Konoha, June 25th, Year 46 – A Day of Celebration
The streets of Konoha are bustling with excitement. Countless people are making their way toward what was once a training ground, but is now a massive venue for an extravagant gathering.
Despite Konoha's population being less than 40,000, 5,000 people are set to attend this grand event.
The venue, with a total of 5,000 seats, sold out of tickets the day before, meaning no further sales would take place today.
Out of these, 300 seats close to the stage were reserved by the event organizers to be gifted to representatives of the major ninja clans.
The remaining seats were made available for public sale.
Konoha itself absorbed over 4,000 of those tickets, while the rest were bought by outsiders who hurried to Konoha over the past three days, many of them merchants.
Although the majority of tickets were sold at a low price, the total income is still quite significant. For the Uchiha clan, this initial investment has already brought some funds back.
Though they are still far from breaking even, the Uchiha clan never expected to make a profit from the event. Even this small amount of income is a pleasant surprise.
Naturally, the upper echelons of the Uchiha clan aren't overly concerned with these financial matters.
What matters more to them is the outcome of this genjutsu game showcase. As long as it achieves the effects described by Uchiha Kai, even if only a fraction of that comes to pass, it will be considered a major success for the Uchiha clan.
At this moment, Uchiha Fugaku, along with Uchiha Seijiro, stands at the back of the grand venue, welcoming the representatives from the major ninja clans who were invited.
This time, Uchiha Fugaku is also making a public appearance, taking on the task of greeting and interacting with the various clan representatives. It's a responsibility he primarily handles, as the clan head is passing on authority to him.
Uchiha Fugaku has not disappointed his father, Uchiha Seijiro. With the Uchiha clan members by his side, he has been showing the warmth and hospitality that the Uchiha clan is not known for, leaving the representatives from the other clans amazed at their generosity.
Although this hospitality, compared to the warmth shown by other normal ninja clans when hosting guests, seemed somewhat lacking, Uchiha Fugaku smiled as he conversed with everyone, and the Uchiha clan members accompanying him didn't have scowls on their faces but were all smiling as well.
This already marked a remarkable change.
Moreover, the Uchiha clan was very genuine in their hospitality.
Representatives from various major ninja clans were assigned VIP seats, and specially hired Uchiha servants attended to them.
There were fruits and beverages, which left these ninja representatives feeling a bit at a loss—were these really the Uchiha, the ones with nothing but pride in their bones?
The Uchihas had changed.
Or rather, the ones in power within the Uchiha clan had changed. They no longer held the same mindset as the old days—more like ordinary people. They were leading the entire Uchiha clan in a transformation.
Most importantly, this change was different from the previous experimental attempts. This time, it had a clear purpose and even clearer action plans.
The release of this genjutsu game was the most obvious demonstration of this.
So, was the Uchiha clan using this avant-garde method to integrate into Konoha?
Among the representatives of the various ninja clans, those with some political acumen couldn't help but wonder this.
As the representative sent by the Nara clan, Nara Shikaku, the future clan head, scratched his head.
Beside him, two other members from the younger generation of the "Ino-Shika-Cho" trio—Yamanaka Inoichi, representing "Ino," and Akimichi Choza, representing "Cho"—curiously surveyed the enormous venue that seemed massive in their eyes.
The three of them were seated in one of the VIP areas, very close to the center. Around them were separated compartments, each with a rain canopy overhead.
There were tables in front with drinks, fruits, and snacks. The compartments had partitions, leaving only a window for guests to look outside, ensuring privacy and comfort for those seated.
Furthermore, outside the compartments, servants moved back and forth along the aisles, ensuring that any requests for drinks, fruits, or other services from the guests inside could be promptly fulfilled.
Additionally, four Uchiha clan ninjas stood as security personnel at important spots along the aisle, preventing any potential trouble.
VIP seating truly offered VIP service.
Other areas had regular tiered seating, similar to the Colosseum in ancient Rome or a modern sports stadium—those without a roof.
However, there were attendants in those areas to assist guests with basic needs, and Uchiha ninjas were scattered throughout, patrolling as security personnel.
