Uchiha Shinsuke had been promoted to Jonin.
The Hawks faction within the Uchiha Clan was stirred to an unprecedented excitement.
Here was yet another Uchiha genius.
Unlike Uchiha Shisui, who, as a descendant of Uchiha Kagami and with his inclinations toward Konoha's upper leadership, was a natural-born Dove.
And the other genius, Uchiha Itachi, as the son of clan head Uchiha Fugaku and shaped by constant exposure to his father's world, also leaned toward Konoha's upper leadership, and had even gone so far as to join the Anbu.
Shinsuke was different; he belonged to neither faction and was a genius worth drawing over, and if Shinsuke joined the Hawks, perhaps he could truly carry the Hawks' banner and bring their long-held ambitions to fruition.
The day after the promotion.
Outside Shinsuke's home, several figures were kneeling on the ground.
At the front were the four of them: Uchiha Shigeru, Uchiha Gou, Uchiha Ken, and Uchiha Yuu.
Behind them stood several middle-aged Uchiha with ashen faces, their elders.
The atmosphere was oppressively heavy.
"You useless fools, what are you standing there gawking for!"
One of the elders delivered a fierce kick to Shigeru's back and roared.
"Get down and kowtow to Lord Shinsuke this instant!"
Shigeru's body lurched, and his forehead slammed hard against the cold stone pavement.
Thud.
A dull, heavy sound.
The three behind him were startled into a jolt and immediately scrambled to kowtow alongside him.
"Lord Shinsuke, we were wrong!"
"We failed to recognize your greatness and offended you!"
"Please, we beg you, be magnanimous and forgive us!"
"We will never dare again!"
Pleas and the sounds of heads striking stone mixed together in a jumble.
Shinsuke stood inside the doorway, watching the scene with an expressionless face.
These people, not long ago, had been throwing their weight around in front of him.
Now, they were kneeling on the ground like dogs, wagging their tails and begging for mercy.
'This is the power of strength.'
'This is the power of status.'
Shinsuke felt no ripple of emotion within him.
The world of shinobi was, by nature, this realistic and this ruthless.
The leading elder, seeing that Shinsuke had not responded for some time, felt his heart tighten, and squeezed out a smile that looked worse than a grimace.
He carefully drew a thick stack of paper notes from his breast pocket and offered them up with both hands.
"Lord Shinsuke, this is a small token of sincerity from those little wretches, three million ryō in total."
"We humbly ask that you accept it."
Over a dozen large-denomination bills, each one representing a considerable sum.
Shinsuke's gaze fell upon that stack of notes.
He extended his hand.
The elder felt as though he had been pardoned from a death sentence and immediately placed the notes respectfully into Shinsuke's palm.
"Get out."
Shinsuke delivered those two words coldly.
"Yes! Yes! Thank you, Lord Shinsuke! Thank you, Lord Shinsuke!"
The elders received those words as though they were a gift from heaven, grabbed the still-trembling juniors off the ground, and tumbled and scrambled their way out of sight at the end of the street.
After finishing breakfast.
Shinsuke received a private invitation to meet from Elder Uchiha Hachidai.
Uchiha Hachidai was one of the most senior and most influential representatives of the Hawks faction within the Uchiha Clan.
His character was unyielding and his methods were sharp; he had always advocated that the Uchiha should take a far more assertive stance to claim greater power and standing within Konoha.
The meeting was held at Elder Hachidai's private residence, in a simple and elegant tearoom.
"Shinsuke, sit."
Elder Hachidai was dressed in a traditional deep-colored Uchiha kimono, seated cross-legged; though old in years, his eyes remained as sharp as a hawk's.
Hachidai personally poured a cup of fragrant tea for Shinsuke.
"Thank you, Elder Hachidai," Shinsuke said, inclining his head politely.
"Ha, no need for formality," Elder Hachidai set down the teapot and fixed his blazing gaze on Shinsuke, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration.
"Your performance in the Jonin promotion examination, this old man has heard all about it."
"Well done!"
"Lightning Release Chakra Mode, and on top of that, an S-rank combination jutsu of tremendous power... tsk tsk, what remarkable talent!"
"It has been a very long time since our Uchiha Clan has produced a junior as breathtakingly gifted as you!"
"Shinsuke, you are the hope of our Uchiha revival!"
Elder Hachidai said with great agitation.
Shinsuke lifted his teacup, took a quiet sip, and listened in silence.
He knew that Elder Hachidai had not summoned him today merely to offer a few words of praise.
"Shinsuke, you are young yet already possess such strength and insight, so you must surely have your own thoughts on the situation our Uchiha Clan now faces within the village."
