After Uchiha Ryo and Uchiha Hiro returned to the Uchiha clan and handed in their mission, before they could even catch a break, a clan member from the mission - handling place informed them that the elders had requested their presence – and they had been waiting for several days.
The clan member who told them this thought the two would cower or reflect on themselves. Instead, both of them just nodded indifferently, as if they had expected it. They even started talking in riddles right in front of him.
"We just got back and we're already being summoned... Did you swipe the mission?"
Uchiha Hiro nodded, then turned and walked out. "Of course. Otherwise, this mission would definitely end up with Akihiko."
Uchiha Ryo let out a soft sigh and followed, saying, "It seems the things we need to explain are getting complicated..."
"That's my problem to explain. Why are you worried?"
"How can I not worry? You did it because I asked you to," Uchiha Ryo sighed again. "Let me think about what to say then... I hope Tajima Uchiha won't be too angry."
The clan member who watched them leave was even more confused. Driven by curiosity, he opened the Scrolls they had just handed in, and his expression twisted. "A mission for materials from the Land of Snow? Why steal this kind of mission? What's so good about that remote place?"
Of course, Uchiha Ryo and Uchiha Hiro had no idea about the clan member's confusion. After leaving the mission - handling place, they headed straight for The Meeting Hall where the elders usually stayed.
The makeup of the Uchiha clan's elders was similar to that of other clans. It consisted of elderly ninjas who were no longer fit for the battlefield and several representatives of the commoners. In other words, the elders might not be that strong, but they've got plenty of experience.
Although the elders were all old, in this era, there was no way they would act in a self - important and unreasonable manner.
After all, apart from the civilian representatives, those ninjas who survived and became elders were, to put it nicely, agile and experienced, and they were supposed to teach the next generation how to deal with situations.
Let's be blunt, they were too weak back then to be sent to the fiercest battlefields, which is why they survived. And since the Uchiha clan had no reason to force its members to die, they became elders.
So, although the clan respected the elders, it wasn't an excessive kind of respect. Most of the time, they helped the leader of the Uchiha clan handle various miscellaneous matters so that the leader could have the energy to lead the clan to the battlefield. They also stopped the clan leader from acting rashly in decisions that might affect the entire clan.
Pulling rank is a privilege reserved for peaceful times.
In this era of constant warfare, the young generation like Uchiha Ryo and Uchiha Hiro, who could go to the battlefield, actually had a slightly higher invisible status than the elders.
However, even so, when they entered The Meeting Hall and met the elders, the two were severely scolded. Even Tajima Uchiha pulled Uchiha Ryo aside and gave him an earnest talk.
The gist of the talk was simple – if they wanted a particular mission, they should go for it openly. The clan could make adjustments. They shouldn't do sneaky things and then make the clan look bad in front of the Senju clan.
[That damned crow!]
Hiro was so furious that he felt numb all over. He wanted to rush to Uchiha Ryo's house several times to strangle that big-mouthed crow, but he had to suppress his anger and listen to the scolding because his Jiji was standing in front of him.
After Tajima Uchiha finished speaking, Uchiha Koji finally picked up his water cup and let go of his grandson, whose face was red with shame and indignation. "Alright, that's all I have to say. Remember to learn from this in the future, okay?"
Hiro nodded stiffly.
"Tajima, it's up to you. Don't spare any mercy for me. Remember to give this kid a good lesson," Uchiha Koji glanced at Ryo, whose face remained unchanged, and snorted forcefully. "One is more lawless than the other."
Tajima Uchiha knew that Uchiha Koji was telling him to punish Ryo, the main culprit, more severely. Even if he intended to let it go lightly out of pity, he had to act tough first.
Thinking of this, Tajima Uchiha sighed softly in his heart, but on the surface, he frowned and said in a serious tone, "Now that things have come to this, Ryo, do you have anything to say?"
"Yes, I admit that I didn't think it through this time. Please punish me, leader of the Uchiha clan and elders," Ryo lowered his head. "However, before the punishment is decided, I have some discoveries to share with you."
Ryo's good attitude of admitting his mistake made the elders look a bit better. The chief elder, Uchiha Masamitsu, who already felt indebted to Ryo, was the first to speak. "Well, Tajima, you know that Ryo isn't the kind of child who acts recklessly. Moreover, he has the strength to fight a peer with Mangekyo. Let him speak, okay?"
These words were not only to give Tajima Uchiha an excuse to back down but also to inform the other elders that although they could make a big deal out of this punishment, they couldn't really hurt the two boys. Just make it seem serious.
Tajima Uchiha looked around at the elders. Seeing them all nodding, his expression softened a little. "Well, then, Ryo, go ahead and tell us."
After getting the permission, Ryo nodded slightly and began, "What I'm going to say is related to our clan's Kekkei Genkai. Please look closely at Hiro... Hiro, show the leader and elders."
Hiro pursed his lips. After taking a deep breath to calm himself down, he mobilized pupil power in his eyes, and the scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan instantly appeared in his eye sockets.
The elders were a bit puzzled when they saw this. But before they could become more confused, they saw the tomoe in Hiro's eyes twist and connect with each other, forming a magnificent pattern.
Bang!
It was Uchiha Koji who got so excited when he saw his grandson awaken his Sharingan that he slapped the table and stood up. Fortunately, he still had some self-restraint and didn't immediately go over to hug his grandson. Instead, he stared intently at Tajima Uchiha, signaling him to continue quickly.
Tajima Uchiha, who was in the spotlight of the elders' gazes, was extremely shocked. Although the Uchiha clan members who could awaken the three-tomoe Sharingan all knew that above it was the Mangekyo Sharingan, not every clan member with the three-tomoe Sharingan could awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan. After all, as recorded on the stele, awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan was destined to result in the loss of an important person.
They desired and pursued Strength. All of this was to protect those they held dear. So, except for the times when the clan was in great difficulty and some clan members would voluntarily seek death to help those they valued awaken their Sharingan, the Mangekyo Sharingan had always been in an awkward situation within the Uchiha clan. Everyone desired it, yet no one would actively pursue it.
The previous generation's user of the Mangekyo Sharingan in Uchiha Ryo's generation had died in battle. Uchiha Akihiko of the same generation as Uchiha Ryo awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan after witnessing the death of his younger brother and was still in the adaptation period of the Strength. But now, Hiro Uchiha actually had the Mangekyo Sharingan without experiencing such a tragedy!
Considering what Uchiha Ryo just said...
Tajima Uchiha suddenly turned to look at his eldest son, his voice trembling a little. "Uchiha Ryo, you guys..."