"Lord Gen'yō, what did you mean just now by sending the old folks on their final journey?"
Uchiha Yashiro worked up the courage to ask the question on everyone's mind.
A trace of terror lingered in his eyes. Was their new leader going to execute those stubborn elders who refused to leave, right here on the spot?
That was far too-
"What are you thinking?"
Uchiha Gen'yō shot him an exasperated look.
"I meant those."
He pointed at the empty storehouses and the old residences behind them, each carrying the memories of generations of Uchiha.
Only then did everyone breathe a sigh of relief. Then an immense sorrow and resolve swept over them.
So he meant to burn this place down.
"We can't leave our roots here."
Gen'yō's voice was calm, yet carried a cold ruthlessness that severed every tie to the past.
"Konoha doesn't deserve to have any trace of the Uchiha. We're going to raze this place to the ground. We won't let those two old dogs, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō, find so much as a roof tile bearing our clan crest!"
"We'll make them understand that the Uchiha's departure isn't a desperate flight, but a proud farewell!"
His words struck everyone's hearts like a heavy hammer.
That's right. Rather than let their enemies occupy these houses and let those Konoha Ninja lord it over them in their former homes, they might as well put everything to the torch and reduce it all to ash!
Rather than let their ancestors' spirit tablets gather dust, they might as well let them be reborn in the flames alongside the clan!
"I understand!"
Elder Uchiha Shusa was the first to step forward. His aged face was filled with resolve.
"Let this fire burn away our past humiliation!"
"Let it blaze a path to a brand-new future!"
"Burn it!"
"Burn it all!"
Every clan member was fired up. The last trace of attachment in their eyes turned into towering fury and a longing for the future!
"Very good."
Gen'yō nodded in satisfaction.
"Itachi, how are the preparations on your end?"
Through a mental link, he communicated directly with Itachi, who was at the secret passage in the rear mountain.
This was a manifestation of the extraordinarily precise chakra control he had attained after awakening his Sage Body.
"Reporting, Lord Gen'yō! All three hundred and twelve women and children have assembled! We can evacuate at any time!"
Itachi's voice rang out in his mind, carrying a trace of excitement unique to a boy his age.
"Good. Have them wait a little longer."
Gen'yō turned his gaze toward the supplies sealed inside the scrolls.
The haul from the secret medicine vault far exceeded his expectations.
He opened a scroll, and a rich medicinal fragrance washed over him.
Rows of exquisite jade bottles were neatly arranged inside. The names of the medicines were inscribed on the bottles in the ancient Uchiha script.
"Mitsudomoe Stabilizer. It allows clan members who have just awakened the mitsudomoe to fully stabilize their ocular power within three days, reducing chakra consumption."
"Tsukuyomi Mind-Clearing Pill. Long-term use can effectively alleviate the mental strain and burden on the soul caused by the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"There's even this..."
Gen'yō picked up a bottle of medicine that gave off a faint purple glow, his gaze sharpening.
"Eternal Eye Enhancement Solution. Its success rate may be less than ten percent, but this is a forbidden medicine the outside world wouldn't even dare dream of!"
These were all the Uchiha Clan's most closely guarded secrets, never revealed to outsiders in hundreds of years!
They were the foundation that had allowed their numbers to flourish and their geniuses to emerge generation after generation!
In the past, only the core members of the clan head's and elders' direct lines had been allowed to use these precious secret medicines.
But now...
"Yashiro!"
Gen'yō called.
"Here!"
"Take these scrolls to the rear mountain immediately and distribute them to every clan member!"
"What?!"
Yashiro and the elders around him were stunned.
"Lord Gen'yō! You mustn't!"
Elder Shusa hurriedly tried to stop him. "These secret medicines are the foundation of our Uchiha! Every bottle is worth a fortune! How can we casually distribute them to everyone in the clan?"
Traditionally, these strategic supplies were supposed to be held centrally by the higher-ups and awarded according to merit.
"Our foundation?"
Gen'yō gave a cold laugh and countered.
"Let me ask you. Is the Uchiha's foundation these bottles and jars, or our living, breathing clan members?"
He looked around at the clan members, all of whom carried hidden injuries of varying degrees from years of fighting.
He looked at the young people whose eyes already showed faint streaks of blood from overusing their Sharingan.
"Let me tell you. From today onward, under me, Uchiha Gen'yō, there will be no distinction between direct and branch lines! No distinction between geniuses and ordinary talents!"
"As long as your surname is Uchiha, you're my most precious family!"
"If we don't use these medicines, are we keeping them around to breed?"
"I want every one of my clan members to be healthy and brimming with chakra! I want our next generation to enjoy the best resources from the moment they're born!"
"Only with more people, more healthy people, can we Uchiha truly multiply and prosper! Only then can we gain a firm foothold anywhere!"
"That is our clan's true foundation!"
His words rang out with resounding force, shaking everyone to their core!
Every clan member stared at Gen'yō in disbelief, their gazes fanatical beyond measure!
Their new leader's vision was far too grand!
So grand that it surpassed anything they could imagine!
For the first time, they felt that they were no longer tools of the clan, no longer expendable pawns, but precious family members who were truly valued!
"Waaah..."
Some of the older clan members were so moved that they burst into tears on the spot.
Never in their lives had they imagined that they, too, would get to use secret medicines reserved for the Main Family's geniuses!
"Long live Lord Gen'yō!"
No one knew who shouted first.
"Long live the Uchiha!"
A tidal wave of cheers erupted throughout the clan compound. Their united conviction almost took tangible form!
[Ding! The clan's hearts are united, its people as one! The host has earned the special achievement: Patriarch!] [Reward: Clan Procreation Points +10000!] [Effects of medicines taken by all clan members increased by 20%!]
Listening to the system's notifications, Gen'yō felt a surge of emotion as well.
He knew his gamble had paid off!
All that bullshit about bloodlines, all those distinctions between direct and branch lines, were cancers hindering the clan's development!
Only by treasuring every clan member could the clan truly grow strong!
"Enough shouting."
Gen'yō waved a hand, quieting everyone down.
"Yashiro, carry out the order immediately!"
"Yes!"
Yashiro said nothing more. Holding the scrolls, he used the Body Flicker Technique to race toward the rear mountain.
Gen'yō, meanwhile, turned his gaze toward his final target: the ninja tool vault.
Secret medicines worked internally, forming the foundation.
Ninja tools, on the other hand, were the claws and fangs used externally!
He wanted to see whether he, the clan's spendthrift, could dig out any more surprises from inside!