I have a bunch of relatives who want to become Hokage.

Madara Uchiha mastered the Susanoo eye technique to an extreme degree, completely dominating everyone except Hashirama Senju at the time.

"You really haven't awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan?" Fugaku Uchiha asked again.

This isn't right, this isn't the Uchiha clan.

Without the Kaleidoscope, even with the power of a three-tomoe eye, one shouldn't be able to use it to this extent.

Moreover, judging from Uchiha Shingen's nonchalant demeanor, he would never believe that this was the limit.

So, does that mean his understanding of magic is wrong?

"Sage Technique, it can actually achieve this level..." Fugaku Uchiha suddenly felt another mountain in his heart, "Then we need to reassess Jiraiya-sama's power."

Although he knew he shouldn't, a sense of dejection inevitably welled up inside him.

One should not have the intention to harm others, but one must be wary of others.

The Naruto lineage boasts a constant stream of strategically skilled individuals, yet their attitude towards the Uchiha clan is rather perplexing...

The Uchiha clan has a long way to go if they want to enter the inner circle of Konoha.

Fugaku Uchiha felt extremely uncomfortable with the pent-up frustration in his heart, and then he heard Shingen Uchiha speaking.

"Clan leader, you may have misunderstood. Jiraiya-sama's Sage Mode is different from mine."

Fugaku Uchiha suddenly looked up and asked in a hurried voice.

"What do you mean!?"

"While immortal techniques do share commonalities, the immortal techniques of the three great secret realms also have real differences in nature."

Uchiha Shingen noticed that the clan leader was somewhat dejected. He could roughly guess what the other man was thinking and decided to try to cheer him up.

"To put it simply, the Sage Mode of Mount Myōboku is quite perfect, but it cannot directly enhance one's strength by drawing on natural energy. Therefore, the clan's assessment of Lord Jiraiya is realistic and there is no major problem."

Fugaku Uchiha pondered for a long time, then shook his head.

"You should make it more complicated."

"The Sage Mode of Mount Myōboku is perfect in terms of combat ability, but its use of natural energy is rather limited." Uchiha Shingen repeated the information that the White Snake Sage had told him about this aspect.

Fugaku Uchiha waved his hand, feeling a bit dizzy from the confusion.

That's to be expected; it took Uchiha Shingen more than a week to digest all of this.

"What does this have to do with the fact that the clan doesn't need to reassess Jiraiya's strength? How should we understand this 'Sage Art integrated into oneself'?"

“The Sage Techniques of Mount Myōboku are like powerful ‘weapons.’ Although powerful, they are relatively constant because they cannot directly train one’s own strength,” said Shingen Uchiha. “But the Sage Techniques of Ryūchi Cave can use natural energy to develop the body’s potential and can also be stored. The stronger the body, the greater the amount stored, which can be directly used to create Sage Chakra during combat.”

"I think I understand a little bit now." Fugaku Uchiha nodded, feeling he had learned something new today.

"So, Ryuchi-dō is stronger?"

"It's not a matter of who is stronger, but Ryuchi Cave Sage Technique has the potential for growth in the long run, and its nature also happens to have the ability to create shapes. If I had learned the Myoboku Mountain Sage Technique, I wouldn't be able to do this now."

“I see, but we still need to reassess.” Fugaku Uchiha understood a bit more now. “The clan has always believed that Orochimaru is the strongest of the Sannin, placing Jiraiya below Orochimaru. This conclusion is definitely wrong.”

Exhaling a breath, as if to expel all the pent-up frustration in his heart, Fugaku Uchiha felt much better.

He felt that he was indeed a man worthy of being the clan leader, with perfect comprehension. According to his understanding, Uchiha Shingen's ability to achieve this level with his three-tomoe eye power was not only due to the indispensable Ryuchi Cave Sage Technique, but the fundamental reason was that his own eye power was strong enough.

But forcing Uchiha Shingen to give up this path now doesn't seem very convincing.

It was fine before, but now he has managed to use this path to unleash an ability that a three-tomoe could never possibly possess.

Seriously... stubborn!

However, if he weren't so stubborn, he probably wouldn't have been able to create such a miracle.

For some reason, Fugaku Uchiha felt that he might have come to approve of Shingen Uchiha.

He forced himself to calm down; this path wasn't necessarily one that others could replicate.

He still insisted on that idea, believing that following family tradition would be much safer.

The Uchiha clan did not regard adventurism as the core of their clan's identity.

"Forget it, I can't persuade you." Fugaku Uchiha didn't bother asking Shingen Uchiha what his current limit was. He was exhausted, and besides, he had something more troubling to deal with.

“There is something important you need to know,” said Fugaku Uchiha. “The Fourth Hokage’s wife is about to give birth, and she is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.”

I know that all too well.

This was a true turning point for the Uchiha clan in Konoha.

They were directly pushed to the opposite side.

"However, our clan cannot get involved at all. The Hokage Building has refused all ninja clans from participating in this matter in the name of secrecy."

"Then the Third Hokage and Shimura Danzo aren't involved either?" Uchiha Shingen suddenly asked.

When Konoha was first established, there were four powerful clans, ranked by strength as follows: Senju, Uchiha, Sarutobi, and Shimura.

But now, only Uchiha and Sarutobi remain.

Danzo Shimura was a ruthless character. He truly didn't care about the Shimura clan and viewed things entirely from the perspective of Konoha.

