"And to make matters worse, even our ultimate evolution—the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan—has that fatal flaw where you go completely blind if you use it too much!" the Uchiha Clan Head groaned, slamming his fist onto the low wooden table. "What kind of scam is that?!"
Then, a specific detail from the intelligence report flashed in his mind.
"Wait... didn't the report say one of the kid's shadow summons has the ability to instantly heal any injury to both the body and the soul?"
"Yes, Clan Head," Riyo confirmed quickly, nodding his head. "We verified it through our observers. That giant deer-like shadow summon radiates a soothing light that can repair flesh, bones, and even spiritual energy."
The soul? Muzuru muttered inwardly, his eyes widening in realization. If it can heal spiritual energy and the soul... could it potentially heal the blindness caused by the Mangekyo Sharingan?!
A cold shiver ran down his spine. Even if it couldn't, a walking cheat code like that was someone the Uchiha needed on their side immediately.
"No... even if it can't cure the Mangekyo, it doesn't matter," the leader muttered, his brain spinning at a hundred miles an hour. He raised his hand. "Go call Mikoto in here."
A few moments later, a cute eight-year-old girl with dark, silky hair and bright, curious eyes stepped into the traditional room, tilting her head.
"You called for me, Father?"
The Uchiha Leader looked at the innocent girl, his stern face instantly morphing into the most gentle smile. "Mikoto, my dear... I have a very, very important job for you."
Mikoto blinked her big eyes. "A job? Like a ninja mission?"
"Better," the Clan Head said, leaning forward with absolute seriousness. "You need to go befriend a five-year-old boy. And under no circumstances are you allowed to let any of the girls from the other clans get closer to him than you."
It wasn't just the Uchiha who were having a collective existential crisis.
.....
Over at the Nara Clan compound, a similar emergency meeting was taking place, attended by key figures from the Yamanaka and Akimichi clans.
"Clan Leader, the intelligence is 100% confirmed," a Nara scout reported, scratching his head. "Hokage-sama was literally carted off to the hospital looking like an overripe purple eggplant."
The head of the Nara clan sat slumped against his cushion, rubbing his temples with a deep, exhausted sigh. "Ah... what a massive fucking pain..."
He leaned back, staring up at the wooden ceiling beams in sheer disbelief. "The kid hasn't even been formally taught how to refine chakra yet, and he's already beating the Hokage into a bloody pulp? I can already feel the winds in Konoha shifting violently."
"What should we do then, Clan Leader?" a Yamanaka representative asked anxiously. "Should we try to arrange a marriage alliance like the other clans are undoubtedly planning?"
The Nara leader scoffed lightly, waving his hand. "Marriage? Please. Look at us. Even if we tried, do you really think we could compete with the major factions or the Hokage's own inner circle? If we try to play politics, we'll just get crushed in the middle. But if this kid grows up peacefully... he's guaranteed to reach the height of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama."
He paused, tapping his fingers thoughtfully against his knee. "We don't need to gamble on marriage. We just need to invest in his future directly."
"Directly?"
"Yeah. Is that commercial shop on Street Number 5 still open and under our clan's name?"
"Uh... yes, Clan Leader," a Nara elder replied, blinking in confusion. "There are actually six active shop properties on that street under our management."
"Good. Transfer the deed of those prime shops directly to the kid's name as a 'get well soon' recovery gift."
The elder almost choked on his own spit. "Are you sure, Clan Leader?! Giving away a prime commercial deed to a five-year-old kid? Isn't that a bit too direct?!"
"We don't know the kid's personality well yet," the Nara Leader said smoothly, leaning back. "When you don't know someone's personality, being completely direct and offering pure value is the most effective move. It creates instant goodwill without any slimy political strings attached. If things change later, we adapt our strategy. Simple as that."
.....
Meanwhile, far away in Kumogakure...
BOOM!
A massive mahogany desk split straight down the middle, shattering into a hundred jagged splinters under a massive fist.
"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?!" the Third Raikage roared, his towering, muscle-bound frame trembling with sheer rage. Arcs of wild lightning flickered around his body, scorching the floorboards.
"R-Raikage-sama, please calm down!" one of the village elders shouted, ducking away from a flying piece of wood. "The situation isn't entirely certain yet! This whole thing could easily be an elaborate ruse concocted by Konoha!"
The Third Raikage slowly turned his head, glaring at the elder like he was looking at the dumbest fucking idiot on the face of the earth.
"A ruse?" the Raikage spat, his voice sounding like grinding boulders. "You think Sarutobi would willingly humiliate himself in front of the entire ninja world? That he'd let himself get beaten black and blue, publicize a toddler's terrifying bloodline, and draw a massive target on the boy's back... just for a fucking trick?!"
The Raikage scoffed, but as he spoke, he suddenly paused mid-sentence. His eyes narrowed. Wait... would that slippery old monkey actually be crazy enough to pull a stunt like that?
BANG!
He smashed his fist into another nearby stone pillar, shattering the top half into dust.
"DOUBTFUL!" the Raikage bellowed, shaking off the thought. "And even if it is a trap, it doesn't matter! If we do nothing, that kid is going to grow up into another Senju Hashirama! Even if it's a trap, we have to jump right into it!"
He glared around the room at his council. "We have to assassinate him! Right now! No matter what it takes, we cannot let that brat grow up, or every other village is completely fucked!"
"Lord Raikage, we can't be that hasty!" another advisor pleaded nervously. "According to the intelligence, the five-year-old brat already possesses the power to protect himself!"
"THEN WE DECLARE WAR!" the Raikage yelled, slamming his chest with a heavy fist. "We launch a full-scale invasion! We force Konoha to send that brat to the battlefield! Once he's on the front lines, we kill him! I guarantee the other Great Nations will jump at the chance to join us!"
The room went quiet as the elders exchanged uneasy glances.
Finally, a veteran strategist stepped forward, raising his hands pacifyingly. "Lord Raikage... launching an immediate world war might be overly reckless. Think about it logically."
The Raikage grunted, lowering his arm slightly. "Explain."
"According to the reports, the boy's strength relies almost entirely on his shadow summons," the strategist pointed out calmly. "A summon's base strength doesn't necessarily scale directly with the summoner's age. That white creature, Mahoraga, might already be at its absolute maximum potential. Meanwhile, the boy's actual physical body is still just a fragile five-year-old. A shinobi doesn't reach their physical peak until around age sixteen."
The strategist smiled sinisterly. "So, in terms of personal threat, his summons won't suddenly double in power next year. We have time. We can plan slowly, coordinate with the other villages, and set up a foolproof trap before launching a massive war."
The Raikage stroked his braided beard, the wild lightning coiling around his skin slowly dissipating.
"Hmm... that actually makes sense," the Raikage growled, settling back down into a spare chair. "Fine. Contact the other villages immediately. Let's see what those other bastards have to say about this."
.....
While the major ninja villages were descending into absolute chaos, paranoia, and secret plotting over the sudden appearance of a godly five-year-old... someone else was genuinely thrilled by the news.
In a completely separate pocket dimension, far detached from the mortal plane, a mysterious monk sat floating quietly in mid-air.
Reading through the detailed intelligence reports regarding Rei's wild bloodline, the monk couldn't help but let out a delighted chuckle.
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