Public Punishment

"Commander!" one of the Senju called out urgently, then dropped to his knees. Uchiha Kō, who had been deep in thought, raised his head at the shout and looked toward the newcomer.

"Long Er, what's going on? What's got you so flustered?" Uchiha Kō rose with a faint smile and stepped forward.

"Reporting to you, Commander: we caught two members of Jiraiya's unit trying to break into a civilian's home. Long Yi was on patrol and knocked them out before capturing them." Long Er spoke quickly, but every important detail reached Uchiha Kō's ears.

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

Tsunade had heard Long Er's report too. She stood and followed the two men, wanting to see how Uchiha Kō would handle the situation.

Before long, the three of them arrived where Long Yi was stationed. When Long Yi saw Uchiha Kō and the others, he blurted out, "Lady Tsunade, Kō—Commander Kō, you're here."

Tsunade and Uchiha Kō exchanged a glance. Uchiha Kō stepped back to stand behind her, and Tsunade understood what he meant. "Wake them up with a splash!"

One of her subordinates grinned. If there was one thing the Land of Rain had plenty of, it was rainwater. He picked up a wooden bucket by the roadside, filled with freshly collected rainwater.

He threw the water over the two unconscious men, and the two Uchiha shinobi woke up. They were about to start cursing when they spotted Tsunade's golden hair.

The two immediately begged for mercy. "Lady Tsunade, we honestly don't know what we did wrong! This is the Land of Rain, not the Land of Fire. Why can't we 'borrow' a little food?" one of the Two-Tomoe Uchiha wailed.

Tsunade's gaze turned cold. "Is this what Jiraiya taught you? Someone give each of them thirty slaps!"

"Yes!" Long Yi and Long Er's eyes flashed with excitement. They were Uchiha, after all! Every Uchiha except Kō deserved a beating!

So, in front of all the unit's shinobi and the civilians who were peeking out, they publicly punished the two men. The immense humiliation caused their Sharingan to change.

The Two-Tomoe Sharingan became a Three-Tomoe Sharingan, while the One-Tomoe Sharingan evolved into a One-and-a-Half-Tomoe Sharingan.

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

"Oi, Yamazaki, Ryūichi, do you still recognize me?" Uchiha Kō smiled. One of them was Uchiha Yamazaki, the other Uchiha Ryūichi. Both were well-known prodigies in the clan—and the two who had bullied Uchiha Kō the worst.

"You filthy wretch! You useless piece of trash! No wonder the Senju unit came after us without a word—it must've been because you told them something! Just you wait. Once we get back to the village, I'll have the Great Elder enforce clan law and punish you properly, you disgrace to the Uchiha!" Uchiha Yamazaki said arrogantly.

Uchiha Ryūichi remained silent. He glanced at Tsunade, then at Uchiha Kō, and furrowed his brow. Something about this guy...

Before Uchiha Yamazaki could say anything else, Uchiha Kō's expression turned cold. He gestured for the others to move aside, then raised his right foot and stomped Uchiha Yamazaki's head into the ground.

Crack! The ground collapsed under the immense force, and Uchiha Yamazaki's head was driven into the dirt with it.

Uchiha Ryūichi's face went pale. He looked at Uchiha Kō, whose expression hadn't changed; the corner of his mouth even lifted slightly as he gazed down at Uchiha Yamazaki like he was an insect.

After stomping him, Uchiha Kō crouched, grabbed Yamazaki by the collar, and hauled him up. He brushed the dirt off his clothes. "What did you say just now? I didn't hear you. Say it again." He wore a smile.

Uchiha Kō had held back just now. Otherwise, even if Uchiha Yamazaki had been a jōnin, he wouldn't have survived that kick!

All arrogance gone, Uchiha Yamazaki stared at Uchiha Kō's calm, placid smile, and tears began to stream down his face. How could this guy be so brutal? They were clanmates, after all. They even shared the Uchiha name!

Uchiha Kō seemed to guess what he was thinking. "Heh. Are you wondering why I'm being so cruel to you when we're from the same clan?"

Uchiha Kō turned his head toward Uchiha Ryūichi. "You tell him why." Then he tossed Uchiha Yamazaki in front of Uchiha Ryūichi like a piece of garbage.

Uchiha Ryūichi sucked in a breath. "Yamazaki, have you forgotten how you used to bully Uchiha Kō? Everyone went along with you and insulted him because of your talent and because your father was the Great Elder."

Uchiha Yamazaki was furious. What was Uchiha Ryūichi trying to pull? He was washing his hands of the whole thing! Back then, he hadn't even known Uchiha Kō. It was Ryūichi and the others who told him there was a useless kid who wouldn't fight back no matter how much they vented on him. That was how he'd ended up bullying Kō.

Uchiha Kō smiled, though there was something eerie about it. "Uchiha Ryūichi, if I didn't know what kind of person you were, I might've believed you."

"Today, you broke into a civilian's home. Our unit caught you, and you'd have no defense even if we brought this before Lord Hokage. Are you shinobi or bandits? Besides, this is a battlefield, not the Uchiha Clan Compound. Watch your mouths! Otherwise, I can't guarantee the Rain shinobi won't ambush you and kill you!" Uchiha Kō said with a smile.

Uchiha Ryūichi's face turned pale. He looked around and saw the Senju shinobi grinning with excitement, clearly interested in what Uchiha Kō had said. He was shocked. How had Uchiha Kō managed to get along so well with all these Senju?

Was it simply because he was Lady Tsunade's confidant? No, that couldn't be it! Uchiha Ryūichi studied the Senju shinobi. Not all of them had come, but nearly every Senju in the unit was uninjured, and their condition was far better than his own group's.

Was it because Lady Tsunade was a good commander? No, that wasn't right either. Of the three—Lady Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Lord Orochimaru—only Lord Orochimaru was fit to serve as the top military strategist. Even he couldn't keep his men completely unharmed; there was no way Tsunade could do it.

Unless... He raised his eyes and met Uchiha Kō's gaze. Uchiha Kō's eyes were bloodred, with two tomoe in each.

Uchiha Ryūichi's pupils contracted. A Two-Tomoe Sharingan! Uchiha Kō had actually awakened the Two-Tomoe Sharingan! The bloodline pressure made it hard for Uchiha Ryūichi to breathe.

In truth, the moment Uchiha Kō had stomped Uchiha Yamazaki into the dirt, the lingering obsession of the original owner of his body had begun to fade. As that obsession disappeared, his Sharingan evolved into the Two-Tomoe Sharingan. Uchiha Kō himself hadn't noticed yet.

Tsunade paused in surprise, then said, "Kō, your eyes..."

Only then did Uchiha Kō come out of the satisfaction he'd felt from getting revenge. A burning pain suddenly flared in his eyes. He gritted his teeth and sucked in a breath.

"Uchiha Ryūichi, you're a clever man. I don't know what you've figured out, but if you dare spread it, you'd better pray your family never leaves the village." It was an outright threat, but Uchiha Ryūichi broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly said, "Kō, I won't tell anyone." He kowtowed several times.

Uchiha Kō gave a cold snort and left with Tsunade supporting him.

A complicated look flashed across Uchiha Ryūichi's eyes. This guy's talent...