In addition to the Uchiha clan, there were also other hired ninjas working on maintaining security and order, including some from the Hyūga clan.
Without a doubt, in the shinobi world, spending money can solve many problems—it all depends on how willing you are to spend.
At this moment, the audience members who had purchased tickets were gradually entering.
Through various windows, Ino-Shika-Cho could see the outside situation, but the outside world could see very little of what was going on here.
A handsome young man with a golden ponytail, Yamanaka Inoichi, crossed his arms over his chest and said, "With such design and professional service, honestly, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I really wouldn't believe this was the work of the Uchiha clan."
Akimichi Choza, who had a face tattoo and a large, stocky build, was eating free snacks and fruit from the table as he commented, "It really is unexpected, but it's not bad. At least these free snacks taste pretty good."
Yamanaka Inoichi gave a speechless glance at his friend, who was too busy eating.
He then turned to the brains of their trio, who would undoubtedly be the future intellectual pillar of Konoha, Nara Shikaku.
"Shikaku, what do you think? Is the Uchiha clan trying to use this method to integrate into Konoha, or is there some other purpose?"
Nara Shikaku, with the same lazy expression as his future son Nara Shikamaru, replied, "If it's just to hold an event like this, the Uchiha clan's situation in the village might improve, but not by much."
"However, based on what the Uchiha clan has shown this time, they clearly have a well-thought-out plan. This event is probably just one part of it."
"If I'm right, this release event isn't just about inviting us to attend; they've likely prepared something else."
Just as he said this, suddenly, the door to the partition was knocked on.
A servant from the Uchiha clan came outside and relayed a message from the Uchiha clan leader to Ino-Shika-Cho.
The message was summarized as follows: the guests were invited to watch the press conference, and after it ended, they were not to rush off. The Uchiha clan had matters to discuss with those who had been specially invited.
After delivering the message, the servant left.
Nara Shikaku looked at his two close friends, shrugged, and said, "See? Didn't I tell you? The Uchiha clan has someone important now, someone with great authority within the clan. This delicate and smooth way of handling things is something not even the usual Uchihas would think of or be capable of."
Yamanaka Inoichi furrowed his brows. "Who could it be? Shikaku, do you know?"
Before Nara Shikaku could respond, Akimichi Choza, his mouth full of food, chimed in, "It's Uchiha Kai."
Nara Shikaku smiled without responding, silently agreeing.
Yamanaka Inoichi paused, then his expression shifted to one of realization.
Although they weren't friends at the ninja academy, they had been in the same class before, and since the three of them were close friends with Minato Namikaze, they were naturally familiar with Uchiha Kai, the special Uchiha whom Minato had praised.
Additionally, while they weren't as informed about Konoha's recent internal changes as the higher-ups, they knew that Uchiha Kai had been publicly welcomed back to the Uchiha clan not long ago. Anyone with even a bit of information would have heard about it.
As powerful ninja clans within Konoha, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio had their own intelligence sources. As the future clan leaders of their respective clans, they also had access to a lot of information through their clan's network.
Yamanaka Inoichi then asked, "If it's Uchiha Kai, a special Uchiha, it makes sense that he'd have a different kind of mind compared to other Uchihas."
"But wasn't he not well-regarded by the Uchiha clan? Why would they suddenly value him so much?"
Nara Shikaku replied, "Who knows? But one thing's for sure—just having good rhetoric wouldn't be enough to convince those proud Uchihas. There must be another reason they can't refuse."
"Maybe it has something to do with this press conference. After all, the Genjutsu game started only after Uchiha Kai was publicly welcomed back into the Uchiha clan."
Then, Akimichi Choza spoke again, "The Genjutsu game… It will change the entire ninja world."
Upon hearing this, the other two looked at Akimichi Choza with surprise, wondering why he would say such a thing.
Akimichi Choza then gave a very strong reason.
"Intuition."
"..."
Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi exchanged speechless glances, both unsure of what to say.
However, neither of them contradicted Akimichi Choza. Instead, they were more eager for the press conference.
Because although Akimichi Choza seemed the most clueless among the three, he was actually the most attentive, and his intuition was the sharpest.
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