chapter 152 part 2
Second Tier Gene Lock!
Open!
Uchiha Ren shut his eyes tightly, fully immersing himself in his sea of consciousness, feeling the mysterious and powerful force of Chakra surging within him like a raging river.
Curse Mark Two!
Open!
His breathing gradually became deep and steady. Each inhale seemed to draw the natural energy from his surroundings into his body, merging with his own Chakra. Each exhale felt like he was purging distracting thoughts, allowing his mind to become more focused to better control this power.
Sharingan!
Open!
Guided by his will, Chakra began to flow faster through the meridians of his body, like a lit fuse, rapidly converging towards his hands.
His hands trembled slightly, both nervous and excited, his fingers dancing nimbly according to the hand signs on the scroll.
His index and middle fingers swiftly came together, like two precisely aligned antennas capturing the formless energy in the air. Immediately after, his hands crossed into a plus sign. This movement was like opening a sacred floodgate, allowing the Chakra to flow even more smoothly!
Seeing Uchiha Ren's actions, Neji Hyuga, Kurama Yakumo, and Kurama Unchou on the other side became curious.
Could it be? Just by looking at a scroll, he could learn a new jutsu?
The next second! The hand sign was completed!
At that moment, Uchiha Ren felt a wonderful resonance with the space around him.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"BOOM!" A loud sound erupted as a cloud of white smoke instantly filled the area.
Kakashi's previously relaxed expression tightened in an instant, his eyes fixed on the direction of the white smoke!
As the white smoke slowly dissipated, a Shadow Clone identical to Uchiha Ren appeared before everyone!
This Shadow Clone stood tall and straight with a determined gaze, a stark contrast to the half-baked clone from before.
A look of ecstatic joy appeared on Uchiha Ren's face. He eagerly reached out and clasped hands with his Shadow Clone.
When his fingertips touched the Shadow Clone's palm, the realistic sensation made him so excited he nearly jumped for joy.
"This..." The elder of the Kurama clan, Kurama Unchou, stole a glance at Kurama Yakumo.
They both possessed a Kekkei Genkai, but the difference in their talent was just too vast.
Neji Hyuga also clenched his fists, fiercely swallowing the pickled vegetable Uchiha Ren had given him in a few bites. He would rather be overwhelmed by salt than return the leftover piece to Uchiha Ren!
Kurama Yakumo and Hatake Kakashi shared the same attitude upon seeing Uchiha Ren learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu; they were both happy for the kid.
Of course, if Kakashi knew that Uchiha Ren learning this jutsu was equivalent to opening Pandora's Box, he would probably regret it when the time came.
'Synchronization ability!'
Uchiha Ren quietly synced the ability to all the other Ren Arakawas. Before long, congratulatory messages arrived from Pirate Ren Arakawa and Stephen Fang.
Pirate Ren Arakawa: "I'm bored to death on the ship all day. You've finally given me something to do! When I have nothing else to do, I'll use Shadow Clones to train Observation Haki together. By the time we find Skypiea, maybe my Observation Haki will be strong enough to face Enel head-on!"
Stephen Fang: "I'm at the X-Academy. It's been many days since the hammer incident. Thor should have resolved the issues in Asgard by now. Once he teaches me immortal magic, I'll learn a clone-like spell and see if I can achieve a synergy between magic and ninjutsu."
Pirate Ren Arakawa: "Bro! That's a great idea! I remember in the Sanctum Sanctorum, there's magic like Astral Projection. If a Shadow Clone used magic..."
Listening to his two brothers' grand ambitions, Uchiha Ren couldn't help but interrupt, "I'm afraid I won't live to see that day. I have a feeling that the Night of the Clan's Extermination will come early."
After saying that, he closed the chat channel, gave Kakashi a meaningful smile, and asked, "Teacher Kakashi, is there an irreconcilable conflict between the Uchiha and the Village?"
Kakashi was a bit stunned by the sudden question, but he still answered immediately, "The Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan once fought wars. Later, the Senju Clan achieved victory—that is, the First Hokage, Lord Hashirama—and together with the defeated Uchiha Clan, founded the Konoha Village."
