Uchiha Fugaku

"Three-Tomoe Sharingan?" Yusuke looked at his opponent's delighted expression, slightly surprised.

In the Uchiha Clan, a ninja's strength was usually measured by the power of their Sharingan.

When a member of the Uchiha Clan awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, they could generally become an Uchiha jonin.

You haven't even awakened the Sharingan? Then let me show you the power of Sharingan Genjutsu! the Uchiha thought. At the same time, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan began to spin as he cast a genjutsu on Yusuke.

But before the Uchiha could even celebrate, he saw flames flicker in Yusuke's eyes as Yusuke stared right back at him. He immediately felt as though his eyes were being scorched by fire.

"Ah! My eyes!" the Uchiha screamed, clutching both eyes in agony. A little blood seeped through the gaps between his fingers.

"Eizo, are you all right?" The Uchiha who had been the only one not to attack Yusuke, and the first to speak up for him, hurried over to support Eizo.

"I don't know. It just feels like my eyes are on fire. It hurts too much to open them. Am I going to go blind?" Uchiha Eizo said, his voice trembling.

The two Uchiha who had been knocked away by Yusuke at the start also gathered around, standing beside Eizo and glaring furiously at Yusuke.

But after their brief exchange with Yusuke, they had realized the gap in their strength. They didn't dare attack him again.

"Uchiha Yusuke, how could you be so vicious to one of your own clan? I'll report this to the clan head as soon as we get back and have him see that justice is done!" Uchiha Tatsuya, the first to attack, shouted angrily.

Yusuke sneered. "He was reckless enough to use genjutsu on me, which triggered my genjutsu countermeasure. Besides, I have no interest in wasting any more time here with you. If you want to teach someone a lesson, you should first consider whether you're strong enough."

With that, Yusuke walked past them and left the teahouse. Intimidated by his strength, they didn't dare pursue him.

"Yusuke, wait!" The Uchiha who hadn't attacked him hurried out of the teahouse.

Yusuke turned and looked straight at him. He didn't dislike the man, but if he was here to cause trouble, Yusuke wouldn't go easy on him.

"I'm Uchiha Soichiro. They were just acting rashly. Please don't take it to heart. I apologize on their behalf." Uchiha Soichiro bowed to Yusuke.

"It's fine. I'm not going to hold a grudge over something like this. If there's nothing else, I'll be going." Seeing how courteous the other man was, Yusuke's tone softened a little.

"But Eizo's eyes will be all right, won't they?" Uchiha Soichiro asked, looking worried.

"I stopped the flow of my Chakra in time. As long as he goes back and rests, his eyes should be fine. You'd better take him back to the clan for treatment." With that, Yusuke turned and left.

"Thank you very much!" Uchiha Soichiro called out happily after him. Yusuke waved without turning around, indicating that it was no trouble.

Back in the teahouse, Kakashi still couldn't calm down.

Judging by the strength Yusuke had shown, he seemed to surpass Kakashi in every respect: speed, power, and even resistance to genjutsu. They were both well-rounded ninjas, but Yusuke seemed like an upgraded version of him.

"Kakashi, doesn't he seem a little stronger than you?" Asuma said, his eyes full of surprise. Kurenai beside him nodded unconsciously.

To Asuma and Kurenai, Kakashi was unquestionably a prodigy among their peers. He excelled in every area, and the Yellow Flash, Namikaze Minato, had even chosen him as his student.

They had always assumed that Kakashi was the strongest of their generation, and that even Yusuke, who had become a jonin at the same time as Kakashi, would be a little weaker.

But Yusuke's display of strength had shattered their assumptions, leaving them struggling to adjust.

"Didn't I just say that? Maybe he is a little stronger," Kakashi replied in his usual listless voice.

Kakashi seemed unconcerned with Yusuke's strength, acting indifferent even in front of Asuma and Kurenai. But in truth, Yusuke's formidable strength had sounded an alarm for the proud Kakashi and rekindled a fighting spirit that had long since faded.

Is Uchiha Yusuke just that strong, or have I grown complacent? Am I really weaker than him? Kakashi couldn't help asking himself.

Yusuke, who had gone straight home after his mood was spoiled, had no idea that his casual display of strength had awakened Kakashi's long-dormant resolve.

The Uchiha Clan Compound, at the residence of the clan head, Uchiha Fugaku.

"Clan head, everything we said is true. Uchiha Yusuke was completely out of line. He said he had something urgent to do and wouldn't attend the clan meeting, but he was actually sitting in a teahouse out in the open, drinking tea," Uchiha Tatsuya said to a middle-aged man in a kimono, his voice full of indignation.

