This was not up for negotiation!

Of everyone present, probably only Minato, as his teacher, and Kakashi, as the person involved, reacted immediately.

Holy shit, the Uchiha's very first strike was actually aimed at them?!

"Hello, young clan leader of the Uchiha. This is a keepsake my closest friend Obito solemnly entrusted to me before he died. There is no way I can hand it over!"

Kakashi suddenly stepped forward and spoke firmly.

Only after hearing Kakashi's words did everyone catch on.

Because Kakashi kept that Sharingan covered with his mask, most of the people here did not know the inside story.

As for those who did, like Hiruzen Sarutobi, it was a blind spot right under their noses. They had not thought of him at first.

So Seiichi had spoken up not because he wanted to ask the village for help, but because there was a Sharingan right here.

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a headache coming on.

Kakashi's teacher was Minato, Minato's teacher was Jiraiya, and Jiraiya's teacher was him.

He had wanted to sit back and watch the show, but after going around in a circle, the fire had still reached him.

Kakashi was firmly part of his own faction. He could not possibly leave him to fend for himself.

"Don't speak so aggressively, young man."

Minato did not carry enough weight, and Jiraiya was absent, so Hiruzen Sarutobi had no choice but to step in personally.

And this matter was difficult to handle. Extremely difficult!

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood beside Kakashi and patted his shoulder, signaling for Kakashi to make some room.

Kakashi obediently moved aside.

"Well, Seiichi, you heard him too. This is a keepsake that Kakashi's closest friend 'gave' him before his death. It carries their deep friendship and bond, a concrete embodiment of the 'Will of Fire.' Wouldn't it be rather inappropriate to take it back so forcefully?"

He could not use force here, nor was there any way to.

He could only adopt a humbler attitude and see whether he could get Seiichi to relent.

As long as he relented this once, the Uchiha would never be able to reclaim this Sharingan.

When it came to making trouble for the Uchiha, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no objection to lowering himself a little.

If he really succeeded in letting Kakashi keep it, heh, wouldn't the sight of Kakashi strolling down the street with a Sharingan exclusive to the Uchiha sicken the ordinary members of the Uchiha Clan?

I'm an outsider, but I have the Sharingan that even you Uchiha don't!

Just thinking about it made his mouth water.

Hearing this, Minato hurried to lend his support too. He had not thought that far ahead; he simply wanted to honor the friendship between his two students, Obito and Kakashi. Right, and there was also his student Rin Nohara, who had performed the eye transplant for them.

"Hello, young clan leader of the Uchiha. I am Minato Namikaze, an elite jonin of Konoha and the teacher of Kakashi Hatake and Obito Uchiha."

Minato began by introducing himself.

He knew his status as an elite jonin did not amount to much before Seiichi.

He could only approach this as their teacher.

"Hello, Jonin Namikaze. Your performance on the battlefield has been outstanding. I think you have a good chance of becoming the next Hokage."

As things stood, the position of Hokage had nothing to do with the Uchiha anyway, so Seiichi lost nothing by using it to do someone a favor.

Most importantly, Minato's wife was Kushina Uzumaki, and Seiichi did have some designs on the Nine-Tails.

Who wouldn't want a giant portable "power bank"?

"You flatter me."

Minato had not expected Seiichi to think so highly of him.

"Here is the situation, young clan leader. This Sharingan means something truly, truly important to Kakashi.

I took on three students in total. During the Battle of Kannabi Bridge toward the end of this war, Kakashi lost an eye, while Obito was killed outright, with no remains left behind.

Even the only girl among the three, Rin, who helped transplant the eye-that sweet little girl never made it back to Konoha alive either.

Three people in one team. Two dead, one wounded.

Before he died, Obito gave this Sharingan to Kakashi as a 'belated birthday present.'

It was both Obito's final birthday present to Kakashi and the final keepsake he left him.

Rin Nohara, who performed the transplant for them, also died not long afterward.

This Sharingan became the embodiment of the deep friendship and bonds between the three of them.

Because the fighting was so urgent, we could not bring Obito's body back. This Sharingan therefore became the sole remaining reminder of his existence in this world.

Please let it stay in Kakashi's eye socket and continue watching this beautiful Shinobi World in Obito's place.

I sincerely hope you can grant this wish for Kakashi and Obito. Please, young clan leader!"

With reddened eyes, Minato Namikaze bowed ninety degrees to Seiichi.

"Please!!!"

Kakashi followed him in a ninety-degree bow.

Seiichi stepped forward and helped Minato straighten up, a helpless look on his face.

Hearing all that had, at first, moved him just a tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny bit.

But Minato's final request to grant this wish for Kakashi and Obito had nearly made Seiichi burst out laughing.

They said people with slash on the brain saw gay romance everywhere. It really was true.

Seiichi desperately recalled sad events from his past, but still nearly lost control. Finally, left with no choice, he pinched his thigh hard, only then managing not to laugh out loud on the spot.

Unfortunately, granting that wish was out of the question. At most, he could give Kakashi all the photos Obito had taken of himself at home, so he would at least have something to remember him by.

Besides, that turncoat Obito isn't even dead. Do you really need to get so worked up?

Oh, you don't know. Never mind, then. I'm saving that little secret to enjoy over drinks later, so I won't tell you for now.

"Alas, I truly sympathize with what happened to you!"

Seiichi's words brought a look of delight to Kakashi's face.

But Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato both frowned when they heard them.

Sure enough, a "but" followed.

"But our Uchiha Clan has stood in the Shinobi World for a thousand years. We absolutely cannot allow our kekkei genkai to remain in outsiders' hands. This is also an ironclad rule of our Uchiha Clan, one that no one can break.

Moreover, this is not something I, a mere young clan leader, can decide alone. Even if my father were here, he could not do it, and even adding the elders would not be enough.

There is one way to break this ironclad rule: convene a meeting of the entire clan.

Every Uchiha clan member would vote on it together, but if even one clan member disagreed, it could not go through."

Seiichi delivered those words with an expression that said he sympathized deeply but could do nothing about it.

Although he had not said it outright, Seiichi's meaning was already quite clear.

Stop dawdling and wasting my damn time. This is not up for negotiation. Hurry up and hand it over!

This left Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato Namikaze looking rather displeased.

Still, there was not much they could say.

They both knew Seiichi genuinely was not making things difficult for them on this matter. It was not just ocular jutsu clans like his; every kekkei genkai clan in the Shinobi World placed great importance on its own kekkei genkai.

After all, it was the foundation of their standing!

But as for Seiichi's claim that even he, Fugaku, and the elders together could not decide it, they could let that go in one ear and out the other.

Especially that final excuse about a clan-wide vote requiring unanimous approval-that was rather absurd.

What could possibly win unanimous approval from tens of thousands of your clan members? Even if you demanded nothing and simply handed out money, someone might well complain it was too little!