Uchiha Fugaku

"Three-tomoe Sharingan?" Yusuke looked at his opponent, who was wearing a smug expression, with slight surprise.

In the Uchiha clan, the power of the Sharingan is typically used to measure a ninja's strength.

When an Uchiha clan member achieves the three-tomoe Sharingan, they are generally qualified to become a jonin of the Uchiha clan.

Let me show you the power of Sharingan genjutsu, you guy who hasn't even awakened your Sharingan yet! the Uchiha clan member thought to himself. At the same time, his two three-tomoe Sharingan began to spin, launching a genjutsu at Yusuke.

However, before the Uchiha clan member could even revel in his triumph, he saw flames flickering in the eyes of Yusuke, who was staring right back at him. He immediately felt as if his own eyes were being scorched by a raging fire.

"Ah! My eyes!" The Uchiha clan member screamed, clutching his face in agony. A small amount of blood began to seep through the gaps between his fingers.

"Eizo, are you alright?" The only Uchiha clan member who hadn't attacked Yusuke—the one who had spoken up for him at the start—immediately stepped forward to support him.

"I don't know, it just feels like my eyes are being burned by fire; it hurts so much I can't open them. Am I going blind?" Uchiha Eizo said, his voice trembling.

By this time, the two Uchiha clan members whom Yusuke had knocked away earlier had also gathered around, standing beside Uchiha Eizo and glaring at Yusuke.

However, after their brief exchange, both men realized the gap in strength between them and Yusuke, so they didn't dare to step forward and attack again.

"Uchiha Yusuke, to think you would lay such a vicious hand on your own kin! When we return, I will definitely report this to the clan head and have him see justice served," Uchiha Tatsuya, who had attacked first, said angrily.

Yusuke sneered, "He was the one who didn't know his limits and cast a genjutsu on me, triggering my genjutsu counter-mechanism. Besides, I have no interest in wasting any more time with you people here. If you want to teach others a lesson, you should weigh your own strength first."

With that, Yusuke walked past them and exited the teahouse. Intimidated by his strength, none of them dared to pursue him further.

"Yusuke-kun, please wait." At that moment, the Uchiha clan member who hadn't attacked Yusuke chased him out of the teahouse.

Yusuke turned and looked directly at him. He held no ill will toward this man, but if he intended to cause more trouble, Yusuke wouldn't be polite.

"I am Uchiha Soichiro. They were just being impulsive earlier; please don't take it to heart. I apologize to you on their behalf." After saying this to Yusuke, Uchiha Soichiro bowed.

"It's nothing. I won't nitpick over such matters. If there's nothing else, I'll be going." Seeing the other party's polite demeanor, Yusuke's tone softened slightly.

"It's just... will Eizo's eyes be alright?" Uchiha Soichiro asked, looking worried.

"I retracted my chakra in time. As long as he goes back and recovers properly, his eyes won't suffer any lasting damage. You should hurry and take him back to the clan for treatment." After saying this, Yusuke turned and left.

"Thank you very much!" Uchiha Soichiro said, relieved, and called out loudly to Yusuke's retreating back. Yusuke simply waved his hand without looking back, signaling it was of no concern.

Back inside the teahouse, Kakashi's heart remained unsettled for a long time.

Judging by the strength Yusuke had displayed, whether it was speed, power, or his defense against genjutsu, he seemed to be a cut above. As a fellow all-around ninja, Yusuke felt like a superior version of himself.

"Kakashi, how come he seems to be stronger than you?" Asuma said to Kakashi, his eyes filled with surprise. Kurenai, standing beside him, nodded subconsciously.

To Asuma and Kurenai, Kakashi was undoubtedly a genius among their peers, with exceptional abilities in every field, and he had even been taken as a disciple by the Yellow Flash, Namikaze Minato.

In their minds, Kakashi was definitely the strongest among their age group; even Yusuke, who had become a jonin at the same time, should have been a step below him.

However, the strength Yusuke actually displayed shattered their conventional understanding, leaving them unable to adapt for the moment.

"I just said it, didn't I? Perhaps he is stronger," Kakashi replied in a listless voice.

Although Kakashi appeared indifferent to Yusuke's strength and acted nonchalant in front of Asuma and Kurenai, in reality, Yusuke's immense power had sounded an alarm for his pride and ignited a long-dormant fighting spirit within him.

Is Uchiha Yusuke just too strong, or have I become complacent? Am I really not as good as him? Kakashi couldn't help but ask himself.

At this moment, Yusuke, who had returned home directly after having his mood spoiled, did not know that his unintentional display of strength had awakened Kakashi's long-dormant drive.

Uchiha clan grounds, the residence of the clan head, Uchiha Fugaku.

"Clan head, we are telling the truth. That Uchiha Yusuke is truly out of line. He claimed he had urgent business and couldn't attend the clan meeting, yet he was actually drinking tea in a teahouse, acting as if he had not a care in the world," Uchiha Tatsuya said to a middle-aged man wearing a kimono, his tone filled with resentment.

Another Uchiha clan member nearby chimed in, "That's right! What's worse is that he used some kind of bizarre ninjutsu to burn Eizo's eyes. He nearly blinded him; it was truly vicious."

