The Genius Uchiha Itachi

No sooner had the words fallen than three shuriken flew toward Xuandou's face.

The three Root ninjas moved in perfect coordination, opening with lethal strikes that left Xuandou no room to breathe.

As they threw the shuriken, one began weaving hand seals, another flanked to the side, and the third pressed in from the front.

Their movements were swift and synchronized, clearly the work of teammates accustomed to fighting as one.

However, Xuandou was faster.

The moment they made their move, his eyes shifted.

The Three Tomoe spun, fused, and transformed into a complex pattern.

Mangekyo Sharingan, activate!

"Susanoo!"

Yellow chakra erupted, instantly condensing into a massive skeletal arm that blocked the path before Xuandou.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The shuriken struck the bone and were deflected away.

The expressions on the three ninjas' faces froze.

"What... what is this monster!"

Before they could react, the Susanoo arm swept across.

Three dull thuds rang out almost simultaneously.

The three men were swatted to the ground like flies, kicking up a cloud of dust.

One of them lay on the ground, gritting his teeth with a vicious glare:

"You... you dare lay a hand on Root!"

"Lord Danzo will not let you get away with this!"

"Just wait! You're finished!"

Xuandou lowered his gaze to look at the fool who didn't know when to quit.

"Too noisy!"

The yellow arm rose once more.

This time, it aimed for the trio's thighs.

Crack.

Crack.

Crack.

Three crisp sounds of bone snapping echoed through the air.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH---!!!"

A pig-like shriek tore through the Uchiha Clan Grounds.

The three Root ninjas' legs were bent at grotesque angles, bone shards piercing through skin and muscle, blood pooling on the ground.

They writhed on the dirt, their screams growing louder until, one by one, their voices faded, their eyes rolled back, and they passed out.

Xuandou retracted the Susanoo and brushed the non-existent dust from his hands.

"Take them away and lock them up."

He glanced back at Inabi and Tekka:

"Also, notify the entire clan: a clan meeting will be held tomorrow. Everyone must attend."

With that, he walked away without looking back.

Inabi and Tekka stood frozen for two seconds.

Then, the two brothers exchanged a look, their faces filled with irrepressible excitement.

"Damn, Xuandou is way too fierce!"

"Quick, quick, drag these pieces of trash away!"

The two men hauled the three Root ninjas, whose legs had been reduced to mush, toward the prison.

The next day.

Two new buildings were officially completed within the Uchiha Clan Grounds.

A crowd of clansmen gathered, all craning their necks to get a look inside.

The first building was an apartment complex located in the very heart of the clan grounds, surrounded by the residential area of the Uchiha.

The structure was a five-story tenement building with grey-white walls, dark grey tiled roofs, and a neat row of windows on every floor.

Envy flickered in the eyes of the onlookers:

"This building is truly magnificent... if only I could live in there."

Someone immediately poured cold water on the idea:

"What are you thinking? Didn't you see the materials used? It must be expensive as hell, can you afford it?"

"That's true..."

The crowd chattered away, some sighing, others shaking their heads.

However, another building located next to Naka Shrine made everyone shut their mouths.

That was the Clan Ancestral Hall.

The Clan Ancestral Hall was built on an open plot of land, surrounded by a low wall.

The main entrance was a black-lacquered gate with a plaque hanging on the lintel, inscribed with the four bold, vigorous characters: "Uchiha Clan Ancestral Hall."

Entering the gate, one found a path paved with bluestone, lined on both sides with two rows of pine and cypress trees; although newly planted, they already carried a sense of solemnity.

At the end of the path stood the main hall of the Clan Ancestral Hall.

The main hall was a traditional structure with flying eaves, bracket sets, black tiles, and white walls.

A row of lanterns hung under the eaves, each painted with the Uchiha clan's fan crest.

The hall doors were wide open, revealing the spirit tablets enshrined within.

The clansmen filed in one after another.

The interior of the hall was brightly lit.

On the front wall hung a row of portraits; starting with Uchiha Tajima, the faces of successive clan heads had been meticulously depicted and hung on the wall, looking down upon their descendants.

Below the portraits were rows of spirit tablets.

The front row held the spirit tablets of past clan heads, followed by those of ancestors who had rendered great service to the clan.

