Uchiha Shinsuke's stunning performance in the Guard's Elite assessment drew the attention of the entire Uchiha Clan.
Independently developing an A-rank jutsu!
Overwhelming three veteran chunin in a combined fight!
This record of achievement was enough to silence most of the proud and arrogant Uchiha!
Even the Third Hokage personally summoned Uchiha Shinsuke because of it, offering him praise and encouragement.
He also made a point of expounding on his Will of Fire, attempting to indoctrinate Uchiha Shinsuke.
Toward that, Uchiha Shinsuke felt nothing; he was no Shisui or Itachi.
After concluding his conversation with Sarutobi Hiruzen, Uchiha Shinsuke received an invitation from Tekka.
Guard headquarters, Vice-Captain's office.
"Shinsuke, your performance in the Elite assessment this time truly brought enormous honor to our Uchiha Clan!"
Uchiha Tekka looked at Shinsuke with an expression full of admiration.
Uchiha Shinsuke bowed slightly.
"Vice-Captain Tekka, you flatter me; I only did what I was supposed to do."
"No, what you did far exceeded the expectations of all of us."
Uchiha Tekka set aside his smile.
"Shinsuke, you should be well aware that our Uchiha Clan's situation within the village is not exactly favorable."
Here it comes.
Uchiha Shinsuke understood inwardly, knowing the real topic had begun.
Tekka continued.
"After the Nine-Tails incident, the suspicion and wariness from the village's upper echelons toward us has grown heavier by the day, the Guard's authority has been repeatedly stripped away, and our clan grounds have been relocated to the outskirts of the village, which amounts to nothing less than a form of imprisonment!"
Uchiha Tekka's tone carried intense dissatisfaction and anger.
"And as for Big Brother Fugaku... sigh, he always weighs too many considerations, hesitates endlessly, and does nothing but yield and compromise, hoping to exchange that for the village's trust, but what has it gotten us in return?"
"All it brought was suppression that grew worse and worse!"
"We Uchiha are one of Konoha's founding clans!"
"We possess the most powerful Kekkei Genkai in the ninja world!"
"On what grounds must we endure such unjust treatment?!"
The more Tekka spoke, the more agitated he became, veins bulging across the back of his hands.
Uchiha Shinsuke maintained his silence throughout.
He knew this was the Hawks testing his stance.
At a moment like this, maintaining a neutral attitude was the right approach.
Leaning too early toward one faction was not beneficial to Uchiha Shinsuke's development.
For Uchiha Shinsuke, whether Hawks or Doves, both were fundamentally Uchiha, just with differing ideologies.
His goal going forward was to unite both factions, consolidate the entire Uchiha Clan's strength, rather than allowing the two factions to drain each other the way Uchiha Fugaku did.
A united Uchiha was the strongest Uchiha.
After a long while, Tekka's emotions calmed somewhat.
"Shinsuke, you are still young, but your strength and talent have already proven your exceptional nature, and I want to hear your thoughts on the clan's future."
Uchiha Shinsuke deliberated for a moment, then spoke slowly.
"Vice-Captain Tekka, I believe that the clan's honor and interests stand above all else."
"Whether Hawks or Doves, their ultimate purpose should be the prosperity and strength of the Uchiha Clan."
"As for how to achieve that goal, I believe history has proven countless times that dignity and standing have never been obtained through compromise and concession, but through iron and blood, through absolute strength, fought for and defended!"
"I will only make the choices most beneficial to the clan, and any force that obstructs the rise of the Uchiha Clan, whether from within the village or from outside it, will be my, Uchiha Shinsuke's, enemy!"
These words made Shinsuke's firm stance clear while avoiding an explicit declaration of allegiance to either side, leaving himself ample room to maneuver.
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Tekka was first stunned, then a light of delighted surprise burst forth in his eyes!
"The clan's honor and interests above all else..." Tekka murmured the words to himself.
