Ever since Miwa Masayo had signed a contract with Uchiha Yoru three years ago, she had never been separated from her servant for such a long period of time. So naturally, her complaints had increased a little.
"You're finally done, nya. This past month really didn't feel like Uchiha Yoru at all. You went out to work before dawn every day, and sometimes you were busy until after midnight before coming back."
"Konoha is a lot more complicated than the Cat Castle, and shinobi are harder to deal with than ninja cats. If I want to turn Konoha into my safest home, then the amount of work is naturally going to be pretty large."
"Then have you finished everything, nya?"
"How could it be that easy? Right now I can only rest for a while. In the future, when I become clan head, I'll still need at least five or six years of hard work before I can throw everything onto Shisui."
"What a pain, nya. Can't you just give up on Konoha, nya?"
"It'd be fine if you came with me to the Cat Castle, or the barrier lake, or anywhere else really. Then you wouldn't have to be so busy, nya."
Uchiha Yoru scraped the little cat's nose and said with a smile, "This is the age of shinobi. How can I casually leave Konoha, the strongest shinobi village? Even the Three Great Sage Regions and the Kongō Monkey clan hide themselves so carefully, yet they still go to great lengths to tie themselves to Konoha. Do you think they're doing that because they can get some ordinary benefit from Konoha?"
"That's true, nya. You mentioned before that the toads, snakes, slugs, and monkeys never ask for money, and rarely need supplies. Yoru, what do you think they want, nya?"
"I don't know either. But my guess is that what they want is safety."
"Safety, nya?"
"Safety, exactly. Look, even something as dangerous as the tailed beasts lived hidden away in uninhabited mountains or deep seas. But because they were useful, they were all captured by human shinobi and sealed into jinchūriki."
"How could the various summoning clans not worry that shinobi might come knocking at their door one day and turn their whole race into slaves?"
"…If they become summoning clans for shinobi, then they'll be safe?"
"At the very least, aren't all the summoning races we've seen so far doing pretty well?"
"And the weaker they are, the stronger their dependence becomes. Look at the ninken clan—they simply live together with the Inuzuka clan. By contrast, the Slug Sage of Shikkotsu Forest seems extremely aloof. She barely pays any attention to her contractors. She only adds one new contractor every ten years or so, and just maintaining contact counts as enough."
"So I think they all have a need for safety, and that's why they establish ties with shinobi—some close, some distant."
"Our Cat Castle too, nya?"
"Isn't that the case?"
"Then… are there other reasons too, nya?"
"Other reasons are harder for me to say. Maybe luck has something to do with it as well."
"Luck? What's that, nya?"
"A person's fortune. Some people succeed no matter what they do. Some people fail no matter what they do."
"In many ancient myths, even lofty immortals had to carefully protect their own fortune. Otherwise, no matter how strong they were, they could still end up declining step by step until they fell in a miserable way."
"What kind of myth have you been listening to, nya? Aren't gods always high above everyone else, doing whatever they want? They're supposed to be amazing, nya."
"But the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku once personally stepped onto the stage and dragged the Rabbit Goddess down from her altar, turning her into a sealed object on the moon."
"That really happened, nya? Your ability isn't just prediction, nya?"
"How could I possibly have such an absurd ability…"
"In any case, when it comes to fortune, I'd rather believe it exists than assume it doesn't. I don't want to go out every day and step in dog shit, then come home and choke on water. How miserable would life have to be for that?"
"Nya, I don't want that either."
After a long silence, Miwa Masayo suddenly moved.
The calico cat stepped onto his shoulder, planting her two front paws on top of Uchiha Yoru's head.
She stood there looking up at the stars, but what she said was, "Last time, we rushed through our mission in the South Sea and came back in a hurry. In the end, we only ate eel meatballs once. That wasn't satisfying at all, nya."
Uchiha Yoru was currently immersed in the serene night sky. Faced with Miwa Masayo's question, he answered carelessly, "Then we'll go eat seafood by the sea."
"Which seaside are we going to for seafood, nya?"
"The Land of Hot Water is also a coastal country. We can find a chance to go to the shore and eat seafood there. Seafood… really ought to be eaten while it's still lively."
"Alright, nya. This time we have to bring enough things with us."
"Don't worry. We might be staying in the Land of Hot Water for a year this time. We'll have plenty of time to enjoy ourselves slowly. I'll bring everything we can possibly carry."
"Yoru."
"Mm? What is it?"
"We're going to a battlefield, but we're not preparing ninja tools or explosive tags at all. Isn't that a little too unserious, nya?"
"No."
"With my current strength, jōnin aren't something I can casually kill at a wave of my hand, but if I want them dead, I can kill them. The only reason I don't make trouble inside the village is that I want more things, so I have a lot of concerns."
"Outside the village, there aren't many things capable of making me hesitate. Once I can act without restraint, I truly have no need for toys like kunai or explosive tags."
