The door to the Hokage's office slammed open, nearly cracking the wood.
The peaceful silence that Hiruzen had been enjoying for all of five minutes was shattered.
Danzō Shimura marched in. He wasn't limping; he was storming. His face was twisted in a scowl of barely suppressed rage.
"Hiruzen!" Danzō barked. "What is the meaning of this?"
Hiruzen didn't look up from his paperwork. "You'll have to be more specific, Danzō. I have a lot of reports."
"Ren Uchiha!" Danzō slammed his hand on the desk. "I saw the report. He slaughtered a squad of... 'imposters'. You and I both know who those men were."
"They were unidentified combatants," Hiruzen said calmly, lighting his pipe. "Ren Uchiha followed protocol. Unless you want to claim them as your own?"
Danzō's eye twitched. He couldn't claim them. Not without admitting to treason.
"That boy is dangerous, Hiruzen," Danzō hissed, changing tactics. "He is fifteen years old. A child. Yet he created an A-Rank Lightning Assassination Jutsu? He moves faster than an Elite Jōnin? This is unnatural!"
Danzō leaned forward, his voice dropping to a sinister whisper.
"The Uchiha are evil by nature. A weapon like that... unchecked... will turn against the village. I demand you hand Ren Uchiha over to Root for interrogation. We need to ascertain his loyalties before he becomes another Madara."
"Denied," Hiruzen said instantly.
"And the jutsu!" Danzō continued, ignoring the refusal. "This 'Chidori'. An A-Rank technique of that lethality must be controlled by the village. It should be recorded in the Scroll of Seals. No Uchiha should be allowed to learn it without express permission from the Council!"
"Danzō," Hiruzen cut him off, his voice hardening. "Sit down."
"I will not—"
"I said sit down." Hiruzen unleashed a flicker of his own chakra. The 'Professor' was still the strongest Kage alive. Danzō stiffened, then slowly took a seat.
"First," Hiruzen said, pointing his pipe stem at his old friend. "The Chidori requires dynamic visual acuity to counter the tunnel vision caused by the speed. Without the Sharingan, using that jutsu is suicide. Putting it in the Scroll of Seals is pointless. Only an Uchiha can use it."
Hiruzen leaned back, his expression grave.
"Second, we are at war. The Uchiha Police Force is the backbone of our internal security, and their elites are vital for the front lines. I will not do anything to destabilize the clan or alienate their most promising prodigy right now."
He exhaled a puff of smoke, fixing Danzō with a sharp glare.
"And finally... Ren saved Kushina. While you were playing shadows, he protected the Village's future. He stays."
Danzō stood up. He glared at Hiruzen, hatred burning in his remaining eye.
"You are too soft, Hiruzen. One day, that boy's eyes will burn this village down. And you will regret this."
Danzō turned and swept out of the room, the door clicking shut behind him.
The Uchiha Clan District. Naka Shrine.
While Danzō fumed in the shadows, the Uchiha Clan was holding an emergency gathering.
Usually, these meetings were stiff and political. But tonight, the atmosphere was electric.
Satoshi stood in the center of the hall, with Ren beside him.
"Elders, Clan Head," Satoshi announced, his voice projecting confidence he hadn't felt in years. "My son and I have developed a new technique. The Chidori."
Ren stepped forward. He held up a scroll.
"This scroll contains the chakra flow diagrams, the required physical conditioning, and the theory behind the Chidori," Ren said loudly.
The clan murmured. Ninjas usually guarded their personal jutsu jealously. To give an A-Rank technique away was rare.
"We offer this to the Clan," Ren declared. "Any Uchiha with a two-tomoe Sharingan and Lightning affinity, regardless of rank or family status, may learn this. If you have the merit, you get the power."
The "Neutral" and lower-ranking families erupted in whispers of excitement. Usually, the best jutsu were hoarded by the Main Family (Fugaku's line). Ren was democratizing power.
Fugaku, standing by his father, narrowed his eyes. He saw exactly what Ren was doing. He was buying loyalty.
The Clan Head (Fugaku's father) accepted the scroll. He couldn't refuse it without looking greedy.
"A generous gift," the Clan Head said, forcing a smile. "This will strengthen our forces significantly."
"For the glory of the Uchiha," Ren bowed.
As the meeting dispersed, a man approached the Clan Head. It was Elder Kaede—the leader of the Neutral faction and Mikoto's grandfather.
"Clan Head," Elder Kaede said, bowing slightly.
"Kaede. What is it?"
"I wish to request a change in the deployment roster for tomorrow," Kaede said smoothly. "My granddaughter, Mikoto. I want her transferred out of Fugaku-sama's squad."
Fugaku stepped forward, bristling. "She is my sensor. We have trained together."
Kaede kept his expression neutral, but internally, he sighed. Earlier that evening, Mikoto had come to him with pleading eyes. She had confessed that she felt safer with Ren and Satoshi, and—though she tried to hide it—Kaede could see the girl had developed a fondness for the boy who saved her.
Kaede was a stern elder to everyone else, but for his granddaughter, he was a total slave. He couldn't say no to her.
"With all due respect, Fugaku-sama," Kaede said firmly, exercising his authority as an Elder. "Ren Uchiha saved her life tonight. I believe Mikoto will be safer and more effective under Captain Satoshi's command."
The room went silent.
It was a political slap in the face. Kaede was betting on Ren, not Fugaku.
The Clan Head gritted his teeth. He couldn't deny the logic without looking like he didn't care about Mikoto's safety.
"Very well," the Clan Head said stiffly. "Mikoto is reassigned to Squad Satoshi."
Later that night. The Clan Head's Estate.
Fugaku stood on the veranda, looking at the moon. His father walked up behind him.
"You lost her," his father said bluntly.
"It's temporary," Fugaku replied, gripping the railing. "Kaede is just hedging his bets because of the boy's sudden fame."
"Do not underestimate him, Fugaku," the Clan Head warned. "Ren gave that jutsu to the common families. He won their hearts tonight. And now he has taken the Neutral Elder's granddaughter into his inner circle."
The Clan Head turned to his son.
"He is not just a soldier. He is a rival. If you are not careful, the clan will look to him for strength, not you."
Fugaku's Sharingan flared briefly in the dark.
"Let him shine for now," Fugaku said coldly. "The war is starting. We will see if his 'Chidori' can save him when the real killing starts."
"Watch him, Fugaku," his father whispered. "Watch him closely. He is becoming a hindrance."
Ren's House.
In his own room, Ren sneezed as he packed his ninja pouch.
"Someone's definitely talking about me," Ren muttered, rubbing his nose.
He sat back down at his desk. Spread out before him wasn't a map of the Rain Country, or a strategy guide for the war.
It was a scroll titled: "Principles of Yang Release and Cellular Regeneration."
His eyes scanning the complex medical diagrams.
"If I'm going to survive this war," Ren whispered to himself, "I need more than lightning. I need to make sure that if I get hit, I don't stay down."