NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7: Chapter 3
"Satoshi-sama, congratulations on being promoted to Elite Chūnin!"
I turned my gaze toward the clan member who had spoken—Tanaka, a capable shinobi and a familiar face in the clan.
We were seated in the grand hall, the clan elders positioned alongside me, while the rest of the clan members gathered in front. Their eyes held expectation, pride, and a lingering tension that had yet to fade since the Kyūbi attack.
"Thank you, Tanaka," I replied with a nod. My voice was calm, but my mind was anything but. I had earned this promotion through sheer effort, yet I couldn't ignore the politics behind it.
My gaze lingered on Tanaka for a moment longer before I continued, "I also heard you successfully completed an S-rank mission just a few days ago."
Tanaka nodded, his expression filled with quiet pride.
"That's quite the achievement," I said with a small smile. "We need more people like you in the clan. Stand proud, Tanaka."
He straightened his back, and I could sense the morale of the room rise slightly. Moments like these were important. Our clan had suffered crippling losses, and recognition—no matter how small—was necessary to keep spirits high.
But the good mood didn't last long.
"Satoshi-sama," the First Elder, Tanzakugai, spoke up, his tone laced with frustration. "We've been receiving too many high-rank missions from the Third Hokage. I don't understand what he's thinking—sending our members on dangerous assignments while we're still recovering from the Kyūbi attack!"
I sighed internally. Here we go again.
Tanzakugai wasn't wrong, though. I nodded in agreement.
"You're right," I acknowledged. "In the last nine years, our clan has been assigned 13 S-rank missions—and not just any S-ranks, but those bordering on suicide missions. The level of danger has been too high, and the risk of death? Even higher."
I paused, letting my words sink in before adding, "I will personally speak to the Hokage about this."
The Second Elder, Kazuma, took this as his cue to speak. His sharp eyes locked onto mine, his voice calm yet firm.
"And make sure," he said, "that our clan members aren't assigned missions above B-rank for the time being. We've completed over 470 high-level missions despite our weakened state. We've done more than enough."
Kazuma leaned forward slightly, his gaze piercing. "Your chakra reserves are massive, and you're strong enough to defeat a Jōnin-level shinobi. Yet the Hokage only promoted you to Elite Chūnin?" His expression darkened.
"The same shameless man who made Shunshin no Shisui a Jōnin at age 11, and Itachi Uchiha at 12?"
I remained silent. He had a point.
"The Hokage has been… different," the Third Elder, Tensei, added, his voice heavy with something I couldn't quite place. "Ever since the Third Great Ninja War, he's been unyielding toward our clan. It makes no sense—your grandfather was once his closest friend, and yet…"
Tensei sighed. "Yet he has done unimaginable things to us. Perhaps it's because he's getting old. Perhaps…" His voice trailed off, but his implication was clear.
And then, as if he had been holding it back all this time, he dropped the real bombshell.
"The First Hokage once said that the Second Hokage would be an Uchiha," Tensei stated, his expression cold. "But that never happened."
His voice carried an unmistakable bitterness.
"The Third Hokage's seat should have been given to your grandfather, but instead, we were lied to."
Silence fell over the hall.
I could feel the weight of their words pressing down on me, the unspoken resentment that had been building in the clan for decades.
I clenched my fists under the table.
Such overwhelming pressure.
For the first time, the elders openly spoke against the Third Hokage, and for the first time… I couldn't argue with them. They were right.
but I forced myself to stay silent. Rushing into action without a plan would only put us in more danger.
But at least—thank God—our elders weren't reckless. They were smart.
-----
I exhaled deeply. Damn it.
If only I had a system like those overpowered protagonists in Fanfaction stories. That would make things so much easier—
[DING!]
I froze.
The room blurred.
[THE PERSEVERANCE SYSTEM BINDING…]
Wait.
What?
[3%...]
No way.
[50%...]
My heartbeat quickened. Was this real?!
[100%]
A screen appeared in front of me, glowing faintly.
[CONGRATULATIONS! THE SYSTEM HAS SUCCESSFULLY BOUND TO THE HOST.]
[THE SYSTEM HAS ONLY ONE GOAL: AS LONG AS THE HOST IS WILLING TO WORK HARD, HE CAN ACHIEVE GREATNESS.]
I stared at the words, unblinking.
And then, finally, I muttered under my breath:
"Hmmm... Nani the hell…?!!!!!!!!"