Here, Uchiha Ren knew some of the details.
To trace the cause of the current situation, the person most at fault was Madara's younger brother, Uchiha Izuna.
In that turbulent era, Uchiha Izuna repeatedly rejected the Senju Clan's proposals for cooperation, leaving Uchiha Madara, who wanted to build houses with Hashirama, helpless.
Since the two clans couldn't cooperate, their lands were adjacent, resources were scarce, and conflicts frequently erupted.
In one such conflict, the then-scheming Second Hokage, Tobirama, used his "I'll eat your big chunk" Flying Thunder God Slash to personally and heavily wound Madara's brother, Uchiha Izuna, clearing away this obstacle to cooperation.
Later, the Second Hokage even asked Madara to his face about his brother Uchiha Izuna's condition, confirming his battle achievement with great satisfaction.
After that, Madara's personality began to change, and he awakened the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
However, without Uchiha Izuna constantly obstructing cooperation, Uchiha Madara still joined hands with his good friend Hashirama to build the Village. They founded the Konoha Village, and the ninja world enjoyed a brief period of peace.
Unfortunately, Madara, having lost his brother, gradually awakened the heaven-defying talent for Uchiha mental illness. His personality grew more and more eccentric, and he eventually challenged the First Hokage, Hashirama, to a great battle at the Valley of the End.
The First Hokage won, and Uchiha Madara faded from the scene.
And without the strongman Uchiha Madara...
The Uchiha Clan was like a pitiful child who had lost its father and was now living in the home of a great master.
The great master made the big nephew Uchiha sleep by the main gate, calling it an opportunity to watch the door and a sign of trust.
In reality, he wasn't even given any warmth from the fire, and he ate and used only the leftovers of others.
This situation only intensified after Hiruzen Sarutobi came to power.
If they pushed the Uchiha any further out, they'd practically be living in the Valley of the End.
Kakashi interrupted Uchiha Ren's train of thought, "When the Konoha Village was first founded, there were indeed still some conflicts between the two clans, but in recent years..."
Kakashi really wanted to say something that didn't align with the current situation, but the kid in front of him was far too mature. He knew that spouting some false platitudes would only be counterproductive.
He thought for a moment and said seriously, "I believe that with a little more time, the misunderstanding between the Uchiha and the Village can be resolved."
Uchiha Ren looked at Kakashi. "Mmm... even Teacher Kakashi, who possesses a Sharingan, says it will take a lot of time to resolve the misunderstanding between the two sides. In that case, the current situation is probably quite urgent, isn't it?"
Kakashi's expression froze. He recalled the sight of Uchiha Fugaku flying into a rage in the Hokage's office a few days ago, and a bad feeling crept into his heart. Nevertheless, he still said, "It won't come to that. Konoha is a big, united, and loving family..."
Uchiha Ren sighed, "I hope so."
At the same time, on the rooftop of the Hokage Tower.
Uchiha Toge bowed slightly to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Lord Third."
Hiruzen, wearing the Hokage's conical hat, turned his head. "Toge, what's the situation now? Speak."
Uchiha Toge thought for a moment, somewhat unwillingly, but still reported, "Since Uchiha Ren was taken away by the Interrogation Department last time, the dissatisfaction towards the Village within the clan has been growing more and more intense. I'm afraid..."
A dark wind blew from under Hiruzen's hat. He steadied it and said, "I understand. You may leave."
"Yes!"
After Toge left via Body Flicker, Hiruzen looked towards a dark corner.
"Shimura, what do you think?"
Danzo's eyes glinted fiercely. "Peace without sacrifice is not true peace!"
He fell silent for a moment, then suddenly shouted, "You can't be indecisive any longer! This will surely lead to a great disaster!"
Hiruzen nodded with difficulty. "Just... just give me some more time..."
But Danzo's eyes were filled with a vicious light as he secretly plotted something.
(end of chapter)