No sooner had he finished speaking than three shuriken flew straight at Gentō's face.
The three Root ninja worked in perfect unison, opening with lethal attacks that left Gentō no chance.
Even as they threw their shuriken, one began forming hand seals, another moved to flank him, and the third pressed forward head-on.
Their movements were swift and coordinated. They were clearly teammates who fought together often.
But Gentō was faster.
The instant they attacked, his eyes had already changed.
The three tomoe spun, merged, and transformed into an intricate pattern.
Mangekyō Sharingan, activate!
"Susanoo!"
Yellow chakra surged out, forming a massive skeletal arm in the blink of an eye and barring the way in front of Gentō.
Clang, clang, clang!
The shuriken struck the bones and all bounced away.
The expressions on the three ninja's faces froze.
"Wh-what the hell is that thing?!"
Before they could react, the Susanoo arm swept toward them.
Three dull thuds sounded almost simultaneously.
The three were swatted to the ground like flies, kicking up a cloud of dust.
One lay on the ground, gritting his teeth, his eyes fierce:
"You... you dare attack us from Root?!"
"Lord Danzo won't let you get away with this!"
"Just you wait! You'll pay for this!"
Gentō lowered his gaze to the fool who still had no idea how much danger he was in.
"Shut up!"
The yellow arm rose again.
This time, it aimed for their thighs.
Crack.
Crack.
Crack.
Three sharp sounds of breaking bones rang out.
"Aaaaaaah!!!"
Their screams, like pigs being slaughtered, echoed throughout the Uchiha Compound.
Both legs of all three Root ninja bent at grotesque angles, splinters of bone jutting through their flesh as blood smeared the ground.
They rolled on the ground, their screams growing louder and louder. Then their voices gradually faded, their eyes rolled back, and they passed out.
Gentō dismissed Susanoo and dusted off his hands, though there was no dust on them.
"Take them away and lock them up."
He glanced back at Inabi and Tekka:
"Also, notify the entire clan. We're holding a clan meeting tomorrow. Everyone must attend."
With that, he left without looking back.
Inabi and Tekka stood there, stunned for two seconds.
Then the brothers exchanged a look, unable to contain their excitement.
"Damn, Gentō is incredible!"
"Come on, hurry! Drag these useless bastards away!"
The two dragged the three Root ninja, whose legs had been reduced to mangled pulp, toward the prison.
The next day.
Two new buildings in the Uchiha Compound were officially completed.
A crowd of clan members gathered around, all craning their necks to peer inside.
The first was the Apartment Building, located at the very center of the compound, surrounded by the Uchiha residential area.
It was a five-story building with shared corridors, grayish-white walls, a dark gray tiled roof, and a neat row of windows on every floor.
Envy showed in someone's eyes:
"What an impressive building... if only I could live there."
Someone beside them immediately dampened their enthusiasm:
"What are you dreaming about? Haven't you seen the materials? It must cost a fortune. Could you afford it?"
"True enough..."
Everyone talked over one another, some sighing, others shaking their heads.
But the other building, beside the Naka Shrine, silenced them all.
It was the clan's ancestral shrine.
The shrine stood on an open plot of land enclosed by a low wall.
Its entrance was a large black-lacquered gate, with a plaque above it bearing the words "Uchiha Ancestral Shrine" in bold, powerful strokes.
Beyond the gate lay a bluestone-paved path, lined on both sides with pines and cypresses. Though newly planted, they already lent the place a solemn air.
At the end of the path stood the shrine's main hall.
The main hall was built in a traditional style, with sweeping eaves, interlocking brackets, black tiles, and white walls.
A row of lanterns hung beneath the eaves, each painted with the Uchiha Clan's fan crest.
The hall doors stood open, revealing the memorial tablets enshrined within.
The clan members filed inside.
The hall was brightly lit.
A row of portraits hung on the wall at the front. Beginning with Uchiha Tajima, the features of every successive clan head had been carefully rendered and displayed there, looking down upon their descendants.
Below the portraits stood rows of memorial tablets.
