Uchiha Clan Compound.
Isshin hummed an unknown little tune from the Warring States era, in an excellent mood.
He had heard Fugaku report on the clan's performance on the battlefield. They had all fought fiercely, still displaying the irresistible power of the three-tomoe Sharingan…
Although the performances of Minato and Sakumo had been somewhat astonishing.
But Isshin did not care.
Didn't that simply prove that his choice of patience had been correct?
As long as the Uchiha Clan could take to the battlefield and draw strength from the enemies' blood and bones, then one day an extraordinary clansman would inevitably appear!
Isshin himself had not awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, nor had his brother Setsuna.
However, Isshin had thoroughly studied the history of the Uchiha Clan.
This veteran Uchiha deeply understood one truth.
The strength of the Uchiha grows in leaps, far beyond the imagination of most shinobi.
Once the Mangekyō Sharingan is awakened, one is guaranteed the offensive-and-defensive "third power—Susanoo."
As well as the unreasonable Mangekyō dōjutsu!
If one is a little lucky, each Mangekyō ability's boost to an Uchiha is no less than Flying Thunder God is to Namikaze Minato…
Therefore, from the moment the Uchiha stepped onto the battlefield, their decline was destined to be only temporary!
Next, they only needed to develop slowly—there was no need to care about temporary gains or losses.
"Clan Head Isshin, something terrible has happened!" Fugaku rushed in recklessly and shouted.
Isshin frowned and scolded: "You're already a grown man—look at yourself… Catch your breath before speaking!"
Fugaku paused. "Yes!"
"That Uchiha boy we rescued from Kusagakure doesn't want to join the clan…"
Isshin glanced sideways at Fugaku. "That's all? Then let him get lost. The Uchiha don't lack that one."
"But he's very talented. He's only about twelve or thirteen and has already awakened the two-tomoe Sharingan…"
Fugaku explained: "He never received systematic shinobi training growing up, yet he has astonishing combat instincts. With just a sword, he killed many Kusa ninja."
"When he refused to join the clan, the Hokage and Danzō both came over. You should go take a look!"
Isshin chuckled.
"Look at you, so inexperienced… What if it's two tomoe? He only killed a few useless Kusa shinobi."
"You know Shisui, right? Although that brat is a descendant of Kagami and isn't very fond of the clan in his heart, I still acknowledge his talent."
"Shisui's talent is far more terrifying than this brat's… For a truly outstanding Uchiha, achievements like this are nothing. Back in my day, it's not as if I couldn't have done the same!"
Isshin added: "Fugaku, don't fuss over the gains or losses of a single city, a single place, or a single person…"
"Since he doesn't want to come, then give him to the Hokage and the others. That way it can also confuse them! It will make them think the Uchiha Clan has no ambition, no intention of expansion."
Fugaku nodded thoughtfully.
"But the problem is, he looks a lot like Young Clan Head Izuna—like he was carved from the same mold…"
Isshin froze.
A trace of something bad surged up in his heart, but after thinking it over, he still waved his hand. "What use is a shell?"
"The Uchiha Clan has been passed down generation after generation. Cases where someone resembles an ancestor after skipping a generation are common. Not to mention that brat—even if you had another son who looked like Young Clan Head Izuna, that would be perfectly normal."
"Can a face put food on the table? Clear your head!"
What Isshin said was not false. The Uchiha have a few classic "models" of looks, and Izuna's appearance was one of them.
It was just that his was the ultimate collector's edition among the classics…
After that barrage, Fugaku gradually calmed down.
"You really do think things through. I was being too shallow." Fugaku sighed in heartfelt admiration.
"I was just thinking… we've always been hoping another young clan head, another great clan head would appear. And now we bring back an Uchiha orphan from Kusagakure who happens to look like him—there's a bit of 'destiny' to it…"
Isshin nodded.
"I understand what you mean, but how can there be that many coincidences in the world? If he doesn't want to join and we still forcibly drag him in, what will the Hokage think?"
"You can recognize it—do you think Sarutobi Hiruzen can't?"
Isshin paused, then changed his wording. "The Hokage might not necessarily remember, but don't forget Shimura Danzō."
Hiruzen didn't seem like the type to study the Uchiha Clan excessively.
Even Isshin, too, mostly felt that Hiruzen was hard to deal with, and had no particular malice toward him personally.
This was someone who used open schemes.
"You're right, Clan Head Isshin."
Fugaku nodded. "Danzō imitates Senju Tobirama in every way—he's already reached the point of obsession. He definitely knows about Young Clan Head Izuna…"
"That's right. Learn to use your brain, Fugaku."
"Only those who use their brains can be undefeated in battle!" Isshin clasped his hands behind his back, standing as steady as a deep pool and a towering mountain.
His bearing was extraordinary!
Just then, Uzumaki Shio came rushing over recklessly, looking tense.
"Hello… may I disturb you for a moment?"
"Oh? How did you find your way here?" Fugaku looked at the Uzumaki orphan in surprise.
She had just arrived in Konoha and could already find the Uchiha compound?
"I memorized your chakra. Once I sensed it, I hurried here the whole way…"
Shio clasped her hands together and apologized. "I'm truly sorry, but please forgive him. He really wants to join the Uchiha Clan—he's just stubborn and too embarrassed to say it…"
Fugaku nodded. Just like the intelligence report said, this Uzumaki orphan had outstanding ability.
However, he was not surprised by Tobirama's youthful arrogance.
He had grown up as a prisoner, repressed until he awakened the Sharingan—after all those stimuli…
If he were mentally normal and easy to talk to, that would be the real absurdity!