Another Uchiha standing nearby chimed in. "Exactly. Even worse, he used some strange ninjutsu to burn Eizo's eyes. He nearly blinded him. That was downright vicious."

The middle-aged man sat upright with his eyes closed and a stern expression, listening to the two pour out their grievances.

He was none other than Uchiha Fugaku, the current head of the Uchiha Clan.

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

Uchiha Soichiro gave a wry smile. "I'm not sure what to say. Yusuke does often make excuses to skip clan meetings. But I could tell during the fight today that he held back. Otherwise, the consequences would have been much worse."

"Soichiro, why are you sticking up for that guy?" Uchiha Tatsuya said in displeasure.

"That's enough. You two can go. Soichiro, stay here. I have something to discuss with you." Uchiha Fugaku dismissed Uchiha Tatsuya and the other man, keeping Uchiha Soichiro behind.

After the two Uchiha left the residence, Uchiha Fugaku slowly walked out onto the veranda. He looked up at the bright moon hanging high 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?" Uchiha Fugaku asked.

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

After a brief pause, Uchiha Soichiro continued, "But one thing I'm absolutely sure of is that he's strong. His nickname is 'Flame Tachi,' after all, yet he didn't even draw his sword when he fought Tatsuya and the others. It's a pity he seems to have no sense of belonging to the clan. Apart from his own family, I haven't seen him form close ties with anyone else in the clan."

After listening to Uchiha Soichiro's assessment of Yusuke, Uchiha Fugaku nodded. "You're right. It seems it's time I had a talk with this genius of the clan."

Uchiha Fugaku turned to Uchiha Soichiro. "Arrange a meeting with him for tomorrow. I want to see him. If there's nothing else, you should get some rest too."

Uchiha Soichiro replied respectfully, "Understood. I'll arrange it and get back to you."

After Uchiha Soichiro left, Uchiha Fugaku remained alone on the veranda, gazing quietly at the night sky as he fell into thought.

"Why are you standing out here by yourself, lost in thought? Are you still worried about the clan?" A gentle woman's voice sounded behind Uchiha Fugaku. It was his wife, Uchiha Mikoto, the mother of Sasuke and Itachi.

Uchiha Mikoto's long black hair fell over her shoulders, framing her delicate features. Itachi and Sasuke had inherited much of their appearance from her.

Her belly was slightly rounded, clearly showing that she was several months pregnant.

"It's nothing. Just a minor matter. Don't worry about it. Just focus on taking care of yourself and the baby." Uchiha Fugaku's usually stern face finally broke into a smile as he gently put an arm around Uchiha Mikoto.

"Don't worry so much about the clan, either. By the way, have you thought of a name for the baby?" Uchiha Mikoto asked, resting her head on Uchiha Fugaku's shoulder.

"Of course. If it's a boy, there's a name I really like," Uchiha Fugaku said with a smile.

Uchiha Mikoto looked curious. "What name?"

Uchiha Fugaku spoke slowly. "I can't tell you just yet. Before I use it, I'll have to get permission from an important person."

The next morning, after finishing his training, Yusuke went home to get ready, then set out to visit a place he had planned to go. After that, he still had to head to the Hokage Office to receive a mission from the Hokage.

Yusuke had just stepped outside when he ran into Uchiha Soichiro coming toward him.

"Yusuke, are you heading out? Good thing I left early, or I would've missed you," Uchiha Soichiro said with a smile as he came over.

"Yes. Lord Hokage asked me to go see him today. He probably has a mission for me. What brings you here?" Yusuke asked, surprised to see Uchiha Soichiro arrive uninvited.

"The clan head would like to meet and talk with you, so he asked me to arrange a time. When would be convenient for you?" Uchiha Soichiro asked.

After hearing him out, Yusuke thought for a moment, then said apologetically, "Sorry, I can't say for sure yet. I'm about to visit a friend, and then I have to head to the Hokage Office. Lord Hokage told me to go there around noon. He probably has a mission for me. I don't know exactly how long it'll take."

"All right, I understand. What unfortunate timing. I'll explain it to the clan head when I get back," Uchiha Soichiro said with a nod. "I hope your mission goes well."

"Thanks. Please explain things to the clan head for me. After this mission, I'll go visit him myself," Yusuke replied.

After parting ways with Uchiha Soichiro, Yusuke hurried to a remote area on the southern edge of Konoha. There was a small, sparsely equipped orphanage there, the place he had planned to visit.