Chapter 23- Eyes, eyes and even more eyes

Fugaku Uchiha POV

He returned home from another tiring day at work and paused upon seeing Ren and Itachi sitting together on the porch.

Ren held little Satsuki in his arms, teaching Itachi how to be a better babysitter. And judging by the intense look in Itachi's eyes, she seemed to be taking this seriously.

Seeing them sit together like this made him think about the future. A hopefully peaceful future with lots of grandkids for him to dote on.

At that point, Itachi caught sight of him and offered a respectful nod. "Welcome home, father."

He gave her nod before shifting his gaze to Ren. "And here I thought that you completely forgot about us after settling into your new house."

A house that even he was a bit envious of, as it was significantly larger and grander than his own and was located in a better location as well. Not that he would ever admit that to anyone.

Ren smiled at his words but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Fugaku-san, there's something important I need to discuss with you. Do you have a moment right now?"

And there it was. Ren Uchiha. The true Ren Uchiha and now the boy who plays around with Itachi and babysits Satsuki. This was the shinobi who managed to defeat an S-class Kunoichi, and might just be the strongest shinobi in their clan, even if a lot of the clan members had no idea about his true strength.

This was the person who would steer the future of their clan with his own two hands. So even if he didn't have any free time right now, he'll make it.

—————

Mikoto presented them each with a cup of tea accompanied by snacks before excusing herself from the room. And as soon as she left, the ambiance took on a more solemn tone.

"Before we start. May I know why you didn't attend the last monthly clan meeting. Or the one before that?" He asked.

Ren raised a single eyebrow at that. "You told me that it's not mediatory for genin to attend."

"Yes I did. But you're no ordinary Genin, Ren."

Because even without his power, Ren was now the richest Uchiha in their clan (even if, once again, most of the clan members were not aware of that).

Moreover, Ren held the prestigious status of being the disciple of the Hokage's wife. And had then studied under both Lord Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade.

If a Jounin of their clan had such connections, then he or she would've been given the seat of an honorary elder, irrespective of any other accomplishments.

…and come to think of it, the fact that Ren was forced to sit with other genins despite being the strongest, richest and well-connected Uchiha might have something to do with why he didn't care to participate in any clan meetings beyond the initial one.

Yeah, he was definitely feeling like a fool now. Though in his defence, he had given Ren that seat in order to shield him from the prying eyes of the elders.

"You're right Fugaku-san. And I don't really mind attending the clan meetings. But what I do mind is being treated like a toddler who doesn't know what's good for him. Or be seen as a tool by those decrepit old foggies who care more about their pride and honour than the lives of their own clan members."

Yeah… there was that as well. *Sigh*

"I'll go and have a talk with the elders before the next meeting. Would you come if we gave you the seat of an honorary elder?" He asked, hoping that the elders hadn't cast the clan in a negative light in front of the young boy.

"I don't care about such matters. Do whatever you think is right." Ren said. "However, let's shift our focus to the main reason why I came here."

"Very well then." He said and gestured for Ren to continue.

"I want to know about the skirmishes in the border and the role that Uchiha clan will play in this whole affair."

He hummed at those words and thought about how to give a proper reply without pissing the boy off. "Hm… Uchiha clan has sent a few young men to the border. And we're going to send another group next month."

Ren raised an eyebrow. "What about the other clans? Are they sending any reinforcements?"

He shook his head. "Clans usually don't send our their shinobi until things have become more serious. But…" He trailed off, not sure how to proceed from here.

"But these skirmishes are happening because of me, a member of the Uchiha clan. So you feel honour bound to send reinforcements to the border." Ren said and despite his calm face, the clenched fists betrayed his true emotions.

"…yes." He said. "Whether we like it or not, these skirmishes are happening in part because of you. And wether you like it or not, you're a member of the Uchiha clan. And we'll gladly sacrifice our lives in the battlefield if it means getting another shinobi of Madara Uchiha's caliber."

Ren was silent for a long moment before he sighed. "I see."

"And before you ask, no, you'll not be allowed to go to the frontline despite how powerful you might have become."

"I wasn't going to ask." Ren said. "I'm well aware that even if the clan did allow me to go, the Hokage would not."

"Okay. Was that all, or is there another reason for your visit?" He asked and Ren nodded promptly.

"I also came here to discuss the distribution of my Mangekyo Sharingan eyes." Ren said. And before he could even grasp the sheer absurdity of those words, Ren placed a dozen containers filled with eyes on the table.

Examining the eyes, his jaw nearly dropped as he realized that each one bore a unique yet similar pattern.

They were all Mangekyo Sharingan eyes.

He gave a bewildered look to Ren and asked. "How?" Then he paused as he noticed the same pattern in Ren's eyes and shook his head. "No wait. When did you unlock your Mangekyo Sharingan eyes?"

"About a month after defeating Ringo Ameyuri." Ren said with a nonchalant shrug. As if he hadn't unlocked the near final stage of their eye at an age when most others haven't even unlocked their Sharingan eyes.

