Konoha Village, Hokage Tower, inside the meeting room.
Uchiha Akira sat in the corner, his fingertips caressing the Konoha symbol on his forehead protector.
The meeting had already lasted two and a half hours, and the air was filled with sorrow and depression.
He slightly raised his head, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan unintentionally activating, emitting a dark red glow under the dim light.
He scanned the faces in front of him, some grave, some weary.
The gloom brought by the war had already enveloped everyone in Konoha.
"Next, let's discuss the battle casualties."
"Within ten days, at the border between the Land of Rain and our Land of Fire, the confirmed Ninja casualties include seventeen Chunin and six Jonin."
Fire Shadow Consultant Homura Mitokado's voice was calm, almost numb.
The scroll in his hand slowly unrolled on the table, and names one by one pierced Akira's eyes.
These were all living people, but now they had become cold numbers.
Akira secretly clenched his forehead protector, his knuckles turning white from the force.
This was the reality of the Ninja World.
Without strength, even survival was a luxury.
"Akira, what's wrong?"
A low voice came from beside him.
Akira turned his head, meeting his ink-black eyes.
He was Uchiha Fugaku, a few months older than Akira, and Akira's cousin.
At this moment, he was looking at Akira with a slight frown, a hint of reproach in his gaze.
"Just thinking about the war."
Akira responded indifferently, the crimson in his eyes disappearing immediately.
"Pay attention to your image. We are attending this meeting representing the Uchiha Clan."
Fugaku's voice was even lower, his tone unquestionable.
Akira was already used to Fugaku's nagging and nodded helplessly.
Just then.
A clear voice from the front broke the silence of the meeting room.
"Enough!"
Her voice trembled slightly from emotion, and her bright brown eyes were full of stubbornness.
The speaker was Lady Tsunade, the granddaughter of the "God of Shinobi" and the princess of the Land of Fire.
Tsunade
Tsunade
Twenty-four-year-old Tsunade was at the peak of her youth.
Her fair face was flushed with sorrow, and her willow-leaf eyebrows were tightly furrowed.
Her blue robe spread with her movements, revealing the white lining that enveloped her perfect figure.
Tsunade
"At least half of these casualties could have been avoided!"
She tightly clutched the heavy… necklace on her chest, a relic of the First Hokage and the last memory her younger brother Nawaki had left her.
Tsunade's younger brother, Nawaki, had died just a few days ago.
The main reason for his death, in her opinion,
was because his squad was not equipped with a Medical Ninja for timely treatment.
"As long as a Medical Ninja is assigned to a squad."
Tsunade's voice abruptly stopped, suppressing her emotions.
Assigning Medical Ninja to squads?
This scene seemed somewhat familiar.
Akira's gaze swept past Tsunade, then looked at his two teammates.
Orochimaru's lips held a faint, almost imperceptible sneer, and Jiraiya, uncharacteristically, frowned.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, seated at the head, took a deep puff from his pipe, the shadows in his wrinkles deepening.
Homura Mitokado pushed up his glasses, his tone cold.
"War is imminent; we don't have enough resources or time to train Medical Ninja."
Meeting Image
"Precisely because of war, it's even more necessary to train them!"
Tsunade's slender hand slammed onto the table.
Her voice was almost squeezed through her teeth.
"It is precisely at such a moment that training is most needed. If we don't train now, what are we waiting for?
Even training one can save the lives of several, or even a dozen, Ninja! I think you just don't want to do it!"
The atmosphere in the meeting room suddenly became tense.
Akira's eyes flickered; Tsunade's proposal indeed hit the mark. Training Medical Ninja was imperative.
But in this time of war, the Konoha higher-ups' attitude clearly leaned towards short-term combat power.
A mechanical voice suddenly sounded in Akira's mind.
His body stiffened abruptly, and his pupils slightly contracted.
System?
Akira was not unfamiliar with this thing!
Could it be?
After eighteen years of transmigration, his golden finger had finally arrived?!
"System activated successfully."
"Character Panel activated."
"Triggered quest: Intercept Tsunade."
"Reward: Strength of a Hundred Seal or one Advancement Card."
Akira took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the excitement in his heart.
"System, bring up the character panel."
"Name: Uchiha Akira"
"Age: 18"
"Chakra: 1 Kakashi"
"Bloodline Limit: Sharingan (Three-Tomoe)"
"Skills: Genjutsu Mastery, Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, Body Flicker Technique, Shadow Clone Technique, Three Body Technique, etc."
"Mastery: Thorough understanding and proficient command."
"Sharingan copy Ninjutsu, Shurikenjutsu, basic Taijutsu, and other compulsory content are not displayed on the panel."
Akira was stunned when he saw the Chakra amount on the panel.
"System, System!"
"One Kakashi? What kind of unit is this!"
"Responding to Host, One Kakashi = One Kakashi's Chakra amount."
"..."
Kakashi, a unit of measurement?
He almost couldn't hold back.
The dead meme actually attacked me proactively!
But now was not the time to complain; the mission reward was the key.
Strength of a Hundred Seal, Tsunade's signature Ninjutsu, allows free use of sealed Chakra, even breaking the restriction that Medical Ninja cannot fight.
However, he did not have the long-term accumulation of Chakra from the Yin Seal, nor did he have a massive Chakra reserve as a backup.
As a Uchiha with one Kakashi of Chakra.
Even with this technique, it seemed he wouldn't be able to gain much advantage.
And the other reward!