The middle-aged man in the kimono sat upright with his eyes closed, listening to their complaints with a stern expression.

This man was the current head of the Uchiha clan—Uchiha Fugaku.

"Soichiro, what do you think?" Uchiha Fugaku slowly opened his eyes and asked Uchiha Soichiro, who had been standing silently to the side.

Uchiha Soichiro gave a bitter smile and said, "It's hard for me to say. Yusuke-kun does often use excuses to skip clan meetings. However, I could tell that he held back during today's confrontation; otherwise, the consequences would likely have been much more severe."

"Soichiro, why are you speaking up for that guy?" Uchiha Tatsuya said, dissatisfied.

"That's enough. You two may leave. Soichiro, stay behind; I have something to discuss with you." After dismissing Uchiha Tatsuya and the other man, Uchiha Fugaku kept Uchiha Soichiro behind.

Once Uchiha Tatsuya and his companion had left the residence, Uchiha Fugaku walked slowly to the veranda outside, looking up at the bright moon hanging in the night sky, his hands tucked into the wide sleeves of his kimono.

Uchiha Soichiro followed him outside and stood respectfully behind him.

"What do you think of Uchiha Yusuke as a person?" Uchiha Fugaku asked.

Uchiha Soichiro shook his head and said, "I don't know him well, but he doesn't seem interested in power struggles."

After a pause, Uchiha Soichiro continued, "However, there is one thing I am very certain of: his strength is immense! You know his nickname is 'Flame Tachi', yet when he fought Tatsuya and the others, he didn't even draw his blade. The pity is that he seems to have no sense of belonging to the clan. Aside from his own family, I haven't seen him have any close interactions with anyone else in the clan."

Hearing Uchiha Soichiro's assessment of Yusuke, Uchiha Fugaku nodded and said, "You're right. It seems it is time for me to have a talk with this genius of our clan."

Uchiha Fugaku turned to look at Uchiha Soichiro and said, "Help me arrange it for tomorrow; I want to see him. If there is nothing else, you should head back and get some rest."

Uchiha Soichiro said respectfully, "Understood. I will inform you once I have made the arrangements."

After Uchiha Soichiro left, Uchiha Fugaku remained standing alone on the veranda, quietly watching the night sky, lost in thought.

"Why are you standing in the courtyard alone, lost in thought? Are you still worried about clan matters?" A gentle female voice sounded from behind Uchiha Fugaku. The person who had arrived was Uchiha Fugaku's wife, the mother of Sasuke and Itachi—Uchiha Mikoto.

Uchiha Mikoto had long black hair draped over her shoulders and a beautiful face; both Itachi and Sasuke had inherited most of their features from her.

At this moment, her lower abdomen was slightly rounded, clearly showing she was several months pregnant.

"It's nothing, just trivial matters. You don't need to overthink it; just focus on resting and taking care of the baby," Uchiha Fugaku said, a smile finally appearing on his usually stern face as he reached out to gently embrace Uchiha Mikoto beside him.

"You shouldn't worry too much about the clan, either. By the way, have you thought of a name for this child?" Uchiha Mikoto asked, resting her head on Uchiha Fugaku's shoulder.

"Of course I have. If it's a boy, I have a name I'm quite fond of," Uchiha Fugaku said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Mikoto looked curious: "What name?"

Uchiha Fugaku said slowly: "I can't say it just yet. Before I can use this name, I must first obtain permission from a certain person."

The next morning, Yusuke finished his morning training, went home to tidy up, and prepared to head to a place he had planned to visit. Afterward, he had to go to the Hokage Building to receive a mission assigned by the Hokage.

Just as Yusuke stepped out the door, he ran into Uchiha Soichiro, who was walking toward him.

"Yusuke-kun, are you heading out? It's a good thing I left early, otherwise I would have missed you," Uchiha Soichiro said, walking up to Yusuke with a smile.

"Yes, Lord Hokage asked me to come by today; there should be a mission for me. Is there something you needed to see me about?" Seeing the uninvited Uchiha Soichiro, Yusuke felt a bit puzzled.

"The clan leader wishes to meet and speak with you, so he asked me to arrange a time. I wonder when you might be available?" Uchiha Soichiro said.

Hearing Uchiha Soichiro's words, Yusuke pondered for a moment and said with a troubled expression: "I apologize, but I can't confirm a time just yet. I am about to visit a friend, and after that, I must rush to the Hokage Building. Lord Hokage ordered me to be there by noon, as there is likely a mission to be assigned. I'm not sure about the specific schedule for the mission right now."

"I see, I understand. It's quite unfortunate. I will explain the situation to the clan leader when I return," Uchiha Soichiro nodded and continued: "I wish you success on your mission, Yusuke-kun."

"Thank you. I'll leave it to you to explain things to the clan leader. Once this mission is over, I will go to visit him myself," Yusuke said.

After parting ways with Uchiha Soichiro, Yusuke immediately headed toward the southern outskirts of Konoha, where a simple, dilapidated orphanage was located—the destination Yusuke had planned to visit.