Maintaining what little composure he had left, he inquired, "And... what circumstances led to the awakening of these eyes?"

His own eyes, after all, had awakened when he witnessed his father's death near the end of 2nd shinobi war. And he couldn't think of any such tragedy that befell Ren in the past few months.

"No. I was just jogging around when my eyes just… evolved."

…

…

"…are you serious?"

"Yes."

"Of course." He said, holding the urge to throw a temper tantrum for the first time in his life. Because why the hell not? It's not like Mangekyo Sharingan eyes are anything important. Just give a pair to the brat while he's out jogging.

"Um… Fugaku-san, are you alright?" The brat had the gall to ask.

He realised that he was breathing heavily and took a moment to calm himself before nodding. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

Ren stared at him for a long moment before he sighed. "Do you want to know how I got so many eyes?"

"No, I don't want to- Of Course I want to know!" He said, his heart beating rapidly in his chest before he closed his eyes and took deep breaths once again. He then opened his eyes and smiled at Ren. "How did you get so many eyes, Ren?"

'Did they fucking grow up on trees? Did you just found them lying around in your property? Or did the tooth fairy leave it under your pillow while you were sleeping?'

"You know how my second bloodline allows me to regenerate from any serious wounds after sleeping for 6 hours?"

"Yeah." He said, suddenly getting a very bad feeling about this.

"Well… after I became Lady Tsunade's student, I learned how to extract eyes successfully. And had a Shadow Clone extract my eyes." Ren said. "After that, I went to sleep, and when I woke up, my eyes had regenerated. And I had an extra pair of eyes. So I've been doing just that every single night for the past month."

...okay what- that's just... no wait. Never mind.

"And why have you… created, so many eyes, Ren?"

"I think 'replication' would be the correct term here. But that's beside the point." Ren said. "The reason why I did this was so that I can give these eyes to the Uchiha shinobi who're going out in the frontline. I may not be able to help the entire village right now, but I can certainly help my clan members."

"That's… that's admirable Ren." He said. "But are you aware that Mangekyo Sharingan eyes deteriorate with use, right? And that not everyone has the charka reserves required to use them to their fullest extent?"

"I do." Ren said, surprising him. "That's why I brought this as well."

With that, Ren placed another container on the table. This one was filled to the brim with Fuinjutsu seals and contained a peculiar, white dough-like substance.

"And what is this?"

"These are the repurposed cells of Lord Hashirama." Ren said and his jaw fell for the second time in this meeting.

Being an important part of the village, and a friend to the Hokage, he had known about those cells for a while now. And he knew just how impressive they were.

The entire thing was still a bit strange to him, but if the Hokage and Lady Tsunade didn't mind the 1st Hokage's cells being researched, then who was he to speak against it?

But…

"How did you even get your hands on this, Ren?" He asked. 'And please, please, please don't tell me that you stole it.'

"I bought it." Ren replied.

"You bought it?" He asked in a deadpan. "What? From a grocery shop?"

"I bought it from the Hokage."

"You can buy it from the Hokage?" He asked. He hadn't known that they'd started selling these things. No wait. "How much did it cost?"

"No. You cannot buy it from the Hokage. I can do it because I'm a special case. And as for your second question, it cost me 20 million Ryo to buy 10 pounds of this."

That was... 2 high S-class mission payment. Or 20 high A-class mission payment.

He took a deep breath to calm the turmoil in his heart as the pieces started to fit in and he realised Ren's plan.

"So you want to augment the chakra of our clan members with the help of Lord Hashirama's cells?" He asked. He wasn't sure if this'll work or not. But if it did, then it would change everything.

"Yes. And are you aware that having Hashirama cells in your body can also slow down, if not outright prevent, the deterioration of Mangekyo Sharingan eyes."

His eyes sharpened at those words and he pinned the boy with a serious gaze. "Are you serious right now, Ren?"

"I am." Ren replied. "And I know that you have Mangekyo Sharingan eyes as well, so feel free to take some of it for yourself."

He unconsciously licked his lips and then sighed. "If this indeed works as you say, then I'm in your debt, Ren."

Ren nodded at his words. "This amount should be sufficient to supply about 5 people. So, aside from you, there are 4 individuals who can utilize my Mangekyo Sharingan eyes on the battlefield."

"That's…" He envisioned the kind of devastation that 5 Uchiha clansmen could unleash on the battlefield with enhanced chakra and Mangekyo Sharingan eyes each, and he gulped.

"What abilities do your Mangekyo Sharingan eyes possess?" He asked. Because a Uchiha who hasn't awakened his own Magekyko Sharingan eyes would be able to use Ren's eye abilities.

"My right eye gives me the ability to recover from any wounds. And my left eye allows me to completely recover my chakra."

Those… are rather simple but extremely powerful abilities. And if they can be used again and again in the battlefield.

He suppressed a shiver creeping down his spine and straightened up. "We'll need to establish countermeasures to ensure that the enemies can't seize these eyes for themselves. Or the cells for that matter."

Because just thought of their enemies getting their hands on these Mangekyo Sharingan eyes or Lord Hashirama's cells filled him with dread.

