The Clan Meeting

"Waaah! What was all that garbage I used to eat? What's this dish called?!"

Nawaki asked between frantic mouthfuls.

"Golden Fried Rice."

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

"It's so good!"

Kushina stopped putting up a fight. She figured 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 again!"

Tsunade's words left Mito a little displeased, 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 for you is the least I can do to repay that kindness."

"You're too polite, Eiji! I may be two years older than you, 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 just like that, a simple plate of fried rice won Eiji a place in the Senju Ancestral Home as its top cook. If anyone accused him of living off the Senju Clan in the future, he had an answer: he was their cook!

Meanwhile, the Great Families were stirring.

Hyuga Clan Compound.

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

Hyuga Hiashi made his proposal at the Clan Meeting with a solemn expression. The elders and promising young members immediately began to murmur.

They certainly knew who Ryuuzaki Eiji was. News that a Ninja Academy student who had yet to graduate could fight a Root ninja on equal terms was impossible to keep quiet. The Great Families had learned of it early on.

"I'm aware of the situation. Your proposal has merit. The clan needs to win over promising people in Konoha."

Hyuga Hiashi's father, Hyuga Soichiro, took a sip of tea before speaking calmly.

"Well then, Hiashi, tell us what you think."

He was giving Hiashi a chance to prove himself. As the man who would one day inherit the position of Clan Leader, Hiashi needed to establish his authority before taking on such responsibilities.

"Yes. Ryuuzaki Eiji is a war orphan from Konoha, so I think we should offer him financial support. And with the Dojutsu Kekkei Genkai he's just awakened... The Great Families must already be planning marriage alliances. We need to act first!"

"Absurd! How could we arrange a marriage with an outsider? No matter how talented he is, we cannot break the rules!"

An 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 Technique 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 all this time, only to reveal it suddenly. What did that mean?

It means he's confident he can negotiate with the higher-ups!

But what kind of power would make someone like him dare to reveal his strength?

Thinking back to the power Eiji had displayed that day, Hiashi formed a bold theory. Could Eiji keep that state active indefinitely and shut out any attack?

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

How is anyone supposed to compete with that? He kept all that hidden?!

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

If it was true, the Hyuga and Uchiha would be reduced to third-rate clans. Forget competing to be the foremost Dojutsu family—they would be lucky to compete for second. They would not even be fit to carry Eiji's shoes.

If they did not arrange a marriage now, would Eiji still give a rule-bound clan like the Hyuga a second glance once he had plenty of children of his own?

Honestly, if Hiashi had not been Eiji's age and had a child already, he would have offered his future child to Eiji in advance.

"What's more, he already has the support of Lady Mito and Lady Tsunade, and he's close to Kushina Uzumaki. His future is boundless! If none of you agree, then at least don't provoke him. Once I become Clan Leader, I'll marry my own daughter to him as a Concubine!"

"Have you gone mad?! Clan Leader, aren't you going to do something about your son?!"

The elder was so furious he practically had steam coming out of his ears. He glared and spluttered. What was this nonsense?

Could a normal person say something like that?

He even suspected Hyuga 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 could not change the clan himself, but he saw hope for change in his son.

Uchiha Clan Compound.

"We can't let those Hyuga bastards get ahead of us! I can tell Hiashi's already thinking about it! We have to secure Ryuuzaki Eiji's support first!"

At the same time, Uchiha Fugaku spoke loudly at his clan's meeting.

It was the first time he had taken such an active role in one. He believed Konoha's future might come to revolve around Eiji.

He had no direct evidence, but his strong intuition—and the air of power Eiji had exuded that day—left him unable to think otherwise.

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

Unlike the typical Uchiha, Uchiha Fugaku's father, Uchiha Somei, was a steady man.

He had no illusions that his clan stood above all others. The Shinobi World held many powerful clans, and the Uchiha's greatest strength had been embodied by Madara Uchiha.

The Sharingan was powerful, certainly, but without awakening the Mangekyo, it did not make someone truly invincible.

And geniuses like that did not grow like cabbages in a field. They could not simply appear whenever one wanted.

Now a boy named Ryuuzaki Eiji had awakened what appeared to be a Dojutsu Kekkei Genkai. Somei could not afford to ignore him.

After all, Eiji might become the founder of a third great Dojutsu Kekkei Genkai Family. Only a fool with no strategic sense would fail to build ties with him early.

"We're proud Uchiha! Why would we need to win over a Civilian Ninja?"

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

"For all we know, those eyes are useless and riddled with Bloodline Disease. How could they compare to the Sharingan?!"

The younger Uchiha began to raise a clamor. When Fugaku had taken them to beat up that Civilian Ninja whose surname they did not even know two days earlier, they had wondered why. So it had been to get on Ryuuzaki Eiji's good side!

That would not do. Since when had the proud Uchiha sunk to currying favor with someone else?

Fugaku looked at the fools around him and wanted to punch them in the face.

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

Do you not understand the Uchiha's position? Keep looking down on everyone, and what happens if the higher-ups get an excuse to come down hard on our clan?

"I don't care what you think of Ryuuzaki Eiji. As the heir to the clan, I won't 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. Their young heir was normally so unassuming—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 entire Uchiha Clan throwing its full weight behind him?

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

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

"Yes. Based on what I've seen, his ability is nothing like the object manipulation people are talking about. It's a Kekkei Genkai Technique that shuts out external forces. Whether it can block Ninjutsu is unknown, but it probably can. We also don't know how long it lasts, but from what I know of Ryuuzaki Eiji, I suspect it lasts a very long time!"

The clan members were instantly shaken. That was explosive news. If Eiji could shut out external forces, including Ninjutsu, would that not make him invincible?

Everyone started talking at once.

"Hah! He definitely can't block Genjutsu, so we're still stronger!"

A young Uchiha clan member had spoken.

He was wrong. The Six Eyes could naturally see the flow of energy within the body, making it clear whether an opponent was casting Genjutsu and whether one's own energy flow had changed abnormally.

Genjutsu would never work on Eiji in the first place. Even if an opponent's Genjutsu was powerful enough to take effect, he could instantly restore the normal flow of Chakra in his body and break free.

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

"We don't know what's really going on. That's only the young heir's opinion. We still don't know the truth."

Watching his clan members grow nervous, Uchiha Fugaku's brilliant mind sprang into action. A bold idea was born!

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

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

So all we need is for the Uchiha to stop being the strongest!

Ryuuzaki Eiji, another Kekkei Genkai wielder, struck Fugaku as exceptionally gifted. If Eiji had enough descendants, they could quickly form a new Dojutsu Kekkei Genkai Family.

When that time came, even if Eiji's Kekkei Genkai was weaker than the Uchiha's, the two families could look out for each other.

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

If no one agrees, I'll have more children myself and send them to Ryuuzaki Eiji for marriage alliances when they're older!

Damn it, Hiashi. You think you can beat me to this? As if you stand a chance!