Akatsuki Village.
Inside the grand conference hall, the air was buzzing with excitement. Every ninja who had recently pledged allegiance to Akatsuki had gathered here. The seats were filled with representatives from the Hyūga clan, the Yuki clan, the Kurama clan, the Hatake clan, the Suho clan, and countless other families—both great and small.
Many of these clans were once considered natural affiliates of Konoha. Yet here they sat, lured away and firmly rooted under the banner of Akatsuki Village.
Uchiha Leo—known to the world under the alias Makoto—sat at the head of the chamber. His eyes flickered with quiet satisfaction.
Poaching is addictive, he thought. The more people I pull from Konoha, the weaker they become. Sooner or later, Akatsuki will replace Konoha as the true "orthodox" ninja village.
And yet… Leo was still unsatisfied.
No matter how many clans joined, it wasn't enough. The more ninjas under his command, the better. But reality had its limits. Akatsuki was still too young, its foundations fragile. Were it not for Konoha's strategic location, and the Fire Daimyō's generous backing, the village would never have been able to attract so many followers so quickly.
---
Competing Shadows
Beyond the Fire Country, the other great nations were moving rapidly. Their first-generation Kage were laying down the blueprints of their villages, vying for dominance and courting powerful clans to bolster their ranks.
The world was in flux. Heroes rose like waves, countless and relentless, like crucian carp crossing the river.
Akatsuki could not possibly hope to attract the legendary clans outright. Most of those who joined were the mid-tier and minor clans—those without strong bloodlines or famous secret arts.
In Konoha, such clans had little presence. They lived in the shadow of giants like the Uchiha and Senju, doomed to obscurity. Here in Akatsuki, however, they were offered recognition, leadership opportunities, and resources. For them, this village was a second chance.
Leo accepted them all without hesitation.
Even if I can't summon SSR-tier prodigies right away, a large base ensures plenty of R and SR-tier talent will eventually rise. Quantity leads to quality.
Among all the new arrivals, Leo's eyes were particularly drawn to the shinobi hailing from the Land of Sky and the Land of Craftsmen. Unlike most, these ninja were not obsessed with combat. Their passion lay in research, development, and tinkering.
To the traditionalists, such behavior seemed strange, almost shameful. Ninjas, they believed, should devote their chakra and blood to training, not experiments. Research was expensive, often fruitless, and yielded no immediate strength.
But to Leo? These were treasures.
Technology, he mused. Or rather, "ninjutsu research," as they call it here. They might not wield overwhelming power in battle, but their creations can reshape the battlefield.
He knew well the potential hidden in unconventional paths. Where others saw money pits, he saw investments.
Of course, science demanded heavy funding. If the experiment went wrong, all the resources would be wasted. But Leo was rich now. Very rich. Wealth was no longer an obstacle.
---
Ceremony of Power
The meeting commenced.
Leo strode into the room and sat on the main seat at the head of the long table. Behind him, a red banner hung proudly:
"Warmly Celebrate the Successful Convening of the Akatsuki Village Congress!"
It was ostentatious, yes, but Leo believed in ceremony. Image mattered.
"Lord Light and Shadow!" the clans greeted in unison, their voices echoing off the wooden walls.
Leo offered the expected formalities, his speech as formulaic as it was necessary. Once the opening concluded, the representatives began taking turns addressing the hall.
One after another, they voiced their satisfaction.
Akatsuki Village had official recognition from the Fire Daimyō. It enjoyed protection from Konoha's proximity. And their leader—Lord Makoto—was not just wealthy, but monstrously strong.
Strength was the greatest reassurance of all.
---
The Challenge of the Kaguya
No one understood this better than Kaguya Masao, patriarch of the ferocious Kaguya clan.
The Kaguya were infamous even in the Warring States era, renowned for their savagery and love of battle. Madness coursed through their veins. Compared to them, even the prideful Uchiha seemed measured.
Such a clan would never be swayed by money alone. They followed only strength.
Masao himself had tested Leo, demanding a duel.
What unfolded still haunted him.
Leo had begun with nothing more than a simple Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique. Ordinarily, this was a C-rank ninjutsu, taught to Uchiha children as a rite of passage.
But when cast from Leo's hands, it was transformed. The flames roared outward, swallowing the battlefield, turning everything into a blazing sea of fire. The inferno sealed Masao's escape, forcing him into close combat.
And that was where the Uchiha excelled most.
With the power of the Sharingan, their dynamic vision rendered every movement visible. They could read their opponent's flaws with terrifying clarity, copying taijutsu and ninjutsu alike.
Masao was no slouch. With his clan's kekkei genkai, Shikotsumyaku—the Dead Bone Pulse—he could harden and manipulate his own bones as weapons and armor. His combat ability was feared across the battlefield.
The clash was ferocious. Flames clashed with sharpened bones, and the ground was torn apart beneath their feet. They exchanged hundreds of blows, neither yielding. Dust clouded the air, and chakra crackled violently around them.
Yet in the midst of battle, something shifted.
Masao blinked, and suddenly, the battlefield was gone. The scorched earth, the shattered bones—everything had vanished.
Leo stood calmly before him, smiling faintly.
Behind him, the Hyūga representatives watched with grim expressions, as though they had witnessed a tragedy.
Masao's breath caught. When did it happen?
A chill ran through him as realization dawned.
"An illusion…?"
Leo's voice was quiet, almost amused. "It happened the moment our eyes met."
Masao's stomach dropped.
---
Illusion of Death
The duel had been nothing more than a genjutsu. From the very first exchange, Masao had been ensnared.
If this were a real battlefield, he would already be dead.
The Kaguya patriarch clenched his fists. He had prided himself on his battle-hardened instincts, on his clan's unparalleled taijutsu. And yet, a single glance had sealed his defeat.
The Uchiha's Sharingan was truly monstrous.
Leo's genjutsu, by normal standards, was only average. But with the system's constant strengthening, his pupil power had been magnified to terrifying levels.
While his physical stats rose steadily, they weren't yet overwhelming—ninjas in this world were often fragile despite their strength. But his ocular power? It had become monstrous, capable of crushing even seasoned warriors.
For this duel, Leo had poured nearly all his eye power into the illusion, amplifying it with a massive surge of chakra. The result was decisive, immediate, and utterly humiliating for Masao.
This wasn't a gentleman's spar. There were no gradual probing moves, no respectful exchanges. Leo didn't play by the unspoken rules of shinobi combat.
He fought like a man without martial ethics.
Two evenly matched cars had lined up to race. Masao had eased forward cautiously, warming his engine. Leo, however, had floored the accelerator from the start, blasting ahead at full speed.
The outcome was inevitable.
Masao had been crushed before he even realized the race had begun.
---
The Weight of Leadership
In truth, Kaguya Masao was not weak. Far from it. The Warring States era produced countless monsters, and any clan patriarch strong enough to leave his mark was at least Kage-level.
But against Leo, who wielded system-enhanced Sharingan, the fight was one-sided from the start.
The illusion had stripped away all pretense, leaving only the undeniable fact:
Leo was terrifying.
And that was exactly what he wanted.
The other clan leaders, watching from the sidelines, felt the weight of that demonstration. They saw not just wealth, not just ceremony, but true, overwhelming dominance.
Akatsuki Village had a leader worth following.
---
Leo leaned back in his chair, his expression calm but inwardly triumphant.
Yes. Let them see. Let them believe. With numbers, wealth, and power, Akatsuki will rise above all others.
The meeting continued, but in every mind present, only one thought lingered:
Uchiha Makoto was not a man to be challenged.
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