The Uchiha clan gathered for an emergency clan meeting at Raijin's request.
Sitting at the head of the room were Uchiha Motohide, Uchiha Ikusa, Uchiha Tatsumi, Uchiha Setsuna, and… Uchiha Madara?
Raijin, whose chest was noticeably bulging because of the money Orochimaru had given him, caught everyone's attention. He looked at Uchiha Madara with confusion.
It made sense for Motohide and the others to be sitting up there since they were his elders.
But Madara? His former enemy? Why was he sitting even closer to the front than Raijin himself?
Tsunade and Uchiha Suisei also glanced at Raijin's chest with puzzled expressions.
Meanwhile, Raijin was staring at Madara, clearly unhappy.
As for Madara…
He shifted his gaze slightly, glancing at Raijin before a faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on his lips.
Then, without a word, he casually crossed one leg over the other.
This was what you called status.
Among all the Uchiha present, Madara had the highest seniority.
"Raijin, what's the reason for calling everyone here so urgently?"
Uchiha Ikusa glanced at Raijin, then at Madara.
His old face twitched slightly before he calmly spoke.
Technically, only the clan leader had the authority to call an emergency clan meeting.
But Raijin wasn't just any ordinary Uchiha.
As someone whose individual strength had already surpassed the entire Konohagakure Police Force, he was more than qualified to call a meeting like this.
Raijin cleared his throat, shifting his gaze to Uchiha Ikusa.
Then, he stood up with a gentle yet slightly apologetic smile.
After nodding to the crowd, he slowly began speaking.
"It's like this. The technology at Konohagakure's research center has advanced to a certain level, so my comrade, Orochimaru, has proposed a plan. He wants to make Kekkei Genkai available to all ninjas in the village and has asked for my help."
Raijin deliberately emphasized the word "comrade."
The moment he finished speaking, nearly everyone's expression changed.
Even Tsunade, who had nothing to do with the Uchiha clan's Kekkei Genkai, instinctively frowned.
She wasn't pleased.
Orochimaru… Does that guy ever think about anything other than experiments?
Sure, he was good at persuading people, and Raijin might actually help him achieve this.
The Uchiha clan, out of respect for Raijin, might even consider agreeing.
But that was before Madara came back.
Now, no matter whether they agreed or not, Raijin's reputation within the clan would take a serious hit.
This guy… Maybe it's time I knocked some sense into him?
Silently, Tsunade clenched her fists.
Madara, however, didn't seem eager to object. Instead, he fell into deep thought.
If Raijin really wanted to help Orochimaru, he could just work with him directly.
Even if he helped spread the Uchiha clan's Kekkei Genkai, the clan wouldn't be able to stop him.
So why go through all this trouble to call an emergency meeting for a proposal that was obviously going to be rejected?
Or maybe…
This kid never intended to leak the Uchiha clan's Kekkei Genkai in the first place?
Resting his chin on one hand, Madara's lips curled into a knowing smile.
What a cunning little brat.
Uchiha Ikusa and the others had also pretty much figured out what was going on.
These old foxes, who had spent countless years navigating the ninja world, might not be as strong as young talents like Raijin.
But when it came to things like this, they saw everything with complete clarity.
Meanwhile, the other clan members started whispering among themselves.
Raijin cleared his throat and continued.
"Even though Orochimaru is my comrade and I can't just refuse his request, this involves the foundation of our Uchiha clan. So, of course, I wanted to consult with the clan leader and all the elders first.
After all, I carry the Uchiha name. For something this important, I need to hear everyone's thoughts.
I may have achieved a few small things over the years, but I'm still young. It's only natural that I might overlook something.
Right?"
He grinned and looked at Uchiha Ikusa.
Raijin had no intention of helping Orochimaru obtain the Uchiha clan's Kekkei Genkai.
Come on, does Orochimaru really think he can just ask for it?
If the Uchiha clan agreed, then should the Senju clan agree too?
And if both Uchiha and Senju agreed, should the Hyuga clan follow suit?
Seriously, was every bloodline clan supposed to donate their cells, and every secret technique clan supposed to hand over their jutsu? Get real. If that happened, Konohagakure would collapse overnight.
This would be even worse than what happened in the original timeline when Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo suppressed the Uchiha clan for decades.
At least Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo knew how to cook the frog slowly in warm water.
But Orochimaru? He was just straight-up digging up the clan's grave.
"Heh…"
Uchiha Setsuna smirked, stood up, and looked at Raijin.
"Orochimaru is at the Konohagakure Research Center, right? I'll go kill him."
"Sit down."
Raijin frowned, clearly annoyed.
Come on, you can't just go around killing people like that.
Setsuna wasn't mad. He chuckled and sat back down.
He understood Raijin's intention.
Basically, Raijin was in a tough spot—he didn't want to say no to a friend, so he called a clan meeting to let the Uchiha elders take the blame for rejecting the request.
That was fine. Setsuna could take the blame.
What he just said was actually a bargaining chip for Raijin. Now, Raijin could go back to Orochimaru and say, "The Uchiha elders heard your request and wanted to kill you. But thanks to me, they let it slide."
As long as Raijin wasn't genuinely planning to help Orochimaru, that was all that mattered.
Because honestly, if Raijin truly wanted to cooperate, there was almost no one in the clan who could stop him.
If Raijin worked with Orochimaru, the Uchiha clan would have no choice but to watch their Kekkei Genkai slip away, completely powerless to stop it.
No one knew what kind of confidence Orochimaru had in his plan, but when it came to Kekkei Genkai, the process was simple—he just needed someone to supply the raw materials.
"I've heard of the 'Calamity Wind' before. He's a very talented ninja and was even on the same squad as Raijin."
