Castle tower, the highest conference room.
The atmosphere was so oppressive it was suffocating.
Around the round table, a dozen or so clan elders, led by Uchiha Fugaku, sat upright, not daring to utter a sound. They looked at Uchiha Gen'yō, who sat in the main seat with a gloomy face, and had no idea why their clan leader, who had just returned from a great victory, had suddenly become so angry.
"Look what you've done!"
Bang.
Gen'yō slammed a thick data scroll heavily onto the table, making the teacups clink.
"Can someone explain to me why, despite our birth subsidy policy causing a surge in the number of newborns to six hundred, I've heard such absurd claims in the clan school that 'those who have separated from the Branch Family are not qualified to learn advanced Fire Style '?!"
Gen'yō's gaze was like a knife, sweeping fiercely over every elder present.
A layer of cold sweat broke out on Fugaku's forehead. He quickly stood up, wiped his sweat, and said, " Lord Gen'yō calm down. This is indeed true. Because the clan's population suddenly exceeded two thousand, the original school simply couldn't accommodate them all. Some older clan members believed that resources were limited and that priority should be given to cultivating the Main Family's bloodline, so they privately..."
"You've created a hierarchy behind the scenes?" Gen'yō sneered, interrupting Fugaku.
" Fugaku, have you been under the Hokage for too long and picked up all those rotten, corrupt practices of Konoha? Main Family? Branch Family?"
Gen'yō suddenly stood up, and a terrifying pressure instantly enveloped the entire conference room. His deep, Eye of God coldly stared at the few old men who usually thought highly of themselves.
"I brought you out of Konoha, not so you could continue to be local tyrants here!"
"In my Uchiha Sacred Land, there are no Main Family or Branch Family! As long as someone has Uchiha blood, even if they're a bastard from a collateral branch, if they have talent, I can use resources to turn them into Kage Level! But if they're a pig, even if their father is the Grand Elder, they'll be sent to mine in the back mountains!"
Several elderly elders were scolded until their faces turned red. They wanted to refute him, but were intimidated by Gen'yō's tyrannical power and could only lower their heads obsequiously.
"From this day forward, the system of separate main and Branch Family is hereby abolished. Anyone who dares to practice bloodline theory within the family again will have their Chakra crippled by me personally!"
Gen'yō made the final decision, leaving no room for discussion.
He turned his head and looked at Uchiha Inabi was sitting at the end of the table and in charge of the family's internal affairs and business operations.
" Inabi, the 100,000 taels of gold from Sunagakure, plus the mining profits from Iwagakure. Immediately allocate the funds to me."
"First, expand Amaterasu Academy. Increase its area tenfold. No matter how many offspring these bastards can have, once they're born, the academy must provide food and education!"
"Secondly, abolish the outdated family-based inheritance system. All Ninjutsu scrolls, including those forbidden techniques given as compensation by Sunagakure, will be available for exchange in the academy's library based on contribution points. What I want is a militarized academy capable of mass-producing elites!"
"Understood, sir! I'll start construction tomorrow!" Inabi trembled with excitement. This was true vision!
" Obito, Shisui," Gen'yō called out to his two henchmen.
"You two, stop fighting Tenten. Starting tomorrow, you're the principal and vice-principal of the Amaterasu Academy. Get those six- or seven-year-old brats in line."
"Especially Taijutsu and combat skills! Every day, use the blunt swords produced by the Forge of the Lord of War to hack them down! Train until you drop dead, train until you die! We Uchiha don't want hothouse flowers; we want a pack of wolves that can kill their enemies at the mere smell of blood!"
"Yes!" Obito and Shisui stood up straight in unison. They exchanged a glance, both seeing the excited gleam in each other's eyes as they prepared to torment the sapling.
This meeting completely changed the internal structure of the Uchiha Clan.
Under Gen'yō's absolute power and unparalleled military suppression, those corrupt old ideas were uprooted.
With the infusion of vast resources, the entire Uchiha Sacred Land embarked on a vigorous educational leap forward.
Time flies like an arrow.
Five years have passed in the blink of an eye.
During these five years, the Shinobi World was unusually peaceful. After losing Danzo, Konoha entered a long period of dormancy; Kumogakure and Sunagakure, under the intimidation of the Uchiha, obediently became laborers; while Iwagakure, taking advantage of the Uchiha, developed rapidly.
The most significant changes in these five years have undoubtedly occurred at the Uchiha Sacred Land itself.
The city has expanded three times its original size, Forge of the Lord of War roars day and night.
But what is most awe-inspiring is Amaterasu Academy.
The children born during that baby boom have now grown into a pack of howling wolf cubs. Nourished by abundant Life Elixir and subjected to intense military training, their physical abilities and Chakra reserves far surpass those of their contemporaries at the Konoha Ninja Academy.
Inside the castle tower.
Dressed in a smart and practical outfit, Akahoshi handed a list sealed with gold foil to Gen'yō's desk.
In the past five years, Akahoshi has transformed from a temperamental princess into the true matriarch of the Uchiha Sacred Land, managing the internal affairs in an orderly manner.
"What is this?" Gen'yō put down the intelligence report in his hand and rubbed his temples.
"Tomorrow is the graduation examination ceremony for the first batch of Children of Amaterasu at the Amaterasu Academy." Akahoshi's eyes gleamed with a look of disbelief, as if he were looking at a monster.
" Obito and Shisui asked me to show you this list in advance. The potential of these kids... some of them have exceeded our expectations. You could even say they're abnormal."
"Oh?" Gen'yō became interested. He opened the list and quickly scanned the names and their corresponding comprehensive data ratings.
Almost all the children, by the age of seven, had reached an astonishing C-rank in Taijutsu and Chakra levels. If this were in Konoha, they would definitely be considered a group of geniuses.
But when Gen'yō's gaze fell on the name heavily circled in red cinnabar at the very top of the list, his pupils involuntarily contracted slightly.
" Uchiha Itachi..." Gen'yō uttered the name.
The data rating section at the back had three glaringly large characters written on it.
Super A grade.
"Sir," Akahoshi took a deep breath, " Obito said that this kid's strength is probably already comparable to that of a regular Special Jōnin. What kind of trouble will he cause tomorrow?"