Just putting on a cool act and playing the loner was already the mildest symptom…
"This… but if he's unwilling to join, we don't have any good way."
Fugaku shook his head. "This matter is complicated. You shouldn't get involved…"
"Since we have some connection, I'll give you a tip: as an Uzumaki orphan, find a way to get along well with Kushina and Mito-sama. Then you won't have any major problems in Konoha."
Shio hurriedly expressed her thanks.
Sure enough, the Uchiha Clan were all good people—far better than that bandaged weirdo!
Shio could sense other people's chakra and judge certain aspects from it.
In a way, it was another kind of "unboxing."
Danzō's chakra gave her the feeling of distortion and obsession, like a gnarled old tree whose tangled roots were drawing in all the surrounding nutrients…
Even among the Konoha shinobi, quite a number clearly held him in awe. The moment he appeared, they stopped talking.
Some were even afraid!
Danzō and the Hokage had already walked back and forth several times…
Shio clearly saw him secretly glance at Tobirama several times, his expression one of surprise and disgust!
What worried Shio even more was that Tobirama was unbelievably arrogant—he actually narrowed his eyes and glared back…
That frightened Shio quite a bit. Although Hiruzen felt like a good person in her perception, Danzō's chakra had left her with an extremely bad impression.
Moreover, Danzō clearly had a good relationship with the Hokage. Whenever he spoke with the Hokage, his expression relaxed somewhat.
If someone like that were offended, how could Tobirama establish himself in Konoha in the future?
He would be finished!
Her days as a captive had made Shio deeply understand this principle—"it is easy to dodge an open blade, but hard to guard against a hidden arrow"!
And after asking Tobirama whether he wanted to join the Uchiha Clan and seek protection…
Shio saw that although the beautiful yet tragic young man still refused, there was clearly hesitation in his eyes—he was obviously just stiffening his neck and being stubborn, unwilling to lower his head.
So Shio gritted her teeth, stamped her foot, and ran to the Uchiha clan compound to call for reinforcements.
"This—he… he's different!"
"Please bring him back to the Uchiha Clan. He's very capable!"
Shio pleaded, "He just can't bring himself to say it…"
Isshin chuckled and put on an official tone.
"Little girl, don't worry. Even if he doesn't join the Uchiha Clan, he will still live quite well in Konoha. You should trust the Hokage."
"You're a member of the Uzumaki Clan, right? Over there, would you force someone to acknowledge their ancestry and return to the clan?"
Shio was at a loss for words. That really was a problem.
Recognition by a shinobi clan is an important concept—this is not something that can be treated lightly.
"Resent me if you must. I know you're unwilling to show off your talent, but a shinobi must display value in order to be protected by others. Even within a clan, it is the same."
"In order for you to obtain resources in Konoha and live peacefully…"
Shio bit her lip tightly, her fists clenched, and suddenly shouted: "You're right… but he's different!"
"He has the blessing of an 'ancestor.' Are you really going to let a clansman like that remain outside?"
Fugaku showed no particular reaction, but Uchiha Isshin visibly shuddered.
Shio felt a surge of joy in her heart and continued: "Please also keep it a secret for him. I know that if I do this, he will be dissatisfied…"
"But you also know how young people are. They always fantasize that someone will love them unconditionally, not because of so-called talent or anything like that. Please forgive my recklessness!"
Isshin's palm trembled slightly. "I understand, I understand. Go on!"
Appearance was only a coincidence. To put it bluntly, with the variety of ninjutsu, creating Izuna's appearance would not be surprising.
But the blessing of an ancestor…
Isshin had truly seen such a thing recorded in the clan's texts!
Combined with what Fugaku had said and the background of Shio growing up together with Tobirama, Isshin did not doubt it.
It was clearly just a story of a girl worrying that a boy might miss resources because of his pride.
Isshin understood this way of thinking very well, and also understood the mentality Shio described.
Many people in the Uchiha Clan have similar emotions when they are in love.
For example:
"I have the three-tomoe, so you love me—but if I didn't have these eyes, would you still love me?"
So twisted it made one's stomach ache…
"Since he was little, there have been voices in his head talking to him—and not just one!"
"Because of that, his mental state was very poor when he was young. It only improved a little as he grew older."
"Sometimes he would suddenly grasp inexplicable techniques because of it. When he protected me that day, every time he killed a Kusa shinobi, his blade became faster. In the end, it even connected into streaks of light…"
"He could even use the Fire Release I had just taught him… and he used it much better than I did!"
Shio spoke quickly, her heart filled with guilt.
What she did not know was that her actions had already been calculated within the scheme of the inherently wicked Uchiha.
Some things, when spoken from the mouth of an Uzumaki orphan like her, sounded more convincing.
It also helped establish the persona that he was unwilling to explain himself, which would avoid quite a lot of trouble in the future.
Isshin's pupils trembled.
This was no longer simply a matter of resembling Young Clan Head Izuna. This absolutely had to—
Seeing this, Shio gritted her teeth and added another push: "That bandaged man called the advisor seems very dissatisfied with him. He keeps looking at him again and again."
Fugaku frowned slightly when he heard that.
Following Isshin's line of thinking, it would still be better not to clash directly with Danzō.
After all, they had not abandoned a clansman—had they not already rescued him and brought him back to Konoha?
If he himself did not want to join, then there was no need to provoke someone like Danzō.
Even if there was something special about him, it was probably nothing extraordinary.
"This… this is rather unusual, but our Uchiha…" Fugaku imitated Isshin's manner, intending to decline lightly.
"Decline my ass! What do you know!"
Isshin suddenly stood up, and it was as if an old lion were hidden in his eyes.
"Call everyone with the three-tomoe. We're going to bring him back!"
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