“Furthermore, with the power of the Double Ershen, it seems I can completely merge the Byakugan within my Mangekyo Sharingan space, directly synthesizing a Tenseigan. If that's truly the case, then the Sharingan can also be synthesized!”
“Would a Sharingan synthesized in this manner still be an ordinary Sharingan? A synthesis without bloodline connection, different from a typical Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan—what kind of eye would it be?”
Uchiha Tenxiu had no way of knowing.
“Hmm!” As if sensing something, Hyuga Zongyong, the Clan Head, turned his head and looked over. “Hmm, isn’t that the Seventh Elder of the Uchiha Clan?” Hyuga Zongyong looked at Uchiha Tenxiu with a puzzled expression, lost in thought.
Then, he didn't pay any more attention.
Meanwhile, beside him.
A woman, also dressed in plain white clothes, with a full chest that caught the eye, stared directly at Uchiha Tenxiu with her Byakugan. Pointing at Uchiha Tenxiu, she asked, “Father, who is that person?”
Hyuga Zongyong frowned but still quietly explained to her, “Xinyue, this person is said to be Uchiha Tenxiu, from the Uchiha Clan. He’s been the Branch Head of the Uchiha Clan Military Police Force’s West Gate Branch for five years. The one beside him is his fiancée, Uchiha Yukino, the daughter of the former Seventh Elder, Uchiha Raimon!”
At this point, Hyuga Zongyong secretly thought, “With this, Xinyue will surely lose interest in that Uchiha Tenxiu!”
Hyuga Zongyong was afraid his daughter might fall for that Uchiha Tenxiu, not to mention that he was from the Uchiha Clan.
Even just considering his reputation in Konoha, Hyuga Zongyong was unwilling to marry his daughter to him.
After all, the Hyuga Clan had not been part of Konoha for long. Compared to later generations, their concepts and ways of doing things were not yet as conservative. Not long after the Sengoku period, the Hyuga Clan's style was still relatively open.
Regarding the main family and branch family issues, they did not distinguish as strictly as they would later. For those with talent, the Hyuga Clan would consider granting them main family status as appropriate; this was a special channel they opened for the continuation of the clan.
And in terms of marriage, to increase the clan's population, the Hyuga Clan did not strictly require inter-clan marriage.
During the Sengoku period, a large population meant more Ninja, which was crucial for the clan's development.
Therefore, to expand the population and increase the probability of outstanding Ninja appearing within the clan, a large number of marriages became an inevitable choice. It also allowed for the absorption of external talents.
For this reason, although intermarriage with outsiders would reduce the activation rate of the Bloodline Limit, the Hyuga Clan still mostly practiced marrying outsiders, which even led to the emergence of a small Hyuga Clan, a subsidiary family of the Hyuga Clan. Although they were descendants of the Hyuga Clan, because their bloodline could not activate the Byakugan ability, they naturally did not need to be bound by the Caged Bird Seal.
It was hard to say whether this was good or bad.
After all, before the First Shinobi World War began, the Hyuga Clan's open-mindedness remained largely unchanged.
Similar to certain walking marriage systems for borrowing bloodlines, these were not uncommon. Hyuga Zongyong was precisely afraid that his daughter Xinyue would develop such an idea, which is why he brought up Uchiha Tenxiu's fiancée and hinted that Uchiha Tenxiu was a kept man.
Unfortunately, Hyuga Xinyue seemed not to have heard these hints at all, her pale Byakugan staring intently at the Uchiha’s presence.
“This person seems to be hiding some earth-shattering secret!” Hyuga Xinyue widened her eyes, carefully examining the meridians within Uchiha Tenxiu’s body. Those meridians were like a strange map, vastly different from the rugged meridian routes of ordinary people. Here, the meridians were like meticulously carved works of art, or perhaps like highways specially expanded and built.
Hyuga Xinyue harbored an unknown secret: when her Byakugan activated, she could use it without needing to physically activate it. Unlike ordinary clan members whose meridians on both sides of their Byakugan would suddenly tense and appear different externally, when she used it, it looked just like normal eyes.
Therefore, relying on this, Hyuga Xinyue always liked to secretly observe everything around her with her Byakugan activated.
