Inside the study.
The Uchiha Grand Elder laughed heartily for a moment before collecting himself, his expression turning extremely serious.
His Sharingan activated silently as he fixed his gaze on the person before him and spoke in a calm, measured tone: "Who else knows about this?"
The visitor looked uneasy and quickly responded, "Reporting to the Grand Elder, as of now, no one else knows."
"Oh? As of now?"
"Yes, Grand Elder!"
Although he could sense a hint of dissatisfaction in the Grand Elder's tone, he dared not conceal anything. Gritting his teeth, he replied honestly.
Hearing this, the Uchiha Grand Elder fell into deep thought for a moment before suddenly asking, "Is there a way to eliminate this hidden threat?"
"No problem."
The visitor did not hesitate in the slightest and gave a firm answer.
"Good."
The Grand Elder nodded in satisfaction.
He then instructed, "Proceed as you see fit, but make sure no one notices anything unusual about Seimei."
"Understood, Grand Elder!"
Hearing this, the visitor felt slightly relieved and quickly nodded in agreement.
Seeing his response, the Uchiha Grand Elder deactivated his Sharingan.
However, he was still concerned about the risks that might arise over time.
Therefore, he did not allow the visitor to stay long. After giving a few more instructions, he dismissed him to make the necessary preparations.
The visitor bowed and took his leave immediately.
However, just as he reached the door of the study, the Grand Elder's voice once again echoed from behind.
"Hoshii, you understand how important Seimei is to our clan, don't you? Do not disappoint me."
This was the first time the Uchiha Grand Elder had addressed the visitor by name, and his words carried a strong warning. It was clear he did not want this information to leak to anyone.
Upon hearing these words, Uchiha Hoshii trembled slightly.
Without turning back, he quickly responded, "I would not dare."
"Hmph."
The Grand Elder snorted in acknowledgment, neither affirming nor denying his assurance.
Seeing that the Grand Elder had nothing more to say, Uchiha Hoshii carefully stepped out of the study.
Creak—
The door closed once again.
Inside the study.
The Uchiha Grand Elder did not continue reading the documents on his desk. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, tilting his head up to gaze at the ceiling.
At this moment, his eyes seemed both lost in thought and eerily bright.
Although he rarely left his residence, he was well aware of the changes happening within the clan in recent times.
Ever since Minato Namikaze took office, the relationship between the Uchiha clan and the village had improved. While they were not close allies, at least they were no longer at each other's throats.
Furthermore, with Minato expressing his intent to implement reforms, the relationship between both sides had become even more amicable.
It was foreseeable that if Minato's reforms succeeded, granting the Uchiha clan some level of trust and a share of power, the radical faction within the clan would significantly decrease.
Although the Uchiha Grand Elder was the leader of the radicals, he did not seek to sabotage cooperation between the clan and Minato.
Even he had to admit that Minato Namikaze was an exceptional leader.
With Minato in charge, the long-standing conflict between the Uchiha clan and the village might truly be resolved over time.
Despite the stereotype that Uchiha shinobi thrived on war, anyone with a rational mind would avoid unnecessary conflict.
While some might take extreme measures in pursuit of power, the majority—whether they were Uchiha or not—were just ordinary people.
And it was these ordinary individuals who formed the backbone of the shinobi world's order.
If this were a world without supernatural abilities, such a force would be enough to influence global affairs.
Unfortunately, this was a world where personal power dictated history. A single strong individual could alter the course of events entirely.
The establishment of the one village, one nation system was the direct result of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha's influence.
Thus, peace could not be achieved through mere words—it required sufficient strength as a foundation.
Therefore, even though the situation was improving, the Uchiha Grand Elder did not cease his preparations for contingency measures.
Previously, his backup plan was to nurture a group of like-minded young members.
Now, however, his focus had shifted to maintaining a good relationship with Seimei.
From Seimei's past actions, the Grand Elder had already seen that he was someone who would not be bound by family ties alone.
This meant he could not be controlled by clan traditions or any external influence.
While this was not entirely good news, it also indicated that Seimei would not easily be manipulated by the village either.
Thus, as long as the Uchiha clan maintained a close relationship with him, they would always have a reliable ally, no matter what happened in the future.
That way, even if the Grand Elder were no longer around, he would not have to worry about the village erasing the Uchiha clan.
It had to be said—the Uchiha Grand Elder had a sharp eye for people.
Indeed, as long as the Uchiha clan remained on good terms with him, Seimei would not mind offering a helping hand when necessary, for the sake of their shared bloodline.
But that was a concern for the future.
For now…
Training remained the priority!
---
Land of Fire.
Southern Seas.
On a secluded island.
Unknowingly, Seimei had been in intense training for three days.
During this period, not only had he made significant progress in the skills he was focusing on, but his newly acquired four secret techniques had also been successfully imprinted into his system, thanks to his shadow clones' relentless efforts.
Unfortunately, Seimei lacked the time, energy, and chakra to further refine them.
Thus, they remained at Level 0, still in an unmastered state.
That morning.
Just as Seimei was about to create shadow clones for his daily training, a wave of memories suddenly surfaced in his mind.
He first opened his eyes briefly before closing them again, swiftly reviewing the newly received information.
These memories were not from the clones training nearby but from the one stationed in the village.
According to the clone, the village had just assigned him an emergency mission—an A-rank assignment that required his personal involvement.
In the shinobi world, missions were classified by difficulty level, each offering different rewards.
D-rank missions, the easiest, posed no real danger and mostly involved trivial errands or physical labor—such as babysitting, pet retrieval, or farming assistance. These were typically assigned to genin or novice ninjas for basic training.
C-rank missions involved combat, though usually against non-ninja adversaries. Tasks included escorting, suppressing bandits, and reconnaissance, requiring a certain level of battle readiness.
B-rank missions marked a significant jump in difficulty, often requiring direct combat with enemy shinobi.
At this level, the risks skyrocketed. Fighting fellow shinobi meant testing strength, speed, tactics, mental state, and even luck—one wrong move could be fatal.
A-rank missions, like the one Seimei had just received, were even more perilous.
Reading the details, Seimei furrowed his brows.
Not only did this mission involve protecting an important figure, but it also entailed navigating both internal and external political conflicts.
It required not just strength, but intelligence as well.
However, as his power grew, Seimei found himself increasingly disinclined to engage in mind games.
After all, when one possessed overwhelming strength, brute force often became the simplest solution.
And Seimei fully intended to take that approach.