Uchiha Setsuna didn't answer right away. Instead, he countered with a question of his own.
"Rokuro… do you really have a way to restore the Uchiha to their former glory?"
Tahara Rokuro smiled faintly.
"I do. I have the means to bring the Uchiha back to strength—about the same level as during the Warring States era."
Setsuna raised an eyebrow.
"The Warring States era? Do you have any idea how powerful the Uchiha were back then?"
Rokuro gave a small chuckle.
"I may not have seen it with my own eyes, but I've read enough history. In those days, the Uchiha and the Senju were the two greatest shinobi clans—each strong enough to be called a nation of its own. If not for both being based in the Land of Fire, I imagine the Uchiha could've easily ruled a country of their own."
A nostalgic gleam flickered across Setsuna's aged eyes.
"That's true. The Land of Fire was the most resource-rich, most prosperous land in the shinobi world. As one of the strongest clans of the age, the Uchiha naturally wouldn't abandon it. Back then, there were thousands of Uchiha who had awakened the Sharingan. Even children only a few years old possessed the power of Chūnin. But now…"
He sighed deeply. Ever since his last talk with Rokuro, Setsuna had reflected long and hard—and he had finally realized just how cunning the Second Hokage had been.
The Konoha Military Police Force had been a trap. It placed the Uchiha at odds with the other clans and with the village civilians, while robbing them of the chance to fight real battles and grow stronger.
That single move had quietly strangled the clan's power and prestige, generation after generation.
Unfortunately, the damage was done. Reform would be nearly impossible now—and neither Hiruzen Sarutobi nor Shimura Danzō would ever allow them the chance.
Rokuro suddenly said,
"If I could make every Uchiha awaken their eyes… would that count as restoring the clan's peak?"
At those words, Setsuna's expression changed instantly. He gestured sharply toward Uchiha Meika, who stood guard nearby.
Meika nodded once and silently vanished from the room, taking up watch outside.
Setsuna leaned forward, his tone grave.
"Rokuro, such things can't be spoken lightly. Can you truly make every Uchiha awaken the Sharingan? Even in the Warring States era, not everyone could do so. Even that man—the one they called a taboo—didn't awaken his eyes until the age of twelve. You… Wait. You awakened your double tomoe at seven. Wasn't that because of your father's death?"
Setsuna had investigated Rokuro's background carefully. Aside from the death of his father, Uchiha Taidachi, the boy had suffered little in life—hardly enough trauma to trigger the Sharingan's awakening.
After all, the Uchiha were a cursed clan—without deep emotional trauma, even the most gifted rarely awakened their eyes.
That was why Uchiha Fugaku had taken his four-year-old son to the battlefield in the original timeline—not out of cruelty, but to force him to witness death early and awaken the clan's power.
And it wasn't just Fugaku. Many Uchiha parents had done the same. It had even become tradition.
Rokuro smiled.
"Elder Setsuna, you should know I have some skill in sealing arts, correct?"
Setsuna snorted.
"Some skill? You're being modest. Even if Uzumaki Mito herself were to rise from the dead, she'd only be your equal."
Rokuro shook his head lightly.
"Lady Mito was a true master of fūinjutsu. I'm still far beneath her. But I do have one advantage—my Uchiha bloodline. That gives me insight into our own kekkei genkai that outsiders could never achieve."
Setsuna nodded silently, realizing where this was going.
Rokuro continued,
"During my research, I discovered that the awakening of the Sharingan depends on a special chakra within the brain. This chakra not only triggers the eyes' awakening—it can also strengthen their evolution."
He activated his own double tomoe as he spoke.
"These eyes of mine? I awakened them less than three months ago. I used that very chakra to accelerate their evolution. Of course, talent and physical compatibility still matter. Without both, no amount of chakra could force an awakening. My own talent is average—that's why I've only reached the two-tomoe stage."
He then drew a sealed scroll, performed a series of hand signs, and summoned an ornate headpiece engraved with intricate Uchiha symbols.
Setsuna's eyes widened.
"You're saying… that by wearing this, a Uchiha can awaken the Sharingan?"
Rokuro nodded.
"It's difficult to guarantee success for everyone—but anyone with at least Genin-level chakra and a decent bloodline affinity should be able to awaken their eyes with its help. Elder, you can test it yourself on one of our young clansmen."
Setsuna immediately called out,
"Meika! Bring your third son here—the six-year-old. How is his talent?"
Meika, still unaware of what they were discussing, replied truthfully,
"Yuki's talent is average at best. Even under my guidance, he might reach Chūnin at most. The chance of awakening the Sharingan is slim."
Rokuro smiled faintly.
"Perfect candidate. Bring him here."
Ten minutes later, Meika returned with his young son, Uchiha Yuki—a small, serious-faced boy who hadn't yet enrolled in the Ninja Academy. For the major clans, the Academy was optional; their family tutors provided far superior training.
Rokuro placed the headpiece gently on Yuki's head.
"Don't be afraid. Just focus your chakra into it, then relax your body completely. Leave the rest to me."
The boy nodded obediently, channeling chakra as instructed. The sealing script on the headpiece began to glow faintly—transforming the chakra into that unique Uchiha chakra and funneling it straight into the boy's optic nerves.
Minutes passed. Yuki's eyes began to heat and itch, but he resisted the urge to rub them, remembering Rokuro's warning.
After ten minutes, his eyes flushed crimson—then, slowly, a single tomoe appeared in each.
Uchiha Meika was at his son's side in an instant, activating his own three-tomoe Sharingan to verify it wasn't an illusion. His breath caught.
Setsuna rose to his feet, awe breaking through his usually stern composure.
A few minutes later, Yuki's chakra was exhausted. Rokuro carefully removed the headpiece, and the boy fainted into his father's arms.
"Don't worry," Rokuro said calmly. "It's just the strain of his first awakening and chakra depletion. A few days' rest, and he'll be fine."
Meika examined his son and nodded in relief.
"Elder, I'll let him rest in the next room."
"Go," Setsuna replied.
When they were alone, Setsuna took the headpiece from Rokuro with trembling hands.
"This… this is a ninja tool? Like Tobirama's Sword of the Thunder God?"
Rokuro nodded.
"Exactly. The Second Hokage became known as the master of jutsu creation largely because he relied on Uzumaki Mito's sealing expertise. The Thunder God blade's forging required complex sealing techniques. This headpiece is built on similar principles."
Setsuna's hands shook even harder. His voice trembled with emotion.
"With this tool, the revival of the Uchiha is no longer a dream. Rokuro—you didn't exaggerate at all. With this, we could even surpass the Warring States era!"
Rokuro chuckled softly.
"Elder Setsuna, this headpiece can restore our clan—but for now, it must remain secret. Too many within the Uchiha have grown spineless… and opportunistic. The moment we reveal this, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzō Shimura will march right in and slaughter us."
END OF CHAPTER
35 CHAPTERS AHEAD!!
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