"Izumi?"
Uchiha Hikari recalled—
If she remembered correctly, this girl was around Itachi's age. She'd been saved by him during the Nine-Tails attack but ultimately perished with the rest of the clan on the night of the massacre.
"Have you been the one delivering groceries this whole time?"
"No, it was Rikka-senpai yesterday, and Nanami the day before… We're all new recruits to the Police Force, and we patrol this area daily, so the clan asked us to bring you these ingredients. If you need anything, Ancestor Grandma, just let us know, and we'll get it for you."
Uchiha Izumi answered politely.
"Rikka, Nanami…"
Hikari mentally repeated the names, confirming she'd never heard of them.
Made sense, though. Errands like these wouldn't be handled by the clan's elites or someone like Fugaku himself.
"No need to be so nervous. Your Ancestor Grandma isn't gonna eat you."
Hikari stepped forward with a playful grin, patting Izumi's shoulder. "Take me to the Uchiha compound. I've got business with your clan head."
…
After following Izumi downstairs, Hikari met the aforementioned Rikka and Nanami.
Both were teenagers, a boy and a girl, who nervously bowed and greeted her before hurrying off to report her arrival.
Twenty minutes later, when Hikari, led by Izumi, reached the Uchiha Clan's compound in the southwest corner of Konoha, a huge crowd had already gathered. At the front was Clan Head Fugaku, surrounded by elders, Jōnin, and some civilians. Sasuke, holding Uchiha Mikoto's hand, was among them, curiously craning his neck to get a better look.
Next, Fugaku formally introduced Hikari's identity to the gathered clan members before giving her a warm, friendly tour of the compound.
During the visit, a few Uchiha elders subtly—or not so subtly—suggested they'd love to "witness" the power of her Mangekyō Sharingan. Some even hinted at wanting her to spar with Shisui.
Fugaku quickly scolded them.
Hikari wasn't sure if this was a staged act by Fugaku or if those elders were genuinely clueless, but their first request suited her just fine. If they hadn't brought it up, she'd have had to figure out a less obvious way to establish her authority.
"Alright," she said.
"Since you're so eager to see, I'll give you a little demonstration to show you just how far behind you are."
With that, Hikari gathered her chakra and activated the third stage of her Susanoo. Under the watchful eyes of the Uchiha, she rose into the air and unleashed a "Hundred-Eight Barrage: Heavy Cannon Slash" toward the edge of the compound.
The sword strike roared out.
With an earth-shattering boom, crimson sword energy tore through the sky, carving a vacuum trail dozens of meters long through the forest. Everything in its path—trees, bushes, rocks, rubble, even a few startled rabbits and birds—was shredded to pieces in an instant.
Hikari landed casually, not even slightly out of breath, and, for good measure, hit each of those elders with a branded Tsukuyomi.
This Tsukuyomi wasn't the soul-crushing version she'd prepared for Danzō—just a few hours of wandering in a barren desert. Oh, and she left a little branding mark on them, too.
Why'd she do it?
"No respect for your superiors, treating your elders like kids—consider this a small lesson. Don't let it happen again!"
When the elders emerged from the illusion, they looked exhausted, but their gazes toward Hikari now held a newfound respect.
"That illusion… was that the 'Tsukuyomi' from the clan records? And that crimson giant—Susanoo, right? The records say using those eye techniques puts a huge strain on the body, even causing bleeding tears, but you…"
"…Heh."
Hikari shot them a cold glance. "That level of attack? It doesn't even count as a warm-up for me. Back in the Warring States era, there were dozens of Uchiha who could pull that off. It's only been a hundred years, and you've all regressed *this* much?"
"…We've disappointed you, Ancestor Grandma."
The elders, along with Fugaku, looked ashamed.
Hikari was, of course, bluffing.
That sword strike wasn't her full power, but it was far from a casual swing either.
And Uchiha capable of that level of power? Forget the early Warring States era—even at the height of the clan's strength under Madara, you'd be lucky to find a handful. But with her confident tone and her freakish recovery making her look completely unfazed, the elders bought it hook, line, and sinker. They even started reflecting on their shortcomings.
As for the suggestion to spar with Shisui…
Hikari pretended she didn't hear it.
