly thirty percent was withheld."

"Then let me ask you again!"

Lu Ming pressed him step by step.

"How many of the village's high-level missions were assigned to us Uchiha?!"

Yashiro lowered his head, his face flushing red.

"None. The leadership gave all the lucrative missions to ANBU and the other clans."

"Exactly!"

Lu Ming swept his sleeve, his voice echoing above the square.

"You fools, do you still not understand?!"

"The Uchiha had no economic foundation in the past. The entire clan's food, clothing, and daily needs depended on the meager mission pay and Military Police Force funding distributed by the village!"

"Our economic lifeline has always been held tightly in the hands of the Konoha Leadership."

"They could control us however they pleased."

"If they cut off our supplies, we would not even have food to eat. What noble status would we have left to talk about? What return to our peak?!"

Those words tore through the Uchiha Clan's veil of blind arrogance.

The clansmen's faces went pale, cold sweat pouring down their backs.

They realized how laughable and fragile the pride they had once been so proud of was in the face of brutal economic reality.

"Money is not everything. But without money, nothing can be done!"

Standing atop the platform, Lu Ming looked down at the clansmen who had been thoroughly awakened.

"I am establishing the Hundred Arts Pavilion to fundamentally change this situation!"

"I want the Uchiha Clan to possess not only the strongest fighting force in the Shinobi World, but also immense wealth that could rival a nation!"

"As long as we control Konoha's economic lifeline—and even that of the entire Land of Fire—then the Konoha Leadership will have to live by the Uchiha's favor!"

Lu Ming's grand blueprint shook every clansman to the core.

Wealth that rivaled a nation. Control over the economic lifeline.

Making the Konoha Leadership live by the Uchiha's favor.

The clansmen who had once thought business beneath their status erupted with fervor and greed.

"The Clan Head is wise!"

"Establish the Hundred Arts Pavilion! We will earn all of Konoha's money!"

"To hell with those leaders! The Uchiha will take control of our own fate!"

Several thousand clansmen waved their fists, their roars deafening.

Lu Ming looked down at the square, the Mangekyō Sharingan in his eyes turning.

He knew only by advancing on two fronts could he forge a truly invulnerable behemoth.

He would give the Uchiha not only top-tier combat power, but also immense wealth.