And today, Hyuga Xinyue, as usual, scrutinized everything around her. Looking at the vast Chakra emitted by the Kage-level powerhouses, her heart was filled with shock and envy, like raging waves, fantasizing that one day she too could be as strong as these people, possessing such immense Chakra reserves.
It was during this gaze that she astonishingly discovered a unique existence.
Compared to everyone else, no matter how much or how little Chakra they had, they were undoubtedly Ninja, and they always had Chakra! Yet, within the body of the young man she meticulously observed, there wasn't even a trace of Chakra.
This was truly too bizarre.
Could it be that the other party was not a Ninja?
No, absolutely impossible.
Hyuga Xinyue was certain.
After all, judging by the vast amount of Chakra emanating from the two women around him, a Chakra level that could rival or even surpass Kage-level indicated strength almost at the Clan Head Level. How could a man accompanied by women of such power be an ordinary person?
Therefore, Hyuga Xinyue was certain that Uchiha Tenxiu, who appeared to have no Chakra whatsoever, was the truly special existence; there must be some secret.
Meanwhile, on the side.
Seeing this scene, Hyuga Zongyong's heart tightened. He had initially thought his daughter Xinyue merely had some affection for Uchiha Tenxiu, but now it seemed the situation was much more serious than he had imagined.
He quickly spoke, “This Uchiha Tenxiu, he’s notoriously infamous in Konoha Village! In these five years, he’s made the Konoha Uchiha Clan Military Police Force’s West Gate Branch a complete mess, a total disaster!”
Hyuga Zongyong’s voice revealed a hint of anxiety and anger. He continued, “This guy claims that as long as there’s money, there’s nothing that can’t be solved! No matter who it is, as long as they make a mistake in the Uchiha Clan Military Police Force’s West Gate Branch, they can settle it with money!”
At this point, Hyuga Zongyong’s brows furrowed tightly, his tone becoming increasingly stern: “He even came up with such an utterly absurd saying in Konoha Village as ‘The Uchiha Clan Military Police Force’s gate faces west; if you have reason but no money, don’t come in!’ It’s simply lawless!”
Hyuga Zongyong grew more agitated as he spoke, his face becoming increasingly grim: “Not to mention, under his management, the Uchiha Clan Military Police Force has also arranged a series of money-collecting schemes! Things like patrol fees for patrols, land occupation fees for stalls, management fees for doing business, and various inexplicable fines!”
“Especially the prison, it’s even more outrageous. The amount of money paid determines the level of treatment. Those without money are crammed together, hundreds of them, in the basement, freezing to death in winter and suffocating from heat in summer, only eating thin gruel, forcing the people inside to work just to survive!”
“Even those who pay are divided into three tiers.”
“The lowest tier, twenty people in one cell, can only eat and dress normally, but they have to pay twenty thousand ryo a year. If they can’t pay enough, they have to work. The middle tier, five people in one cell, has to pay one hundred thousand ryo a year, eats well, dresses well, and can even go out and play freely. The highest tier has to pay three hundred thousand ryo annually, has no worries about food and drink, and can leave their cell to play anytime. How is that even imprisonment? It has caused the crime rate in the entire Konoha Village to continuously rise. It simply cannot be brought down!”
“Not to mention, outside rumors say that this Uchiha Tenxiu extracts one hundred million ryo from the Uchiha Clan Military Police Force branch and the prison every year. After five years, he’s already a five hundred million ryo branch head! And in these five years, besides collecting money, he has never left the clan. It’s mostly his subordinates doing the work. He can be described as a bad and greedy person; he’s no good at all!”
Hyuga Zongyong “whispered” in front of his daughter Xinyue, but in reality, the important figures around them all looked over.
Not to mention that the Clan Heads and Elders of their respective clans were all dumbfounded and speechless, filled with mutual exasperation.
Even the other eight Elders of the Uchiha Clan were speechless, their faces flushed, unable to refute anything, because what he said was all true.
Meanwhile, Senju Tobirama, who was seemingly passionately continuing his speech on the podium, was actually ecstatic inside, secretly thinking, “Indeed, the Uchiha Clan is still the Uchiha Clan. No matter how strong their talent, when it comes to dealing with people, they are still so naive! Letting them manage the Uchiha Clan Military Police Force, this arrangement was truly excellent!”