The sandalwood tablets were engraved with gold lettering, shimmering under the lights.

The air was filled with the scent of sandalwood, solemn and grave.

"This... this is too magnificent..."

Someone whispered.

"Clan Head Xuandou is truly remarkable!"

"We Uchiha finally have our own Clan Ancestral Hall..."

Some had reddened eyes.

The three elders stood at the very front, gazing at the portraits on the wall, silent for a long time.

Soon, the Uchiha clansmen had all arrived.

Xuandou walked to the front.

"The first item of today's clan meeting is to pay respects to our ancestors."

Elder Chie slowly stepped forward.

She walked to the incense table, lit three sticks of incense, raised them above her head with both hands, and bowed deeply to the portraits on the wall.

"Ancestors of the Uchiha through the ages, hear us..."

Her voice was solemn:

"Today, the clansmen are gathered in the Clan Ancestral Hall to pay respects to the spirits of our forebears. May our ancestors bless our clan, that our numbers may flourish and our bloodline endure..."

She inserted the incense into the burner, pressed her palms together, and closed her eyes in silent prayer.

The hall was deathly silent; everyone bowed their heads, following along in silent mourning.

A moment later, Elder Chie slowly opened her eyes, turned around, and nodded slightly to the crowd.

The ceremony was complete.

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out in the crowd.

Xuandou turned his head and saw that something was wrong over by Mikoto.

Mikoto looked panicked, clutching Uchiha Itachi in her arms:

"Itachi! What's wrong? Wake up!"

Fugaku frowned deeply and strode over:

"What happened?"

Mikoto was so anxious her eyes turned red:

"I don't know... just after the elder finished the prayer, Itachi... he suddenly closed his eyes, and no matter how I call him, he won't wake up..."

Fugaku reached out to check his son's breathing, but just as his hand was halfway there, Itachi's eyes suddenly snapped open.

They were a pair of red eyes.

In the pupils, two black tomoe were slowly rotating, gradually taking shape.

Seven-year-old Uchiha Itachi had awakened the Sharingan right after paying respects to his ancestors.

And it was a two-tomoe Sharingan right from the start!

Mikoto was stunned.

Immediately, tears welled up and spilled from her eyes.

She pulled Itachi tightly into her embrace, murmuring "It's alright, it's alright" as the tears flowed uncontrollably.

Fugaku stood to the side, his tense face finally relaxing.

He looked down at his son, his eyes filled with gratification.

Xuandou seized the opportunity to raise his voice:

"Everyone, do not panic!"

The crowd turned to look at him.

"Worshipping our ancestors at the Clan Ancestral Hall can increase the probability of awakening the Sharingan. This is the blessing of the ancestral hall."

No sooner had he finished speaking than several more commotions broke out in the crowd.

"My... my eyes!"

"Me too! It hurts!"

Xuandou looked over to see several clansmen clutching their eyes, their faces showing a mix of shock and joy.

There were young people among them, but even more were adults who had been ninjas for many years.

They had long since accumulated enough chakra and ocular power, lacking only that final push.

Now, under the blessing of the Clan Ancestral Hall, that door had finally been pushed open.

Pairs of red eyes snapped open.

Although most were only one-tomoe, the moment that single black tomoe began to rotate slowly within their pupils, every face was filled with irrepressible joy.

A one-tomoe is still a Sharingan.

With it, one could see through an opponent's movements in battle, cast basic genjutsu, and promote from genin to chunin.

This is the dominance of the Sharingan!

The commotion gradually subsided.

Shisui walked to Xuandou's side and reported in a low voice:

"Clan Head, the count is complete. A total of fifty-three people awakened their eyes this time."

Xuandou nodded.

Fifty-three people.

In other words, Uchiha had gained fifty-three chunin-level combatants.

The way the crowd looked at Xuandou changed completely.

It was unclear who shouted first:

"Xuandou!"

Soon, the voices merged into one:

"Xuandou! Xuandou! Xuandou!"

Xuandou raised his hand and pressed it downward, signaling everyone to be quiet.

"The second matter concerns that apartment building in the center of the clan grounds."

The eyes of the crowd lit up instantly.

Some had already guessed what it was, but dared not believe it.