Kei understood. Propaganda was simply a matter of telling the people who was good and who was evil, and as long as the people believed it, that was enough.
As for why one side was good and the other evil, the people didn’t need to think too much about that. They just needed to obey.
But in this world, whether someone was good or evil depended entirely on one’s position.
As the saying went, every cause had its effect. Once you looked at things from another perspective, nothing seemed quite so strange anymore.
Suppose there were a group of people in the world whose organs could be transplanted into almost anyone and be perfectly compatible. How do you think that group would be treated?
The Hyūga Clan was much the same.
What Kei had seen was merely an anime. Neji, in that story, was a young man with a strong rebellious spirit but no ability to change his circumstances. Naturally, he was easy to sympathize with.
That was why Kei had initially thought that using a sealing technique to control his subordinates was something that could be done, but that very few people would willingly cooperate.
But rogue shinobi wandered from place to place, and what they had witnessed was history. They understood all too well that if you possessed something others coveted, yet lacked the ability to protect it, then the best thing you could do was find a great tree beneath which you could shelter.
The powerful Uchiha were that great tree for them.
The Sharingan, which could be transplanted and immediately put to use, was a treasure coveted by practically every shinobi. In that case, the protection provided by the sealing technique far outweighed the oppression it represented.
Put simply, the Sharingan was a form of protection money for rogue shinobi. And that protection was worth far more to these people, whose lives were constantly hanging by a thread, than their own lives.
Naturally, they were more than willing to pay the price.
Thus, the rogue shinobi and missing-nin had no complaints about the distinction between the Main Family and Branch Family. Being able to attach themselves to a powerful clan was something they desperately wanted.
The Hyūga Clan was the same. If even the clan head’s own younger brother had been subjected to the Caged Bird Seal, then how many members could the Main Family possibly have?
Thinking about it this way, the Hyūga Main Family almost seemed like the Swordholder from The Three-Body Problem—their primary purpose was to ensure that even if they had to destroy themselves, they would never allow an invader to gain an advantage.
So Kei’s original assumptions had been completely at odds with the thinking of rogue shinobi and missing-nin.
Uchiha Kei had thought the red eyes would be difficult to sell.
The reality, however, was that demand far exceeded supply.
The moment the news was released, the rogue shinobi were practically falling over themselves trying to become the first test subjects.
"I’ve shed blood for the Uchiha!"
"I’ve rendered meritorious service to the Uchiha!"
"I demand an audience with Lord Kei!"
Anyone who had never clashed with Konoha’s ANBU over the honor of the Uchiha Clan would have been too embarrassed to sit in the front row.
Especially after the results of the first batch of experiments came out.
Those who received the transplants now had red eyes that could rotate their tomoe. Although they could not copy ninjutsu, they could clearly perceive the flow of chakra.
Everyone simply treated this as a flaw in the sealing technique.
It was just like how the Hyūga Clan’s Byakugan had a full 360-degree field of vision, while the Caged Bird Seal reduced it to 359 degrees.
That wasn’t important.
What mattered was the increase in combat strength.
Those who had originally been Genin now possessed Chūnin-level strength, while those who had been Chūnin had reached the level of a Tokubetsu Jōnin.
Unfortunately, there were no Jōnin among the missing-nin, so nobody knew just how much of a boost these eyes could provide to a Jōnin.
When the remaining people saw these results, they were green with envy, and everyone’s enthusiasm soared to its peak.
If the Naka Shrine hadn’t been guarded so tightly by the Uchiha Main Family, they might even have gone to the shrine to make their petitions in person.
They hadn’t even received the transplanted eyes yet, and everyone was already mentally assuming the role of members of the Uchiha Branch Family.
The rogue shinobi, who had previously remained on the defensive whenever Konoha shinobi provoked them, now became proactive in their desire to win the favor of the Main Family. Even when there was nothing going on, they would deliberately pick a fight with Konoha shinobi.
They had to get themselves injured somehow so that they could obtain priority for the next round of transplants.
While the Third Hokage and Kei were concentrating all their attention on each other, the so-called "Uchiha Branch Family" and Konoha’s civilian shinobi were having the time of their lives fighting one another.
Regardless of whether they won or lost, the "Uchiha Branch Family" members felt that they had come out ahead.
The Konoha shinobi, meanwhile, were practically in tears.
These outsiders are bullying us right in our own village!
Why isn’t Lord Third doing anything about this?
After listening to the noisy explanations from his subordinates, Kei finally understood why so many people were willing to work for him.
It was simply because Lord Kei was offering too much.
Houses.
Land.
Protection.
Most importantly, he was giving people who had made mistakes in the past a chance to start over.
How many people who became missing-nin were genuinely good people?
