Uchiha Masamune stepped forward first, his expression composed yet cautious. He had seen Shigure's strange powers before, but this was not something to treat lightly.
"What do I need to do?" Masamune asked, his voice carrying both pride and hesitation.
"You don't have to do anything," Uchiha Shigure said calmly. He extended a hand and placed it directly upon Masamune's arm. In one controlled motion, Shigure siphoned a current of bloodline power, prying open the locked potential that Uchiha blood itself resisted giving away.
Masamune's body jolted as if struck by lightning. His eyes widened, and the air around him rippled with stirring chakra.
"My chakra… it's swelling…!" He clenched his fists and staggered slightly. "I-I think I'm about to break through my bottleneck. Incredible! Shigure… you can awaken dormant potential!"
The watching Uchiha erupted into tense murmurs. Every gaze, once suspicious or hostile, now glimmered with hunger. If Masamune could experience this leap forward, then so could they.
Shigure allowed a faint smile. "How does it feel, Lord Masamune?"
"Very good," Masamune said quickly, barely concealing the light in his voice. "Fugaku. Yoshitsugu. Quickly, your turn!"
More clan members lined up, each one greedily awaiting the touch that would unravel the barriers holding them back. Shigure continued the process—absorbing slivers of blood and chakra from each, then gifting them back their own amplified potential.
But his real purpose was veiled beneath this display. Triggering their growth was only the surface of the transaction. Every strand of Uchiha blood he siphoned made his own veins pound stronger, his spirit breeding power from Indra's descendants themselves. And this time, unlike the occasions when his mysterious system had fallen silent, it was active—fusing the Uchiha blood into harmony alongside the Hyūga lineage and the dwindling fragments of Naruto's own chakra DNA that pulsed within him.
Piece by piece, Shigure became something more than just Uchiha. Something that no clan boundary could contain.
Time passed in a blur of ritual and greed until finally, no more volunteers stepped forward. The last ripple of chakra faded into the air.
From the corner, Masamune spoke again, hesitant yet hungry. "Shigure… this potential of ours... Can it be triggered more than once? Could we do it again?"
Shigure shook his head lightly. "No. Once per person. If your strength rises, you must temper it yourself. Why? Are you already thinking about a second serving?"
His tone carried deliberate mockery, but no Uchiha denied the accusation. Who wouldn't crave more?
Masamune pressed again. "So then… can every single member of the Uchiha have their potential unlocked?"
"Yes. As long as Uchiha blood runs in their veins, I can stir it awake. What's next, Masamune? Are you going to line up every toddler with a single tomoe Sharingan? Or the unawakened children still clinging to their mothers?" Shigure scoffed, but his words struck true—Masamune had been considering exactly this.
Caught, Masamune wore an awkward smile. "Well… yes. Forgive me, Shigure. At first I doubted such a thing was possible. Now I see this is more than valuable. Such a gift needs proper negotiation. Do you have terms?"
"I do," Shigure said at once. He raised three fingers. "I am a businessman, after all."
Fugaku and Yoshitsugu stiffened at his sharp tone. "Money? Ninjutsu?"
"You're not far off," Shigure said with an amused laugh. "But I have enough jutsu. My requests are these:
First—three hundred million ryō." He extended one finger.
"Second—restore my father's name. His honor, his reputation, and his place in our clan's records. He is to be remembered as he deserves, with no stain, only glory." His second finger rose.
"Third—all grudges between myself and the Uchiha end here. From this day on, the entire clan acknowledges that it owes me a favor—a great one."
The chamber fell silent as his third demand rang out. Fugaku's face tightened in outrage. Yoshitsugu muttered, "Yesterday you asked for one hundred million. Now you ask for three times that?"
"And restoring your father's name? He was erased generations ago. Why now?"
"As for the so-called 'grudges'—you have the blood of many Uchiha on your hands. How could we possibly erase that history so easily?" Yoshitsugu's voice sharpened, frustration lacing each word.
But Shigure's reply was calm, almost mocking. "Am I asking for too much? Think carefully. Yesterday's one hundred million was a trial fee. Pocket change by comparison, a simple test. Now you want me to help your entire clan. That scale demands a different price. Or do you think my services can be sold like dumplings in the market?"
He folded his arms. "Besides, I am the only one in the ninja world who can awaken this potential. No one else. If I charged three billion instead of three hundred million, would it still not be a bargain?"
Fugaku opened his mouth, but Shigure cut him off. His voice hardened.
"You call my father's record shameful. But what was his crime? Loving outside the clan? Loving a Hyūga woman?" His eyes gleamed with fury. "Love isn't some machine to be measured by your pride. He died fighting for Konoha. His name is carved on the Memorial Stone—therefore it deserves to stand also in the Uchiha stone records. You erased a hero because it wounded your arrogance. That is your shame, not his."
The room simmered at his words, but none could reply. Shigure pressed further still.
"And the grudges? You expelled us from the clan, then sent assassins one after another. Did you expect that I would simply let myself be killed? Those who fell trying to end my life met their fate. Why blame me for surviving? I am willing to draw a line here and grant the Uchiha a clean slate. You should thank me, not resist."
His speech ended. Gathering his wooden box, Shigure turned toward the doorway. "If that is too much for you, then forget it. I'm not desperate."
Step by deliberate step, he headed for the exit. The silence broke exactly when he knew it would.
"Wait!" Masamune called after him. "We accept. Your terms… but three hundred million ryō is—burdensome. Can we lower it? Two hundred perhaps?"
Shigure didn't pause. "As the saying goes, gold can buy peace. Refuse me, and what excuse will you give the Hokage? That you turned down the only chance to uplift your clan?"
Masamune's eyes flickered. He understood that point keenly. The Uchiha were already under surveillance by the village's leadership, always distrusted, always watched. To receive Shigure's gift and pay nothing would paint a target on them larger than ever.
Masamune exhaled and ground his teeth. "Fine! Three hundred million ryō. But to raise such a sum outright… it will take us at least three months without crumbling our finances."
Shigure's lips curved slyly. "Three months? No need to rush. I'll give you a year."
"A year?" Masamune hesitated. "What conditions come with that?"
"Simple." Shigure raised one hand dismissively. "Twelve months, thirty million ryō each month. Easy enough for even your treasury."
Yoshitsugu's eyes narrowed. "Do you take us for fools? Thirty million every month equals three hundred and sixty million by year's end!"
Shigure chuckled and spread his palms. "So? That's only sixty million more. Consider it interest for the privilege of delay. I didn't need to offer such terms at all. I'm practically doing you a kindness."
Fugaku scowled. "A kindness, you call it?"
Shigure's gaze hardened. "A kindness—and a leash you'd better be grateful for. Otherwise, you may find yourselves regretting what happens when I withdraw it."
The Uchiha leaders exchanged uneasy looks. Thirty million a month bled their coffers, yet their hunger for power consumed them more than any treasury concern.
And Shigure knew he had them.
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