"And besides, this is only the early stage of the war. The Five Great Shinobi Villages are all still insisting on that nonsense about how a Kage should not easily leave his position. We won't run into truly dangerous enemies on the front lines. No matter what mission comes, it'll be easy enough to handle. So we can just relax and enjoy ourselves."
Uchiha Yoru didn't care about the conscription at all. He even felt that it was basically a vacation opportunity—a chance to escape his crushing workload.
But in the eyes of Uchiha Shinji and Uchiha Yūichirō, this was the Third Hokage trying to tear out the roots of the Uchiha clan.
Other people might not know, but the few who had been deeply involved knew perfectly well that the study group had already produced thirty-one pairs of Sharingan. Not only was that nearly a quarter of the members, but the youngest awakener was fifteen years old, and among the older Uchiha genin, there were only seventeen who still had not awakened theirs.
That meant that above this age, the probability of awakening exceeded sixty percent, and the remaining genin still had a considerable chance to awaken later.
In other words, this training method used by the study group was simply heaven-defying when it came to helping people awaken the Sharingan. At a time like this, how could they possibly allow Uchiha Yoru to be transferred away?
Uchiha Fugaku had to refuse this transfer order.
Uchiha Yoru absolutely could not be allowed to suffer even the slightest mishap.
They were unable to trust what Uchiha Yoru said. Even knowing that he was the key figure tied to the clan's rise or fall, they still believed Fugaku would be unable to withstand the pressure from the Third Hokage—and might even proactively hand over the intelligence himself.
Uchiha Yoru knew he could not persuade the two old men, so he could only wave his hand and say, "Do whatever you want. Even if the price is that I have to bear a bit more risk, consider it your chance to truly understand Fugaku's character."
"This much risk is still something I can afford."
…
"What did you say?!"
Uchiha Fugaku shot to his feet. His voice carried a tangle of emotions—shock, irritation, anger—as he tried his best to keep it low. "Thirty-one pairs of Sharingan?"
Uchiha Yūichirō nodded. "That's right. Thirty-one pairs of Sharingan. All of them awakened among the children in the ninjutsu and tactics study group."
Uchiha Fugaku could no longer remain seated. He stood and paced back and forth, then pointed in some vague direction even he himself probably didn't know, saying urgently, "This is unbelievable. Right now—I have to see it right now."
Half an hour later, Uchiha Fugaku stood at the shrine training ground and saw one hundred and twenty-eight genin lined up in neat formation, plus seven little radishes arranged in a separate line.
Standing at the very front of the formation were the eight captains. At the very rear stood the eight vice-captains. At the clan head's command, they all opened their crimson Sharingan.
Aside from those sixteen captains and vice-captains, there were fifteen other team members who had also awakened the Sharingan. Under the captains' orders, all members who had awakened their eyes quickly moved to the very front.
A full thirty-one pairs of Sharingan spun before Uchiha Fugaku's eyes. His heart nearly leapt out of his chest. This was the kind of harvest that in the past might not even appear once in a whole year, and yet it had occurred among the weakest batch of genin.
If the study group could absorb all the young Uchiha into itself, then those higher-quality genin would surely awaken in large numbers as well.
The rise of the Uchiha clan was close at hand!
Fugaku was so excited he almost lost his mind. He waved his arms and turned in circles again and again, having no idea what he ought to do first.
"How can this still be called the Ninjutsu and Tactics Study Group? It ought to be called the Sharingan Awakening Society!"
"No, that won't do. If you name it that, have you considered the Third Hokage's feelings?"
"Ah, right, right, right. I'm too excited. It really can't be called that."
"Right now, there's one very important thing you need to do immediately…"
"Ah, yes. Elder Yūichirō, your reminder came at just the right time. I'll immediately seal away the records of physical training, the medicinal diet formula, and the standing meditation method…"
"No. The physical training records and the standing method both need to be spread. Only the medicinal diet formula can be kept secret, so only that one should be sealed."
"I'll turn it into a secret script scroll and seal it inside the shrine. Yes, I'll arrange for someone to do that at once…"
Watching him ramble on about all these minor details, Uchiha Shinji finally could not endure it any longer. He stepped forward, grabbed Fugaku, and roared at him, "None of that is important!!"
"The most important thing you need to do right now is go see the Hokage and make the Third Hokage withdraw a conscription order he already issued!!"
"The president of the ninjutsu and tactics study group—Uchiha Yoru—absolutely cannot go to the front lines! Absolutely cannot!!"
After regaining his health, old Shinji had grown more robust, and his voice had grown even louder. But his missing teeth could not grow back. So when he spoke, he could no longer control the spray of saliva.
At such close range, the result of bellowing in Fugaku's face was a fine mist of spit splattered all over him, which left this Uchiha nobleman, so full of aristocratic bearing, deeply embarrassed.
Uchiha Yūichirō pulled a secret script scroll from his robes and stuffed it into Uchiha Fugaku's hands. Then he said, "There's no need for you to worry about these minor details. I've already prepared everything."
