After Danzo Shimura left, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in thought, considering this newly emerged Uchiha genius.
Should he use soft power to win him over like he did with Shisui, or follow Danzo’s advice and tighten the surveillance on the Uchiha clan?
Inside the Hokage’s office, only the rhythmic sound of his pipe-smoking remained.
…
Meanwhile, after returning home, Genya closed all his doors and windows and sat quietly on the floor.
In his mind, he spoke to the system.
“System, start the draw.”
[STARTING DRAW]
Countless silhouettes flashed across the system interface, many of them being figures Genya recognized instantly.
A moment later, the flickering screen slowed down and finally stopped on a figure that left a deep impression on him.
She was tall and slender, with fair skin and dark purple hair braided into a thick cord that faded into a light violet lightning glow at the tips.
A clear beauty mark sat beneath her right eye, and she held a dark purple lightning katana.
Her expression was indifferent, radiating the natural detachment and majesty of a deity.
Her Excellency, the Almighty Narukami Ogosho—Raiden Ei.
Raiden Ei.
Genya hadn’t expected to pull such a heavyweight character on his very first draw.
The world-building of Teyvat ensured that its power ceiling was incredibly high, and Genya was filled with anticipation.
It was well known that while Raiden Ei might not be the most tactically flexible, her combat prowess was undisputed.
[DRAW COMPLETE.
SELECTED CHARACTER: THE SEVEN ARCHONS · RAIDEN EI]
[OBTAINED DIVINE ARTIFACT · MUSOU ISSHIN]
Genya immediately felt an itch in his chest, as if he could pull a purple tachi out of his heart at any moment.
Simultaneously, information regarding Musou Isshin flooded his mind.
As the companion divine artifact of Raiden Makoto, Raiden Ei’s twin sister, its greatest feat was the single strike that slew the great serpent Orobashi, carving out the awe-inspiring Musoujin Gorge.
But no matter how powerful a divine artifact was, its effectiveness depended on the user.
The power that Musou Isshin displayed in the hands of Raiden Makoto compared to Raiden Ei was night and day.
Genya was currently in a state where he could use it, but fully unleashing its maximum potential would likely come at a significant cost.
He was still a far cry from even Raiden Makoto.
Fortunately, Musou Isshin had another effect: it could slowly improve the host’s talent for Lightning-style cultivation.
The stronger the host, the more power Musou Isshin could exert—it was a symbiotic progression.
As the saying goes, ‘When a sharp blade is held, the intent to kill naturally arises.’
With the ‘Booba Sword’ now at his disposal, Genya felt as though everyone he looked at was just an easy target waiting to be cut down.
He was itching to find something to test his blade on.
“Genya, the elder told me to tell you not to be late for the clan meeting tonight…
Holy crap!”
Uchiha Inabi walked in only to see lightning flickering in Genya’s hand, as if he were experimenting with a new ninjutsu.
Seeing Inabi enter without knocking, a flash of annoyance crossed Genya’s eyes.
“Can you knock first next time?”
Luckily, he hadn’t pulled Musou Isshin from his chest just now.
If Inabi had seen him drawing a sword from his heart, how would he have explained it?
Inabi was a childhood friend, and Genya didn’t want to have to silence him over something like that.
“Sorry, sorry…” Inabi’s apology was entirely insincere; he was the type to admit fault but do it again next time.
Genya looked at the thick-skinned Inabi, sighed, and dispersed the lightning in his hand without pursuing the matter.
After his half-hearted apology, Inabi recalled the lightning he saw when he pushed the door open and asked curiously.
“What were you just doing?
Why don’t you go to the training ground if you’re practicing ninjutsu?”
Practicing ninjutsu at home—wasn’t he afraid of blowing the roof off?
Genya came up with a random excuse.
“I just had a sudden inspiration and wanted to try a new technique.”
Inabi didn’t press him further and led Genya toward the Uchiha clan territory—the Naka Shrine.
By the time they arrived, many people were already there.
The Naka Shrine was filled with a sea of spiky hair and red eyes.
In the Uchiha clan, anyone who could awaken their eyes was allowed to attend the meeting.
However, generally, only those with at least three tomoe or the strength of a Jonin had the right to speak.
The Uchiha clan, of course, wasn’t composed entirely of ninjas; there were many women, children, and elderly.
Even so, five or six hundred people had gathered, all of whom were Chunin-level or above with awakened eyes.
This was even after the Uchiha had suffered losses during the Third Great Ninja War.
It was easy to imagine that at their peak, the number of Uchiha ninjas likely exceeded a thousand.
Genya listened to the people around him; many seemed irritable, discussing the unfair treatment the village showed them.
Some spoke of being met with hostility from Konoha civilians while performing normal patrols.
Each of these incidents was like a straw piling up, constantly provoking Uchiha’s emotions and pushing their relationship with Konoha toward the abyss.
The news of Genya awakening his three tomoe and being promoted to Jonin had already spread through the clan.
Moreover, he had decisively defeated the controversial Copy Ninja, Kakashi.
Right now, Genya was seen as someone who brought pride back to the Uchiha name.
Sitting a few rows away from Genya was Uchiha Shisui.
He was a gentle man who almost never had a conflict with anyone.
Yet, because he possessed a great power that others coveted and was far too naive, he would eventually commit suicide in grief and indignation during Danzo’s conspiracy in the original timeline.
He was even branded a traitor after his death—a truly meaningless end.
Sensing Genya’s gaze, Shisui turned and gave him a friendly nod.
Genya looked away.
He felt a genuine pity for Shisui; at least Shisui hadn’t acted as a spy for Hiruzen Sarutobi like Itachi did, nor did he eventually slaughter the entire clan with his own hands.
Though his methods were somewhat childish, he was truly serious about trying to mend the relationship between the Uchiha and the village.
Of course, Genya was still considering whether or not to give him a hand.
Shisui didn’t have many flaws; he was just too naive and his savior complex was a bit too much.
More importantly, his Mangekyo was extremely dangerous; he had even entertained the thought of altering Fugaku’s consciousness.
As everyone knows, having a ‘saint’ in your own camp can be a real headache.
Soon, the clan meeting officially began.
The current patriarch and the three elders sat at the front and began addressing the agenda items one by one.
Genya didn’t offer any opinions on most of the topics, sitting quietly in a front-row seat.
Genya had attended several meetings like this before; they were always the same, filled with complaints about the village’s discrimination and the various slights the Uchiha suffered.
Even the elders began to speak their minds, venting everything whether it was appropriate or not.
The meeting soon became as noisy as a wet market.
In the entire Naka Shrine, the only ones who remained silent were Uchiha Fugaku on stage, Shisui, and Genya.
“Pfft.”
Genya couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.