The Clan Leader Summons Him

After returning to the clan grounds, Uchiha Aoba followed the others to report to the clan leader, Uchiha Fugaku.

As Uchiha Fugaku looked over the casualty list submitted by Uchiha Tayama, he fell silent for a long time. Only when someone reminded him did he come back to his senses.

It was no wonder he reacted that way. As a member of Konohagakure, Uchiha Fugaku had sent a total of fifty clan shinobi to the Sunagakure Battlefield in response to the Third Hokage's call.

Don't think fifty was a small number. A single Uchiha Clan shinobi was absolutely worth two or three ordinary shinobi.

What's more, Uchiha Fugaku's deployment list had included five jōnin.

There were also thirty Chunin and fifteen Genin. It was fair to say he had given Sarutobi Hiruzen considerable support.

Yet when the war with Sunagakure ended, only nineteen had returned: two jōnin, twelve Chunin, and five Genin. Their losses had been severe.

When Uchiha Fugaku came back to himself, he didn't say much to the others. He asked Uchiha Tayama to stay behind for the time being and sent everyone else home to rest.

Uchiha Aoba was glad to hear it. He hated listening to leaders give speeches.

So after saying his farewells to Uchiha Fugaku along with the others, he headed straight home.

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

Then he stretched out comfortably on the soft bed and gave a deeply satisfying yawn.

At last, he could sleep without keeping his guard up.

Thinking this, Uchiha Aoba closed his eyes and quickly sank into a deep sleep.

The next day.

Restored in both mind and body, Uchiha Aoba got out of bed looking refreshed and dressed neatly.

After breakfast, he went to the clan training ground.

His panel's fusion rate had surpassed 30%, and his strength had smoothly reached the level of an elite jōnin. On top of that, his ninjutsu, genjutsu, and swordsmanship had improved, and he had mastered a new Fire Release Ninjutsu.

Uchiha Aoba still needed to get familiar with everything so he could make better use of it in battle.

Although the system's method of fusion was no different from directly granting him mastery, Uchiha Aoba still didn't feel at ease unless he practiced on his own.

At the training ground, he drew his sword.

He started with swordsmanship.

Whoosh!

The blade sliced through the air as Uchiha Aoba swiftly swung the long sword in his hands.

There was nothing flashy about it.

He simply swung, slashed, chopped, and thrust in a very routine manner, making his movements seem utterly ordinary.

From a distance, he looked like a beginner practicing.

But only those who faced Uchiha Aoba in combat could truly appreciate how terrifying his swordsmanship was. The enemies who had died beneath his blade could attest to that better than anyone.

This was also what made Uchiha Madara so terrifying.

He used the simplest, most unadorned swordsmanship to unleash the fiercest attacks.

After practicing swordsmanship, he moved on to Taijutsu. Both had advanced from intermediate to advanced.

Uchiha Aoba could clearly feel that he was much faster than before, whether he was drawing his sword or throwing a punch.

As for exactly how much faster, he had no definite answer yet, since he didn't have a sparring partner to test it on.

The same went for genjutsu.

As for practicing ninjutsu, Uchiha Aoba had no intention of doing that at the clan training ground.

Anyone who knew anything understood the kind of commotion an A-rank jutsu would cause.

If Uchiha Aoba recklessly practiced an A-rank Fire Release Ninjutsu on clan grounds and unleashed the Dragon Flame Song Technique, the entire Konoha would probably think the Uchiha Clan had come under attack.

Besides, explaining where he had learned the jutsu would be a problem for Uchiha Aoba.

Although both his parents had been clan shinobi and his father had even been a jōnin, leaving him many jutsu after his death, none of them had been A-rank.

Instead, most were C-rank, with only a few B-rank jutsu.

So Uchiha Aoba planned to find somewhere else to practice. The hills behind Konoha were a good choice.

There was no one there, and a small river ran through the area, making it ideal for practicing ninjutsu.

But just as he was about to set off, a figure appeared not far away.

"Senior Tayama?"

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

"Is something the matter, senior?"

"Don't worry. It's good news."

Uchiha Tayama patted Uchiha Aoba on the shoulder and smiled. "You made quite a contribution in this war. Let me congratulate you in advance."

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

"No, kid, listen. To us, awakening the Three-Tomoe Sharingan is the greatest contribution of all."

Uchiha Tayama shook his head and corrected him. "And you really did perform well on the battlefield."

"After all, you killed so many enemies. If we ignored you, outsiders might think the Uchiha Clan was jealous of the talented."

They talked as they walked, and before long, they arrived in front of the largest residence in the Uchiha Clan.

Two guards stood at the entrance.

Uchiha Tayama nodded to the guard on the left. The two guards asked no questions and immediately stepped aside.

"Come with me."

After saying this over his shoulder, Uchiha Tayama led the way.

Uchiha Aoba followed behind him, crossing the courtyard and front hall before walking down a corridor. They stopped outside a room in the rear courtyard. "Lord Fugaku, Uchiha Aoba is here."

Uchiha Tayama lightly knocked on the door twice and reported.

"Come in."

A stern voice came from inside. At Uchiha Tayama's gesture, Uchiha Aoba pushed the door open and saw a middle-aged man, around thirty years old, sitting expressionlessly on a cushion.

"Greetings, clan leader."

Uchiha Aoba bowed politely.

"Sit."

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

As he spoke, Uchiha Tayama closed the door from outside.

Uchiha Aoba glanced back, then walked over and sat down on the cushion. He showed no trace of nervousness and even took the initiative to ask, "May I ask why the clan leader wanted me to come?"

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

The latter had dropped his earlier stern, imposing demeanor. He looked at Uchiha Aoba with approval, even wearing a warm smile. "Tayama has told me all about you."

"To awaken the Three-Tomoe Sharingan at the young age of twelve is a rare feat throughout the entire Uchiha Clan."

"And you were very active on the battlefield, killing more than ten Sunagakure Ninja. You've done the Uchiha name proud."

Uchiha Aoba smiled at that. "You flatter me, clan leader. I only did it for the glory of the clan."

"You don't need to be so modest with me."

Uchiha Fugaku shook his head with a laugh. "As a young member of the clan whom we've made a priority to cultivate, you haven't brought shame upon the clan. In fact, you've exceeded our expectations."

"The main reason I called you here this time was to reward you for your contributions."

"First, the first thing."

"I'm going to recommend you to the Third Hokage for promotion to jōnin."