Society had never been willing to forgive people with stains on their records.
Perhaps only Kei, who desperately needed manpower, was willing to take them in.
After understanding all this, Kei felt greatly relieved.
A person’s energy was ultimately limited. Kei’s health was poor, and he still had to deal with the Third Hokage’s various moves. How could he possibly have the energy to worry about every little detail?
Besides, his subordinates were all exceptionally capable. He could simply delegate authority to them and focus on controlling the overall direction.
That sense of having people he could rely on allowed Kei, who had been suffocated by the Third Hokage’s constant schemes during this period, to finally relax.
His subordinates relied on him, and he relied on his subordinates.
That was what a healthy team should look like.
"Come on, tell me. Besides the tremendous success of the red-eye transplants, what else have you accomplished?"
The atmosphere of the meeting became increasingly relaxed.
Nobody would pass up an opportunity to report their achievements directly to their leader.
Uchiha Azusai was the first to step forward.
"My lord, the first batch of test subjects has already become a combat force. They were experienced shinobi to begin with, and once the transplants were completed, they immediately awakened the One-Tomoe Sharingan. Their strength has increased by an entire level."
As he spoke, the hunched old man straightened his back, looking immensely proud of himself.
"I estimate that during the period while you undergo surgery and recover, my lord, we won’t merely be able to gradually complete all the red-eye transplants. We’ll even have enough time to place the seals on them and fuse them with Jūgo’s cells."
As he spoke, Uchiha Azusai broke into a sinister grin.
"Furthermore, the Jūgo cells transplanted into them possess the ability to induce a berserk state. Once activated, it will consume a tremendous amount of their life force, but the destructive power is enormous. As long as you are willing, my lord, they can bring you some truly surprising returns."
With that, Uchiha Azusai handed over a scroll.
It contained the so-called Branch Family sealing technique, "Beast in the Trap," as well as the technique used to control their berserk state, "Price Crash."
Kei accepted the scroll and nodded with satisfaction.
Seeing that Uchiha Azusai had received praise, Hyōma immediately stepped forward as well.
That old bastard really doesn’t play fair.
We clearly worked together on this, even sealing the dōjutsu I created into the red eyes. Why didn’t he mention my contribution to the lord?
"If you won’t take me with you when claiming credit, then I won’t take you with me either."
Hmph.
"My lord, although the red eyes cannot copy ninjutsu like the Sharingan can, they can see through the flow of chakra. This makes them a natural counter to taijutsu specialists. Therefore, I sealed my dōjutsu, Needle Peck, into the red eyes!"
Kei immediately became interested when he heard this.
"Oh? And what kind of dōjutsu is that?"
Hyōma’s spirits immediately lifted at Kei’s question.
"To answer your question, my lord, this technique can briefly interfere with an opponent. As long as I can see through the flow of their chakra, I can cause that flowing chakra to strike their tenketsu, creating a sensation of pain like being stabbed by needles!"
Kei nodded.
"Not bad. It’s a practical dōjutsu. I imagine that before you lost your eyesight, Mr. Hyōma, this technique must have been even more powerful."
The moment Kei finished speaking, the older generation of shinobi burst into laughter.
Hyōma lowered his head in embarrassment as well.
"Oh? What’s so funny? Is there some interesting story behind it?"
Danjō, who was usually steady and reserved, unexpectedly answered.
"Hahaha, my lord, you probably don’t know. The technique isn’t particularly powerful, but it’s incredibly annoying. That’s why someone gouged out Hyōma’s eyes in the first place. It’s basically the kind of trick used by someone who can’t stand losing a fight—a way of jabbing straight at the opponent’s most sensitive spots."
Hearing Danjō’s explanation, Kei laughed as well.
Everything was developing in a positive direction.
That was always a good thing.
Everyone joked around for a while before finally settling down.
Only after no one else had anything to say did the elderly Uchiha Gen speak.
"My lord, once we’ve completed the integration of this batch of Branch Family members, we’ll have a total of 2,672 Branch Family members. That’s more than two thousand additional combat-capable shinobi. Every one of them is at least Chūnin level, and when necessary, they can even go head-to-head with Jōnin."
As she spoke, the elderly Gen gave Kei a look that clearly said:
We’re this powerful now. What are you planning to do about it?
Kei said nothing.
Danjō picked up the conversation instead.
"Adding our own people and the Uchiha within Konoha, we’ll have roughly four thousand combat-capable shinobi. With a force of this size, Sarutobi Hiruzen won’t be able to tolerate us anymore, even if he wants to."
"So, what should our next move be?"
Kei’s decision would determine the direction everyone took.
As long as Lord Kei set the overall course, that was enough.
Everything else was not something he needed to worry about.
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