Summoning beasts...
If the Lava Behemoth was the "rock guy" he had in mind, his strength should be pretty decent. But... did Shinji need this Shinobi World adaptation?
He ruled it out for now.
As for the Flying Thunder God Technique, a heart-to-heart with Hiruzen Sarutobi might still give him a chance to learn it.
Ruled out.
Sealing jutsu...
It seemed useless at first glance, but there were actually plenty of situations in the Shinobi World that called for sealing jutsu. It was an all-purpose tool, and essentially represented the lost legacy of the Uzumaki Clan!
Of the surviving Uzumaki, Karin was still young.
And Nagato didn't know jack shit.
He had to admit it was precious.
But compared with Nine-Tails chakra...
It didn't quite measure up.
As a member of the Uchiha Clan, Shinji wasn't short on chakra. People who claimed the Uchiha lacked chakra were generally just comparing them to Hashirama Senju.
Besides, his Yang Release had long since reached S rank. After years of exploration and development, his chakra had evolved into chakra by the ton.
But... no one would ever complain about having too much chakra.
Although this "Nine-Tails" was a bootleg, a juvenile copy, its ability to grow by devouring other tailed beasts' chakra made up for every shortcoming.
There was another point.
Shinji learned that this thing from the system would recognize him as its master immediately, allowing him to become a perfect jinchuriki on the spot...
His combat power would skyrocket!
"I choose the Uzumaki bloodline and Nine-Tails chakra!" After weighing the pros and cons, Shinji made his decision.
The moment he spoke,
the blue chakra around Shinji erupted!
Wave after wave of air surged outward from Shinji like a hurricane, making Uchiha Itachi's eyes widen in shock.
"...What a terrifying amount of chakra!"
Under that crushing chakra pressure, even moving a finger felt painfully difficult, let alone forming hand seals!
Shinji, meanwhile, felt his cellular vitality multiply several times over. His chakra extraction rate felt like counting money while lying atop mountains of gold and silver. Even he, who had never known what it meant to run short of chakra, found it frightening!
The combination of S-rank Yang Release development and the Uzumaki bloodline produced a terrifying effect greater than the sum of its parts!
And...
"Mind's Eye of the Kagura?"
With a thought, Shinji brought everything within nearly a hundred kilometers of Konohagakure into his sensory range!
An unexpected bonus!
Shinji hadn't expected the Mind's Eye of the Kagura to be imprinted in the bloodline. Was it something like a kekkei genkai?
And there were the Adamantine Sealing Chains! They were the same kind of thing!
Beside him,
Uchiha Itachi first sensed the vast chakra surging from Shinji, then felt as though someone had used the Byakugan to see straight through him, inside and out.
He couldn't sit still.
Big Brother Shinji... really was mysterious. The strength he had revealed was only the tip of the iceberg!
Fortunately,
the Nine-Tails chakra provided by the system stayed well hidden when not in use. Otherwise, Uchiha Itachi might have been scared to death.
Ignoring everyone around him, Shinji sank his consciousness into a Sealing Space filled with an endless expanse of green grass.
There were no iron cages or sinister surroundings, only a strange seal he could open and close at will. A fluffy little red fox, about the size of a rabbit, lay curled up asleep in the grass.
Sensing Shinji's approach, it lazily flicked its tails. Although it didn't open its eyes, its thoughts conveyed an instinctive sense of affection and dependence.
"What a terrifying amount of chakra..."
Shinji studied the adorable little fox sweeping its tails back and forth across the grass, inwardly shaken.
Merely a tenth of the complete Nine-Tails' chakra made him feel as though he were gazing into a deep ocean of chakra. How terrifying would the complete Nine-Tails be with yin-yang fusion?
After leaving that mental space,
Shinji used the SS Promotion Card on his Yin Release.
His spiritual energy surged once again, this time with a clear qualitative leap! As Shinji felt the three tomoe in his eyes, he vaguely sensed a thin barrier. The slightest touch would break it...
He just needed a trigger!
Just as he had thought.
Only a complete sucker would waste an incredibly precious 5,000 gold coins when every requirement had already been met and exceeded.
A long while later,
Shinji opened his eyes and glanced aside, finding Uchiha Itachi staring intently at him.
"Big Brother Shinji, were you cultivating through meditation just now?"
"Yes."
Shinji stretched.
A complicated look flickered through Uchiha Itachi's eyes.
As the newly appointed Uchiha Clan Head, he had meditated without any precautions in front of a double agent working between the village and the clan, someone despised by his own clansmen?
And that spy was the previous clan head's son...
"Itachi, what do you think?"
Uchiha Itachi let out a heavy breath. "I don't know. I used to be utterly disappointed in the clan's situation. I thought coups, power, and all that were incredibly boring, and the clan members' ideas were nothing but meaningless childishness... I came to today's clan meeting because I wanted to listen seriously to your thoughts, Big Brother Shinji..."
