Hyuga Kagami's Challenge

Uchiha Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly.

The other man's words were clearly questioning him.

He smiled faintly, and a vast amount of Chakra surged from within him, forming a radiant blaze around his body.

In an instant, an imposing pressure, brilliant as the sun and weighty as a mountain, enveloped the entire warehouse.

The air around them grew thick and heavy. Everyone struggled to breathe, as if submerged deep underwater.

Uchiha Kawa and the other two first looked utterly shocked. When Uchiha Yuan had appeared, they hadn't sensed even a trace of Chakra from him.

Yet they hadn't expected such terrifyingly powerful Chakra to suddenly surge from him in an instant.

This was the power they wanted. The three of them immediately looked delighted and excited.

Then Uchiha Yuan spoke.

"You want power, and I can give it to you. But you'll have to give something in return: your loyalty."

"Tell me, can I have your absolute loyalty?"

Uchiha Yuan met the gazes of the three men. An inscrutable gleam flickered deep in his eyes.

Uchiha Kawa and the others felt as though his eyes were a pair of unfathomably deep whirlpools. Before they knew it, their minds and consciousness were being drawn into them.

Uchiha Yuan was using mental induction and psychological suggestion.

If the three had any ulterior motives, or if someone was testing him through them, it would all be exposed now.

Then Uchiha Yuan would use his powerful mental strength to erase their memories of this incident.

"We'll be completely loyal to you, Chief."

Uchiha Kawa and the other two dropped to one knee and bowed their heads. They were making their submission to Uchiha Yuan clear.

The gleam faded from Uchiha Yuan's eyes. He then turned to Uchiha Daishi, who was standing off to the side, and said, "You'll be in charge of training the three of them."

"Understood, Big Brother."

Uchiha Kawa and the others had no idea their minds had just been invaded.

One of them asked Uchiha Yuan, "Chief, what's the name of our organization?"

At that, Uchiha Daishi and the others also turned to look at Uchiha Yuan.

Uchiha Yuan looked thoughtful. He had never named the group he had founded.

After a moment's reflection, he said, "The Illumination Society. That's what our organization will be called. It means driving away the darkness and bringing light to everyone in the Ninja World.

"As its leader, my codename will be Mingwang."

The leader of Akatsuki called himself a god. How could I let myself be outdone?

With that thought, Uchiha Yuan looked at Uchiha Daishi and said, "Daishi, from now on, you'll be the First Squad Commander of the Police Force Thirteen Squads, which protects the Illumination Society."

"Yes, Big Brother."

Uchiha Daishi looked excited and quickly replied.

Uchiha Yuan then appointed a boy named Uchiha Takuno as Second Division Commander. With the current number of members in his personal guard, they could only form two squads.

Uchiha Yuan's Standing Meditation Method had three levels. The first trained the skin and flesh, the second the internal organs, and the third the bones and blood.

Uchiha Takuno and Uchiha Daishi were the only two members of the personal guard who had reached the second level of the Standing Meditation Method.

Before leaving, Uchiha Yuan glanced at Uchiha Kawa and the other two once more. Then, with a flash, he disappeared from the warehouse.

Every Ninja Clan had members who couldn't awaken their clan's bloodline limit because their natural talent was insufficient. This was due to the deterioration of their bloodline.

As their bloodlines continued to deteriorate, some eventually became unable to possess Chakra at all. That was how ordinary members came to exist within Ninja Clans.

Boys like Uchiha Daishi came from ordinary families. Their relatives worked as small merchants or craftsmen.

Uchiha Kawa and the other two were different from Uchiha Daishi and the others. They came from families of shinobi within the clan.

They were two grades below Uchiha Yuan at the Ninja Academy. Their abilities were among the weakest in their grade, so they were often bullied by students from other Ninja Clans. They were also ostracized by their fellow Uchiha and couldn't join their little groups.

Uchiha Daishi and the others had watched the three of them for a while before approaching them and extending an invitation.

This had always been part of Uchiha Yuan's plan: to discreetly search for and assess potential recruits, quietly strengthening his own power.

And with boys from shinobi families joining, Uchiha Yuan would be able to learn about information within the clan more quickly in the future.

Ninja Academy.

Uchiha Yuan watched the window lazily as their instructor, Sarutobi Retsu, explained how shinobi should conduct reconnaissance and analyze intelligence.

Recently, their lessons had all covered knowledge related to the battlefield.

Uchiha Yuan had already mastered this material. With Hatake Sakumo as his teacher, he had firmly learned even more advanced shinobi knowledge.

At the Ninja Academy, the only class that still interested him a little was outdoor combat training.

After class.

Uchiha Yuan was talking with Hatake Harukaze, and the two were discussing their views on Hatake sword art.

Just then, someone came up to him.

Uchiha Yuan stopped talking and looked up at the visitor. "Hyuga Kagami, what is it?"

"Uchiha Yuan, I want you to be my opponent in this afternoon's combat class."

Hyuga Kagami stared straight into Uchiha Yuan's eyes, his gaze burning and his expression utterly serious.

Meeting Hyuga Kagami's gaze, Uchiha Yuan saw resentment in his eyes, though it didn't seem to be directed at him.

Then his gaze casually swept over Hyuga Kagami's forehead, which was covered by a white headband.

"All right. I'm looking forward to experiencing the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist."

Uchiha Yuan nodded, accepting Hyuga Kagami's challenge.

Some time ago, Hyuga Kagami had suddenly disappeared for about a week. He had only returned to the Ninja Academy three days ago.

When he reappeared, he seemed weak, as if he had only just recovered from an illness and hadn't regained his strength.

At the same time, he had shed the arrogance he'd once shown as a scion of a great clan. He had also become much quieter than before.

Uchiha Yuan knew that beneath the headband on Hyuga Kagami's forehead was the Hyuga Clan's unique Cage Bird Seal. The Hyuga Main Family used it to control the lives and deaths of the Hyuga Branch Family.

Noticing Uchiha Yuan looking at his forehead, Hyuga Kagami's expression immediately turned cold. He turned and walked away.

Watching him leave, Hatake Harukaze asked in confusion, "Yuan, Hyuga Kagami's been acting a little strange these past few days."

Uchiha Yuan sighed softly. "He's just suffered the fate that those born into the Hyuga Branch Family have to bear."

"What fate?" Hatake Harukaze asked.

Uchiha Yuan looked at Hyuga Kagami on the other side of the classroom and said, "The pride is gone from Kagami. The light in his eyes has faded."

"It seems he's accepted the fate of being born into the Branch Family. The Hyuga Branch Family are slaves to the Main Family."

Hatake Harukaze fell silent for a moment.

Uchiha Yuan continued, "The Hyuga Clan has such a dark and cruel rule, yet the Will of Fire our Third Hokage-sama keeps preaching seems unable to shine on those of the Branch Family."