No Qualification

In that instant.

Uchiha Fugaku was so moved he nearly cried. From the moment he discovered his son had become a double agent and his heart's balance gradually tipped toward Konoha, he found it harder to accept with each passing day, yet he could do nothing about it.

He could only watch helplessly as Itachi and the Uchiha Clan drifted further apart.

But now.

A turning point had appeared in all of this, all because of a youth named Uchiha Siming.

Heaven knows how much relief and excitement he felt when he was acknowledged by his own son—it was as if over a decade of effort had finally been seen, as if his son had finally found the right path!

"Promotion! Immediate promotion!"

Uchiha Fugaku spoke in a low voice, though his fingers trembled slightly. He commanded:

"From now on, Uchiha Siming is the Captain of my Uchiha Clan's Police Force!"

If not for Siming.

His son would have been ruined long ago. A mere captain was nothing; if Siming weren't so young, he would have given him the entire Police Force command!

Even Itachi, standing nearby, was stunned for a moment.

He knew that even Shisui, who had achieved remarkable feats in battle, was not a Police Captain. Any Police Captain required absolute strength and prestige!

But in an instant, he understood the reason, and his eyes grew far more complicated: "Yes, Father."

Just as the father and son were sharing this moment of deep connection.

A knock sounded at the door: "Clan Head, Hyuga Liuhuo of the Hyuga Clan requests an audience, saying he has matters regarding Uchiha Siming to report."

"Matters regarding Siming?"

Uchiha Fugaku frowned slightly: "Let him in."

The Hyuga Clan, who prided themselves on their nobility and purity, rarely communicated with the Uchiha Clan, even though both were among the three great families. The Uchiha Clan, in turn, despised the Hyuga Clan's pretentious airs of righteousness.

Thus, their relationship had always been strictly formal.

"Greetings, Lord Fugaku."

Hyuga Liuhuo walked in, chin slightly raised, arrogance in his eyes.

"What brings Liuhuo here today?"

Uchiha Fugaku lifted his eyelids: "The Hyuga Clan doesn't visit the Uchiha Clan often."

"Not often" was an understatement.

One could say there was almost no interaction between the two clans.

"It's like this, Lord Fugaku. Please discipline your clan's Uchiha Siming. Without permission from the Hyuga Clan, he infiltrated our clan without authorization and interfered with our Clan Tournament!"

"During this, he also injured members of the Hyuga Clan!"

Hyuga Liuhuo had initially tried to suppress his anger.

But the moment he spoke.

He recalled the humiliation he had suffered that day. In Uchiha Siming's hands, he had felt like an ant, and his path upward had been shattered. He couldn't accept it!

"As the Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan, you should clearly understand what this means. Please, Lord Fugaku, severely punish Uchiha Siming and give the Hyuga Clan a reasonable explanation!"

Hyuga Liuhuo's face was cold.

He hadn't touched a single sip of the tea before him.

"Oh?"

Uchiha Fugaku blinked: "Is that so? And who was injured? Was it serious?"

Whoosh—!

Hyuga Liuhuo's breath caught instantly, his face turning extremely ugly. He couldn't very well say the Clan Head was the one injured, could he?!

As the Clan Head of the Hyuga Clan, being injured by an ordinary Uchiha clansman.

How embarrassing!

"Please, Lord Fugaku, don't change the subject. What we're discussing now is the severity of Uchiha Siming's misconduct."

Hyuga Liuhuo tried to redirect the conversation, but his face showed a mix of bluster and agitation.

"If such a thing happened in the Uchiha Clan—someone barging in—would Lord Fugaku remain indifferent?!"

Anger flared in his eyes.

He tried to make the other party understand the gravity of the problem caused by Uchiha Siming's actions.

"That wouldn't be the case."

Uchiha Fugaku said flatly. But just as Hyuga Liuhuo's expression began to ease slightly, he continued:

"Our Uchiha Clan would simply be utterly disgraced and would use every means to kill the offender first. By the way—"

He spoke slowly, with curiosity:

"Why didn't you kill Uchiha Siming? Since he did wrong, if the Hyuga Clan takes a life in exchange, the Uchiha Clan will have no further words."

In that instant.

Hyuga Liuhuo's face turned utterly foul, like pig's liver, unable to maintain his so-called nobility from the start.

"Or is it that your Hyuga Clan lacks the strength to do so?"

Uchiha Fugaku continued, each word stabbing like a needle into Hyuga Liuhuo's heart!

The latter suddenly understood.

From the very beginning, Uchiha Fugaku had never intended to punish Uchiha Siming!

Hyuga Liuhuo felt his blood run cold, his brain swelling and congested, his breathing rapid!

"Lord Fugaku! Your Uchiha Clan is also one of Konoha's three great clans. Something like this—do you know how much impact it will have on the Uchiha Clan?!"

He shouted in anger, his words carrying a pointed implication.

"You must understand, the Uchiha Clan is already on shaky ground as it is!"

But faced with such a threat, Uchiha Fugaku's expression remained calm, indifferent: "Then that's none of your Hyuga Clan's concern. But tell Hyuga Hiashi this—though we're no longer in the clan era of the Warring States Period."

"Even in Konoha, strength still reigns supreme."

"The Hyuga Clan of today is not yet qualified to stand before my Uchiha Clan and offer advice from a position of strength!"

His eyes grew cold:

"And even less qualified to criticize the captain of my Uchiha Clan's Police Force!"

Crimson Three Tomoe Sharingan emerged, a powerful aura like smoke strangling Hyuga Liuhuo's throat.

His Adam's apple rolled silently, and his voice cracked with fear!

"How is that possible?!"

"Aren't the captains of the Police Force Uchiha Yashiro and Uchiha Xianren? What qualifications does Uchiha Siming have?!"

He couldn't believe it.

A mere fifteen-year-old boy had already become a captain of the Police Force.

"Ha, even your Hyuga Clan Head was defeated. Why shouldn't Siming be qualified to become Police Captain?"

Uchiha Fugaku felt the Hyuga Clan's brains had gone rotten from their Main Family's influence.

"Itachi, see them out!"

Hyuga Liuhuo's face instantly flushed red, and a hint of panic and shame crept into his eyes. He didn't even know how he made it back to the Hyuga Clan, only feeling that the blood in his body had turned cold.

"That's right."

His voice was bitter and complicated as he lowered his head:

"Even the Clan Head lost to Uchiha Siming. What right does our Hyuga Clan have to compare with the Uchiha Clan?"

Lost.

Thoroughly and completely lost!

"What did the Uchiha Clan say?"

Hyuga Liuhuo looked up, only to realize he had unknowingly arrived in the Hyuga Clan Head's courtyard. Hyuga Hiashi's steady voice came through. He was pouring tea, but even that couldn't erase his noble bearing.

Especially his pure white robes, immaculate as a feathered crane.

Yet it only made Hyuga Liuhuo more panicked!

"Clan Head..."

He stammered:

"Uchiha Fugaku not only refused to punish Uchiha Siming, but he also insulted you—said you lost to Uchiha Siming and have no right to speak to the Uchiha Clan from a position of strength!"

He gave up, throwing caution to the wind.

As if he could already see Hyuga Hiashi's furious expression.

His face was dazed.

Unable to believe it all stemmed from a fifteen-year-old boy.