Advancement Card, the description said it could enhance Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Bloodline Limit!
Could it be?
Akira quickly thought to himself.
"System, can I use the Advancement Card to upgrade my Three-Tomoe Sharingan to Mangekyo Sharingan?"
"Yes, Host."
Hiss!
Terrifying!
That was the Mangekyo Sharingan!
Just thinking about it made Akira's heart beat violently.
In the Second Great Ninja War, a meat grinder of a war.
Having the Mangekyo Sharingan meant absolute strength, meant having the capital to survive!
The Strength of a Hundred Seal had limited improvement for Uchiha Akira at this stage.
But the Mangekyo Sharingan, once activated, could geometrically increase his strength in a short period.
He had to get the Advancement Card!
As for the mission...
Intercept Tsunade?
Akira's mind raced, trying to recall the original plot.
A strange light flashed in Akira's eyes.
He remembered!
There was a time when Tsunade proposed establishing a Medical Ninja system, but no one supported her.
Kato Dan stood up to support Tsunade, which left a particularly deep impression on her.
When Akira thought of this, an idea immediately formed in his mind.
Kato Dan, you should just stick to being a Jonin.
This Tsunade is too deep; you can't handle her!
Let the righteous Uchiha take action instead!
With that thought, Akira quickly stood up, his voice clear and firm.
"I support Lady Tsunade's proposal."
In an instant, the eyes of everyone in the meeting room were fixed on him.
Kato Dan, who was about to stand up to support Tsunade, was ultimately a step too slow.
He turned to look at Uchiha Akira, surprise flashing in his eyes.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's pipe paused mid-air, making his thoughts unreadable.
Tsunade, however, turned to look at Uchiha Akira, her eyes slightly widening.
Tsunade
She seemed surprised that someone would stand up to support her, and even more surprised that this person would be a Ninja from the Uchiha Clan.
"Uchiha Akira?"
Homura Mitokado's tone was cold.
"Is this your personal opinion, or the stance of the Uchiha Clan?"
Akira's expression was calm, his gaze fixed forward, discussing the matter at hand.
"Medical Ninja can greatly increase a squad's survival rate."
"Currently, the Ninja World is embroiled in multi-sided warfare. As long as the battle lines are extended, with our Konoha Village's trained Medical Ninja joining in, the scales of victory will surely tip towards Konoha."
Uchiha Akira saw the displeased expressions on the faces of those at the head table.
Then he proposed a compromise.
"During wartime, resource scarcity is also a major issue.
Konoha can temporarily forgo training and instead focus on instruction.
Instruction means prioritizing the fastest way, with the fewest resources, to train a group of Medical Ninja qualified for the battlefield."
He paused, his tone growing heavier.
"One experienced veteran Ninja is worth ten new Ninja.
Having one more Medical Ninja capable of healing will greatly increase the survival rate.
Therefore, training and instructing Medical Ninja.
Is not just for winning the current war! It will certainly allow us to surpass other nations in the future!"
The air suddenly solidified.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze was unfathomable, while Danzo beside him subtly frowned.
Orochimaru turned to stare at Uchiha Akira, a hint of interest flashing in his golden vertical pupils.
"Interesting."
Orochimaru's hoarse voice sounded.
"Since when did the Uchiha Clan start caring about their comrades?"
These words immediately piqued everyone's curiosity.
In the current Konoha Village.
Most people believed that the Senju Clan valued love over Ninjutsu as power.
In contrast,
the Uchiha Clan placed the power of Ninjutsu first.
If Tsunade of the Senju Clan said these words, it would be understandable.
But now, a Uchiha who revered power was actually speaking about valuing comrades.
Not just Orochimaru, but other Ninja also scrutinized Akira.
Akira felt Orochimaru's gaze was extremely aggressive, and he instinctively wanted to dodge.
However, in this situation, it was already an arrow shot from the bow.
He forced himself to remain calm, looking at Orochimaru, and said each word clearly.
"Orochimaru-sama, my Uchiha Clan is not uncaring about comrades.
Quite the opposite, precisely because we Uchiha Clan value the bonds of comradeship so much, we choose to distance ourselves from comrades.
Moreover, in this casualty list, there are also Ninja from our Uchiha Clan.
Konoha is our common home, and protecting Konoha is the highest standard of our Uchiha Clan.
Currently, Lady Tsunade's proposal is a powerful measure that can reduce the casualties of the Village's Ninja!"
Uchiha Akira's gaze shifted to Hiruzen Sarutobi at the head of the table.
"Lady Tsunade's proposal is precisely to give every Ninja fighting on the battlefield.
Hope for survival. Is this not the embodiment of the fire will?"
After his words fell, the meeting room was silent.
Tsunade stared blankly at Akira.
In a trance, she seemed to see her younger brother's shadow in this young Uchiha, that determined gaze for the sake of protection.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was silent for a moment. After exchanging glances with Homura Mitokado, he finally spoke.
"We will seriously reconsider Tsunade and Akira's proposals. The subsequent results will be communicated to everyone."
"Today's meeting is temporarily adjourned. Dismissed."
Everyone gradually left, and Akira could feel several gazes on his back.
"Akira."
Uchiha Yashiro blocked his path, his gaze sharp.
"We need to talk when we get back."
Akira nodded.
"Yes."
As Akira walked out of the meeting room, a faint scent drifted towards him.
Akira looked up; Tsunade was standing at the end of the corridor.
Her arms crossed, she looked at him with a complex gaze.
"Want to talk?"