Chapter 12: The Gathering Storm
Five years.
Five years of brutal training, grinding missions, and hoarding points had passed. I'd grown from a scrawny, persecuted kid into a young man with the hardened physique and sharp eyes of a seasoned shinobi. My strength had solidified at the level of an elite jonin. But my Sharingan… my Sharingan remained stubbornly at Three Tomoe.
I looked at the 80,000 points I'd painstakingly saved, then at the price tag in the system mall: Mangekyo Sharingan: 1,000,000 Points.
I let out a long, weary sigh. Five years. Why can't I ever save enough? Every time I accumulated a decent amount, I'd trade it for a new ninjutsu, shoring up my weaknesses. Now I had a formidable arsenal, but my core, my heritage—the Dojutsu—was stagnant. A Uchiha without the Mangekyo wasn't truly powerful. He was just a man with very good eyesight.
My brooding was interrupted by a voice outside my door. "Tenchi! The Patriarch summons you. Come to the Security Force headquarters at once!"
Uchiha Kiyotaka? What does he want now? I'd just gotten back from a mission and was looking forward to more than a few days of rest. With a grumble, I headed out.
Pushing open the doors to the main meeting hall, the atmosphere hit me like a physical blow. The room was packed. All the clan elders were present, and every single person there was a jonin. Not a single chunin in sight.
"Tenchi, you're here. Sit," Kiyotaka said, his tone uncharacteristically welcoming. I didn't bother with formalities, taking an empty seat without a word. No one objected. The Tianqi of five years ago was a pariah to be mocked. The Tianqi of today commanded respect through sheer, undeniable power.
As I sat, the Great Elder caught my eye and gave a slight, approving nod. I returned it. Once everyone was settled, Kiyotaka began.
"You're all wondering why I've called this meeting." Murmurs of agreement rippled through the room. "The Second Raikage of Kumogakure has made a desperate gamble. He has mobilized over a thousand shinobi and declared war on Konoha."
The room erupted.
"What?! How dare he! The First Hokage gave them a tailed beast! We have a treaty!"
"Is the Second Raikage insane? A war will cost thousands of lives!"
"Without the deterrence of Senju Hashirama and Lord Madara, a peace treaty is just a piece of paper!" the Great Elder's voice boomed over the din, seizing the chance to champion his idol. "Lord Madara always said true peace could only come through unifying the ninja world, but no one listened! And see where it's gotten us!"
"Uchiha Madara is a traitor and a relic of the past!" the Second Elder shot back immediately. "Are you suggesting we follow his path and betray Konoha too?!"
The room split instantly. Members of the militant and moderate factions were on their feet, glaring at each other, hands hovering near weapon pouches. The air crackled with the promise of violence.
I just sat there, silent, an observer to the clan's perpetual internal war.
"ENOUGH!" Kiyotaka's voice cracked like a whip. "This is a briefing, not a debate about the former patriarch! Sit down and listen!"
Grudgingly, everyone retook their seats.
"The Second Hokage," Kiyotaka continued, his voice hard, "has issued a mobilization order. Every clan is to provide its elite. We are to assemble a force of a thousand to meet Kumo's threat. All chunin and above are to be deployed. I've heard the Senju clan is mobilizing its entire force. This is our chance to show our worth, to regain our voice in the village's political center!"
As he spoke, I couldn't help the cynical twist of my lips. So this is how the Uchiha were bled dry. Throwing all their best into the meat grinder of the First and Second Wars, leaving them weak, isolated, and ripe for the massacre. It was a brilliantly tragic strategy.
Kiyotaka turned his gaze directly to me. "Tenchi. You are one of our strongest. I expect you to distinguish yourself in this war. With you and Kagami, our Uchiha will surely return to the heart of power!"
I merely nodded, not trusting myself to speak. I couldn't bring myself to tell him the bitter truth: Tobirama would never allow the Uchiha into his inner circle, and neither would the man who would one day lead the Foundation.
As the meeting broke up, I caught the Great Elder's arm, giving him a meaningful look. He understood, and we soon found ourselves in the privacy of his home.
"Young Master," he said, once we were secure. "What is it that couldn't be said at the meeting?"
"Great Elder," I began, my voice low and urgent. "In this coming war, the militant faction must preserve its strength. Fight when you must, but retreat when you're overmatched. Let the other clans, and the village ninja, take the brunt of the risky assaults."
His brow furrowed in confusion. "Young Master, why? This is a perfect opportunity to earn glory for the clan!"
"Glory?" I cut him off, my voice sharp. "The Senju are Hokage's direct lineage; they have to fight with everything they have. Why must we? Do you truly believe that idiot Kiyotaka? That if we outperform the Senju, we'll be granted a seat at the table? Don't be naive. As long as a Senju sits in that office, the Uchiha will never have a bright future here. Since we can't stop Kiyotaka from his suicidal fervor, we must at least protect our own. Preserving our strength is the only thing that matters now. Do you understand?"
The Great Elder was silent for a long moment, processing my blunt, treasonous logic. Finally, he gave a slow, grim nod. "I understand, Young Master. I will spread the word discreetly."
Satisfied, I left. But the moment I returned home, a Hokage messenger was waiting for me on my wall.
"Uchiha Tenchi. The Hokage summons you. Follow me." He didn't wait for a reply, leaping away. I followed.
At the base of the Hokage Tower, I ran into a familiar face.
"Yo, Tenchi. You got the summons too, I see," Sarutobi Hiruzen said. He looked older, more settled. He'd gotten married recently, to a civilian woman named Biwako.
"I just heard. Shouldn't you be at home enjoying your honeymoon?" I asked.
He rubbed the back of his head, a familiar, slightly embarrassed gesture. "Orders from the Nidaime. You can't ignore them. Listen," his voice grew serious, "whatever… disagreements you have with Lord Tobirama, keep them to yourself today. The village's survival is at stake. You know how serious this is."
I nodded. "Don't worry. I know when to argue and when to fight."
We pushed open the doors to the strategy room together. It was filled with Konoha's top brass, all clustered around a large map of the ninja world. Tobirama was at the center.
"Am I late?" Hiruzen asked.
"Monkey, you're just in time," Tobirama said, his eyes flicking over me as if I were a piece of furniture before pulling Hiruzen to the map. "Get over here."
I ignored him and moved to look at the map myself.
"Monkey," Tobirama was saying, his finger tracing the map, "According to Anbu intelligence, since Kumo declared war, Iwagakure and Kirigakure have followed suit. Their motives are unclear. The ninja world is in chaos. Only Sunagakure, the weakest, has not yet joined the fray."
"Isn't that good?" Hiruzen asked, puzzled. "We only have to worry about Suna, and we can focus our full strength on Kumo. What's the problem?"
"Monkey," Danzo's voice cut in from the side, cold and analytical. "The problem is Iwa and Kiri. They have declared war, but not yet moved. Who is to say they won't strike our flanks the moment we are fully committed against Kumo?"