Uchiha Hachidai paused, and a flash of discontent and helplessness crossed his eyes.
"That Fugaku... haah, he is far too weak!"
"Since the Nine-Tails incident, the suspicion and suppression directed at us Uchiha by the village's upper leadership has only grown worse!"
"The authority of the Guard has been stripped away again and again, our clan grounds have been relocated to the village's outskirts, and our clansmen are even placed under Anbu surveillance when they move about!"
"You have seen all of this with your own eyes, haven't you?"
"Yet Fugaku knows nothing but endless retreat and compromise!"
"Does he think that approach will bring about peaceful coexistence?"
"That is pure fantasy!"
"Endless compromise will only make those people view us Uchiha as weak and easily bullied, and will only push our standing further to the margins!"
Elder Hachidai grew more and more agitated as he spoke.
"We Uchiha are among the founding pillars of Konoha!"
"We possess the mighty Kekkei Genkai of the Sharingan!"
"How much blood have we shed for this village, how many clansmen have we sacrificed?!"
"On what grounds do we deserve to be treated with such injustice?!"
"The Uchiha Clan needs a stronger, more resolute leader, one who can break through these dire straits and win true dignity and power for us within Konoha!"
The meaning behind Elder Uchiha Hachidai's words could not have been more plain.
If Shinsuke joined the Hawks, the Hawks would throw their full support behind him, and would even push him onto the seat of clan head.
The atmosphere inside the tearoom grew subtly charged.
Shinsuke had listened in silence the entire time, his face still as a calm well, betraying none of his true inner thoughts.
Only after Elder Hachidai had finished speaking did Shinsuke slowly set down his teacup.
"Elder Hachidai, everything you have said, I understand."
"In my view, whether it is the Hawks or the Doves, their ultimate aim is the same: the continuation and growth of the Uchiha Clan."
"The clan's glory and interests stand above all else."
"For now, I have no wish to align myself with any faction too soon, but the philosophy of the Hawks is something I agree with; the weak can only place their hopes in the mercy of the strong."
"The Uchiha should not be compromising the way we are now!"
"Compromise only leads to more compromise, and the desperate straits the Uchiha Clan finds itself in today are the direct result of Clan Head Fugaku's repeated concessions."
Uchiha Hachidai fixed his gaze on Shinsuke, as though he were trying to see straight through this young man entirely.
After a long moment, he burst out laughing!
"Excellent!"
"Excellently said!"
Elder Hachidai was extraordinarily satisfied with Shinsuke's answer.
This young man was even more clear-headed, ambitious, and decisive than he had imagined.
He was not the kind of hotheaded youth who could be easily stirred up and manipulated, but a true independent thinker who dared to put his convictions into action.
A man like this had the potential to become the true future leader of the Hawks.
And perhaps even the future leader of the entire Uchiha Clan.
[Ding!]
[System Notice: Uchiha Hachidai's "Attention" toward the Host has risen sharply!]
[System Notice: Uchiha Hachidai's "Loyalty" toward the Host has shown a slight increase (30%)!]
The system's notification tone rang out in Shinsuke's mind.
After this conversation, Shinsuke decided he would deliberately project wariness and dissatisfaction toward Konoha's upper leadership, in particular toward Danzō and Root.
By doing so, he would appeal to the Hawks' sentiments and deepen his ties with them.
Of course, he, Uchiha Shinsuke, would never become anyone's pawn.
Shinsuke was confident that, through his strength far surpassing that of ordinary men and through the godlike cheat of the "Clan Growth System," he would ultimately bring every member of the Hawks to submit to him of their own free will.
And use that as a stepping stone to finally seize control of the entire Uchiha Clan.
"Shinsuke, you are a clever child," Elder Hachidai said, the smile on his face undiminished. "This old man believes that the future of the Uchiha, in your hands, will surely reclaim its glory!"
"The Elder flatters me," Shinsuke replied modestly.
The two conversed for an entire morning before Shinsuke took his leave and departed from Uchiha Hachidai's estate.
This meeting had allowed both parties to achieve their respective aims.
Shinsuke would henceforth receive the backing of the Hawks, while the Hawks had taken the measure of Shinsuke's stance and determined that his inclinations leaned toward their faction.
And no sooner had this meeting concluded than Shinsuke received yet another invitation, this time from the leading figure of the Doves faction, Uchiha Shisui.
This was the change that strength and elevated standing brought about; Shinsuke had now become the figure that both the Hawks and the Doves of the Uchiha were competing to approach and win over.