Naruto: Tenseigan Eye

Shinki interrupted him: 

"If you can't even manage this, then I suggest you stick to the status quo and stop dreaming about changing your clan."

"If you're serious and determined, start with a smaller goal. Convince the old patriarch and the elders of the main family to adopt a more humble approach and treat everyone equally. This won't diminish the main family's status."

Having said his piece, Shinki fell silent.

He finished his meal without another word, then bid farewell and left.

Hyuga Hiashi remained in the private room, contemplating Shinki's advice.

Those in positions of power often fail to see the struggles of those beneath them. Only by lowering themselves can they truly understand the reality below.

If Hiashi could commit to this change, it might be possible to ease the tension between the main family and the branch family.

However, a complete resolution was out of reach. As long as the caged bird curse existed, the conflict would persist.

When Hiashi returned home, he sought out his father.

"Did you gain anything from this meeting?" the old clan leader asked.

"Yes, Father. Shinki provided some practical advice, but implementing it will be challenging. The main family's resistance will be significant."

Kneeling on the mat, Hiashi recounted Shinki's suggestions in detail.

The head of the Hyuga clan listened intently from his resting place on the tatami, remaining silent until Hiashi finished.

"As expected, the arrogance of the main family has blinded us. I understand now why Shinki resents us so much."

Hiashi sat still, like a statue.

The old clan leader sighed. "Even without the caged bird curse, the main family's pride alone would be enough to foster resentment among the branch family. The main family has gone too far."

Between improving the branch family's treatment and convincing the main family to adopt humility, the former was easier.

With reasonable proposals and the combined efforts of Hiashi and his father, the main family would have no choice but to agree, even reluctantly.

But asking those accustomed to privilege to lower themselves was another matter entirely. Even the clan head could not easily sway them.

"Let's start by improving the treatment of the branch family. That's more achievable," the old man concluded.

"Yes, Father," Hiashi agreed.

Though he had some autonomy as the young patriarch, Hiashi's power was limited as long as his father was alive. And even after becoming the clan leader, the main family would still place restrictions on him.

This was why Shinki had been skeptical of Hiashi's plans to reform the clan. Change from someone who was part of the system itself seemed almost laughable.

Still, with the support of the current clan head, improving the branch family's status was feasible.

Over the next few months, father and son worked together to persuade the main family members. Slowly, they succeeded in making small but significant changes.

Meanwhile, at the ANBU base, Shinki examined his new puppet with satisfaction.

After months of effort and countless resources, he had finally synthesized a type of soil suitable for puppet-making.

This breakthrough meant that Shinki could now mass-produce puppets without worrying about scarce materials. The synthetic soil was cheap, reducing the need for costly parts.

With this advancement, he no longer had to rely on corpses for puppet creation.

Months passed, and while life in the village continued, the ever-present shadow of war loomed. Even the festive spirit of the New Year couldn't dispel the tension.

"Senior, are you slacking off?" Shinki asked, noticing Nara Shikashin sipping tea and looking relaxed.

Shikashin bristled, feigning offense. "This is strategic delegation, not laziness. What do you mean by that?"

Shinki had offloaded most of his duties to Shikashin, who wasn't foolish enough to handle everything himself. Following Shinki's example, and with the increase of Ino-Shika-Cho members in the ANBU, Shikashin divided tasks among reliable clan members.

This freed him up to enjoy tea and observe with a grin.

"You seem happy. Did your experiment succeed?" Shikashin asked.

"Yes," Shinki said, leaning back in his chair and propping his feet on the desk, much to Shikashin's disapproval.

"I no longer need to worry about material costs or corpses when making puppets."

Puppet ninjas, especially those from the Sand Village, had a reputation due to their use of corpses. Orochimaru, too, had faced backlash in the village for his dealings with such materials.

"That's a relief," Shikashin said with a sigh. "Even if corpses have value, it's better to let them rest. Using them long-term would only harm your reputation—and Tsunade's by association."

"It would also leave you vulnerable to slander," he added.

Shinki shrugged. He didn't care much about rumors, but if he could save money and boost his reputation, why not? The only one who might feel disappointed was Orochimaru. With Shinki's shift to synthetic materials, their collaboration would likely end.

After a brief chat with Shikashin, Shinki decided to leave. He needed a hot spring bath to relax after months in the lab.

He lacked Orochimaru's obsessive dedication to research. If not for the potential discovery of better materials, he wouldn't have stayed in the lab for so long.

"Good, very good!" 

In a secluded valley in the Land of Rain, Jiraiya clapped his hands and praised his three students with a broad smile.

Under his guidance, the trio that would become Akatsuki was maturing quickly.

Nagato, with his Rinnegan, stood out the most.

"Sensei Jiraiya, how did we do?" Konan asked, running up to him with eager eyes filled with the hope of praise.

"Hahaha, you did wonderfully," Jiraiya said, patting her head before turning to Yahiko and Nagato. "Both of you exceeded my expectations. You're not far behind my other disciple."

At that, Jiraiya's thoughts drifted to Nawaki.

*I wonder how much stronger that kid has become under Shinki's tutelage,* he mused.

--- 

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Up to Chapter 340 available on Patreon.com/c/GGFanfiction :)

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