After those few bouts, no one doubted Uchiha Mu's strength anymore. In fact, only a handful of people who had known him before had doubted him in the first place.
When he reached the place where the weapons had been stored, an Uchiha was waiting there: Uchiha Setsuna, whose strength was fairly impressive. Looking at the middle-aged Uchiha, Uchiha Mu asked, "Setsuna? Was there something you wanted to discuss?"
"What does a clan mean to you?" Uchiha Setsuna looked at Uchiha Mu, seemingly unwilling to let him pass without an answer.
"A clan? To me, it's a group of people who support one another to survive. These days, we're just people with the same surname who have no choice but to live together." Uchiha Mu thought back to the Warring States Period. Who would have left their clan back then?
That would have been suicide. Without a clan's protection, the Senju or another shinobi clan would have casually run them over like a speed bump, unless they possessed strength like Madara's and had nothing to fear from anyone who challenged them.
"Is that so? Then did you establish the Hundred-Clan Shinobi Nation to eliminate the influence of shinobi clans?" Uchiha Setsuna pressed.
"More or less. But no shinobi clans have joined us yet. We're mostly made up of wandering shinobi and civilians." Of course, Uchiha Mu was not about to volunteer that he had been scouring the shinobi world for orphans with kekkei genkai.
"All right. I have one more question. What do you think of the Uchiha Clan, and what do you think of Lord Madara's departure?" Although Madara had been "killed" by Hashirama, those of their generation had never acknowledged anyone but Madara.
"The Uchiha Clan? Arrogant people so lost in the glory Lord Madara brought them that they can't pull themselves out, convinced that having the Sharingan makes them invincible. Very few of them are normal. I suppose that sums up my view of the clan," Uchiha Mu said after some thought. Of course, that excluded those who had not awakened their eyes.
After all, those who had awakened their eyes looked down on everyone, unless the other person also had the Sharingan and surpassed them in strength. Even when facing people from other shinobi clans, they would think, Just wait until I awaken two tomoe, three tomoe, or the Mangekyō Sharingan. They always had an excuse.
"You think we're arrogant?" Uchiha Setsuna looked at Uchiha Mu. "Could it be that you're the arrogant one, Mu?"
"Hm?" Uchiha Mu furrowed his brow. The man seemed to have a point. He had never made a serious effort to befriend his clansmen, staying on the fringes from the very beginning. If the system had never appeared, he probably would have lived his whole life that way. From the outset, he had unconsciously assumed that the entire Uchiha Clan was full of nutcases.
"We Uchiha are arrogant, but we have the strength to back it up. I am, you are, and so are our other clansmen. The difference is that you look down on the entire shinobi world, while we only look down on people at our own level." With that, Uchiha Setsuna stood and stepped aside.
"Lord Izuna's belongings have been packed. Go get them. Mu, don't forget that you're an Uchiha," Uchiha Setsuna said, staring at him.
"I won't. Don't worry." Uchiha Mu shook his head, then walked inside and collected all of Izuna's equipment. His view of the Uchiha had shifted a little.
Uchiha Setsuna was right. He had his own arrogance; he simply had never noticed it before. Now that someone had pointed it out, it seemed to have faded. He saw the Uchiha in a new light. Perhaps he should try to change his prejudices, too.
With that thought, he began wandering around the clan grounds. Ordinary Uchiha clansmen were different from those who had awakened their eyes. They were more friendly and approachable. He had not considered taking ordinary clansmen with him before, either. They were not suited to life on the move.
But could he take some of them now? Probably not. Those who had awakened their eyes would think Konoha would target them afterward. Having everyone leave was even less likely; otherwise, they would have left with Madara long ago.
"Uchiha Mu?"
Uchiha Mu looked at a kid a little younger than himself. "And you are?"
"Kagami Uchiha. Why did you choose to leave the village and establish a new one on your own?" Kagami Uchiha did not understand. They had finally ended the war and achieved peace, yet Uchiha Mu's departure had created a rift between the Uchiha and the village.
"Kagami, huh? Do you think an Uchiha will ever become Hokage?" Uchiha Mu remembered this kid, who was a little younger than him. He had appeared in the original story, so Mu had a vague impression of him, but not much more.
"Yes. Lord Hokage doesn't treat the Uchiha any differently." Kagami Uchiha had met Hashirama, and he was warmhearted and gentle toward everyone.
"You have a point. I look forward to seeing you become Hokage. You can ask me that question as a Kage then. After all, I'm the ruler of a nation now, and I came to the village this time by invitation." Uchiha Mu patted Kagami Uchiha on the head.
"Wait, did you come to discuss peace?" Kagami Uchiha could not help asking.
"More or less. Relax. As long as Hashirama is alive, Konoha won't face any unrest. Train hard. Of course, I could give you all some training myself. I'll be staying with the Uchiha Clan for the next couple of days." Uchiha Mu decided to try changing the Uchiha. They revered the strong, so he thought it might do some good.
"You'll train us?" Kagami Uchiha could hardly believe it.
"Why not? I trained people in the Land of Whirlpools and helped Sunagakure." Although Uchiha Mu had harbored ulterior motives in both cases, those were aimed at the ruling class. For ordinary people, his actions had been a great boon.
"I don't understand."
"So, are you coming or not?" Uchiha Mu asked with a smile.
"Yes, of course." Kagami Uchiha wanted to see for himself whether Uchiha Mu was as strong as the rumors claimed.
Before long, news that Uchiha Mu planned to train the Uchiha Clan spread throughout the clan and soon reached Tobirama Senju's ears. Mu had made no attempt to hide it from him, after all, so it was not long before Tobirama Senju appeared before him.
"So, Uchiha Mu, what are you trying to do?" Tobirama Senju asked, his brow deeply furrowed.
"Relax. I'm just training them and trying to curb that arrogance of theirs while I'm at it."
Tobirama Senju did not believe him. He knew Uchiha Mu must have some deeper intention, even if he had not yet figured out his goal. Whatever the case, once Uchiha Mu went through with this, he would not be able to trust the Uchiha in the slightest.
"How about this? Shinobi from the village's other clans can come, too."
"There's no need. Preferably, the Uchiha shouldn't go either," Tobirama Senju said sternly.
"I did help you make money, you know," Uchiha Mu said quietly, leaning toward Tobirama Senju.
"This is a matter of principle," Tobirama Senju replied, crossing his arms.
"How about this much..." Uchiha Mu leaned closer again and gestured a figure that Tobirama Senju could not refuse.
"All right. I can send word for the other shinobi to come as well, but I must be present." Tobirama Senju simply could not turn down the figure Uchiha Mu had offered.
"No problem." Uchiha Mu smiled. He did not care how many people came. As long as the seed was planted in their minds, instilling more ideas later would be much easier.
Tobirama Senju then looked at the ANBU nearby. Upon receiving the assignment, the ANBU hurried toward the mission board and the other shinobi clans to spread word of Uchiha Mu's lessons.
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