The moment Kakashi finished speaking, Yujin's aura suddenly shifted!
Second-Stage Genetic Lock— Open!
Yujin squeezed his eyes shut, fully immersing himself in his inner world, feeling the mysterious, overwhelming chakra inside him surge like a raging river.
Cursed Seal—Second Form— Open!
His breathing gradually became deep and steady.
Every inhalation felt as if he was drawing the natural energy around him into his body, merging it with his own chakra.
Every exhalation seemed to push out all distractions, sharpening his mind so he could control this power even better.
Sharingan.
Open.
With his will guiding it, chakra began to flow faster through his chakra pathways.
Like a lit fuse, it surged toward both of his hands.
His hands trembled slightly, a mix of nerves and excitement, and his fingers began to move through the seals written on the scroll.
His index and middle fingers snapped together, like two perfectly aligned antennae capturing the invisible energy in the air.
Right after that, his hands crossed into a T-shape — a motion like opening a hidden valve, letting the chakra flow more smoothly.
Seeing Uchiha Yujin's movements, Hyūga Neji, Kurama Yakumo, and Kurama Yuzuki couldn't help becoming curious.
Could it be… he learned a new jutsu just by glancing at a scroll?
The next second — the Ram seal formed.
In that instant, Uchiha Yujin felt a strange resonance between himself and the space around him.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Boom!
A loud bang echoed as a puff of white smoke burst outward.
Kakashi's relaxed expression tightened immediately, his gaze locked on the cloud of smoke.
When the smoke slowly faded, an identical shadow clone of Uchiha Yujin stood before everyone.
The clone's posture was straight, its eyes firm — completely different from the flimsy clones he had made before.
A joyful, almost uncontrollable smile appeared on Uchiha Yujin's face.
He hurriedly reached out and grabbed the clone's hand.
The moment his fingertips touched the clone's palm, that solid, real sensation made his heart jump with excitement.
"This…"
Yuzuki of the Kurama clan glanced sideways at Yakumo.
Even with both having Kekkei Genkai, the difference in talent between the two was simply too large.
Hyūga Neji clenched his fists tightly.
He shoved the pickled vegetables Yujin gave him into his mouth, swallowing them in a few forceful bites.
Even if they were too salty, he'd rather eat them all than give back the part Yujin couldn't finish.
Kurama Yakumo and Hatake Kakashi were just as happy as ever to see Uchiha Yujin master the Shadow Clone Technique.
Of course, if Kakashi knew that letting Uchiha Yujin learn this jutsu was basically the same as opening Pandora's Box, he would probably regret it later.
"Sync ability…"
Uchiha Yujin quietly synchronized his ability with all the other versions of himself.
Not long after, Pirate Yujin and Marvel Yujin both sent him messages of congratulations.
Pirate Yujin: "I've been doing nothing on this ship all day. Finally, I have something to keep me busy. I'll practice Armament Haki with my clones whenever I'm free. Once I reach Sky Island, maybe my Haki will be strong enough to take Enel head-on!"
Marvel Yujin: "I'm still at Xavier's School for Mutants. It's been quite a few days since the hammer incident. Thor should've finished dealing with Asgard by now. Once he gives me Asgardian magic, I'll learn a clone-type spell too. Then I can see if I can combine magic with ninjutsu."
Pirate Yujin: "Ho! Not a bad idea! I remember Asgard has magic like astral projection. If a Shadow Clone could use magic—"
Listening to his two brothers' grand ambitions, Uchiha Yujin couldn't help interrupting.
"I'm afraid I won't live long enough to see any of that. I keep having this feeling… that the Night of the Uchiha Massacre will happen earlier than expected."
After saying that, he closed the chat channel, gave Kakashi a meaningful smile, and asked:
"Kakashi-sensei… is there really an unresolvable conflict between the Uchiha and the village?"
Kakashi was stunned by the sudden question, but he still answered quickly:
"The Senju and the Uchiha once fought in a long war. Later, the Senju won, and the First Hokage—Lord Hashirama Senju—founded Konoha together with the defeated Uchiha clan."