"And? What did you think?"
"I have no reason not to agree with your ideals, Big Brother Shinji..."
Shinji nodded and withdrew his gaze from Uchiha Itachi's neck. "Good."
Itachi hesitated before saying, "I've carefully considered everything about the village and the clan. I want to follow your example, Big Brother Shinji, and try to change the clan's thinking from within, improving the relationship between the village and the clan. So I want to resign from ANBU..."
"No."
Shinji stood and patted Itachi's shoulder, his expression complicated, as though he were looking at... a demon who had turned over a new leaf?
It was rather jarring.
After a moment's thought,
Shinji said in a consultative tone, "Itachi, have you considered how the village will react if everything that happened among the Uchiha tonight gets back to them?"
Itachi knitted his brows. "Big Brother Shinji... my political instincts aren't that sharp yet."
"Never mind. I want every word of tonight's clan meeting to land on the Third's desk, so he can read it all clearly..."
Shinji smiled. "Including my arrangements for the Konoha Military Police Force and the establishment of the Uchiha Self-Defense Force."
"...Yes!"
Uchiha Itachi nodded.
"There's also a question I'd like you to answer."
Choosing his words, Shinji said, "Suppose you had to leave the village and your family, venture alone into danger, stand against everyone, and become a missing-nin hunted by all. But all of it would be for the peace and future of the village and the clan..."
Shinji rested a hand on his shoulder. "Would you be willing to do it?"
Determination flashed in Uchiha Itachi's eyes as he dropped to one knee. "Big Brother Shinji, before I came here today, I thought about something. The village and the clan don't just need a clan head standing in the sunlight. They also need a crow hidden in the darkness..."
He abruptly raised his head, revealing his Mangekyo Sharingan. "And I've long since resolved to shoulder all of it!"
Shinji looked at him in surprise. This guy hadn't completely trapped himself in a dead end in this lifetime. Instead, had he actually figured something out?
This doesn't count as whitewashing him, does it?
He's whitewashing himself?
"...Good! Go home and rest for now."
Shinji thought for a moment, then offered a rare smile. "Prepare to welcome the coming... dawn, and a brand-new Uchiha Clan!"
"Yes!!!"
A night passed.
Konoha remained as bustling as ever. No one knew what had happened among the Uchiha the previous evening.
But,
the changes in the Konoha Military Police Force were a refreshing sight for everyone.
"Ma'am, where are your son and grandson? Why are you hauling such a heavy load out to set up a stall all by yourself?"
The stooped old woman in a coarse hemp shirt jumped in fright. The person standing before her was one of those terrifying, uniformed members of the Konoha Military Police Force!
They all had black hair and black eyes, cold demeanors that kept strangers away, and perpetually aloof expressions that made them seem distant.
Their law enforcement was always impartial and unyielding.
Konoha's residents generally kept a respectful distance.
Today was different.
After instinctively backing away, the old woman studied the officer before her. His smile was rather stiff, as though forcing a friendly expression were an assigned mission.
She hesitated, then said, "My son was a chunin... Eleven years ago, he died on the battlefield. My grandson was a student at the Ninja Academy. Eight years ago, when the fox demon rampaged through the village, he died too..."
Uchiha Qingcheng froze.
Initially, he had only approached because of the Konoha Military Police Force's new "evaluation": a single complaint from a villager would permanently disqualify an officer from becoming a reserve member of the Uchiha Self-Defense Force. It forced them to treat people warmly and take their work seriously.
But now, however proud and aloof he might be,
he couldn't help being moved.
"Ma'am, what are you selling, and which street are you going to? Let me carry it over for you." He spoke sincerely, wanting to help the elderly woman.
The old woman waved her hands anxiously. "I couldn't have a lord ninja doing manual labor. These are just some homemade Soldier Pill candies, little treats for children."
Uchiha Qingcheng waved a broad hand. "Oh, ma'am, that's not right! We're all part of Konoha. No one's higher or lower than anyone else. There's no such thing as a lord ninja. Your son was a comrade respected by our Uchiha Clan... Well, um, we're all one family, neighbors... one big, happy family?"
"Uh..."
Seeing the old woman stare at him in astonishment,
Uchiha Qingcheng's mouth twitched as he mumbled, "That's how Lord Kei taught us to say it. Did I get it wrong?"
The old woman remained stunned for a long while before saying, "I'm going over to the Ninja Academy..."
Uchiha Qingcheng paused, then lit up with delight!
It worked!
"All right! Ma'am, stay right here. I'll take the goods over first, then come straight back for you. It'll be quick, don't worry!"
With that,
Qingcheng slung the sack of candy she had been dragging onto his shoulder and leaped onto a rooftop with a swish. In a few flashes, he vanished from sight.
The old woman stood there, horror written across her face.
Only after a long, stunned silence did she stammer, "Wait, that's not right! If the candy's left there with no one watching it, won't it get stolen?"
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