I'll Hold Them Off

At the venue.

Mikoto Uchiha stared fixedly at the monitor and said anxiously, "Oh no, Sasuke's been frightened!"

As Sasuke's mother, she understood him better than anyone. When Asuma's team, disguised as Akatsuki members, appeared, she could still sense the fear and helplessness surging in Sasuke's heart, even though the monitor showed only silent footage!

Beside her, Fugaku narrowed his eyes slightly.

He too could see that Sasuke was afraid. The footage on the monitor was not very clear, so Sasuke's body trembling slightly with fear was not very noticeable on-screen. That might fool the ordinary spectators in the venue, but it could not fool him, someone with the Mangekyō Sharingan.

But he did not think there was anything wrong with that.

Even he, the head of the Uchiha Clan, would be nervous and unsettled if he suddenly encountered several Akatsuki members, let alone a child who had not even graduated from the Ninja Academy.

What truly concerned him was whether his son could break free from that fear!

Compared to his mother's concern and his father's expectations, Itachi, his older brother, remained very calm. He did not demand anything of Sasuke. In his eyes, Sasuke was already outstanding enough.

On the raised platform at the venue.

The Five Kage, who had been lounging on their benches as they watched the monitor, all unconsciously leaned forward slightly, focusing their attention on Second Pillar, who was facing the "Akatsuki members."

From the beginning of today's practical exercise until now, even from the Five Kage's perspective, Second Pillar's performance had been impeccable.

It was almost certain that as long as Sasuke grew up safely, he would become another powerful Uchiha renowned throughout the ninja world. And precisely because of that, the Five Kage were even more eager to see how young Sasuke