"But keeping Uchiha Yoru safe is the real matter. And it's an urgent matter that cannot wait. As the clan head, you must resolve it as quickly as possible. Otherwise, the longer it drags on, the more likely something will go wrong."
Under the pincer attack of the two old men, Uchiha Fugaku quickly dragged himself out of his excessive excitement, then carefully accepted the secret scroll.
Only after storing it away did Fugaku say, "I'll go find Lord Third Hokage immediately. It's just a transfer order for a chūnin. It should be easy enough to resolve."
"We leave it to you."
Full of excitement, Uchiha Fugaku hurried away. But Uchiha Shinji and Uchiha Yūichirō fell silent.
At this moment, old Shinji found himself losing confidence. He hesitated and asked, "Do you think we did the right thing this time?"
Uchiha Yūichirō was somewhat hesitant too, but he quickly firmed his resolve and said, "We had to try. As long as there's even the slightest chance, we can't just watch Uchiha Yoru get sent to the front. He's the backbone of our little faction."
At that moment, another clear voice suddenly cut in. "I actually think Uchiha Yoru was right. The two of you handled this badly. Uchiha Fugaku is very likely to fail, and instead expose Yoru in front of the Third."
Uchiha Yūichirō turned to look. It was another elder from the neutral faction who shared their general stance. Startled, he asked, "Ryūnosuke, when did you get here?"
"From the moment you invited me to help persuade Fugaku, I came straight here and waited for you."
Ryūnosuke first bowed to Shinji, then said, "Thank you for bringing me into Yoru's camp. I've finally found a lord worthy of my life."
"You've already decided to join us?"
"Yes. Even though I still haven't met Uchiha Yoru in person, I already believe that he is the most suitable clan head to save us from disaster. He is the savior Heaven took pity on the Uchiha clan to send down."
"From now on, if Uchiha Yoru has need of me, I, Uchiha Ryūnosuke, will not hesitate even if it costs me my life."
He bowed deeply. The other two old men hurriedly bowed in return. With that, even though Uchiha Yoru was not present, the faction with him at its head had gained yet another heavyweight member.
Once the formalities were over, Ryūnosuke asked, "Did Leader Yoru say what we should do if things go badly?"
Yūichirō nodded. "He did. He told me to convene a clan assembly and make the matter public, so everyone would know what Clan Head Fugaku had done. And at the meeting, we're to question him clearly about exactly how he came to his decision."
Ryūnosuke nodded repeatedly and praised loudly, "Good. Very appropriate. Since the loss will already be beyond recovery, then we should make sure it produces the greatest possible effect."
"Yūichirō, you can go convene the clan assembly right now, in your name as an elder."
"So urgently? You're not even planning to wait and see the result of the clan head's negotiations?"
"There's no need to wait. We are now elders of Yoru's camp. Uchiha Fugaku may still be the clan head when facing outsiders, but within the clan, he is our enemy. There is no need to consider saving face for him."
"And besides, I trust Leader Yoru's judgment. He may be young, but his wisdom and intelligence inspire heartfelt admiration. Since he judged that it wouldn't succeed, then we ought to trust his judgment."
Uchiha Yūichirō stared at his kinsman in astonishment. In the end, without saying another word, he turned and left for the Uchiha district.
Uchiha Shinji asked, "Ryūnosuke, to what extent do you think we should push things at the clan assembly?"
Uchiha Ryūnosuke's gaze was firm as he answered frankly, "I don't know either. Uncle Shinji, you know me well. I'm not as clever as Yūichirō."
"If you ask me, then we should simply carry out Leader Yoru's plan. As for how far to push it, let Yūichirō judge that. He's much smarter than I am."
"Good. While that brat Yoru still can't openly step forward, let Yūichirō take the front. For now, you also shouldn't openly stand together with us two old men. We still need time to develop and wait for these children to grow up."
"I understand, Uncle Shinji. I'll keep doing things the same way I always have."
Uchiha Fugaku, brimming with excitement, quickly made his way toward his home. He needed to gather people, prepare the relevant documents and identification, and go meet the Hokage through the formal process.
But he did not notice that both his movements and his emotional state had already fallen into the eyes of Root shinobi, and had been swiftly transmitted as urgent intelligence into the hands of Shimura Danzō.
Danzō narrowed his one remaining eye and said in a sinister tone, "For Uchiha Fugaku to be this excited, something 'good' must have happened in the Uchiha clan that I don't know about."
"Ding!"
"Here."
"Go wake Night Owl immediately. I want to know what happened in the Uchiha clan. Remember—this time, whatever it costs."
"Yes!"
"Yamanaka."
"Here."
"Take a few men and set up between the Uchiha district and the Hokage Building. If Uchiha Fugaku heads for the Hokage Building, intercept him in the name of the ANBU."
"You must buy me time to gather intelligence and make a decision."
"Yes!"
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