"Already taken care of." Ren said as he took out two scrolls. "These Fuinjutsu seals were collaboratively created by the Sannin, the Hokage, Kushina-sensei, and me. They function similarly to the Hyuuga's caged bird seal. If the user dies or the eyes or cells are removed while they're still alive, they'll be instantly destroyed. The seals can also be activated from a distance in case the user is captured or turns traitor."

"Will the seal kill the user?" He asked, worried that this might be just another Caged bird seal that might get used in future to control the Uchiha clan.

"No. It'll only destroy the eyes and cells. And other than some minute pain and blindness, the user will remain unharmed."

"And who'll be allowed to control these seals?" He asked. Because while he trusted Minato, he didn't know who the next Hokage will be. Or the one after that. It is very possible that a future Hokage might harbour ill feelings toward the Uchiha clan and use it seal to harm the clan.

"I talked with the Hokage about this. And the master control of the seals of Uchiha clan members will be given to the Uchiha Clan leader, meaning you. But if the clan leader is seen abusing such authority, then the seal will be taken from him and given to one of the elders." Ren explained.

"That's good to hear." He said with a relieved sigh. "But… have you given any thought to who you want to give these eyes to?"

"Yes. While I initially wanted to give it to everyone, after some thinking, I decided that it would be wise to give most of it to the shinobi from your Dove faction." Ren said. "I don't want the Hawk faction getting too much power and causing troubles. Aside from that, I'll hand you the eyes and Hashirama cells, and leave their distribution to you."

He nodded, relieved that Ren is able to see the problems within Uchiha clan.

The elders from Hawk factions would undoubtedly be angry about this unfair distribution and might even get thoughts of rebellion. So he'll have to distribute it in secret at the start until the Dove faction is too strong.

It'll be troublesome and this decision will definitely cause problems in the future but it's nothing he cannot deal with.

"The clan members and the ones who'll use these eyes and cells will be the ones to pay for the Hashirama cells. And you'll also get a commission for every single eye that you give to the clan."

"No." Ren replied immediately. "These battles are being waged on my behalf. The least I can do is pay for these things."

"I know that you have a lot of money Ren. But buying Hashirama cells for so many clansmen would bankrupt even you. No. These expenses will be shared by the clan and the individual clan members who benefit from it. And that's final."

Ren sighed. "Okay. You may give me the money required to buy the cells but I refuse to take any money for the eyes."

"No. We cannot just take these eyes without giving you any recompense, Ren. That's just not how the clan works." He said. "Besides, people have a tendency to not value things that they get for free. So there's that as well."

Ren sighed. "Here I am, giving such a generous gift to you. And here you are, trying to turn it into a trade."

"Some gifts are too expensive to be taken without giving something in return." He said.

The both of them fell into silence after that. And after a long moment, Ren spoke up once again.

"If that is the case, then what would you say is the minimum value of these eyes?" Ren asked.

"The minimum value? I would usually say that these eyes are priceless, but considering that you can simply create a pair of them with 6 hours of sleep… let me think." He said and did a few calculations in his mind. "About 1 Million Ryo. 2 million for the pair. And that's me really lowballing it."

"I'll accept it." Ren said and took out even more containers from his Inventory.

"Just how many of these do you have?" He asked in bewilderment.

"I've been at this for a month, so roughly 30 pairs." Ren said with an amused smile. "You don't need to use all of them right now. I've created a seal that'll freeze these eyes in time. You may put them in a hidden vault and save them for the next generation. Or the generation after that. I'll supply you with as many eyes as you can afford, so don't worry about running out of eyes anytime soon."

"…I cannot believe that we're having such a conversation." He said and then chuckled.

Ren chuckled alongside him and soon enough the both of them burst out laughing.

Once they'd regained their composure, he pinned the boy with another serious gaze.

"So… Ren."

"Yes?"

"How about you become the next clan leader after me?" He asked.

"Not interested." Ren replied instantly.

"Come now. There's no need to be reject me so quickly. At least listen to my offer first."

"Nope. Not interested."

"Think of this as a favour to this old man."

"Nope."

"At least…" "Nope." "How about…" "Nope." "Can you at least…" "Nope."

—————

AN: The Uchiha clan is divided into three factions in this story. The Dove, the Hawk, and the Neutral Factions.

The Doves are the Peaceful faction and want cooperation and peace with the village. Fugaku is the leader of this faction. It is also the largest faction right now, since the current Hokage is treating the Uchiha clan so well.

The Hawks are the Warring faction. They want to make Uchiha clan more powerful, even at the expense of the village. They feel like the Uchiha have been slighted by the village and want one of their clan member to become the next Hokage. They're the second largest faction in the clan.

The Neutrals are self-explanatory. It is the small faction in the clan and mostly focus on business and earning wealth. They will side with whoever benefits them the most. And would undoubtedly join Fugaku if he offers them Mangekyo Sharingan eyes and Hashirama cells.

That's it for this chapter, hope you guys enjoyed reading it.

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