Half an hour later.
Outside the Senju Ancestral Home.
One Anbu ninja after another guarded key points nearby. Even in the sky, several Anbu monitored the airspace using Super Beast Imitating Drawing or flying summoned beasts, staying alert to their surroundings.
Inside the courtyard of the old residence, Uchiha Gen and his teammates were led forward by an Anbu operative. Besides the Orochimaru Squad, other shinobi were waiting in the courtyard.
Jiraiya sat on a stone bench with his legs apart and hands on his knees, silently watching the main hall.
Several elderly ninja, appearing to be at least fifty or sixty years old, stood together. In addition to the Konoha whirlpool symbol on their clothes, their cuffs bore the Senju clan crest. The leader looked to be about the same age as the Uchiha Great Elder, with graying hair and sallow age spots on his face, appearing somewhat listless. These were the elders of the Senju clan, old acquaintances of Mito and the First Hokage.
Besides them, there was another person whose presence surprised Uchiha Gen, though on second thought, it was quite reasonable. This person was the son of Uchiha Kagami.
"Is that you, Cousin Sumi?"
Uchiha Gen spoke to a frail young man sitting in the corner. He wore a black robe and had a pale face, looking as if he had just suffered a major illness and might collapse with a single gust of wind. However, his features were handsome and delicate, fitting the image of a refined, gentle man.
"It's Gen, huh? Cough, cough. Sorry, I don't go out much usually, and... cough, cough, cough... we haven't interacted much, so I didn't recognize you just now... cough, cough, cough!"
Uchiha Sumi spoke to Gen while coughing. He and Uchiha Gen belonged to the same branch within the clan, hence why Gen called him "Cousin." Even their names were related to water. However, if one were to trace their bloodline, they would have to go back to their great-grandfather's generation. By their generation, the familial relationship had actually become somewhat distant.
Uchiha Gen hurried forward to support Uchiha Sumi, adjusting his posture and patting his back to help clear his airway. This clan brother of his had been born with a congenital disease. He was so weak that he couldn't become a shinobi, and he was usually so frail that he rarely even left his house. Gen might only see him a few times throughout the entire year.
If it weren't for the Uchiha clan's subsidies, and the fact that the clan elders and Konoha higher-ups still remembered Uchiha Kagami—who was once powerful and had achieved great military feats—Uchiha Sumi might not have survived until now.
"Brother Sumi, don't talk for now. Do you have your medicine with you?" Uchiha Gen asked hurriedly. As soon as he started talking, Uchiha Sumi would often be unable to stop coughing.
"Cough, cough. It's... it's in my pocket."
Uchiha Gen took out several bottles from Sumi's pocket. After a quick glance, he administered the medicine. The last thing he gave him was cough syrup. The effect of the syrup seemed quite good; after taking it, although Sumi still had a slight wheeze, he could speak more fluently.
"Thank you, Gen."
"It's nothing, Brother Sumi."
Uchiha Sumi smiled at Gen and looked around.
"Those who are allowed to be here at this time should all be shinobi who have inherited the First Hokage's Will of Fire."
Those in the courtyard were either the older generation of the Senju, former direct subordinates of the First and Second Hokage, or their students and disciples. These two identities didn't actually guarantee that they had inherited the Will of Fire, but as long as they wore that mantle, they could never admit otherwise.
"Of course!" Uchiha Gen said decisively, then looked at Uchiha Sumi with a smile. "The Will of Fire is eternal. Lord Third is the successor personally appointed by the Second Hokage, and those who can come here are naturally the inheritors of the Will of Fire trusted by the Sandaime."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was the legitimate successor recognized by the Second Hokage and held the highest authority to interpret the current Will of Fire. To prove one's own legitimacy, one had to align themselves with the Third Hokage. And Gen was the student of the Third's student, and his teacher Orochimaru was seen by everyone as the successor to the Sandaime's legacy—even Hiruzen himself thought so.
If Gen said he was an inheritor of the Will of Fire, no one except Orochimaru and the Third Hokage could deny it. As long as he acted the part well enough, there would be no problem.
It was fortunate that Uchiha Gen had grown up under a similar ideological framework in his previous life. His thoughts and daily behavior showed no signs of contradicting this vague and somewhat grandiosely empty Will of Fire. Moreover, although his grades in political education in his past life weren't exceptionally good, scraping a passing grade was no problem. Rephrasing the Will of Fire—which was still crudely articulated by the Third Hokage—into a more mainstream, convincing sentiment was manageable.
"Mm!" Uchiha Sumi nodded heavily. He believed it.
Uchiha Gen's status as the student of Orochimaru was a significant boost, and his eyes, along with his past actions, were different from other clansmen.
"Gen, if you have time, could I trouble you to come to my place tonight or tomorrow morning? My talent is limited, and I cannot be a shinobi. There are some things I want to give to you; they would be more appropriate and valuable in your hands."
Uchiha Gen's heart stirred. Uchiha Sumi, who had been weak and sickly since birth, wasn't a powerful ninja. What could he possibly have?
Could it be...
"Gen doesn't have time tonight, but our team's assembly time is tomorrow at 2:00 PM. Tomorrow morning should be fine."
Orochimaru's voice suddenly came from nearby, interrupting their conversation.
I don't have time tonight? How come I didn't know?
But since Orochimaru had said so, perhaps there really was something tonight. Uchiha Gen could only nod in agreement.
"Alright, tomorrow morning then."
Uchiha Sumi nodded slightly with a smile in his eyes.
Meanwhile, inside the main hall of the Senju Ancestral Home, all the clutter had been cleared away, leaving only layer upon layer of complex and incredibly profound sealing formulas, eventually converging at the very center. These sealing runes were all designed to suppress the Nine-Tails' chakra.
At the very center, on a pure white bed, Uzumaki Mito leaned back peacefully, comforting Tsunade and Kushina, who were attending to her.
Tsunade was her granddaughter and her only living direct blood relative. At present, before Kushina had fully grown, she was also among the top experts in Sealing Jutsu in Konoha, second only to Mito, and was acting as the assistant helping Uzumaki Mito complete the transfer.
And Uzumaki Kushina was one of the main protagonists of this ceremony. Mito treated her as her own child. Both came from the Uzumaki clan and shared close blood ties.
Outside the sealing incantations that filled half the room stood the high-ranking officials of Konoha.