Uchiha Ikusa glanced around before finally locking eyes with Raijin, smiling.
"If necessary, I can make sure that wind disappears from the ninja world anytime."
Uchiha Madara, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke.
"Don't say anything."
Raijin immediately turned to Uchiha Madara.
Hearing it from Madara was different from hearing it from Uchiha Setsuna.
The difference was that when Madara said something, it was much more likely to be true.
And more importantly, it was bound to become reality.
"Hah?"
Madara let out a cold laugh and silently turned to look at Uchiha Setsuna.
"Shall we go meet this so-called Calamity Wind together?"
"Sure."
Setsuna nodded right away, agreeing without hesitation.
He understood one thing very clearly—this was the first time Madara had voiced his opinion at a clan meeting.
And technically, he was doing it for Raijin's sake.
Did this mean that the relationship between Madara and Raijin had started to improve?
That was exactly what Setsuna had been hoping for.
In fact, if this were true, then whether or not Madara carried out the Eye of the Moon Plan no longer mattered.
Because Setsuna knew one undeniable fact—no matter what kind of agreement Uchiha Raijin and Uchiha Madara reached…
There wasn't a single person in this world who could go against them.
And as their fellow clansmen, the Uchiha would be the ones to benefit in the end.
No matter what, the Uchiha Clan would rise to greatness once again because of these two powerful figures from different generations.
Hokage?
That title no longer mattered to the Uchiha.
Power was tempting.
But in the ninja world, strength was everything.
And right now, the Uchiha had the greatest strength in the entire ninja world.
Of course, there was also the possibility that Madara wasn't actually softening his stance toward Raijin.
Maybe he said what he did just to test Raijin's reaction—or simply to mess with him.
Either way, it didn't matter.
Setsuna had no reason to refuse Madara's invitation.
And if Raijin wanted to stop him, there was nothing he could do about that either.
So, the smartest move was to go along with it.
This wasn't a matter of principle or morals.
To Setsuna, this was just two Uchiha geniuses bickering with each other.
"Madara-senpai!"
Raijin stepped forward and grabbed Madara's arm.
"Orochimaru is my comrade. I know his idea went too far, but for my sake, could you let it go?"
At this moment, Raijin could only treat Madara's words as a small favor to himself, offering him an easy way out.
He needed to see how Madara would react before deciding what to do next.
He wasn't a child—he wouldn't flip out just because things didn't go his way.
"Fine, I'll let it slide for your sake. After all, it's not easy for the Uchiha to produce a genius like you."
Madara glanced at Raijin, chuckled, and nodded.
Skipping the clan meetings was one thing.
But now that he was here, he couldn't just sit and listen without doing anything.
That would make attending the meeting pointless.
Even if it was just showing a little goodwill toward Uchiha Raijin, it was still better than nothing.
As for whether Orochimaru would hold a grudge…
Honestly, Madara didn't care.
He could confidently say that there were very few people in all of Konohagakure—including the Uchiha Clan—who didn't hate him.
But so what?
It didn't matter to him.
If Uchiha Raijin didn't exist in this village, Madara wouldn't hesitate to erase Konohagakure from the ninja world entirely.
Or, he would simply let them bask in the eternal light of the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
The reason for returning to Konohagakure and the Uchiha clan was to gain their support.
That was true, but it had to include Uchiha Raijin.
Because in the entire village, only Raijin could be a real threat to him.
At the same time, only Raijin could offer him real help.
"If Orochimaru needs the Uchiha clan's help, we will definitely provide it without any hesitation."
Uchiha Ikusa, who had been watching from the side, spoke up to smooth things over.
There had been enough opposition already.
Now, as the clan leader, it was his job to wrap things up.
The key was to give Raijin enough respect while taking full responsibility for this matter himself.
Orochimaru wasn't a big deal. The Uchiha clan didn't care too much about him.
As the clan leader, Ikusa was more concerned about Raijin's true intentions.
Raijin might have a bond with Orochimaru, making it difficult for him to refuse.
The clan understood that.
And they were more than willing to play the bad guy for him.
After all, ever since Raijin set foot on the shinobi path, he had rarely relied on the clan.
By the time he had fully grown, there wasn't much the clan could help him with anyway.
For something this minor, he didn't even need to say anything in advance—
Everyone understood, and if they could help, they would.
"But Kekkei Genkai is the foundation of the Uchiha clan.
It's also tied to the stability of the entire village.
So, before all the bloodline clans come to a common agreement,
It will be very difficult for us to provide any kind of support to Orochimaru.
I hope he understands."
Ikusa kept his tone humble and his words polite.
But the meaning was clear—
No.
Not happening.
Not up for discussion.
Still, he wasn't completely shutting the door.
If Orochimaru could somehow get all the bloodline clans to agree,
Then the Uchiha wouldn't necessarily oppose it.
"I'll pass the message on to him."
Raijin simply nodded at Ikusa, not saying much else.
"Alright, since we've reached a conclusion, everyone can go now.
Raijin, stay behind."
Uchiha Tatsumi, who controlled the clan's finances, spoke up.
With that, most of the Uchiha left Naka Shrine.
Among the crowd, Uchiha Fugaku's eyes showed a hint of deep thought.
It felt like he had learned something from today's clan meeting—
But he still needed time to process it.
…
"Raijin~"
Tatsumi slowly stood up and walked toward him.
Since Raijin was staying,
Motohide, Ikusa, Setsuna, Madara, Suisei, and Tsunade also remained.
Raijin chuckled and looked at Tatsumi.
"Don't take money from just anyone.
If you ever run out, just come to me—
I'll make sure you have enough."
Tatsumi lightly tapped the bulging pouch on Raijin's chest and whispered.
Well… looks like adjusting his routine had failed again.
(End of chapter)
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