Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its character belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I make.
Chapter 202: Clan Reaction
UCHIHA CLAN
Hikaku walked back to the Uchiha Clan residence in silence, carrying news too big for one person to bear. On the way home, he thought about how to share the burden.
No one in the Uchiha Clan knew what had happened at the meeting because it was the first time Raiken revealed his secret.
He wanted to stop Raiken and ask him more about it, but he knew Madara was more important. But as clan leader, Hikaku couldn't keep this information to himself, not when it meant their bloodline was now in someone else.
He called the senior members and the elders together that evening. The reaction, once he told them, was exactly what he expected.
"He has our Sharingan?" said one of the elders, his voice rising in disbelief at what just happened. "How? When did this happen? Why were we not told? He walked among us."
"He obtained it through Mikoto," said Hikaku evenly. "Through an exchange, not through theft. My daughter let him take her cells and implant them in him."
"That does not make it acceptable," said another elder, standing from his seat. "The Sharingan belongs to this clan. It is not something to be handed out through marriage like a dowry gift."
The room grew noisy as more elders and senior members spoke up, their anger coming from feeling like their identity had changed without their say.
Hikaku listened for a while, then raised his hand.
The room slowly became quiet.
"Before any of you continue," said Hikaku, "I want you to remember something. How many of you currently carry Wood Style in your own bodies?"
This time, the room fell silent in a different way.
Some younger clan members, those who had married into the Uzumaki or received Raiken's changes, shifted uncomfortably in their seats. If everyone were honest, quite a few hands would have gone up.
"This clan has received Wood Style," Hikaku went on, "a kekkei genkai that was only the Senju's for generations, powerful enough to end wars. We accepted that gift without this much anger. We accepted the height, stronger bodies, better chakra, and every change Raiken has given us over the years without asking for this kind of explanation."
He let his words sink in.
"If we were willing to accept another clan's bloodline, we can't be angry that ours was shared once, especially with the man who has done more for this clan than anyone."
The room was silent.
"And there is a second point," said Hikaku, his voice dropping slightly. "Uchiha Madara is currently living in Konoha. A man whose Mangekyou Sharingan and Susanoo could level a portion of this village on his own if something went wrong. Raiken, with that same dojutsu and everything else he carries, is not a threat to this clan. It is a deterrent standing between us and a very real danger."
The anger in the room didn't go away, but it faded, as it does when faced with an argument that's hard to deny.
An elder near the back, who had said nothing throughout the exchange, finally spoke.
"He has kept this clan safer than any Hokage in our history," said the elder quietly. "Perhaps it is time we stopped questioning every method and started trusting the results."
Nobody argued with that either, but there was one man who was angry with Raiken despite the explanation.
That man was Uchiha Fugaku. For years, he kept it to himself, but it slowly eroded him. The woman he loved, the future clan position and now their kekkei genkai had been stolen by Raiken.
......
INO-SHIKA-CHO CLANS
As expected, the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance reacted much more calmly.
Shikajin had been at the meeting and had already come to terms with Raiken's news before he met with the Akimichi and Yamanaka clan heads.
"He has the Mangekyou," Shikajin said simply once the other two clan heads had gathered. "Obtained through an exchange with his wife. She now carries the Adamantine Chains."
The Akimichi clan head raised an eyebrow.
"That is a considerable trade," he said.
"It is," Shikajin agreed. "With everything Raiken has done for the village, I think this is just the next step in what he's been doing all along."
The Yamanaka clan head leaned in, more interested than worried.
"If an exchange like that is possible," she said slowly, "what would it take for our clans to attempt something similar?"
Shikajin looked at him.
"I was thinking the same thing," he admitted. "The Akimichi expansion techniques combined with Yamanaka mind transfer and our own shadow techniques already form a strong triangle. If there is a way to deepen those combinations the way Raiken has done between the Uzumaki and Uchiha, the potential is significant."
"We would need to speak with Raiken directly," said the Akimichi clan head.
"I already intend to," replied Shikajin. "Preparation for what is coming is going to require every advantage this village can build, and if Raiken has found a method that genuinely works, I see no benefit in three clans stubbornly refusing to consider it out of tradition alone."
After that, the talk shifted from whether they should try it to how soon they could make it happen. The three clan heads were already thinking about which bloodline combinations might work best.
***
UZUMAKI CLAN
Later that evening, Raiken called his clan's senior members together. As always, he chose to be direct rather than let them hear the news through gossip.
"I want you all to hear this from me," said Raiken, standing before the assembled elders and senior shinobi of the Uzumaki Clan. "I now carry the Mangekyou Sharingan, obtained through an exchange with Mikoto. She carries the Adamantine Sealing Chains in return."
There was a pause and a ripple of surprise in the room, but it wasn't as heated as the Uchiha meeting had been earlier.
"Is this permanent?" asked one of the elders.
"Yes," Raiken replied. "It's as permanent as any kekkei genkai transfer I've done."
The elder nodded slowly as he considered it.
"You have made this clan stronger every year since you became its leader," said another senior member. "Our chakra reserves, our sealing techniques, the alterations you have given to those willing to receive them. If this exchange serves the same purpose, I see no reason to object."
"It is not simply about strength," said Raiken. "Madara is currently living within this village, and I intend to be capable of matching him at every level if the situation ever calls for it. The Sharingan gives me tools I did not previously have access to for exactly that purpose."
The room took this in with the calm of a clan that had learned to trust Raiken's judgment over the years. While the Uchiha had been angry, then slowly accepted it, and the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance had also wanted the kekkei genkai, the Uzumaki just nodded and moved on, their trust in Raiken built by years of proven results.
"If it keeps this clan and this village safe," said the eldest Uzumaki present, "then it was the right decision. You have not steered us wrong yet."
Raiken looked at his clan, people who had followed him through every change and expansion over the years. He felt a quiet satisfaction in leading people who trusted him completely.
"Thank you," he said, then turned to the next issue that needed attention before the night ended.