After the two sides had tentatively agreed to an alliance, the atmosphere was clearly much warmer than it had been at the start.
The two then discussed the situation in Konoha further.
"Mr. Sui, you must be hoping to help your older brother?"
Uchiha Fugaku spoke with a smile.
"His taking that position was the result of compromises on several fronts. Minato has no intention of changing anything."
River smiled faintly.
Fugaku's eyes flickered, and he began to understand.
Compared to Minato Namikaze's passionate dreams and ideals, the Namikaze Sui before him clearly placed more weight on reality. Put simply, he was an ambitious man.
But that was a good thing for the Uchiha Clan. They were ambitious, too.
Greater power and more room to survive were things every ambitious person wanted.
"Forgive my bluntness, but the Namikaze Clan still has far too few members!"
Uchiha Fugaku sighed and shook his head.
"I'll find a way to solve that problem. Unlike Konoha's great clans, the Namikaze Clan doesn't need blood ties to hold it together."
River spoke with a smile.
Besides, Konoha had no shortage of sparsely populated clans. The Yamanaka Clan and the Akimichi Clan, for instance, were practically single lines of descent.
With Minato Namikaze's current standing, combined with River's strength and methods, building a clan was actually a simple matter.
"Is that so?"
Uchiha Fugaku grew thoughtful, then nodded in understanding.
Strictly speaking, even within the Uchiha Clan, there weren't many people with pure bloodlines who actually possessed the Sharingan. Far more were civilians or others affiliated with the clan.
After generations of intermarriage, the clan's bloodline had also grown diluted, leaving only a small minority capable of awakening their eyes.
After chatting a little longer, River rose to take his leave.
"Then thank you for your