Family Meeting

"Waaah, what kind of garbage have I been eating all my life? What's this dish called?!"

Nawaki asked between frantic mouthfuls.

"Golden Fried Rice."

"That name's way too plain! I'd call it Konoha's Unbeatable Fried Rice!"

"It's so good!"

Kushina stopped fighting it. She knew she would never surpass Eiji's cooking in this lifetime, so she gave up.

"Eiji, the Senju Clan's kitchen is yours from now on! And don't say it's too much trouble! After eating this, I'll never be able to stomach anyone else's cooking!"

Tsunade's words displeased Mito a little, but she said nothing. After all, she felt the same way.

"Of course. You let a child from an ordinary family like me into the Senju Ancestral Home. Cooking is the least I can do to repay you."

"You're too polite, Eiji! I may be two years older, but from now on, you're my big brother! My real big brother! If anyone dares bully you, come straight to me. I'll beat them up!"

And so, with one simple plate of fried rice, Eiji won over everyone in the Senju Ancestral Home and secured his place as its top cook. If anyone accused him of living off the family, he had an answer: he was the cook!

Meanwhile, the other great clans were stirring.

Hyuga Clan Compound

"That's why I believe the Hyuga Clan must bring Ryuuzaki Eiji into our fold as soon as possible. A genius like him deserves special treatment from us."

Hyuga Hiashi made the proposal solemnly at the clan meeting. The elders and promising young members immediately began discussing it.

They certainly knew who Ryuuzaki Eiji was. News that a Ninja Academy student who had not even graduated could hold his own against a Root Ninja was impossible to keep quiet. The great clans had learned of it early on.

"I'm aware of the matter. Your proposal has merit. The clan needs to win over Konoha's promising talents,"

Hiashi's father, Hyuga Soichiro, said calmly after taking a sip of tea.

"Now, Hiashi, tell us what you have in mind."

He was giving Hiashi a chance to prove himself. As the future clan head, Hiashi needed to establish his authority when important matters arose.

"Yes. Ryuuzaki Eiji is a Konoha war orphan, so I think we should offer him financial support. And now that he's awakened a Dojutsu Kekkei Genkai... the other great clans must already be considering marriage alliances. We need to act first!"

"Absurd! How could we marry one of our own to an outsider? No matter how talented he is, we can't break the rules!"

A clan elder slapped his thigh in anger. He could hardly believe the future heir of the Hyuga Clan had said something so outrageous.

"I'm serious! If we don't win Ryuuzaki Eiji over now, it'll be much harder once he grows stronger. By then, even a marriage alliance will be too late."

You have no idea how powerful Eiji is!

Only someone who saw that Kekkei Genkai Ninjutsu up close could understand what it means!

By the time you realize it, it'll be too late!

To be honest, Hiashi already felt it might be too late. Eiji had kept his strength hidden for so long, only to reveal it suddenly. What did that mean?

It meant he was confident he could negotiate with the higher-ups!

What kind of power would give someone like him the confidence to reveal his strength?

Thinking back to the power Eiji had shown that day, Hiashi had a bold suspicion: could he keep that state active indefinitely and block any attack!?

And it was known that activating it had caused the amount of Chakra in his body to surge to a terrifying level.

How was anyone supposed to compete with that? He'd kept all this hidden!?

Hiashi could not be certain. The possibility was simply too frightening.

If it was true, the Hyuga and Uchiha would be reduced to third-rate clans. Forget competing for the title of strongest Dojutsu clan. They would be lucky to compete for second place; they would not even be fit to carry Eiji's shoes.

If they did not arrange a marriage now, would Eiji still have any interest in a clan as rule-bound as the Hyuga once he had plenty of children?

Honestly, if Hiashi had not been Eiji's age and childless, he would have offered Eiji one of his future children in advance.

"He also has the support of Lady Mito and Lady Tsunade, and he's close to Kushina Uzumaki. His future is boundless! If you still won't agree, then at least don't provoke him. Once I become clan head, I'll marry my own daughter to him as a concubine!"

"You've gone mad! Clan head, aren't you going to rein in your son?!"

The elder was beside himself with rage, his beard bristling and his eyes bulging. What was Hiashi even saying?

Could a normal person say something like that?

He almost suspected Hiashi was under Sharingan control.

Hyuga Soichiro waved a hand. He said nothing, but inwardly he approved. The Hyuga needed an heir with that kind of resolve! He himself could no longer bring about change, but perhaps his son could.

Uchiha Clan Compound

"We can't let those Hyuga bastards beat us to it! Hiashi's already thinking along those lines! We must secure Ryuuzaki Eiji's support first!"

