After returning home, Isamu looked at the 6,000 points in the system. After thinking for a while, he decided not to use them yet.
"I'll save my points for now and go for something big later!"
…
Just like that, five years passed through constant training and missions.
Isamu had finally grown up, and his strength had reached the level of an Elite Jonin. However, his Sharingan was still stuck at the Three-Tomoe stage. Looking at the 20,000 points he had saved, and then at the Mangekyō Sharingan in the system shop—which cost 100,000 points—Isamu couldn't help but sigh.
"It's been five years… why can't I save any points? Every time I get some, I end up spending them on Ninjutsu. Now I have plenty of Ninjutsu, but my Sharingan hasn't improved at all. I'm an Uchiha—my focus shouldn't be Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, or Genjutsu. It should be Dōjutsu!"
An Uchiha without the Mangekyō Sharingan couldn't truly be considered a top powerhouse.
Just as Isamu was lost in thought, a voice came from outside.
"Isamu, the Clan Head is looking for you. Hurry over!"
"Got it," Isamu replied calmly.
At the same time, he wondered why Uchiha Seiyou wanted to see him. He had only just finished a mission and rested for a few days before something else came up.
Whatever it is, I'll find out soon enough.
---
After arriving at the Uchiha Guard Division, Isamu was led to the Conference Room. When he pushed open the door, he saw the room packed with people. Even several Uchiha elders were present.
Everyone seated there was a Jonin. There wasn't a single Chunin or Genin.
"Isamu is here—come, have a seat!" Uchiha Seiyou immediately greeted him warmly.
Isamu didn't stand on ceremony and sat down directly.
No one objected.
After all, the current Isamu was no longer the same person he had been years ago—someone who could be mocked casually.
As soon as he sat down, the Great Elder smiled and nodded at him. Isamu returned the nod.
Once everyone had settled, Uchiha Seiyou spoke.
"I'm sure you're all wondering why I called you here today."
Everyone nodded.
"The Hidden Cloud Village's Second Raikage has staked everything and deployed over a thousand ninja to launch a war against Konoha."
The moment he finished speaking, several hot-tempered clan members erupted.
"What?! How does the Second Raikage dare to do that? The First Hokage gave them a Tailed Beast and signed a peace treaty with them!"
"Has the Second Raikage gone mad? Starting a war like this will cost countless lives!"
Without Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara as deterrents, peace treaties meant nothing.
The Great Elder suddenly spoke.
"Lord Madara said long ago that true peace could only be achieved by unifying the ninja world through absolute force. Unfortunately, no one listened. Look at the situation now—even the Second Raikage dares to provoke war."
"Uchiha Madara belongs to the past," the Second Elder replied coldly. "He even defected from the village. Yet you still defend him. Are you planning to defect from Konoha as well?"
Several elders nodded in agreement. They belonged to the moderate faction and naturally supported their leader.
"Bastard!" the Great Elder roared, slamming the table. "You ungrateful fool! If not for Lord Madara, do you think you'd even be living in Konoha today?!"
"Who are you calling ungrateful?!"
"I'm calling you!"
…
The argument escalated rapidly.
Members of the two factions stood up, glaring at each other. It looked like a fight could break out at any moment.
Among everyone present, Isamu was the only one who remained calm, quietly watching the spectacle as if it were a play.
Finally, Uchiha Seiyou spoke sternly.
"Enough!"
"I called you here to inform you of something, not to argue about the former Clan Head. Sit down and listen."
Hearing this, everyone reluctantly sat down again, though the hostile glares remained.
Once the room quieted, Uchiha Seiyou continued.
"Because Kumogakure has started a war, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, has ordered every clan to mobilize elite ninja and form a thousand-man force to confront the Cloud ninja."
"After you return, spread the word: except for Genin, all Chunin and Jonin must be deployed."
"I've heard that even the Senju Clan is mobilizing everyone. This time, our Uchiha Clan must establish our prestige, surpass the Senju, and secure a stronger voice within the village!"
Hearing this, Isamu showed an expression of realization.
So that's how it is…
No wonder the Uchiha Clan later became so weakened. As one of the top clans, they had thrown themselves completely into the First and Second Great Ninja Wars, losing many of their strongest fighters.
