After reorganizing order at the front lines once more, Uchiha Takashi sought out the second elder stationed there.
The second elder was somewhat surprised that Uchiha Takashi had come to him of his own accord.
"Uchiha Takashi, what brings you here?" the second elder asked in puzzlement. "Is there still a problem somewhere on the front lines?"
Uchiha Takashi shook his head, raised his scarlet eyes, and said to the second elder, "I think... there's a problem with the path our clan has been taking..."
The instant he saw those eyes, the second elder sucked in a cold breath. He had only encountered eyes like these in legends.
"Those eyes of yours, could they be..." the second elder said in disbelief.
Uchiha Takashi nodded. "That's right. The Mangekyō Sharingan, possessing unrivaled power..."
Upon receiving confirmation, the second elder threw his head back and roared with laughter. "Hahahahaha! Heaven truly smiles upon our Uchiha Clan! To think that a Mangekyō Sharingan wielder would emerge at our clan's most difficult hour!"
Uchiha Takashi watched the second elder quietly without speaking. Only after the second elder finished laughing did he say, "Second elder, although these eyes are powerful, they come with a very serious consequence.
"Once these eyes are overused, they will go completely blind... so I can't rely on them too heavily."
Hearing this, the second elder calmed his excitement before saying, "Yes, I've heard something about that as well. What did you mean about a problem with the clan's path?"
Although Uchiha Takashi was only ten, he had the Mangekyō Sharingan. In the Uchiha Clan, if your fists were stronger, your words made sense.
As far as the second elder was concerned, if Uchiha Takashi could awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan at ten, then what he said had to be sound!
"Our clan's income comes mainly from missions and the production work of a very small number of clansmen. So why can't we establish a camp to take in refugees and have them produce goods for us?
"We could have refugees handle production to support our shinobi. That way, our shinobi wouldn't need to keep going out on missions. They could focus on training within the clan and only be called up when war came.
"Meanwhile, once we've established a camp of our own, we can develop it into a town in the future. As our population grows, we can even organize samurai forces, while also selecting shinobi from among the commoners to serve us!"
That was right. This was Uchiha Takashi's path: he intended to establish a nation belonging to the Uchiha Clan! No matter how powerful a single clan was, it could never contend with a nation!
With the Uchiha's strength, the greatest in the Shinobi World, backed by a nation, unifying the entire Shinobi World would no longer be mere talk!
The second elder's eyes widened at these words. "Do you know what you're saying? This... may indeed have some merit, but have you considered the daimyo?
"The Daimyo of the Land of Fire will never allow us to do such a thing! Doing this would be no different from establishing a new nation!"
Uchiha Takashi said calmly, "I know. That's why we can control him with Genjutsu and make the Daimyo of the Land of Fire agree to our conditions.
"But we absolutely cannot let the Senju Clan and the others learn of this. Or rather, we can't let them find out so early. We must secure a first-mover advantage to pull ahead."
Uchiha Takashi knew that if their Uchiha Clan started building a nation like this, the other clans would be unable to resist making a move sooner or later.
When that time came, it would no longer be a chaotic war between clans, but warfare between nations. So what? Without a nation, unifying the Shinobi World would ultimately remain nothing but nonsense!
To end war completely and change so-called destiny, they had to establish a nation belonging exclusively to the Uchiha Clan, then use that nation to unify the entire Shinobi World. Only unification could put a complete end to this meaningless warfare!
"But this... doesn't conform to our ancestral traditions..." the second elder said hesitantly. He was not afraid that this would cause the other clans to join forces against the Uchiha.
In his eyes, the Uchiha Clan could stand against the entire world. His only concern now was that this might go against tradition.
Uchiha Takashi leaned forward slightly and pointed at his eyes. "Second elder, look into my eyes. Why do you think our ancestor Indra didn't have the same idea?
"Our ancestor Indra incurred the Sage of Six Paths' displeasure precisely because he wished to govern the entire Shinobi World through force. As I see it, what I'm doing carries on our ancestor Indra's will all the more!
"The Uchiha Clan is invincible! Once we have our own nation and our own army, our shinobi will no longer need to suffer losses on missions!
"We can deploy our shinobi directly as a samurai army. When that time comes, who in the Shinobi World could resist us? Who could stand against the Uchiha Clan's blades?
"When that time comes, the Uchiha Clan will have the sole say in the Shinobi World! The entire Shinobi World will advance according to our clan's will and be completely unified."
Listening to these words, the second elder swallowed. In truth, that magnificent vision of the future really did set his blood boiling.
Yet he still hesitated somewhat. "But this way, can we really..."
"Second elder, do you think our Uchiha Clan lacks the strength to accomplish this?" Uchiha Takashi immediately demanded sternly. "We have more than enough ability to overcome the obstacles in our path!
"What's wrong with making the Shinobi World advance according to our Uchiha Clan's will? I will make the Uchiha Clan stand at the very pinnacle of the world!"
Looking at the young Uchiha Takashi before him, brimming with bold ambition, the second elder's breathing grew heavier. He opened his mouth, wanting to offer some rebuttal, but ultimately only gritted his teeth.
"Good! Well said! The Uchiha Clan fears no one! Our will shall guide the Shinobi World's progress in the future! The Uchiha Clan will ultimately stand at the pinnacle of the Shinobi World!
"You're right, boy. The Uchiha Clan is the strongest in the Shinobi World. Our clan's glory will flourish fully in our hands!"
Watching the second elder's excited expression, Uchiha Takashi curled his lips. With the second elder, he needed to inspire him through the Uchiha Clan's strength and confidence.
As a pure-blooded Uchiha, the second elder responded best to this approach. He would not listen at all if you gave him a long lecture full of reasoning and analysis. Instead, you had to tell him about the Uchiha Clan's glory and strength.
Only by making his blood boil and stirring his emotions would you have a chance of persuading him.
Uchiha Takashi's plan went smoothly. He had successfully persuaded the second elder, so the first elder's opinion no longer mattered.
Whether the first elder supported him or opposed him, the Uchiha Clan could now move forward entirely along the path he had laid out.
Build high walls, stockpile grain, and delay claiming kingship. The first step now was to establish a village.
Afterward, they would gradually expand it into a town, then develop outward, and finally announce to the entire Shinobi World the founding of the Uchiha Clan's nation! They would unify the entire Shinobi World.
Although establishing a nation might cause more casualties and even fiercer wars during this process, these were all necessary sacrifices.
These were sacrifices necessary for the era to progress, a price paid so that future wars would no longer be like those of the present! It had to be borne.
Uchiha Takashi would not abandon unification out of fear of this so-called war, as Jiraiya and Naruto did. Unification was the only true path. That was engraved into his soul!
From this moment onward, he would rewrite the Shinobi World's destiny!
And this would also be recorded in the history books of later generations as the turning point of the Shinobi World!