Chapter 80 (Patreon)

Recently, the people of Konoha had noticed something strange about their beloved Lord Third.

Hiruzen Sarutobi could often be found alone by the river, endlessly practicing Water Release.

Judging by the frequency with which he used it, he had probably performed more Water Release techniques in a single day than he had during the past several years combined.

He went through nearly every commonly available Water Release technique before settling on the Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique.

From that point onward, Hiruzen repeatedly performed the same jutsu.

Perhaps his advanced age was finally catching up with him, because the water dragon grew weaker with every attempt. Eventually, it couldn’t even maintain the shape of a dragon.

No one understood what he was trying to accomplish, but the small grove beside the river had nearly been destroyed by the constant flooding.

Another matter generating considerable discussion among Konoha’s shinobi was the Fifth Hokage’s decision to teach Uzumaki fūinjutsu to outsiders.

Ordinary civilians didn’t understand how valuable the Uzumaki Clan’s sealing techniques were, but almost every shinobi ranked chūnin or above knew their significance.

Aside from a handful of particularly perceptive individuals, however, no one could understand the Fifth Hokage’s reasoning.

While the actions of the Third and Fifth Hokage left everyone confused, the recent reforms within the Uchiha Clan had brought changes the villagers could personally experience.

The Konoha Military Police Force was no longer controlled exclusively by the Uchiha Clan. Shinobi from other clans—and even civilian-born shinobi—could now apply to join.

Their approach to law enforcement had also become more humane and flexible.

In the past, whenever a minor dispute occurred, the Uchiha officers would take everyone involved back to the station without bothering to investigate the circumstances. Those responsible would then be fined or detained.

Not long ago, they had at least learned to smile while taking the guilty party away for a fine and a stern lecture.

Now, unless an incident caused serious harm or disruption, the Military Police would no longer arrest people without good reason.

The newly established Civil Affairs Department had also completed its door-to-door registration of Konoha’s residents.

One month later, the village would begin distributing its first cash subsidies.

The amount wasn’t particularly large, but it was still enough to give the villagers something to look forward to.

Meanwhile, several shops along Konoha’s central street that had remained closed for years were suddenly undergoing renovations. No one knew what kinds of businesses would eventually open there.

In short, the people of Konoha had recently found themselves surrounded by an endless supply of rumors and new topics to discuss.

Standing atop Minato’s stone forehead on the Hokage Rock, Kushina gazed down at the village below.

Seeing how Konoha was gradually changing for the better, she felt that all her recent hard work had been worthwhile.

She then turned toward Konoha’s main gate.

“Roy-kun, what kind of authentic Uzumaki fūinjutsu do you think the people from Iwagakure and Kumogakure will bring?”

Roy fell silent.

This was already the ninety-sixth time she had asked him that question.

Ever since they received word that the two villages had dispatched their representatives, Kushina had brought it up whenever she had the chance.

The problem was that Roy had no idea what sealing techniques the Uzumaki Clan had once possessed.

The handful he remembered could only be used by members of the Uzumaki Clan. They weren’t officially classified as kekkei genkai, but their requirements made them even more difficult for outsiders to reproduce.

How was he supposed to guess which lost techniques the arriving shinobi might bring with them?

Still, Roy understood Kushina’s excitement.

Before his transmigration, if the government of his former country had announced that long-lost cultural treasures were finally being returned home, countless people would have eagerly followed every update and discussed it day after day.

“Kakashi sent word this morning,” Kushina continued. “He has already met with the daimyō of the Land of Waves. The daimyō officially commissioned Konoha to eliminate Gatō and agreed to jointly manage the businesses currently under Gatō’s control.”

Her eyes immediately brightened.

“Roy-kun, we’ll soon have a large amount of money coming in.”

“As long as the daimyō doesn’t want to remain a powerless figurehead, he has no reason to refuse our offer,” Roy replied.

“Even so, we’ll need to remain cautious. We can’t allow him to drift toward another hidden village in the future.”

Kushina nodded before asking, “Do you have anyone in mind to manage Gatō’s businesses?”

“Choose people from the Ino–Shika–Chō clans. All three clans already operate substantial businesses of their own, so they have far more commercial experience than most shinobi.”

Roy paused before adding another warning.

“Publicly, however, we should appoint a front man with no obvious connection to Konoha.”