—Truth be told, a spar wouldn't be a big deal. Shisui had no reason to suddenly hit her with a "Kotoamatsukami" in a setting like this. But with those bug-level Mangekyō eyes, Hikari wasn't taking any chances. If she ever had to face those eyes, it'd either be when she was confident she could counter Kotoamatsukami or when it was a fight to the death.
Since Hikari didn't bring it up, Shisui, true to his nature, wasn't about to challenge his "elder" either.
…
After Hikari publicly flexed her strength and dished out a few Tsukuyomi as punishment, the Uchiha around her finally started acting respectful, addressing her as a proper junior would.
Fugaku tentatively suggested she might occasionally mentor the clan's young talents.
Hikari casually agreed.
By noon, she was invited to Fugaku's home for lunch. Afterward, she sat down with Fugaku and a few elders as an "elder" to discuss the Uchiha's current situation.
Shisui wasn't present.
His status wasn't high enough to join these decision-making talks.
"…This is the roster of all Uchiha clan members. Please take a look, Ancestor Grandma."
"Hm, let's see."
Hikari took the list, scanning it quickly. "So few people with three-tomoe Sharingan? Less than twenty out of hundreds?"
"Yes. As you know, awakening the Sharingan is tough, and reaching three tomoe is even harder. Most of our clan members are at two tomoe," Fugaku explained quietly. "But we do have some promising youngsters. My son Itachi, for example, awakened three tomoe at 11. And Izumi, the girl who brought you here, has two tomoe and could become a Jōnin in a few years…
This time, when I proposed increasing Uchiha slots in the Anbu to the Third Hokage, I had Izumi and two other kids in mind."
Hikari's eyes narrowed slightly.
Her suggestion to Sarutobi Hiruzen about adding team-leading Jōnin slots was meant to foster ties with other clans. Looks like she'd unintentionally hit the mark.
"The Uchiha are living too comfortably these days."
"What do you mean…?"
"Back in the Warring States era, if you hadn't awakened three tomoe by 12, you'd likely never get the chance—because you'd be dead in the chaos."
Hikari looked up. "I've observed your Police Force. It's supposed to maintain Konoha's order, but all it handles are petty disputes. The real issues are monopolized by the Anbu. Work that even Genin could do is not only a waste of manpower—it's killing the Uchiha's fighting spirit. Have you ever considered giving up some of the Police Force's authority?"
"Huh?"
Fugaku froze.
Before he could respond, Uchiha Yashiro, an elder, immediately protested, "Ancestor Grandma, that's out of the question! The Police Force is the Uchiha Clan's foundation. How could we—"
"Fool!"
"The Sharingan is the Uchiha Clan's foundation!"
Hikari's voice was sharp. "Without strength, all the authority in the world is just a castle in the sky. I can't believe you've lived this long and still don't get something so basic… No wonder the Uchiha are so pathetically weak now!"
"Ancestor Grandma, isn't that a bit harsh…?"
The elders' faces flushed with frustration.
Truth be told, only Hikari could say something like this.
If anyone else—even Fugaku—called the current Uchiha "pathetically weak," they'd probably have flipped the table by now.
"What, you disagree?"
Hikari tilted her head. "A clan of hundreds, and only Uchiha Shisui's strength is barely passable. The rest are simple-minded, short-sighted, arrogant rabble… With this level of ability, you think you can lead Konoha? Even if you somehow got the Hokage seat, do you honestly believe you could handle the other clans and relations with other ninja villages better than Sarutobi Hiruzen?"
"…"
The Uchiha fell silent.
Their pride wanted to say "yes," but the little rationality they had told them they probably couldn't.
After a moment of quiet, Hikari spoke again:
"I've already proposed to Sarutobi Hiruzen trading a few Police Force slots for opportunities for Uchiha to become Ninja Academy instructors and Jōnin squad leaders. Those roles involve frequent interaction with other clans, more chances for combat, and Jōnin squads are part of Konoha's power structure, with a say in Hokage elections… Instead of banking on the tightly controlled Anbu, why not try a different approach?
"I know your people skills are abysmal, but at least put in some effort on the surface. There are probably plenty of stubborn folks in the clan just like you. Convincing them is your job. If you can't even handle internal clan dynamics, stop daydreaming about becoming Hokage."
She paused, then offered a carrot: "Going forward, I'll make time to personally train you. Until your strength meets my expectations, swallow your pride. But… if anyone does reach my standards, I'll reward them accordingly."
"My piece is said. Who's for it, who's against?"
**(End of Chapter)**