At this point, Uchiha Yujin knew the deeper details.
If you had to blame someone for the current situation… the biggest problem was Uchiha Izuna, Madara's younger brother.
During the chaotic era, Izuna repeatedly rejected the Senju clan's attempts at peace. Because of this, even Madara—who genuinely wanted to build a new home with Hashirama—could do nothing.
With the two clans unable to cooperate, their territories touching, and resources scarce, clashes broke out again and again.
In one of those battles, the second Hokage-to-be, Tobirama Senju—whose tears had long dried since childhood—used his "I'll-slice-your-dam" Flying Thunder God Slash to strike down Uchiha Izuna, removing the biggest obstacle to cooperation.
Later, Tobirama even asked Madara about Izuna's condition in person, just to confirm his achievement, completely satisfied with the result.
From that moment on, Madara's personality began to change, and he awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
However, without Uchiha Izuna constantly obstructing cooperation, Uchiha Madara, along with his close friend Senju Hashirama, managed to work together to build the village.
They founded Konohagakure, bringing a brief period of peace to the ninja world.
Unfortunately, after losing his younger brother, Madara gradually awakened the Uchiha clan's latent, passive curse-like tendencies.
His personality became increasingly strange, and eventually, he arranged a final battle with the First Hokage, Hashirama, at the Valley of the End.
The First Hokage won, and Madara left calmly.
With Madara gone, the Uchiha clan felt like children who had lost their father, left to rely on the kindness of their older relatives.
The elders allowed the Uchiha to sleep near the village gates, calling it "an opportunity to guard the village," trusting them in name.
In reality, they were given no proper warmth, and whatever food or supplies they received were leftovers from others.
This situation only worsened after Hiruzen Sarutobi took office as the Third Hokage.
If the Uchiha were pushed further, they might as well have moved into the Valley of the End itself.
Kakashi interrupted Uchiha Yujin's train of thought.
"When Konohagakure was first established, there were indeed some conflicts between the clans, but in recent years…"
Kakashi wanted to say something that didn't reflect the current reality, but the child before him was far too perceptive.
He knew that lying would only backfire.
After thinking for a moment, he spoke seriously.
"I believe that with time, the misunderstandings between the Uchiha and the village can still be resolved."
Uchiha Yujin looked at Kakashi.
"Hm. Even Kakashi-sensei, who possesses a Sharingan, says that resolving the misunderstandings will take a lot of time. Then I suppose the current situation is rather urgent, isn't it?"
Kakashi's expression stiffened as he recalled the recent outburst of Uchiha Fugaku in the Hokage's office.
A bad feeling crept into his heart, yet he still said, "No, Konohagakure is a united, loving family."
Uchiha Yujin sighed.
"Let's hope that's true."
Meanwhile, on the rooftop of the Hokage's office building…
Uchiha Itachi bowed slightly to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Third Hokage-sama."
The Hokage, draped in his cloak, turned his head.
"Itachi, speak. What is the current situation?"
Itachi hesitated for a moment, reluctant, but reported nonetheless.
"Since Uchiha Yujin was taken by the interrogation division, the clan's dissatisfaction with the village has grown increasingly severe. I fear that…"
A cold wind lifted Hiruzen's cloak, but he steadied his hat brim.
"I understand. You may leave for now."
"Yes, sir!"
Once Itachi disappeared in a flash, Hiruzen turned to the darkened corner of the rooftop.
"Danzo, what's your opinion?"
Danzo's eyes glinted dangerously.
"Peace without sacrifices is not true peace!"
He fell silent for a moment, then suddenly shouted.
"You cannot remain indecisive any longer! This will inevitably lead to disaster!"
Hiruzen nodded with difficulty.
"G-give me a little more time."
Danzo's gaze remained fierce, and he continued plotting silently.
****
Support me on my ko-fi account and read upto 20 early chapters,
https://ko-fi.com/aayume