“At least during the early stages, we need to keep Konoha’s involvement as secret as possible. Otherwise, someone will inevitably come looking for trouble.”

Kushina froze for a moment as she remembered the specific instructions Roy had asked her to relay before Kakashi departed.

Kakashi’s meeting with the daimyō of the Land of Waves would leave no written record.

Gatō also had to be eliminated through a covert assassination. They couldn’t allow the outside world to immediately discover that control of his organization had changed hands.

At the time, Kushina hadn’t fully understood why such secrecy was necessary.

Hidden villages routinely accepted assassination missions. There was nothing particularly shameful about it.

As long as the target wasn’t a merchant from the Land of Fire, even having the mission exposed wouldn’t normally cause Konoha much trouble.

Only now did Kushina understand.

Their real concern wasn’t how merchants would view Konoha. It was the possibility that the other hidden villages would send people to interfere.

Gatō’s businesses could provide Konoha with a substantial amount of revenue every year.

How could the other villages calmly stand by and watch Konoha earn that money? The moment they discovered the truth, they would undoubtedly attempt to sabotage the operation.

“Let’s head back,” Roy suddenly said with a smile. “Fugaku should be arriving to deliver the money.”

Kushina followed his gaze and saw Uchiha Fugaku walking toward the Hokage Building.

Just as Roy predicted, Fugaku raised the matter of helping his clansmen awaken the Sharingan as soon as Kushina returned to her office.

However, Fugaku still didn’t know whether Kushina’s method might cause unknown side effects.

Therefore, the first group chosen to undergo the Sharingan-awakening training consisted entirely of adult Uchiha with average aptitude who had failed to awaken their eyes.

If spending some money allowed them to awaken the Sharingan, it would be an unexpected blessing for the clan.

If the method failed, the Uchiha wouldn’t lose any promising clansmen.

Kushina frowned as she examined the files Fugaku had brought with him.

There were eight people in total.

According to the Uchiha Clan’s records, a clansman who failed to awaken the Sharingan before reaching adulthood had almost no chance of doing so later in life.

Fugaku had deliberately selected people like this for the first training group.

Would Roy’s method still work on them?

Kushina had originally assumed that Roy would train younger Uchiha who had yet to reach adulthood but had already displayed poor aptitude.

Raising the average probability of awakening the Sharingan from thirty percent to fifty or even sixty percent was already an astonishing claim.

But these eight were an entirely different matter.

Kushina quietly glanced at Roy.

He calmly nodded.

“I’ve received their files,” Kushina said. “We should see results within half a month.”

“However, as I told you before, the true purpose of the training must remain hidden from them. They cannot hear anything about awakening the Sharingan in advance.”

“Rest assured, Hokage-sama,” Fugaku replied. “Aside from Mikoto and me, no one else knows the truth.”

After Fugaku departed, Kushina placed a compact soundproofing barrier around the office.

Only then did she turn to Roy.

“Roy-kun, can you finally tell me what you’re planning to do?”

“The Second Hokage studied the Uchiha more thoroughly than anyone else,” Roy explained. “According to Senju Tobirama, no clan feels love more deeply than the Uchiha.”

“However, such intense love also carries the risk of spiraling out of control.”

“When an Uchiha loses someone they deeply love, that love can transform into an even more powerful hatred.”

“The resulting emotional upheaval causes their brain to release a special form of Yin Release chakra. That chakra affects the optic nerves and causes their eyes to change.”

“That is the Eye That Reflects the Heart—the Sharingan.”

“So that’s how the Sharingan awakens?” Kushina murmured in realization. “No wonder the Uchiha had a much higher awakening rate during wartime.”

“It was because they kept losing their friends and family...”

“Exactly,” Roy confirmed. “Following the principles established by the Second Hokage’s research, we only need to make those Uchiha experience sufficiently powerful emotional fluctuations. That should give them a high probability of awakening the Sharingan.”

“And genjutsu is the most effective way to create such an experience.”

Kushina stared at him in disbelief.

He intended to use genjutsu against members of the Uchiha Clan—the clan whose Sharingan was renowned for its mastery of genjutsu?

How was that any different from demonstrating fūinjutsu in front of an Uzumaki?

“Roy-kun... are you certain you’re not joking?”