Patriarch's Summons

Upon returning to the clan grounds, Uchiha Aoba followed the others to report to the clan head, Uchiha Fugaku.

Staring at the casualty list submitted by Uchiha Tayama, Uchiha Fugaku remained silent for a long time, only snapping back to reality when someone prompted him.

It was no wonder he reacted this way; as a member of Konoha, Uchiha Fugaku had dispatched fifty clan shinobi to the Sunagakure Battlefield in response to the call of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Do not underestimate these fifty men; a single shinobi from the Uchiha Clan was easily worth two or three ordinary shinobi.

Not to mention that Uchiha Fugaku's deployment list had included five jonin.

With thirty chunin and fifteen genin also in the mix, it was a significant show of support for Sarutobi Hiruzen.

However, now that the war with Sunagakure had ended, only nineteen had returned—two jonin, twelve chunin, and five genin. The losses were staggering.

After regaining his composure, Uchiha Fugaku looked at the group without saying much more. He instructed everyone to go home and rest, with the exception of Uchiha Tayama, whom he asked to stay behind.

Uchiha Aoba was pleased; he was the type of person who loathed listening to speeches from superiors.

After bidding farewell to Uchiha Fugaku along with the others, he headed straight home.

He cleaned the house, washed up, changed his clothes, and ate.

Then, he collapsed onto his soft bed and let out a satisfying stretch.

He could finally sleep without having to keep his guard up.

Finally, Uchiha Aoba thought to himself, closing his eyes and quickly drifting into a deep sleep.

The next day.

Having fully recovered his spirit and stamina, Uchiha Aoba rose, looking radiant and dressed neatly.

After breakfast, he headed to the clan training grounds.

With his system integration rate exceeding 30%, his strength had successfully reached the level of an elite jonin. Coupled with his improvements in ninjutsu, genjutsu, and kenjutsu, as well as his newly mastered Fire Release techniques, Uchiha Aoba needed to practice to better apply them in combat.

Although the system's integration method meant he mastered these skills as if he had always known them, Uchiha Aoba felt uneasy without practicing them himself.

On the training ground, he drew his blade.

He started with kenjutsu.

Swish!

The sound of the blade cutting through the air rang out as Uchiha Aoba swung his long sword rapidly.

There was nothing flashy about it.

Just standard swings, cuts, chops, and thrusts—it looked entirely unremarkable.

From a distance, he looked like a novice practicing.

Yet, only those who faced Uchiha Aoba in direct combat could truly experience the terror of this sword style; the enemies who had died by his blade were the best witnesses to that.

This was also the terrifying aspect of Uchiha Madara.

Using the most plain and unadorned sword techniques to unleash the most lethal attacks.

After finishing his kenjutsu practice, he moved on to taijutsu. Both had been elevated from intermediate to advanced levels.

Uchiha Aoba could clearly feel that compared to before, both his sword strikes and his punches were significantly faster.

As for exactly how much faster, he had no opponent to test it against, so he had no concrete answer for now.

The same applied to his genjutsu.

As for his ninjutsu practice, Uchiha Aoba did not intend to do it at the clan training grounds.

Anyone who knew anything understood the scale of an A-rank ninjutsu.

If Uchiha Aoba were reckless enough to practice an A-rank Fire Release technique in the clan grounds and unleashed the Dragon Flame Song Technique, the entire Konoha would likely assume the Uchiha Clan was under attack.

Furthermore, explaining the origin of such techniques was a problem for Uchiha Aoba.

Although his parents were clan shinobi—his father even a jonin—the techniques left behind after their sacrifice did not include a single A-rank jutsu.

Instead, they were mostly C-rank, with only a handful of B-rank techniques.

Therefore, Uchiha Aoba decided to find another place, like the hills behind Konoha.

It was not only deserted but also had a small river, making it perfect for practicing ninjutsu.

However, just as he was preparing to leave, a figure appeared not far from him.

"Senior Tayama?"

"Kid, the clan head wants to see you. Come with me."

"Senior, is something the matter?"

"Don't worry, it's a good thing."

Uchiha Tayama patted Uchiha Aoba on the shoulder and laughed, "You made quite a contribution in this war. I'll congratulate you in advance."

"What contribution could I have possibly made?" Uchiha Aoba shook his head.

"No, kid, listen closely: to us, you awakening the Three-Tomoe Sharingan is the greatest contribution of all."

Uchiha Tayama shook his head to correct him, "Besides, your performance on the battlefield was truly impressive."

"After all, you cut down so many enemies. If we ignored you, outsiders might think the Uchiha Clan is jealous of talent."

The two walked and talked, arriving shortly before the largest residence of the Uchiha Clan.

Two guards stood at the entrance.

Uchiha Tayama nodded to the man on the left, and the two guards at the gate asked no questions, stepping aside immediately.

"Follow me."

Turning back to say this, Uchiha Tayama led the way.

Uchiha Aoba followed behind, passing through the courtyard and the front hall, then traversing a corridor until they stood before a room in the backyard: "Lord Fugaku, Uchiha Aoba has been brought here."

Uchiha Tayama knocked twice on the door and reported.

"Enter."

A stern voice rang out from within. At Uchiha Tayama's gesture, Uchiha Aoba pushed the door open to see a middle-aged man of about thirty, sitting expressionless on a cushion.

"Greetings, Clan Head."

Uchiha Aoba bowed politely.

"Sit."

Uchiha Fugaku nodded slightly in response, then pointed to the cushion opposite him.

As the words fell, the door was closed from the outside by Uchiha Tayama.

Uchiha Aoba glanced back, then walked straight to the cushion and sat down. There was not a hint of restraint in his demeanor; he even took the initiative to ask, "I wonder why the Clan Head has summoned me?"

At this moment, only Uchiha Aoba and Uchiha Fugaku were in the room.

The latter shed his previous stern and majestic air, looking at Uchiha Aoba with appreciation, a gentle smile even appearing on his face: "I have heard all about your situation from Tayama's report."

"To awaken the Three-Tomoe Sharingan at the young age of twelve—throughout the entire Uchiha Clan, such cases are few and far between."

"Furthermore, you were very active on the battlefield, killing over a dozen Sunagakure Ninja. You are worthy of the Uchiha name."

Uchiha Aoba chuckled upon hearing this: "The Clan Head is too kind; it was all for the glory of the clan."

"There is no need for such modesty in front of me."

Uchiha Fugaku shook his head with a laugh: "As a member of the younger generation being groomed by the clan, your actions have not brought shame upon us; your performance has even exceeded expectations."

"And the main reason I called you here today is to reward you for your merits."

"First, the first point."

"I intend to recommend you to the Third Hokage for promotion to Jonin."