Public Handling

"Commander!" a member of the Senju clan shouted in a hurry, then knelt on the ground. Uchiha Ko, who had been deep in thought, raised his head at the cry and looked toward the newcomer.

"Long Er, what is it? What has you in such a panic?" Uchiha Ko rose with a faint smile and stepped forward.

"Reporting to the Commander, we have captured two of Jiraiya's subordinates. They attempted to break into a private residence and were knocked unconscious and apprehended by Long Yi, who was on patrol." Long Er spoke rapidly, but every piece of vital information reached Uchiha Ko's ears clearly.

"Oh? Where are they? Take me to see them." Uchiha Ko smiled with his hands behind his back, his eyes glinting with amusement, and Long Er hurried to lead the way.

Tsunade had also heard Long Er's report. She stood up and followed behind the two, curious to see how Uchiha Ko would handle the situation.

Before long, the three arrived at the location where Long Yi was stationed. Seeing Uchiha Ko and his party, Long Yi suddenly said, "Lady Tsunade, Commander Ko... Lord Ko, you've arrived."

Tsunade and Uchiha Ko exchanged a glance. Uchiha Ko stepped back, positioning himself a pace behind Tsunade. Tsunade understood his intent and commanded, "Splash them awake!"

The subordinates chuckled. If the Land of Rain had nothing else, it had plenty of rain. They grabbed a wooden bucket from the roadside, filled to the brim with freshly collected rainwater.

They splashed the water onto the two unconscious men. The two Uchiha ninja jolted awake, and just as they were about to start cursing, they saw the blonde-haired Tsunade.

The two immediately began to beg for mercy. "Lady Tsunade, we truly didn't know what we did wrong! This is the Land of Rain, not the Land of Fire—why can't we 'borrow' some food?" the two-tomoe Uchiha wailed.

Tsunade's gaze turned icy. "Is this how Jiraiya taught you? Men, slap their faces thirty times each!"

"Yes!" Long Yi and Long Er's eyes flashed with excitement. These were Uchiha! Aside from Ko, every Uchiha deserved a beating!

And so, in front of all the troops and the local civilians watching from the shadows, the two were publicly punished. The immense humiliation caused the Sharingan of both men to shift.

The two-tomoe eyes evolved into three-tomoe, while the one-tomoe eye evolved into a one-and-a-half-tomoe state.

Seeing that the time was right, Uchiha Ko gave Tsunade a look. She understood and gestured for him to step forward while she watched.

"Oi, Yamazaki, Ryūichi, do you still recognize me?" Uchiha Ko smiled. These two, Uchiha Yamazaki and Uchiha Ryūichi, were minor geniuses in the clan and the two who had bullied Uchiha Ko the most viciously.

"It's you, you base-born trash! I was wondering why the Senju troops would attack us without a word—it must have been something you said. Just you wait; when we return to the village, I'll have the Great Elder enforce clan law and properly punish you, you disgrace to the Uchiha!" Uchiha Yamazaki boasted arrogantly.

Uchiha Ryūichi remained silent. He looked at Tsunade, then back at Uchiha Ko, his brow furrowing. It seemed this guy...

Before Uchiha Yamazaki could say anything more, Uchiha Ko's expression turned cold. He signaled for the others to step aside, then raised his right foot and slammed it down, driving Uchiha Yamazaki's head into the ground.

CRACK. The ground instantly collapsed under the immense force, burying Uchiha Yamazaki's head deep into the soil.

Uchiha Ryūichi's face turned pale. He looked at Uchiha Ko, only to find that Ko's expression hadn't changed; in fact, the corners of his mouth were curled upward as he looked down at Uchiha Yamazaki like an ant.

After the stomp, Uchiha Ko crouched down, grabbed Yamazaki by the collar, and hauled him up, brushing the dirt off his clothes. "What was that you said? I didn't quite catch it. Say it again." He wore a smile.

Uchiha Ko had held back his strength; otherwise, even as a Jonin, Uchiha Yamazaki would not have survived that kick!

Uchiha Yamazaki was no longer arrogant. Looking at Uchiha Ko's calm, placid smile, tears began to stream down his face involuntarily. How could this guy be so brutal? They were of the same clan! They both bore the Uchiha name!

Uchiha Ko seemed to guess his thoughts. "Heh, are you wondering why I'm being so cruel to you when we're both clansmen?"

Uchiha Ko turned his head toward Uchiha Ryūichi. "You tell him why." With that, he tossed Uchiha Yamazaki in front of Ryūichi like a piece of trash.

Uchiha Ryūichi gasped. "Yamazaki, have you forgotten how you used to bully Uchiha Ko? Everyone else only joined in the insults because they were intimidated by your talent and your father, the Great Elder."

Uchiha Yamazaki was furious. What was Uchiha Ryūichi playing at? Trying to distance himself? He hadn't even known Uchiha Ko back then; it was Ryūichi and the others who told him there was a piece of trash who wouldn't fight back, which was how he became one of Ko's tormentors.

Uchiha Ko laughed, a strange, eerie sound. "Uchiha Ryūichi, if I didn't know exactly what kind of person you were, I might have almost believed you."

"Today, you broke into a private residence, and our troops apprehended you. Even if you took this to the Hokage, you would have no leg to stand on. Are you ninja or bandits? Furthermore, this is a battlefield, not the Uchiha compound. Keep your mouths shut! Otherwise, I can't guarantee that the Rain ninja won't ambush you and leave you dead in their hands!" Uchiha Ko smiled.

Uchiha Ryūichi's face went white. He scanned his surroundings and noticed the Senju troops looking on with excitement, clearly interested in Uchiha Ko's words. He was shocked—how had Uchiha Ko become so close with this group of Senju?

Was it just because he was a confidant of Lady Tsunade? No, that wasn't it! Uchiha Ryūichi observed the Senju ninja. Though not all of them were present, he noticed that almost none of the Senju troops were injured, and their morale was far better than his own unit's.

Was it Tsunade's leadership? No, that couldn't be right. Among Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, only Orochimaru's tactical brilliance could achieve such a feat. Tsunade couldn't possibly manage it.

Unless... His eyes flicked up and met Uchiha Ko's gaze. Uchiha Ko's eyes were currently blood-red, with two tomoe spinning in each.

Uchiha Ryūichi's pupils constricted. A two-tomoe Sharingan! Uchiha Ko had actually awakened a two-tomoe Sharingan! A pressure stemming from their bloodline washed over him, making it difficult for him to breathe.

In truth, the moment he had stomped Uchiha Yamazaki into the dirt, the lingering obsession of the original Uchiha Ko had begun to fade, and his Sharingan had evolved alongside it. Even Uchiha Ko himself hadn't realized it yet.

Tsunade was slightly stunned, then said, "Ko, your eyes..."

Only then did Uchiha Ko snap out of the thrill of his revenge. He instantly felt a searing, burning pain in his eyes. He stifled a gasp and held his breath.

"Uchiha Ryūichi, you're a smart man. I don't know what you've guessed, but if you dare to speak a word of it, you'd better pray your family never leaves the village." A threat—a naked, blatant threat. Uchiha Ryūichi broke into a cold sweat and hurriedly said, "Lord Ko, I will never speak a word of this," before kowtowing several times.

Uchiha Ko let out a cold snort and, supported by Tsunade, walked away from the scene.

A complex look flickered in Uchiha Ryūichi's eyes. This guy's talent...