Naruto: Starting With Three Tomoe Sharingan, Girlfriend Kushina

"Senjutsu isn't something that can be learned so easily. Brother Jiraiya has been studying it for how many years now..." Uchiha Ryun smiled and shook his head.

Even if he had learned it, he wouldn't tell Sarutobi Hiruzen about it...

"If this matter can't be rushed, then Senjutsu can wait until after the war to study... Konoha urgently needs elite fighters like you right now. Prepare yourself, you'll be heading to the Wind-Fire battlefield in a few days!" Sarutobi Hiruzen commanded without hesitation.

"Why not tomorrow? I thought you were in a hurry..." Ryun's expression was playful.

Since Sarutobi Hiruzen was giving him a few days to prepare, it seemed the situation on the Wind-Fire battlefield wasn't that urgent after all.

"Of course I'm in a hurry... but right now we're arranging for the Uchiha clan to deploy. Your clan has agreed to send members to the battlefield, so I plan to have you lead the team!" Sarutobi Hiruzen explained why Ryun wasn't being sent to the front lines immediately.

"So that's how it is..." Ryun showed a thoughtful expression.

It seemed this war between the two nations was serious. Konoha was even mobilizing the Uchiha clan, which proved the situation on the front lines wasn't optimistic.

The Uchiha clan originally wanted Uchiha Fugaku to lead the team, given his status as the clan heir, his recent promotion to jonin, and his considerable strength.

Many clansmen had objections to this, since in terms of prestige, status, and strength, Ryun surpassed Fugaku. Having him lead the Uchiha would align more with everyone's expectations.

However, the five elders of the clan had no objections to Fugaku leading the team. In fact, they deliberately ignored Ryun...

Uchiha Fugaku was the grandson of the First Elder. The Fourth and Fifth Elders were aligned with the First Elder. The Third Elder didn't get along well with Ryun, and the Second Elder's granddaughter, Uchiha Mikoto, was engaged to Fugaku...

All five elders supported Fugaku leading the team. Unfortunately, Sarutobi Hiruzen rejected this proposal and questioned why Uchiha Ryun shouldn't be the one to lead instead.

The clan used the excuse that they couldn't contact Ryun, but Sarutobi Hiruzen stated that he had already reached him... The Uchiha clan would be led by Uchiha Ryun, and even on the battlefield, Ryun would personally take command.

The First Elder was displeased but knew there was no room for negotiation. His grandson paled in comparison to Ryun, and if he pushed back against the Hokage, even the clansmen heading to war might grow dissatisfied.

He had been working hard to groom Fugaku as the next clan head, seizing every opportunity to showcase his grandson's abilities. However, with someone like Ryun in the clan, the First Elder felt immense pressure.

Even though Ryun held no official position in the clan, his reputation among the clansmen was considerable. Many of the younger generation saw him as a role model, even an idol.

Given Ryun's rapid growth, the First Elder couldn't guarantee that Fugaku would secure the clan leadership in the future.

Truthfully, Ryun wasn't particularly interested in leading the team. Upon learning he had a few days before deployment, he immediately left the Hokage Building after a brief exchange.

Shortly after returning home, the Uchiha First Elder personally came to discuss the matter of the upcoming battle.

He wanted his grandson, Uchiha Fugaku, to serve as deputy leader of the clan's forces.

Ryun didn't object to this request. Instead, he appeared quite reasonable.

"If it's the First Elder's request, I naturally have no objections. After all, Fugaku's abilities are well-known. He's more than qualified to serve as deputy leader..."

"Honestly, I'm not particularly interested in being the leader. If not for the Hokage's orders, I would've preferred going to the battlefield alone... serving as a simple soldier under my teacher's command, without the burden of leadership."

Ryun first praised Fugaku's abilities, then complained about the hassles of being a leader.

"As you know, I don't recognize nine out of ten clansmen. To this day, I still don't know who's who, or whether they even respect me. Having me lead them really isn't as suitable as having Fugaku do it."

"You're too modest, Ryun... Who would dare disobey you as leader? With great power comes great responsibility. The entire clan believes you can lead our clansmen to victory and glory..."

The First Elder forced a smile, thinking Ryun was being sarcastic—worried that Fugaku might undermine him or that the clansmen wouldn't follow his lead.

In truth, Ryun had no such thoughts. He couldn't be bothered to play mind games with Fugaku. Everything he said was genuine...

"If the clan believes in me, then I'll do my best..."

"By the way, there's an important matter I'd like to ask of you, First Elder. I hope you can accommodate me..."

Ryun seized the moment to make his request.

"Oh? What is it? If it's within my power, I won't refuse."

Since Ryun was being reasonable, the First Elder had to appear equally accommodating.

"I wanted to ask... My father's body was retrieved by Konoha ninja. His eyes weren't buried with him, were they?"

The First Elder was visibly stunned for a moment.

After collecting himself, he asked in surprise:

"Why would you ask about this... To be honest, I'm not entirely sure."

"Your father's eyes... were Two Tomoe Sharingan, right? According to clan rules, since he had an heir, his eyes should have been preserved for emergencies..."

The First Elder answered truthfully, seeing no reason to hide anything.

"It's nothing. My mother misses her husband deeply, and I happened to know the clan has a tradition of preserving the eyes of deceased members. I was wondering if I could retrieve them for safekeeping, to give my mother something to remember him by..."

Ryun casually made up an excuse. It was fortunate Uchiha Asuka wasn't present, or she would have beaten him up for such nonsense.

The First Elder's expression turned strange. He couldn't help but think Ryun and his mother were out of their minds...

Who in their right mind would want a pair of dead eyes as a memento? Wasn't that just creepy? Did they really have nothing else to remember him by?

"Well... According to clan rules, the Three Tomoe Sharingan of deceased members are preserved for ten years, until the cellular activity degrades enough for disposal."

"For One Tomoe and Two Tomoe Sharingan, if the deceased has no direct descendants, the eyes usually aren't preserved..."

"But if there are direct descendants, the clan preserves the eyes for five years at no cost. If the descendants don't need these backup eyes within five years, the clan disposes of them."

In other words, the eyes of Ryun's father, Uchiha Mori, were still intact. The clan had most likely preserved them!

These eyes were the key to evolving Ryun's Sharingan!

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