While the Shimura clan was very strong in the past, this ninja clan was neither like the Uchiha or Hyuga clans that relied on bloodline limits, nor like the Nara, Akimichi, or Yamanaka clans that relied on secret techniques. Like the Sarutobi clan, and like many other ninja clans, they were simply an "ordinary" ninja clan that was united by blood ties in the old era.

For such ninja clans, what held them together was the inheritance of ninjutsu. Ninja clans were the only form of ninja organization at the time, and ninja skills could only be passed down within families.

However, not every ninja clan is like the Uchiha, with so many ninjutsu that it's impossible to be stingy. Clan members can learn any technique they want once they reach a certain level.

Most ninja clans have limited ninjutsu repertoire and are very protective of their ninjutsu resources; those with close relationships are more likely to obtain more ninjutsu.

In comparison, the ninja village's ninjutsu exchange mechanism is far superior to that of these old ninja clans. It is not only much fairer and more just, but its ninjutsu library is also far superior to that of ordinary ninja clans.

The Hidden Leaf Village boasts the best ninjutsu resources in the ninja world. The Senju of the Forest once contributed all their resources, and their ninjutsu library is no less extensive than that of the Uchiha.

As a result, the Shimura clan gradually broke away from the organizational structure of ninja clans, evolving from a large ninja clan into independent ninja families. Although they still shared the surname Shimura, it was essentially the same as before.

This no longer fits the definition of a traditional ninja clan.

Compared to Danzo Shimura, Hiruzen Sarutobi was far less "fair" to his own clan.

Chapter Fifteen: The Uchiha Clan Meeting

“The Third Hokage will naturally be involved; he must be the one to arrange things.” Fugaku Uchiha understood Shingen Uchiha’s meaning.

In fact, this is also a point of contention for the other four ninja clans besides Sarutobi, Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi.

Even the ninja clans can't participate? Then what are you four clans?

Does participating as a member of the secret service mean it's not considered participation?

Nobody was planning anything, but what if something happens when a Jinchūriki has a baby and they don't even know what's going on? Are they just supposed to passively accept the changes? If everyone were like that, fine, but it can't be that we can have a good relationship with the Third Hokage but not with the Third Hokage, right?

When it comes to tailed beasts, everyone gets petty.

After Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, Konoha has never had anyone who could directly confront a Tailed Beast Ball.

Everyone's life and fortune are here; before the Tailed Beast Ball, there is no distinction between the noble and the lowly.

“That’s true. The Anbu is still under the control of the Third Hokage.” Uchiha Shingen nodded, not dwelling on that point.

To reiterate, while the Sarutobi clan certainly benefited from Hiruzen Sarutobi becoming Hokage, that was about all they got.

At least from the number and quality of their clan's Jonin, it's clear that this preferential treatment is limited and hasn't gone too far.

To be fair, Hiruzen Sarutobi was a qualified Hokage; it was just a matter of differing perspectives.

"We'll hold a clan meeting tonight to discuss this matter. Come over after dinner; the meeting starts promptly at eight o'clock." Uchiha Fugaku rubbed his nose, also finding it troublesome. "Don't keep skipping meetings. When you come back, attend them properly."

“Okay,” Uchiha Shingen replied.

He definitely has to participate in something this important.

At least we need to reach a consensus at the meeting on how to respond if something really goes wrong.

Don't count too much on on-the-spot reactions; the Uchiha clan's high-ranking members are simply amazing at reacting outside of battle.

“Don’t go out these days. I have a bad feeling about this,” said Fugaku Uchiha.

The two exchanged a glance, confirming that they were both thinking about the same person.

Aside from Fugaku Uchiha, Shingen Uchiha didn't tell anyone about Obito's affair, and Fugaku Uchiha kept it to himself.

It's really not appropriate to make it public, since Obito Uchiha's name has already been written on the memorial stone. Rather than revealing his identity and letting everyone know that the Uchiha clan has produced a rogue ninja, it's better to let Obito "die" as a hero.

The Obito Uchiha that everyone knows was already dead.

He calls himself Uchiha Madara, so let's go with Uchiha Madara.

Anyway, this is how Fugaku Uchiha and Shingen Uchiha agreed on their story before they informed the Hokage Building.

Whether the Hokage Building believes it or not is none of their business. The fact that the Uchiha clan is doing this shows the greatest trust they have in the Hokage Building.

Unreserved trust? That doesn't exist in the adult world.

The conversation between Fugaku Uchiha and Shingen Uchiha ended there. Afterwards, Fugaku gave Shingen a check and told him to train hard, and most importantly, to rest more and drink less tea!

Uchiha Shingen readily agreed, took the money, and left.

Leaving Uchiha Shisui behind was Fugaku Uchiha's second battle.

Could the third match be Itachi Uchiha?

Uchiha Shingen wasn't interested in what the next two matches would be about; he was too busy.

Being a clan leader is not easy, nor is being a father. Fugaku Uchiha is a mature man and doesn't need to worry about things.

But the girls need it!

Back home, Uchiha Shingen put the check away and then rummaged through his personal savings.

Wow, he's really good at managing money; he still has enough cash at home.

There's no rush to cash the checks. It's the family's money exchange anyway, and these internal checks can be cashed anytime as long as they're not damaged.

If it's damaged, as long as it's genuinely not lifted, it can be reopened.

Satisfied to see his wallet full again, Uchiha Shingen changed into casual clothes, put the wallet in his pocket, and happily went out.

After leaving the clan's territory, I strolled around the commercial street, admiring the pretty girls walking by, and remarked that Konoha's street scenes were still the most pleasing to the eye.

When it was time to eat, we quickly slipped into a small eatery and had a meal before heading back to our village.