Uchiha Encirclement

"Damn it, this Uchiha brat is way too strong!"

The Kumogakure Ninja quickly realized that this Uchiha youth, who had graduated from the Ninja Academy less than two years ago, was actually stronger than him.

None of the truly renowned and powerful ninja from their envoy group were here. Though he himself was a fairly capable Chunin, before Uchiha Gen, who had equipped the Young Madara Character Card, he could do nothing but defend passively.

With Kushina, the target, already rescued by Minato Namikaze, and his other two teammates dead in the ambush, he had absolutely no chance of winning.

Run!

The Kumogakure Ninja made his decision at once and prepared to abandon Uchiha Gen and retreat.

"Under the Sharingan's gaze, do you think you still have a chance to escape?"

At that moment, Uchiha Gen did not pursue him. Instead, he smiled mockingly at the Kumogakure Ninja as he rapidly backed away.

Because the reinforcements he had been waiting for had arrived.

In the pitch-black forest, pairs of blood-red Sharingan appeared all around them, surrounding the entire area like a pack of wolves hunting in the night.

"Kumogakure's ninja certainly have some nerve. You used peace talks as a pretext to kidnap someone in Konoha. Do you take the Uchiha Clan so lightly?"

An Uchiha in his forties stepped out of the darkness first. As his Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun, an immensely oppressive presence radiated from him.

Uchiha Gen knew this man. He was Uchiha Hane, the Second Elder, whose standing within the clan was second only to the Clan Head and the Great Elder.

An Uchiha Elite Jonin in the prime of his life, he was a powerhouse who ranked among Konoha's strongest Jonin.

Behind Uchiha Hane, one Uchiha after another emerged from the woods, their Sharingan bearing differing numbers of tomoe. Their fierce, powerful, and savage auras crashed down upon the Kumogakure Ninja all at once.

The hand gripping his Ninja Sword trembled uncontrollably. After swallowing hard, he finally raised his weapon with great difficulty.

"Take him alive."

Uchiha Hane uttered those two words indifferently. In an instant, countless Sharingan genjutsu hypnotized the man.

It could be said that this fellow had made history, becoming the first ninja since the establishment of the Five Great Shinobi Villages to receive the honor of being hypnotized by so many Sharingan at once.

The scene was so overwhelming that even the sweet, intimate atmosphere between Minato Namikaze and Kushina was utterly crushed beneath the vicious pressure brought by all those Sharingan.

"Gen, you weren't hurt, were you?"

A tall, lean Uchiha deactivated his Sharingan, walked over to Uchiha Gen, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Uncle Shinno, rest assured. With his strength, he could never harm someone with these eyes."

Uchiha Gen understood his clansmen well enough to know what they liked hearing, so he immediately gave an answer that was thoroughly in the style of the Uchiha Clan.

It would lessen the distance between him and his clansmen and bring their relationship closer.

Hearing Uchiha Gen's reply, Shinno nodded in strong agreement. Clearly, he approved of that answer as well.

Yet amid that approval, he could not help feeling somewhat disappointed.

He had watched Uchiha Gen's fight with the Kumogakure Ninja from afar through his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

Back at the Ninja Academy, his son Inaho had once been evenly matched with Uchiha Gen. But now, the latter had clearly left Inaho far behind.

A genius like this, given sufficient resources and a renowned teacher, would surely be like a fish entering the sea, free to roam wherever he pleased.

That was precisely the situation now.

Still, although his son had been surpassed, Uchiha Shinno only felt a little disappointed and harbored no other negative feelings.

After all, Gen and Inaho had been classmates. As long as they maintained their friendship, with Uchiha Gen's talent, there might come a day when they needed to ask him for help.

"Well said, Gen. If not for you, allowing the enemy to commit such an act within Konoha would certainly have affected the Konoha Military Police Force. This time, thanks to your vigilance, the clan's honor was not disgraced."

A young yet remarkably steady voice sounded from nearby.

An Uchiha youth of around twenty walked over with his chest held high.

"Brother Fugaku."

Uchiha Gen gave the newcomer a slight nod.

Though he had only just turned twenty this year, Uchiha Fugaku already looked quite mature. The deep lines beside his nose made him appear even more seasoned.

"The Great Elder has mentioned you often before my father and me lately. It seems his judgment remains as accurate as ever."

"You flatter me, Brother Fugaku. The Great Elder has mentioned you to me as well. He said that you would be a key figure in determining the clan's future rise and fall."

Uchiha Gen returned the compliment.

That was not wrong at all. The Great Elder's judgment truly was accurate—this man really would determine the fate of the Uchiha Clan.

Who could have imagined that the Uchiha Clan, which now seemed full of Life Force and stood as the foremost noble clan in the Ninja World, would be led into ruin by him and his foolish eldest son just twenty years later in the original timeline, leaving Sasuke as its sole surviving descendant?

Naturally, Fugaku had no idea what Uchiha Gen was thinking. He seemed quite pleased, and a calm, reserved smile appeared on his face.

"When you have time, come visit the Clan Head's residence. My father certainly would not mind speaking more with the clan's talented young people. The two of us should interact more often as well. If you ever need help with anything, feel free to come to me."

Fugaku was the son of the current Clan Head, Uchiha Hisa. It was said that Hisa intended to groom him as the next Clan Head. Not only was he helping handle a great deal of affairs in the Konoha Military Police Force, but he had also begun cultivating his own influence, befriending the clan's renowned Jonin in an attempt to compete for an elder's seat this year.

In Fugaku's eyes, a young genius like Uchiha Gen was someone upon whom he could bestow favors, draw under his command, and cultivate as one of his own supporters.

But Uchiha Gen clearly had no such intention.

Fugaku was supposed to lead the Uchiha and all that—but could he? He couldn't. He simply didn't have the ability, understand?

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Uchiha Fugaku and chatting with the other clan members for a while, Uchiha Gen headed toward the other side.

Minato Namikaze and Kushina were taking turns piecing together the full course of events.

Uchiha Hane's face darkened as he immediately grasped the general situation.

The area around the Senju Ancestral Home had always been tacitly regarded by the Uchiha Clan as Senju territory. They did not patrol too closely, and with Anbu Ninja normally stationed there to protect Mito Uzumaki, nothing had ever happened before.