Unlike Big Brother Fugaku's indecisive, peace-seeking "Dove" approach, Uchiha Shinsuke's ideology was precisely what the Hawks needed!
"Shinsuke, hearing those words from you puts my mind at ease!"
Tekka sat back down, his tone becoming noticeably warmer.
"From now on in the Guard, whatever you need my help with, just say the word!"
"I, Uchiha Tekka, will give you my full support!"
Uchiha Shinsuke smiled faintly.
"Thank you, Vice-Captain Tekka."
He knew that his words had successfully earned Uchiha Tekka's trust.
[Ding! Uchiha Tekka's loyalty toward the Host has been detected as increased!]
[Uchiha Tekka: Loyalty 70% → 80% (Trust and Expectation)]
The system's notification tone confirmed Uchiha Shinsuke's judgment.
'Good, the line to the Hawks has been established.'
Shinsuke thought inwardly.
Seizing control of the Uchiha Clan in a short period of time was far beyond the reach of his strength alone.
He needed allies, and he needed supporters.
And Uchiha Tekka along with the Hawks faction standing behind him were undoubtedly the best targets to win over at this stage.
'I cannot completely abandon the Clan Head Fugaku's side either.'
Uchiha Shinsuke calculated inwardly.
'But his conservative thinking is deeply entrenched, and changing him would be far too difficult, so it would be better to first accumulate strength, gradually erode his influence within the clan, and ultimately replace him!'
Within the Uchiha, although the Hawks acted aggressively, they lacked a true leader capable of commanding genuine respect and possessing sufficient wisdom and capability.
Uchiha Tekka had courage in abundance but was lacking in strategy.
As for the several Hawk-faction elders, they were all remnants of an old era; while they were fine for rallying and stirring up sentiment, leading the Hawks required a degree of decisiveness they simply did not possess.
But he, Uchiha Shinsuke, armed with a level of insight that far surpassed this era, and the heaven-defying cheat ability of the "Clan Growth System," had absolute confidence in becoming the one who would lead the Hawks, and indeed the entire Uchiha Clan, toward a more glorious future!
...
Just as Uchiha Shinsuke was steadily building his reputation within the clan and establishing initial ties with the Hawks, an urgent mission from Konoha's Intelligence Division arrived at the Guard.
The mission specified by name that the newly promoted Elite Chunin Uchiha Shinsuke was to lead his squad in its execution.
"An A-rank mission from the Intelligence Division, requesting Shinsuke specifically?"
"What kind of joke is this? Shinsuke only just got promoted to Elite Chunin, and while his strength is formidable, an A-rank mission is no laughing matter!"
"And on top of that, it's an Intelligence Division mission, which typically involves classified information and special methods, making it far more difficult than an ordinary A-rank mission."
In the Guard's office, a number of veteran members discussed the matter in hushed voices, their words carrying a trace of doubt and bewilderment.
Uchiha Shinsuke took the mission scroll and read through it carefully.
[Mission Rank: A-Rank]
[Mission Objective: Capture the defected medical ninja, Noha Saburou, and recover the Konoha S-rank medical forbidden jutsu documents he carries.]
[Mission Details: Noha Saburou, whose secret identity is a high-level Root spy, possesses a large amount of Konoha's core medical technology and Root intelligence data; he defected three days ago and his whereabouts are unknown; this individual has exceptionally strong counter-reconnaissance capabilities and may possess special combat techniques; he must be captured alive, but if strong resistance is encountered, lethal force is permitted, provided the forbidden jutsu documents must not be leaked or damaged.]
[Assigned Squad: Uchiha Shinsuke's Squad]
[Mission Issuer: Konoha Intelligence Division (Special Authorization by Sarutobi Hiruzen)]
"Noha Saburou..."
Uchiha Shinsuke's brow arched slightly.
"Special Authorization by Sarutobi Hiruzen..."
'It seems the Hokage has also grown impatient!'
'A blatant probe, a probe into Uchiha Shinsuke's strength and his stance.'