At the same time, Uchiha Fugaku raised his voice at the Uchiha clan meeting.

It was the first time he had spoken so forcefully at one. He had a feeling Konoha's future might revolve around Eiji.

He had no direct proof, but his strong intuition and the air of power Eiji had given off that day made it impossible for him to think otherwise.

"Hmm... Does anyone have anything to say?"

Unlike the typical Uchiha, Fugaku's father, Uchiha Somei, was steady and composed.

He did not believe their clan stood above all others. The Shinobi World held many powerful clans, and so much of the Uchiha's reputation for strength rested on Madara Uchiha alone.

The Sharingan was certainly powerful, but without awakening the Mangekyo, its wielder was hardly invincible.

And geniuses like that did not sprout up like cabbages whenever one wanted them.

Now that a child named Ryuuzaki Eiji had awakened what appeared to be a Dojutsu Kekkei Genkai, they had to take him seriously.

After all, he could become the founder of a third great Dojutsu clan. Only a fool with no strategic vision would fail to build a relationship with him early.

"We're proud Uchiha! Why should we try to win over some Civilian Ninja?"

"Exactly! Are his eyes really that impressive? I doubt it."

"For all we know, those eyes come with some debilitating Kekkei Genkai disease. How could they compare to the Sharingan?!"

The younger Uchiha began clamoring. They had wondered why Fugaku had taken them to beat up that Civilian Ninja whose surname they did not even know the day before yesterday. So it had been to get on Ryuuzaki Eiji's good side!

That would not do. Since when had the proud Uchiha fallen so low that they needed to curry favor with someone else?

Looking at the fools around him, Fugaku wanted to punch every one of them in the face!

At a time like this, you're still showing off?

Do you not understand the Uchiha's situation? You're still acting superior. What happens if the higher-ups find an excuse to come down hard on our clan?

"I don't care what you think of Ryuuzaki Eiji. As the young clan head, I will not allow any of you to scheme against him. If you do, I'll use my authority to punish you!"

Seeing how angry Fugaku was, many of the younger clan members fell silent.

Several elders exchanged glances as well. The young clan head was usually so mild-mannered—or at least calm and collected. What had gotten into him today?

Was that boy Eiji really so formidable?

It was hard to say. Defeating a Root Ninja at such a young age was an astonishing feat, but surely it did not warrant the Uchiha Clan throwing all its weight behind him?

"Tell us what you think of his Dojutsu. If you care this much about him, you must have a theory."

Somei was pleased by his son's firm stance. At least Fugaku had a backbone.

"Yes. From what I can tell, his ability is nothing like the object manipulation people are talking about. It doesn't manipulate objects. It's a Kekkei Genkai Ninjutsu that keeps external forces away. I don't know whether it works against Ninjutsu, but it probably does. I also don't know how long it lasts, though judging by Ryuuzaki Eiji's personality, it may last a very long time!"

The clan members could no longer stay calm. That was explosive news. If it kept out external forces, including Ninjutsu, would that not make him invincible?

Everyone started talking at once.

"Hah! I bet it can't block Genjutsu. We're still stronger!"

A young Uchiha clan member spoke up.

In fact, he was wrong. The Six Eyes could naturally perceive the flow of energy within the body, making it plain whether an opponent was using Genjutsu and whether one's own energy flow had changed.

Genjutsu would fail from the start. Even if an exceptionally powerful Genjutsu took hold, Eiji could instantly restore his Chakra's normal flow and break free.

"Even if it can't block Genjutsu, that's still impressive..."

"We don't know what's really going on. That's only the young clan head's theory. His ability remains unconfirmed."

As Fugaku watched his clansmen grow uneasy, a flash of inspiration struck him. A bold idea formed in his mind!

He raised an index finger as though a little light bulb had lit up above his head.

If the village feared the Uchiha's power, then perhaps it would turn its attention to the Hyuga instead if the Hyuga Clan became stronger.

So all they needed was for the Uchiha to stop being the strongest!

Ryuuzaki Eiji, a fellow Kekkei Genkai wielder, seemed exceptionally gifted to Fugaku. If Eiji had enough descendants, they could soon form an entirely new Dojutsu clan.

Then, even if Eiji's Kekkei Genkai proved weaker than the Uchiha's, the two clans could look out for each other.

That's it! I need to find beautiful women in the clan right away!

If everyone objects, I'll have more children myself and offer them to Ryuuzaki Eiji for marriage alliances when they're older!

Damn it, Hiashi, you think you can compete with me? Do you have what it takes?!