That was exactly what allowed people like Danzo to manipulate them later.
Uchiha Seiyou then turned to him.
"Isamu, you are one of the clan's strongest members. I hope you can make a name for yourself in this war. When the time comes, with Uchiha Kagami and you, our clan will surely return to the center of political power."
Isamu didn't respond verbally. He simply nodded.
He didn't have the heart to tell him the truth—
As long as Senju Tobirama was alive, the Uchiha Clan would never enter the center of power.
And in the future, neither would the leader of Root allow it.
---
After the meeting ended, Isamu stopped the Great Elder before he left.
With a subtle look, he signaled that he wanted to talk privately.
The two of them returned to the Great Elder's home.
Inside the room, the elder asked curiously,
"Young Clan Head, what is it? Why wait until we came to my house to speak?"
Isamu answered calmly.
"Great Elder, during this war, I hope the Martial Faction preserves its strength. Fight when victory is certain—but if not, retreat when necessary. Let the other clans and the village's ninja take the risks."
The Great Elder frowned.
"Young Clan Head, why? This is the perfect opportunity for us to make a name for ourselves!"
Isamu replied coldly.
"The Senju Clan is the Hokage's direct lineage. They have no choice but to fight with everything they have."
"But what about us, the Uchiha Clan? Why should we risk everything as well?"
"Do we really need to listen to that idiot Uchiha Seiyou?"
"Surpass the Senju? Gain influence in the village?"
He shook his head.
"As long as Senju Tobirama exists, the Uchiha Clan will never have that chance."
"So since we can't stop that fool from going all out, we'll protect our own people. Only by preserving our strength now can we act in the future."
"Do you understand, Great Elder?"
The Great Elder fell silent.
After a long moment, he finally nodded.
"I understand, Young Clan Head. I will pass this order down."
Seeing that the elder understood, Isamu left.
---
When he returned home, however, another messenger was already waiting.
"Uchiha Isamu, Hokage-sama wants to see you. Come with me."
After saying that, the messenger jumped onto the wall and left.
Isamu followed immediately.
When he arrived at the Hokage Building, he ran into Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Oh, Isamu, you're here too. You've heard the news, right?"
"Just heard it," Isamu replied casually. "But you just married Biwako not long ago. Shouldn't you be enjoying your honeymoon? Why are you here at the Hokage Building?"
That's right—Hiruzen Sarutobi had recently married Biwako, a civilian woman.
Hiruzen scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"It's the Second Hokage's order. I had to come. And don't start arguing with him again this time. This concerns the village's survival—you understand the seriousness, right?"
Isamu nodded.
"Don't worry. Teasing that old geezer is one thing, but I know when to be serious."
Over the past five years, Isamu had met Senju Tobirama many times.
Every meeting ended badly.
The two simply couldn't stand each other. Whenever they met, they exchanged sharp words without giving an inch.
---
The two pushed open the conference room door.
Inside, a group of elite ninja surrounded Senju Tobirama, studying a map of the ninja world.
"We're not late, are we?" Hiruzen asked.
Everyone turned to look at them.
"Monkey, you're just in time," Tobirama said. "Come here quickly."
He completely ignored Isamu and pulled Hiruzen over to the map.
Isamu didn't mind at all and simply walked over to examine the map himself.
"Monkey," Tobirama said, pointing at the map, "according to the Anbu's intelligence, after the Hidden Cloud Village declared war on us, Iwagakure and the Hidden Mist Village have also declared war on each other."
"The reasons are still unknown."
"Right now, the entire ninja world is in chaos."
"The only village that hasn't moved is the Hidden Sand Village, the weakest of the five."
Hiruzen frowned slightly.
"Isn't that good? We just need to watch out for Sunagakure, then focus all our strength on the Cloud ninja. What's the problem?"
Before Tobirama could answer, another voice spoke.
"Sensei is worried about Iwagakure and the Hidden Mist Village," said Danzo.
"They've declared war but haven't started fighting yet. If we focus entirely on the Cloud ninja… they might suddenly attack Konoha from behind."