The tablets of past clan heads occupied the front row, followed by those of ancestors who had made great contributions to the clan.
Golden lettering carved into the sandalwood tablets gleamed in the light.
The scent of sandalwood incense filled the air, solemn and dignified.
"This... this is magnificent..."
Someone murmured softly.
"Clan Head Gentō is truly remarkable!"
"We Uchiha finally have an ancestral shrine of our own..."
Some people's eyes reddened.
The Three Elders stood at the front, gazing at the portraits on the wall in prolonged silence.
Before long, all the Uchiha clan members had arrived.
Gentō stepped to the front.
"The first item on today's agenda is to pay respects to our ancestors."
Elder Chie slowly stepped forward.
She approached the incense altar, lit three sticks of incense, raised them above her head with both hands, and bowed deeply toward the portraits on the wall.
"To the ancestors of the Uchiha through the ages..."
Her voice was solemn:
"Today, our clan gathers in this ancestral shrine to honor the spirits of our forebears. May our ancestors bless our clan with flourishing descendants and an unbroken bloodline..."
She placed the incense in the incense burner, pressed her palms together, and closed her eyes in silent prayer.
The hall fell completely silent. Everyone lowered their heads, joining her in silent remembrance.
After a moment, Elder Chie slowly opened her eyes, turned around, and gave everyone a slight nod.
The ceremony was complete.
Just then, a sudden commotion broke out in the crowd.
Gentō turned to look and saw that something had happened where Mikoto stood.
Panic filled Mikoto's face as she held Itachi in her arms:
"Itachi! What's wrong? Wake up!"
Fugaku frowned deeply and strode over:
"What happened?"
Mikoto was so anxious that her eyes had reddened:
"I don't know... just after the elder finished the prayer, Itachi... he suddenly closed his eyes, and he won't wake up no matter how much I call him..."
Fugaku reached out to check his son's breathing, but before his hand got there, Itachi's eyes suddenly opened.
They were red.
Two black tomoe slowly rotated within his pupils, gradually taking shape.
After paying respects to his ancestors, seven-year-old Uchiha Itachi had actually awakened his Sharingan.
And he had started with two tomoe!
Mikoto froze.
Then tears spilled from her eyes.
She hugged Itachi tightly, murmuring, "As long as you're all right," as tears streamed endlessly down her cheeks.
Standing beside her, Fugaku's tense expression also relaxed.
He looked down at his son, his eyes filled with pride and relief.
Gentō seized the moment and raised his voice:
"Everyone, stay calm!"
Everyone turned to him.
"Paying respects to our ancestors in the clan's ancestral shrine can increase the chance of awakening the Sharingan. This is the shrine's blessing."
No sooner had he finished speaking than several more disturbances broke out in the crowd.
"My... my eyes!"
"Mine too! They hurt!"
Gentō looked over and saw several clan members clutching their eyes, their faces filled with both surprise and delight.
There were some young people, but most were adults who had been ninja for years.
They had long since accumulated enough chakra and dojutsu, needing only that final push.
Now, with the shrine's blessing, that door had finally opened.
One pair of red eyes after another opened.
Although most had only one tomoe, the moment that single black tomoe slowly began spinning in their pupils, every face brimmed with irrepressible joy.
Even one tomoe was still a Sharingan.
With it, they could read their opponents' movements in battle, cast basic genjutsu, and advance from genin to chunin.
That was how powerful the Sharingan was!
The commotion gradually subsided.
Shisui approached Gentō and reported quietly:
"Clan Head, the count is complete. Fifty-three people awakened their eyes this time."
Gentō nodded.
Fifty-three people.
In other words, the Uchiha had gained fifty-three more fighters at the chunin level.
The way everyone looked at Gentō changed completely.
Someone called out first:
"Gentō!"
Soon, their voices joined into a chorus:
"Gentō! Gentō! Gentō!"
Gentō raised a hand and pressed it downward, signaling for everyone to quiet down.
"The second item concerns the Apartment Building in the center of the compound."
Everyone's eyes instantly lit up.
Some had already guessed what was coming, but still could not quite believe it.
Before you continue