"We lost 19 jonin, 224 chunin, and 21 genin from this Uzushio deployment.
From our older retired generation: 11 jonin, 169 chunin, and 21 genin.
From the Police Division: 8 jonin and 55 chunin."
"""…."""
Silence settled over the meeting room. But no one wavered or showed despair from the losses. Every clansmen present was a jonin, and veterans who had long accepted the cost of war.
Uchiha Sosuke finally spoke.
"This outcome is both a boon… and a disaster for our clan."
Several elders frowned.
"It seems Kiri has a deep understanding of Konoha... they deliberately avoided targeting us," Sosuke continued. "Not because of our Sharingan or our strength, but because they wanted to sow discord between us and the village."
"That doesn't make sense, clan head," one jonin argued. "We fought with everything we had in Uzushio. We saved hundreds of lives. How could the village ignore that?"
"It does not matter," Sosuke replied coldly. "Facts do not matter. Perception does. Senju lost over fifty jonin. We lost nineteen. That alone can be twisted into a weapon against us."
A younger jonin clenched his fists.
"Then what? Should we have died on purpose?"
"No," Sosuke said quietly. "It would have been best… if I had died. Like Senju Hisashi or Injured like Kenichi."
The room erupted.
"Clan head!"
"Sosuke‑sama!"
"Don't say such things!"
But Sosuke raised a hand, silencing them.
"It no longer matters. Tobirama has ordered us to reinforce the Suna front. Our goal is no longer to die to prove our loyalty. Our goal is to preserve our strength."
He swept his gaze across the room and locked his gaze on each clansmen sitting before him.
"Suna front will not last long. Support Kagami. Do your duty. Then return alive. That is my command."
Sosuke now reconsidered the clan's path. There were three Mangekyo sharingan in the clan. There was no need to be so reserved and subservient to Tobirama anymore. But, he also knew that protecting Konoha is also crucial to the survival of the clan.
The Uchiha will protect Konoha, but they will be no longer as passive as before.
A unified response echoed.
"…Yes, clan head."
"Who shall we send?" an elder asked.
"First and Second Division," Sosuke answered. "The rest will remain in Konoha to recover. Fukashi, Arashi, Naka, Naori, and Eisuke will accompany them."
"Yes, clan head."
"Meeting adjourned. Fukashi, Naka, Naori — stay behind."
The three exchanged glances and remained as the others filed out. Shinichi nodded toward Fukashi and followed the rest out of the meeting hall.
Sosuke waited until the room emptied before speaking.
"You three have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. So I will tell you what only clan heads and elders know."
Sosuke took a deep breath and spoke in serious tone.
"Mangekyo sharingan is our pride and greatest strength. But it is a double-edged sword. Fukashi, you must have realized this right?"
Fukashi nodded.
"Mangekyō grants immense power," he explained to Naka and Naori, "but every use consumes our light. Each eye has its own unique dojutsu. And Susanno... cannot be used immediately."
"Why not?" Naka and Naori asked together.
"Susanoo requires both eyes," Fukashi said. "And even then, your eyes must mature... or in Shinichi's words, accumulate enough Sharingan chakra."
"Shinichi?" "Sharingan chakra?" Naka and Naori echoed each other as they tilted their heads in confusion.
"Yes. My son discovered that our clan's physiology includes specialized chakra organs that produce Yin and Yang chakra. Yin is more dominant and directly tied to the Sharingan evolution. And Susanoo requires a threshold of this Yin chakra, or Sharingan chakra maturity."
Naka's eyes gleamed.
"Then… have we reached that stage?"
"You'll know instinctively when you do," Fukashi replied.
Naori hesitated.
"Fukashi‑san… my dojutsu—"
"Don't," Fukashi cut her off sharply. "You too, Naka."
Both froze.
"Do not ever reveal your dojutsu to others. Mangekyo sharingan abilities are unique and powerful that certain abilities make you the target of other ninjas, including our own clansmen."
"??!!!" "THERE IS NO WAY!!!"
Fukashi shook his head with self-deprecating smile.
"Unfortunately, this is the reality. Because some Mangekyō abilities were so powerful that the clan once imprisoned their own kin and turned them into emotionless weapons. In other cases, clansmen murdered each other to steal Mangekyō abilities."
GULP!
Both younger Uchiha swallowed hard.
Fukashi continued.
"For example, Naka, your dojutsu resembles our clan's kinjutsu: Izanagi."
"Izanagi?" both asked at the same time.
Sosuke shot Fukashi a glare for revealing too much. Fukashi looked away and shut his mouth.
Sosuke sighed and explained where Fukashi left off.
"Izanagi is our clan's dojutsu that rewrites fate."
"Reverse fate?"
"Such powerful dojutsu… it must come at a heavy cost?" Naori murmured as she though back to the day when they both awakened their eyes.
"It does," Sosuke said. "Casting Izanagi sacrifices the light of one eye."
Naori nodded grimly.
"That…. Is reasonable…"
"But clan head," Naka asked, "if it's so powerful, why does no one know about it? And you speak as if any three‑tomoe Sharingan can cast it."
"… You are right Naka. This kinjutsu was developed by one of our predecessors. And it was often used to turn the tide of the battlefield."
Sosuke's expression hardened as he continued.
"However, because it was too accessible, as it didn't require Mangekyo Sharingan, Izanagi became the cause of a civil war. In the end, the clan head and elders of that era executed every clansman who knew the hand seals and sealed the technique away as kinjutsu."
Naori shivered and gasped in shock.
"…. To think such a history existed…."
"Our Sharingan is our pride," Sosuke said. "But if the truth of Izanagi spreads, Konoha may one day demand we use it for them… or worse, harvest our eyes."
"That's impossible!" Naka protested. "Sharingan drains outsiders' chakra and lead them to death in some cases. That is why no one dares to covet our eyes. They can't use it! And we won't allow it!"
"You are right. And wrong," Fukashi corrected him. "There have been rare cases of outsiders implanting Sharingan successfully. They were hunted down without mercy. That is why no one dares now. But with a village's backing… we cannot be certain."
"Now you understand," Sosuke stood up as he concluded, "do not reveal your abilities to others. Not even to me, the clan head."
""Yes, Clan head!""
"Good, return home and get ready to set off in two days."
Naori and Fukashi left while Uchiha Naka remained behind. He had something elso to discuss with Sosuke.