" Kazuki, remember to be on time for tonight's clan meeting. This is the most important gathering the Uchiha clan has held in generations. It's a matter of our survival."
"Got it. Eight o'clock, right? I'll be there."
After delivering the message, Uchiha Inahiro turned and left, continuing on to notify the others eligible to attend.
Only Special Jonin and above were allowed to participate in the Uchiha clan meetings. Whenever there were major decisions to be made, the clan would gather to discuss and decide the direction of their future.
After closing the reddish-brown wooden door, Kazuki returned to the yard and watched the two goldfish swim lazily in the stonepond safe, unaware of the dangers and political schemes of the outside world.
Time had passed, and both of kazuki's parents had died during the Second Great Ninja War.
At just five years old, kazuki had been left alone.
Eighteen years had gone by since then. Now, the only thing that kept kazuki company was the tree in the yard.
It was already September, and the weather had begun to cool. The evening breeze rustled the treetops, and under the faint glow of the sunset, the leaves looked even more withered and yellow. This sturdy old tree had been in kazuki's life as far back as he could remember.
Kazuki walked over to the lounge chair under the tree laid down and closed his eyes while waiting for the clan meeting.
He remembered clearly: the day he was born into this world, he opened his eyes and saw his own tiny hands. That was when he knew he had been reincarnated. That the man and woman in front of him were his parents in this new life.
"On the night before the Uchiha clan's extermination, the host successfully transmigrated into the body of Uchiha Hikaru, a clan member participating in the meeting."
"System initializing..."
"Timeline error: @#&..."
"Activation failed. Retrying after timeline stabilization..."
The system completely disappointed him. What kind of broken down system was this?
Over the years, he had relied on his past life's experience and the impressive ninja genetics he inherited from his parents. Now, at twenty six, he had awakened the fully matured three tomoe Sharingan and become a well-rounded Jonin in every category.
He even learned to rein in his personality and blend in well with the clan.
In his previous life, he had lived alone until the age of seventy. Why? Well, though he had been quite handsome, his blunt and unyielding personality made him impossible in relationships. Whenever the couple argued, his partner could never win the verbal battles and he never saw the point in backing down. No woman could stand that.
As a result, although he'd had nine relationships thanks to his looks, they all ended the same way: his girlfriends dumped him one after another because he was too blunt.
After retiring, he lived comfortably on his pension. Then, with the rise of the internet, the sixty something year old kazuki entered the online world and became a host.
His unique style of speaking became popular with the younger generation. He genuinely believed he'd live out the rest of his life as a streamer on a Twitch.
But in 2026, an unexpected cold ended those plans. His dream of becoming the first centenarian streamer was cut short. He died at seventy.
As the sunset disappeared over the horizon and the full moon began its slow rise, he opened his eyes.
It was almost time.
He returned inside and changed into a brand new, custom-made combat uniform and strapped on his ninja sword.
Standing in front of the mirror, he looked over his gear.
The outfit was made of dark blue, waterproof cloth with slightly flared sleeves to conceal ninja tools. The red and white Uchiha fan symbol stood proudly on his back. The fabric was crafted using special chakra-resistant silk from an insect type summon species.
At his waist, pinned to a white cloth sash, was a custom forged ninja sword made by a blacksmith from the Hatake family. The sword, shaped had a 30cm black-wrapped handle engraved with the Uchiha fan emblem. The 90cm blade was forged from pure chakra metal jet black, with almost no chakra conduction loss.
Even the scabbard was special crafted from medicinal wood harvested by the Nara clan, which prevented the blade from oxidizing. Nara Shikaku had once complained, "Rich people have the weirdest ideas." Sure, it was possible to maintain the sword through conventional means, but Hikaru didn't want to waste time on such chores.
All of this uniform, sword, and supplementary tools had cost nearly all his savings.
But he didn't regret a single ryo. After all, the best steel belongs on the sharpest blade. A proper appearance inspires respect.
Standing at 1.85 meters tall, with a lean, muscular physique and the sharp, striking looks typical of the Uchiha, kazuki's long, spiky hair framed his confident, stoic expression.
This wasn't just handsome. This was dangerously handsome.
He had made so many preparations for one reason: tonight, the system would finally activate.
Twenty three years! Twenty three years of bottling up his true personality, walking on eggshells, afraid of offending the wrong person and becoming a target.
He'd been chased by countless female classmates at the Academy. And sure, he'd enjoyed the attention experiencing a kind of joy he never had in his past life but still, it was agonizing having to hide his real self!
But once the system activated tonight, his strength would skyrocket.
And then, finally he could drop the mask he'd worn for twenty six years! He could be the bright, straightforward person he truly was!
He dashed across the rooftops toward the Naka Shrine.
The shrine's buildings had long lost their luster, just like the Uchiha clan itself pushed to the edge of the village after the Nine-Tails' attack, forced into survival mode under constant suspicion.
Lifting a floorboard inside the shrine, kazuki entered the secret underground hall where clan meetings were held.
The walls were lined with candles, their flickering light casting long, shifting shadows. The clan members, already gathered, sat cross-legged in silence, waiting for the others.
No one spoke. In the dim, orange candlelight, the silence was suffocating like the shadows themselves were watching.
Kazuki descended the stairs and began walking toward his seat in the center of the hall.
"Uchiha Madara!!! Why are you here?!"
An elder shot to his feet (Uchiha Elder #1) eyes wide with fear and disbelief. The man he once betrayed had left a scar too deep to forget. Just the sight of that figure, that silhouette, was enough to trigger his trauma.
"Who?!"
"Where?!"
The younger clan members were confused. After all, the name Uchiha Madara was taboo only the oldest veterans and a few high ranking ninjas still remembered the truth of that era.
Kazuki blinked, startled, and turned around in confusion.
Then Elder #1 saw his face and realized his mistake. The resemblance from behind body build, hair, even the uniform was uncanny.
The only difference was the sword at his waist. Madara had once carried the ancestral Uchiha war fan, now lost to history.
"Kazuki! Why are you dressed like that?!"
Uchiha Elder #1 pointed a shaking hand at him.
"Is there something wrong with what I'm wearing?"
He responded with a calm, pleasant expression.
The younger clan members below exchanged glances. Honestly, that outfit was cool as hell. If anything, they wanted one just like it. Kazuki clearly had a... unique sense of aesthetics.
Faced with kazuki's innocent question, Elder #1 choked. He couldn't exactly admit he'd just been scared out of his wits.
"Hmph! Never mind. It's nothing."
He turned away in frustration, unwilling to look at Kazuki again.
Kazuki took his seat without another word.
"The time is correct. The location is correct. The event is correct. Defense system activated."
"Successfully broken target's mental defenses. Target's talents available for acquisition. Please select whether to copy."
Sitting cross-legged on his futon, kazuki's lips curved into a faint, kind smile.
Uchiha Elder #1, huh? he thought to himself. Let's see what kind of talent you've been hiding all this time...
______
For early chapters join my pátreoñ
P a tr e on.c o m/zephyrarkan01
(Remove the spaces)