Ever since Renji Uchiha returned to the Police Force, he had stayed for two weeks. He realized that even though, thanks to the Sword Tournament, the commoners and some shinobi had directly witnessed the power of the Uchiha, knowing you are strong does not mean they cannot dislike you.
This Police Force… truly was a poisonous scheme of the Second Hokage. If one stayed here too long, complacency would take root.
Constantly doing this "city guard" type of work inevitably gave rise to a sense of superiority.
Add the Uchiha pride on top of that, and over time it would slowly warp into arrogance. He sometimes noticed that clansmen, on certain occasions, would show unreasonable, domineering behavior.
If this continued, it would not do. In the end, they would still face extermination. Strength that becomes detached from the people is nothing but a rootless weed, bound to be erased. This had to be corrected.
But it couldn't be rushed clan feelings had to be considered. And above all, he was still too weak. Whether within the clan or in Konoha, his strength was still insignificant.
If he wanted to accomplish anything, he would have to convince the elders first. And when it came to execution, he wouldn't be the one in charge anyway. He sighed.
No matter the world, you had to endure qualifications and seniority, especially inside a great clan.
But since he had discovered the problem, he had to solve it. If he couldn't solve it for the entire clan, then at least he could start by solving it for himself.
He gathered his two closest friends, discussed it, and decided to leave the village for a while to travel to the Land of Fire's capital and see how the Uchiha arrangements there were doing.
Once decided, they went to Uchiha Nobunaga, negotiated with him, and then set out together with Uchiha Duantian and Uchiha Xingye.
The five-man squad was reassembled. This time, they accepted a mission to escort a merchant caravan to the capital. After the mission, the five of them would remain in the capital, assisting the Second Elder in managing clan affairs there.
Upon arriving in the Land of Fire, Renji was truly excited. He had long wanted to visit the capital, but one accident after another had delayed him. This time, finally, he had arrived, and he was determined to explore it well.
They first went to the Uchiha residence in the capital, a large estate. As Konoha's foremost clan, they had to maintain such appearances. Inside, they were greeted by the usually low-key Second Elder.
Seeing several young clansmen arrive, the Second Elder was delighted. He immediately had lunch prepared to treat them warmly.
The group began recounting the Sword Tournament and the Uchiha's splendor. Uchiha Retsu spoke eloquently, no worse than a bard.
When it came to Uchiha Duantian and Renji, he spared no praise. Uchiha Xingye chimed in too, the two of them even started playing off each other like a comedy act.
At that moment, a steward entered and whispered something to the Second Elder, then handed him a letter.
The elder laughed heartily. "The Daimyō is holding a banquet tonight, and he especially wishes to meet our young Uchiha talents in particular, the champion of the Sword Tournament." He gave Renji a smile.
"Prepare yourselves. Tonight you may meet some nobles of the Land of Fire. Remember, the officials are divided into two factions. The Stabilizers, led by the Left Minister, support maintaining relations with Konoha and back the eldest prince as successor.
The Radicals, led by the Right Minister and the Inner Minister, want the Daimyō to reclaim military authority. They believe that in a nation, everything should belong to the Daimyō. They support the third prince.
And then there are the Neutralists, including the Daimyō's second son. They care only about profit, not the future of the country. Every official and noble is connected in some way, tangled in endless ties.
Our Uchiha mainly work with two neutral families. The Higashino family, who control grain, and the Hirahara family, who trade in meat. We also have dealings with other families here and there.
For ordinary families, dealing with the nobility might be troublesome. But we are Uchiha. Our ancestor's prestige is still remembered. They still recall the man who wielded the fan and, at a word, could wipe out an entire house. Old men always love talking about the past."
With that, the Second Elder excused himself to rest, leaving the youngsters to eat.
Renji watched the elder's departing figure and understood why he had stayed in the capital so long because only here could he still live in the glory of the past.
Only these old noble families still remembered the man who had once led the Uchiha to their shrine. Here, the Uchiha were still the Uchiha of old.
Renji tugged on Uchiha Yan's sleeve and whispered,
"I think this is an opportunity. We could make a move here, turn this into the Uchiha's back garden. At the very least, we could secure a massive source of funding for our squad."
Yan replied,
"I've thought about that too, but in the end, we are a shinobi clan. Investing too much here may not mean much."
Renji fell silent, exasperated. This era's people still had blind spots. Shinobi were, at their core, mercenaries. A village was simply an official mercenary company.
A mercenary worked for money, but working for others never paid as much as being your own boss. With money, you could win people over. Money was omnipotent. Without it, nothing could be done.
That evening, the group dressed formally and accompanied the Second Elder to the Daimyō's palace. They refused to wear the noble outfits the elder had prepared, choosing instead their Uchiha clan attire. This was a statement, a declaration of where they stood.
Inside, the Second Elder arranged them behind him, placing Renji and Uchiha Duantian at his sides. Nobles and officials greeted the elder, gathering around for polite chatter.
Soon a man, likely a Daimyō's attendant, entered and whispered among the groups before signaling everyone back to their seats. The Daimyō was about to arrive.
In the original tale, Renji had always thought of the Daimyō as a weak fool. Now he was curious to see the man in person.
The Daimyō arrived. After formal greetings, the banquet began. Singers and dancers performed, though it was nothing special.
The Second Elder leaned close and said,
"Once this dance ends, the next part will begin. The Daimyō will want to see you. Be ready."
When the dance concluded, the Daimyō spoke to his attendant, who then stepped forward to the hall's center.
"Tonight's banquet was called because the Daimyō has missed your company of late. Furthermore, he has heard of several young talents from the Uchiha clan and wishes to see them, especially the champion of the Sword Tournament, hailed as the number one young swordsman."
The Second Elder bowed politely to those around him, then told the youths, "Go on. Do not bring shame to our clan."
The group rose, with Renji naturally at the front. They walked to the center of the hall. Standing before the attendant, Renji spoke:
"Your Excellency Daimyō, I am Renji Uchiha, and I offer you my respects. As for being called the number one young swordsman if no one can best my clansman Uchiha Duantian beside me, then perhaps I truly am."
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