After returning from the Mount Congyun battlefield, Izuna was surprised to find that his Skill Points had jumped from 54 to 104. This meant that signing the truce agreement had earned him a full 50 Skill Points.
That was even more than he'd received for defeating the fledgling Kage-level Senju Tobirama.
Only then did Izuna remember. Skill Points weren't just obtained by defeating enemies; completing certain special achievements could also award them. Things like finishing a special quest from an NPC, finding rare resources, or even achieving a major milestone like becoming Hokage. All these could grant Skill Points in varying amounts.
And signing a three-year truce between the Uchiha and the Senju was a first in Uchiha history. It made sense that it would be worth as many as 50 Skill Points.
With 104 Skill Points, he had enough to unlock an S-rank jutsu.
Yet, just as Izuna was drooling over a list of incredibly powerful techniques, he remembered something far more critical: the death of Uchiha Tajima and the question of who would be the next clan head.
According to history, when the clan head died, the vice-chief would succeed him. The position of clan head wasn't a hereditary throne like an emperor's. With Uchiha Tajima gone, Uchiha Gakugyo was next in line. In the original timeline, it was likely that Gakugyo had become clan head, and only after his death did Madara take over. Madara hadn't just stepped in immediately after Tajima's death.
But Izuna had no intention of being so patient. He planned to use the upcoming clan assembly to make Madara the clan head directly.
To compete with Uchiha Gakugyo, a man nearly twice his age, strength was secondary. What mattered more were experience and military achievements. Nearly every ninja in the clan over forty years old stood on Gakugyo's side.
That being the case, Izuna set his sights on the new generation. Not just these students, but more accurately, their parents' generation—those between twenty-five and thirty-five, the same generation as Izuna and Madara.
That's right. He and Madara were technically in the same generation as these children's parents. During the Warring States Period, much like in ancient China from Izuna's past life, it was common for people to marry and have children at fourteen or fifteen. This was to cultivate the next generation of power; if you died, you at least left behind someone to fill the ranks. The parents of these children were, on average, around twenty-five years old.
For people like Izuna and Madara, who were already twenty and still unmarried without children, they were considered anomalies.
The thought gave Izuna a wave of complex feelings. *Marriage for me? That's not something you can just wish for.* Although if he wanted to, there were plenty of single, beautiful women in the Uchiha clan to choose from.
In the end, Izuna decided to spend his points on one B-rank and one A-rank jutsu. They would serve as political capital to help him and Madara.
***
Even though Izuna had explained the hand seals and basic principles of the two jutsu to the Uchiha students, they were still B-rank techniques. They couldn't be mastered overnight.
Soon, however, Izuna spotted several promising prospects who could already manage a rudimentary form of Lightning Release: Emotion Wave.
"You two, what are your names?" Izuna asked, walking up behind a boy and a girl practicing side-by-side.
Hearing the voice behind them, the two students, no older than ten, spun around, their expressions a mixture of nervousness and excitement.
"Y-Yes, Lord Izuna! My name is Uchiha Zonglian. I'm practicing the jutsu you taught us."
"I... I'm Uchiha Uzuki. H-Hello, Lord Izuna."
Izuna committed their names to memory and gave a faint smile. "Continue practicing. If you have any questions, you can ask the Third Elder, or you can come to me."
"W-Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you?" Uchiha Zonglian and Uchiha Uzuki were both overwhelmed by the attention. Their parents were only Chunin-level ninja, the most common rank. To them, Izuna was an untouchable figure.
Izuna smiled again. "We're in a rare period of truce, so I have some free time. Besides, you all carry the future of the Uchiha clan on your shoulders."
Tears of gratitude welled up in Uchiha Zonglian's eyes. He bowed a full ninety degrees. "Lord Izuna, I swear I will go through fire and water for the Uchiha—no, for you!"
Uchiha Uzuki quickly added, "M-Me too!"
Izuna gave another faint smile before turning to check on the other students' progress.
***
In a relatively secluded corner of the training grounds, Izuna found a student of about ten years old practicing alone.
"Lightning Release: Emotion Wave!"
*Zzt! Zzt!*
Several thin, crackling bolts of lightning shot from his mouth, but instead of forming a cohesive shape, they scattered uncontrollably and struck a nearby tree. Even so, his skill was enough to earn him the title of "genius."
"You're using too much force. It's like a child flailing around with a shuriken."
The student jumped and turned around in surprise. "L-Lord Izuna..."
Izuna crossed his arms. "The power of this technique lies in control, not explosive force like the Great Fireball. You need to control your chakra more delicately, like when you were a child first learning to use chopsticks."
"Ah... I understand," the student said, scratching his head in embarrassment.
"What's your name?"
"My name is Uchiha Quanye. My... my father is Uchiha Gakugyo."
*Uchiha Gakugyo, the current vice-chief!*
Izuna's expression froze for a second. No wonder the boy's features seemed vaguely familiar. *But Gakugyo is over forty, isn't he? Based on this kid's age, his old man had him in his thirties? He seems even more impressive than Madara and me, two single twenty-year-olds.*
"Keep practicing," Izuna said, turning to leave. "Don't disappoint the bloodline you carry."
"Yes, sir," the rather reclusive Uchiha Quanye replied with a single word, though his tone held an unmistakable hint of admiration.
***
Izuna only stayed at the Uchiha private academy for two days, but news of his new B-rank and A-rank jutsu had already spread like wildfire throughout the clan compound. Many young parents in their twenties came to his residence to express their gratitude in person, but he turned them all away. Even so, they silently committed this debt of kindness to memory.
When Izuna checked his system's Skill Points, he saw the number had risen from "17" to "40."
His actions had clearly paid off. Judging by the increase, his influence had been profound, amounting to nearly half the points he'd received for the truce agreement.