Flowing Fire: He Didn't Understand, but He Was Awestruck

In the office.

Danzo met Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, then turned away with a cold snort. "Forget I said anything!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi kept his eyes on Danzo.

A long moment passed.

Then he said, "There's no point discussing that now. We need to discuss the Uchiha. How are we going to deal with them?"

"..."

Silence fell over the office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed.

The Uchiha had always looked fierce, like a tiger sleeping right beside Konoha.

But once he found their weak point, they were still easy enough to handle.

Kagami Uchiha was a good example.

He had originally planned to follow his teacher, Tobirama Senju, and use the Boiling a Frog Slowly approach: change the Uchiha bit by bit until they let down their guard completely.

Then they could blend peacefully into the village, as naturally as spring rain soaking into the earth.

That was why he had approached Shisui years ago, hoping to repeat his success with Kagami Uchiha... only to discover that Shisui's ideas were rather unorthodox.

Later, he had approached Uchiha Itachi. Itachi was every bit as gifted as Shisui and had a deep understanding of the Will of Fire and the nature of their conflicting positions.

He hated war, loved peace, and kept his thoughts beneath the surface. He would make an excellent successor to Kagami Uchiha.

It was just that he was still young.

Before he could be put to use, he needed more time to mature...

In the meantime,

Hiruzen had decided to try his luck with Shinji Uchiha as well.

He had never expected a mere seventeen-year-old to outmaneuver him, the Hokage! It had happened too fast. Far too fast for him to react!

Shinji had said he would become Clan Head in three to five years.

Instead, it had taken him less than three days!

Last night, Uchiha Itachi had reported the Clan Meeting to him almost word for word. On the surface, Shinji Uchiha had advocated peace.

But Hiruzen Sarutobi understood.

They were in serious trouble!

Shinji Uchiha was nothing like Fugaku.

The boy's presence as a leader, his formidable strength, his unconventional ideas, his ability to judge the situation...

Every one of those qualities left the aging Hiruzen Sarutobi on edge.

If he were thirty years younger,

he would have been confident he could keep Shinji Uchiha in check.

Unfortunately,

he was old!

Most importantly, judging by Shinji Uchiha's behavior last night, he had known all along that Root had killed his parents! And the order to surround the Uchiha Clan Compound had come from Hiruzen Sarutobi himself!

Everyone knew it!

A "child" who could hide his hatred for nearly ten years?

A chill ran down Hiruzen Sarutobi's spine!

"Ah..."

Sarutobi sighed. "Why isn't anyone saying anything? Homura, you speak."

Mitokado Homura glanced at Utatane Koharu, then at Danzo's dark expression, and shook his head. "I haven't worked anything out yet..."

"There's only one way!"

Danzo spoke suddenly, his voice sinister. "He's only seventeen, and he's already pulled off something this big. If we let him lead the clan for a few more years, he'll become a real force to reckon with. Then we'll be facing something far worse than the laughable coup they planned under Fugaku!"

"What I mean is..."

He turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi. "We get rid of him for good!"

When Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned,

Danzo added, "Even if we can't eliminate him, we must find a way to drive him out of the Clan Head's seat!"

Mitokado Homura's eyes lit up. "Exactly! But if the Hokage's faction directly interferes in a clan's internal affairs, the other major clans will grow wary. They'll resist us together and distance themselves from the village. So..."

"So we need allies to put pressure on the Uchiha with us," Utatane Koharu finished. "After all, the Uchiha Clan has never been popular in the village. They have no one to turn to!"

The four exchanged glances. Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "Danzo, do whatever you can. Make it clean and decisive. Leave no evidence and cause no scandal!"

Danzo froze.

He was stunned. Had Hiruzen Sarutobi really just said that?

"Understood!" he replied, visibly fired up.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "At the same time, we'll tackle this from both sides."

"Kakashi!"

"Lord Hokage!"

"Inform the heads of the major ninja clans that I have something to discuss with them. Ask them to come to the Hokage Building."

"Yes, sir!"

"Nii-san! Did you really become Clan Head?"

Uchiha Yehuo's eyes shone as he circled Shinji.

Shinji came back to his senses and sighed helplessly. "Yes, yes... But don't bother me right now. I'm thinking."

"About what?"

"The Uchiha's future..."

"Mm!"

Seeing Nobihi as gleeful as a horse let loose from its reins, Shinji's eyes took on an unreadable look.

Nobihi, Nobihi...

Forget it... I'll take things one step at a time.

Shinji Uchiha raised a hand to his eyes. He could feel his Mangekyo Sharingan evolving rapidly under the influence of his SS-rank Yin Release. He hoped that damned system would come through for him.

He let out a slow breath.

"Yin Release is at SS rank. Yang Release needs to catch up," Shinji murmured. "I need to keep them balanced and build a solid foundation for the future."

With that, he decisively spent 2,500 Gold Coins on Yang Release, raising it from S rank to SS rank.

The Gold Coins he had only just amassed dropped to 151 in an instant.

But...

Shinji's cellular vitality surged once more!

His SS-rank mastery of Yin Release Chakra combined with his SS-rank mastery of Yang Release Chakra.

Together, they gave Shinji an immense ceiling for physical strength, mental energy, and bodily resilience. They also boosted his growth rate, vitality, chakra reserves, and ability to recover from physical injuries!

What was more, when battle came,

he could generate an enormous amount of chakra in an instant!

And that was without counting the Uzumaki Clan bloodline he had incorporated just last night!

One plus one was greater than three!

What thrilled Shinji most was the new S-rank talent that had appeared on his talent screen!

—Hand-Seal-Less Healing!

So I'm gradually becoming more like Hashirama Senju? No... not quite. Apart from the vast chakra reserves, powerful self-healing, and strong physique, I don't feel anything particularly different...

Then why was Hashirama Senju said to have the body of a sage?

Was it just Wood Release?

Shinji rubbed his chin and thought for a moment.

Well, forget it. I can figure it out later!

Shinji stretched.

He changed out of his robe and into an outfit bearing the Uchiha Clan Clan Crest.

Then he fastened his Tachi to the specially made clasp on his leather belt.

He checked himself in the mirror.

The sharp expression reflected there was a little off-putting. Shinji pressed his thumb and forefinger against the corners of his mouth, coaxing them into a gentle smile.

He narrowed his eyes.

"Perfect."

"Clan Head!"

Just then, Ryuka's voice rang out. "The Third Hokage wants you at a meeting in the Hokage Building!"

Shinji turned to Ryuka with a gentle smile, as though the news did not surprise him at all.

"Where's Shisui?"

Ryuka laughed.

"Him? He's busy. The combat unit has it a little easier, but that kid Shisui is run off his feet. Kei's practically yelling right in his face. He spends all day in the office, looking as miserable as a newlywed wife!"

Shinji shook his head.

"Shisui has talent. He'll learn to be a good leader soon enough. Don't fall behind him, or I'll train you myself!"

Ryuka's smile stiffened. His swagger vanished.

"Uh, clan head, you'd better get to the Hokage Building..." he said haltingly. "Should we bring some people to secure the area?"

"No need."

Shinji shook his head with an amused smile. "If anyone makes the first move, it'll be me. If Hiruzen Sarutobi dares strike before I do, Konoha is finished."

"Oh. All right!"

Uchiha Ryuka scratched his head.

He didn't understand a word of it, but he was awestruck.