The Grand Elder's heart felt as though lightning had struck it back to life.
His scalp tingled, his body trembled, and excitement overwhelmed him—he seriously doubted his own hearing, wondering if he'd misheard what Yu said.
The second and third elders raised their heads toward the desk of the Hokage, astonished.
"My lord, do you also believe… that our ancestor is still alive?"
"There are still countless undiscovered powers and mysteries hidden within the shinobi world," Yu replied calmly. "Even if this is nothing more than a remnant from ancient times, if the potential reward is great enough, it's worth exploring."
As he spoke, Yu turned to the Grand Elder and said seriously, "You'll take charge of this mission. Formulate a plan to search for her."
The reason behind his certainty wasn't because Tobirama had tried to goad him into action earlier—
It was because Yu already knew that the so-called weapon of war truly existed.
Tobirama was likely just hoping the new Konoha would waste time chasing something unrealistic, giving the remnants of the old Konoha some breathing room.
But now that the village was in his hands, Yu's focus was on strengthening both the village and himself.
Finding the Uchiha clan's ultimate weapon of war was a direct way to enhance the village's power.
"Yes, my lord!" the Grand Elder said solemnly. "You have my word—I'll dedicate the rest of my life to this mission!"
The Grand Elder was overwhelmed with joy; now that he had time and freedom, he could finally pursue his lifelong wish.
"My lord…"
At this point, the second and third elders looked at Yu but chose to remain silent.
After all, they had only just begun working under him. If they offended Konoha's new master now, they might never have another chance to approach the village's core of power.
Tsunade and Orochimaru were equally surprised, yet both of them knew—this was exactly the kind of decision Yu would make.
They also understood one thing clearly: at the very least, Yu did not believe the Grand Elder was speaking nonsense.
With Yu's approval, the search for the "Uchiha Weapon of War" was officially set in motion.
The group continued to discuss other political matters.
By around nine that evening, the brief meeting came to an end.
The Grand Elder left the office beaming with joy, accompanied by the second and third elders.
Orochimaru also bid Yu farewell to rest—he hadn't slept at all, and even for someone as obsessed with research as him, staying in a state of total exhaustion was impossible.
That morning, the battle with the reanimated Uchiha clan had nearly drained all his chakra.
Before leaving, the three Uchiha elders couldn't help but glance back at Orochimaru and Tsunade, sighing inwardly.
Those two had once been the Legendary Sannin trained by Hiruzen Sarutobi—the very pillars of Konoha.
Back when they were alive, even seeing one of them required showing the utmost respect.
And now… such powerful shinobi served under their own clan's leader.
The elders' emotions surged as they left, marveling at how drastically the world had changed since their deaths.
Heh—Uchiha had finally risen again!
The office fell into a heavy silence.
By this hour, even the Iwa-nin working there had gone home to rest. Only Uchiha Yu and Tsunade remained in the room.
Outside, the night was quiet.
The sky shimmered with countless brilliant stars.
In a ninja world untouched by heavy industrial pollution, one could clearly see the vast ocean of stars with the naked eye.
However, since the village's power grid hadn't yet been restored, the office was still lit by candlelight.
When everyone had left, Tsunade pulled up a chair of her own, intending to sit across from Uchiha Yu to continue working.
Yu glanced up at her, then at the empty space beside him.
He suggested softly, "Sit here instead."
In the prison space—
"Kid, I'm warning you…"
Hashirama scolded with anger in his tone.
He could tell that Yu's behavior seemed a bit… off.
But the next second, the prison space went pitch-black, completely severed from the outside world.
Darkness swallowed everything like ink. Tobirama sighed, trying to calm his brother. "Relax, big brother. Tsunade's a strong-willed woman. She won't let that brat cross any lines."
"…" Hashirama fell silent.
The more Tobirama said that, the more uneasy he became.
Tsunade gave Yu a wary sidelong glance, only to see him deliberately slide his chair aside.
Behind the desk, there was now enough room for two people to sit together.
"You don't actually believe that your Uchiha ancestor is still alive, do you?"
After thinking for a moment, Tsunade said this while moving her chair next to Yu's. Then, with one hand on the desk, she lightly vaulted over it to his side.
To be honest, she didn't really dislike Yu anymore. His actions and motives—each time—had completely overturned her understanding of what an Uchiha could be.
As for Yu returning Jiraiya's body to the earth…
Well, truthfully, during that period, Tsunade had been away from the village for years. She'd barely spoken to Jiraiya.
And Orochimaru had been right—
even if Jiraiya had survived that last battle, he wouldn't have survived the next.
Worse, there was the possibility that Jiraiya might have been resurrected under Yu's control, stripped of his will.
That would've been a fate neither Tsunade nor Jiraiya would have ever wanted.
At first, Tsunade thought Yu was no different from the evil Uchiha her granduncle had described—someone whose rule would plunge Konoha into suffering.
But Yu seemed to understand her fears. Instead of tightening his grip, he delegated power to her, allowing her to take the lead in rebuilding the village.
Thinking about that, Tsunade suppressed the faintly favorable impression growing in her heart. She told herself she still needed more time to observe this man.
"Yes," Yu said calmly, "she really exists."
He then handed her the stack of scrolls and the annotation pen he'd been using.
"?" Tsunade blinked, confused.
Of course. His true nature was showing again—dumping all the tedious paperwork on her as usual.
Tsunade glared at the stack of scrolls on her desk, her amber eyes sharp with fury. Her fists clenched as she shot a sideways look at Uchiha Yu. If she weren't being controlled, she would've happily landed a few punches on him.
Uchiha Yu sensed her anger but acted as if nothing had happened, glancing back at her calmly.
"..."
Tsunade rolled her eyes, sat back down, and went back to work.
Uchiha Yu leaned against the window, unconcerned by her attitude.
Earlier, when Tsunade and Orochimaru had noticed his strange expression—
That was because, right after the Great Elder finished speaking, a main quest notification suddenly appeared in Yu's mind. That was his reaction at the time.
This was the first main quest since the rebuilding of the Uchiha clan.
Uchiha Yu walked to the window, gazing into the night. His mind was calm as he focused and opened the mission interface.
A line of text appeared before his eyes.
[Main Quest]:
The Uchiha's Ultimate Weapon of War!
[Objective]:
1. Find "Uchiha Hikari," break her seal, awaken her, and persuade her to join the Uchiha.
[Reward]:
Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan – Yasakani no Magatama
°°°
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