One-Tomoe Sharingan

The clearing wasn't very large, and Uchiha Eiji heard every word spoken by Uchiha Daishi and the others.

Only then did he notice that Uchiha Yuan really hadn't moved a single step under his attacks. He had stood in the same spot the entire time.

In an instant, a tremendous sense of humiliation surged through Uchiha Eiji.

Uchiha Yuan, I'll make you move your feet, no matter what!

At that moment, Uchiha Eiji's goal changed.

After dozens of attacks had been effortlessly blocked by Uchiha Yuan, he knew he had already lost. But he couldn't accept that he hadn't even managed to make his opponent move.

So, over the next few exchanges, he secretly gathered his strength, making nothing but feints.

Even if he went all out, Uchiha Yuan would still block his attacks with ease.

After a dozen or so exchanges, Uchiha Yuan caught one of Uchiha Eiji's flying kicks with a punch. Suddenly, he sensed a wave of Chakra coming from Uchiha Eiji's body.

At the same time, Uchiha Eiji used the force of the impact to leap backward, rapidly forming Hand Seals in midair.

Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!

A blazing mass of flames burst from his mouth, forming a fireball over a meter in diameter that shot toward Uchiha Yuan.

The corners of Uchiha Eiji's mouth lifted into a slight smile. Uchiha Yuan, are you still not going to move this time?

But in the very next moment, the flames of the Great Fireball Technique were blasted apart.

A violent gust of pressure burst through the flames and shot past Uchiha Eiji.

Shreds of fabric fluttered down. The sleeve on Uchiha Eiji's left arm was torn to pieces by the fierce wind kicked up by the blast.

The sudden turn of events left Uchiha Eiji's newly formed smile frozen on his face.

Uchiha Yuan still hadn't moved a step.

He held the pose of a Straight Punch Thrust. He'd just gotten a little serious.

Lowering his fist, Uchiha Yuan walked up to Uchiha Eiji and said, "You lost."

Uchiha Eiji fell silent, his gaze somewhat dazed.

Just then, his two companions hurried over. One of them shouted at Uchiha Yuan, "Uchiha Yuan, don't get cocky! Eiji only lost because he let his guard down."

Over his companion's protests, Uchiha Eiji said, "Hayabusa, Kotaro, don't say any more. I lost."

The Uchiha Clan might be proud, but they respected strength. Once the winner and loser had been decided, they wouldn't make excuses or deny the result.

He lifted his head slightly and looked at Uchiha Yuan. Light flickered in his eyes as a black Tomoe appeared and spun within his iris.

His Sharingan had awakened.

Uchiha Hayabusa and Uchiha Kotaro saw the change in Uchiha Eiji's eyes and were both astonished and delighted.

"That's amazing, Eiji! You awakened your Sharingan!"

Touching his eyes, Uchiha Eiji was also overwhelmed with surprise and delight. He could clearly feel that his vision had grown sharper and reached farther.

In the grass some distance away, a swarm of insects fluttered about. When he looked over, he could clearly see their flight paths, as if they were moving in slow motion.

After his initial excitement, Uchiha Eiji noticed that Uchiha Yuan's expression seemed a little strange.

There was a hint of surprise, but no envy or jealousy. His expression was perfectly calm, as if awakening the Sharingan were nothing out of the ordinary.

By contrast, Uchiha Daishi and the others, who had gathered after hearing Uchiha Hayabusa shout, all looked at the Sharingan in his eyes with envy, longing, and even awe.

Uchiha Yuan really was a little surprised. He hadn't expected Uchiha Eiji to awaken his Sharingan so suddenly.

Just then, Uchiha Eiji said, "Uchiha Yuan, I lost. As we agreed, you can ask me for one thing."

Uchiha Yuan said, "Your family should have books about Chakra training, right? I'd like to borrow one for reference."

"Borrow a book?"

Uchiha Eiji was stunned by Uchiha Yuan's request.

He'd thought Uchiha Yuan would ask for something outrageous, and he'd been trying to figure out how to deal with it.

After all, he'd said that if he won, he'd make Uchiha Yuan get down on the ground and bark like a dog.

Seeing Uchiha Eiji hesitate, Uchiha Yuan frowned slightly and asked, "Is that difficult to do?"

Uchiha Eiji's expression was complicated as he replied, "No, your request is simple. I was just a little surprised."

After that, Uchiha Eiji and his two companions left the clearing.

Uchiha Yuan sat cross-legged on a boulder beside the clearing. In front of him, Uchiha Daishi and the others stood ramrod straight in three rows.

They were Uchiha Yuan's personal guard, his loyal followers.

Uchiha Daishi and the others all came from branch families. The clan had judged them to have little talent as ninjas, which was why Uchiha Eiji had called them useless. As a result, they were often bullied and taunted by the other children in the clan.

Uchiha Yuan, who also came from a branch family, had noticed them. One day, after they'd fought a group of children from the clan and lost, they were standing around covered in dust when Uchiha Yuan appeared before them in a flash and asked if they wanted to become stronger.

At the time, Uchiha Daishi and the others had just lost a fight, so they took Uchiha Yuan's words as mockery.

Uchiha Yuan looked even thinner and weaker than they did, so they all shouted angrily and charged at him.

Then Uchiha Yuan knocked every one of them down with a single punch, all within seconds.

From then on, they became Uchiha Yuan's followers.

Uchiha Yuan knew very well that changing the fate of the Uchiha Clan would take more than personal strength. He would also need a powerful following.

A single spark could start a prairie fire.

He would build a power of his own.

And it would all begin with these children the clan had deemed useless.

He would bring them hope and give them strength.

He would be the leader they pledged their loyalty to.

"What was the deal with Uchiha Eiji?" Uchiha Yuan asked.

Uchiha Daishi quickly replied, "Big brother, Uchiha Eiji was the one who used to bully us.

"We've been training here these past few days, practicing the Straight Punch Thrust you taught us. He must've heard we were here, so he came looking for us."

Uchiha Yuan slowly looked over the faces of Uchiha Daishi and the others standing beside him and asked, "How many moves did it take him to beat you?"

"I lasted seven moves."

"I didn't know he'd mastered the Body Flicker Technique. I only lasted five moves."

"But after training with the method you taught us, big brother, I noticed that Uchiha Eiji's punches didn't hurt as much as they used to today."

Listening to Uchiha Daishi and the others, Uchiha Yuan said, "The clan may think you have no talent as ninjas, but don't give up. You can still become strong by training in Taijutsu.

"As long as you train seriously and keep at it every day, the day you defeat Uchiha Eiji won't be far off."

The Taijutsu Uchiha Yuan had taught them was a training method and a way to channel force that he'd come to understand while practicing his punches each day. By focusing inward with his spiritual power, he observed the flow of blood and Qi through his body and how his muscles exerted force.

After that, Uchiha Daishi and the others resumed the training Uchiha Eiji had interrupted.

Uchiha Yuan watched from the side. After giving them a few pointers on their movements and breathing, he left.