This was Satsuki's first time in this world crossing paths with members of the Uchiha clan. Though it was only an indirect encounter through a human puppet, it still provided her with quite a bit of information.
It also caused her overall evaluation of the clan to drop slightly.
Certainly, in her previous life, nearly every Uchiha who survived the Night of the Massacre displayed exceptional strength and potential. Their combat instincts and their talent in ninjutsu, genjutsu, and even taijutsu were nothing short of frightening.
But one could not compare them to the Uchiha of the current era.
For one simple reason—survivorship bias.
In later generations as depicted in anime, every Uchiha who survived the massacre was, without exception, the very elite of their clan: Itachi Uchiha and Sasuke Uchiha need hardly be mentioned—one was already mythologized, the other would later reach nearly the extreme of the shinobi world, the Six Paths level.
Leaving those two aside, even someone of 'relatively' lesser talent like Obito awakened Kamui—an ocular ability of overwhelming dominance—and leapt straight into the role of a final-boss-level figure.
He orchestrated the deaths of the Fourth Hokage at his peak and Kushina Uzumaki, and single-handedly triggered the Nine-Tails' rampage.
And lurking in the shadows, Madara Uchiha—reincarnation of Indra's chakra—already stood apart from humanity by that fact alone.
Even Shisui Uchiha, spoken of only in passing, was hailed as a genius surpassing even Itachi, and the very object of the latter's admiration.
Compare such people to the Warring States-era Uchiha?
Then the other shinobi clans might as well lie down and await their deaths.
Though Satsuki was rational, she was still influenced by memories from her past life. Subconsciously, she had inevitably elevated her expectations of the Uchiha's strength. But when compared to the Uchiha warrior she had just faced—Retsu Uchiha—she found that in truth, many among the clan had become more fragile precisely because of their obvious advantages and pride.
Their upper limit of power was, in fact, equally bound by the existence of the Sharingan.
Indeed, an Uchiha who awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan was assured of stepping into the Kage-level. But in reality, the three-tomoe Sharingan was the extreme limit for the vast majority of the clan.
Their strength was deeply constrained at the jonin stage. To break past that limit was even harder than it was for an ordinary shinobi—because they relied too heavily on the Sharingan.
In the long Warring States period, if the Uchiha clan ever had three or more Mangekyō wielders at once, sweeping across the shinobi world would be child's play.
After all, a single Super Kage-level powerhouse could easily dominate this era.
On the other hand, if the Uchiha had no Mangekyō users, both anime and manga records from her past life showed clearly that the advantage of the Sharingan only truly held sway below Kage-level.
Once at Kage-level, the picture changed entirely.
Hadn't Sasuke, with his freshly awakened Mangekyō, been utterly beaten back the first time he challenged the Five Kage? Even Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki, outclassed him in basic skills by what seemed almost like two whole streets' worth of distance.
This wasn't to say the Uchiha weren't strong—only that they were not as overwhelmingly powerful as Satsuki had once assumed.
In that light, it fit her earlier expectations and the background of the manga.
If the Uchiha were truly that strong, the Senju—without the God of Shinobi among them in this era—would have long since ceased to exist.
It was precisely because the Uchiha had not produced multiple Kage-level fighters that they lacked the confidence to be the first to vie for domination of the shinobi world. At the same time, with an average combat ability arguably the highest among all shinobi, the Uchiha remained content to rule as overlords of the Valley of Clouds and Lightning.
Other shinobi clans, such as the Kaguya and the physically formidable Tachibana, respected the Uchiha's might enough to submit to them.
While there were occasional skirmishes and even fights to the death, there were no longer any true rivals in the Valley of Clouds and Lightning who could match the Uchiha in the strictest sense. This was the key reason no one in the clan had awakened the Mangekyō in so long.
Because in the Valley of Clouds and Lightning, there was no shinobi clan daring enough to provoke them.
But Satsuki's visit today was specifically to provoke this clan into entering the shinobi world—because she already held a piece of bait they could not refuse.
When Kiyomaru dragged the unconscious Retsu Uchiha and the Kaguya clansman to the outskirts of the Uchiha stronghold, the patrols of the clan had already spotted him.
The Uchiha's reputation for valuing their kin was as well-known as their pride, so even though Kiyomaru's strength was no more than that of a jonin, the fact that he held hostages kept the surrounding Uchiha from acting rashly.
"No need to be so tense, strongest of the Uchiha."
It was hard to tell whether Kiyomaru's tone was mocking or flattering—especially with one hand still gripping an Uchiha.
"Who are you, and what is your purpose here?" One of the older Uchiha stepped forward, his eyes already glowing with the crimson of the three-tomoe Sharingan. He looked in surprise at the clansman held aloft in Kiyomaru's hand and spoke coldly: "Do you understand the consequences of taking an Uchiha clansman hostage?"
"You may call me Hawk. As for my purpose—naturally, I'm here to discuss cooperation." Kiyomaru let his gaze sweep unhurriedly over those present. "As for provoking the Uchiha clan... that was merely on a whim."
"A whim." The elder, clearly a man of some standing within the Uchiha, did not let the words anger him. "If you seek cooperation, then you should demonstrate the sincerity of a partner, not hold hostages."
"A fair point." Kiyomaru actually nodded. Then, with one hand, he tossed Retsu Uchiha forward. Two Uchiha immediately rushed to catch him.
That simple action drew a silent sigh from Kiyomaru. Was this clan truly that confident, or had they simply forgotten caution—daring to catch without hesitation whatever a stranger chose to throw at them? If he had done anything to Retsu beforehand, those who caught him might not have escaped unscathed.
"A friendly reminder," Kiyomaru said as the Uchiha around him edged a step closer. "Next time, don't so casually catch whatever a stranger tosses your way."
Hm?
The two who had caught Retsu exchanged uncertain looks. The three-tomoe Sharingan spun in their eyes, but they found no sign of unusual chakra on Retsu. Still, Kiyomaru's words left them uneasy, unsure whether they had already fallen victim to something unseen.
The surrounding Uchiha, who had formed a loose encirclement, grew wary at the ambiguous remark. Their gazes shifted toward the elder who had first spoken.
"Elder Hayabusa, we..."
"Silence. He hasn't tampered with him," the elder said firmly. In his mind, he had reviewed every move this so-called Hawk had made, finally managing to keep pace with the man's thinking.
The stranger was indeed here to talk cooperation, but his approach was unlike any they had encountered before.
Previous would-be partners had all placed themselves in the weaker position—even the Kaguya clan, after repeated clashes, had grudgingly accepted an inferior standing.
But this man placed himself—at the core of his being—on equal footing with the Uchiha, perhaps even above them.
Thus, while provocative, his actions had not crossed the clan's bottom line. In fact, they served as a subtle means of proving his own strength, establishing a psychological advantage before any negotiations began.
Elder Hayabusa judged that Hawk's earlier remark had been a simple warning, nothing more.
Even the Uchiha, given enough time, will produce one or two who know how to think.
Kiyomaru promptly tossed the Kaguya clansman aside as well, and the Uchiha didn't even spare a glance.
"I've shown my sincerity. Now give me your answer," Hawk said, arms folded, his gaze sweeping the group with open disdain.
"Will you work with us—or against us?"