Konoha, Year 54. Autumn.
The autumn breeze was light. The treetops were golden, and every so often a few leaves fell like graceful dancers on the wind.
Although the death of the Hyuga Branch Family's clan head had stirred unrest among some of the village's clans, the shadow hanging over Konoha had been perfectly covered by sunlight once the truce with Kumogakure was signed.
At long last, the breath of peace had given Konoha, battered by years of war, a brief respite from the lingering shadow of the Nine-Tails Rebellion.
However...
In peaceful Konoha, in a remote corner far from the village center, the Uchiha Clan Compound's training ground was ablaze with activity. The orderly, determined formation radiated the youthful fervor of hot-blooded young people.
Beneath the setting sun,
row after row of black-haired, dark-eyed boys, each carrying an Uchiha Gunbai, raced around the training ground's track.
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!...
They ran at speeds far beyond those of any so-called hundred-meter sprint champion. Though weights were strapped to their arms and legs, the Uchiha children's strides and movements were remarkably synchronized.
Physical fitness, observation, willpower—if they lacked even one of these, the Uchiha children could never have displayed such a terrifying, battle-hardened aura.
If this scene had taken place in any other clan in Konoha, the elders who longed to see their families prosper would have been moved to tears. At last, they would have thought, their clan's future was bright.
But—
"You're the worst Uchiha class I've ever trained!"
After the final round of "one hundred laps around the training ground at full speed," the sweaty Uchiha children stood tall and lined up neatly in the center of the field. But instead of the approval and encouragement they had expected, they were met with a mocking smile full of disdain and regret.
Huff... huff...
Though their exhaustion made it hard to breathe, and they barely had the strength to argue, the pride flowing through their blood kept their chins raised. Their eyes remained fixed on the tall, handsome figure standing before them, his build rugged and imposing.
The youngest member of the Uchiha Clan's Elder Council in its history, currently in charge of training the clan's children—and a "madman" feared by the Uchiha and even all of Konoha.
Uchiha Jin!
"What? You don't agree?"
Uchiha Jin's cold gaze swept across the field. The faint, perfectly timed sneer on his lips made him think of how this trick never failed. Then he continued coldly:
"This little bit of training has you gasping for breath? Calling you useless would be an insult to useless people."
"We're not useless! We're Uchiha! The best of the best!"
To the sharp-eyed Uchiha children, the scorn and disappointment Uchiha Jin tried to suppress—but couldn't quite hide—stood out all the more. Like a sharp blade, it plunged deep into their young, proud hearts. Strength from somewhere within made them angrily shout back.
"Not useless?"
The smile on Uchiha Jin's face grew brighter. He looked contemptuously at their chests heaving with ragged breaths, then continued coldly:
"It's just a tiny bit of basic Taijutsu training. Look at the state of you! And you have the nerve to call yourselves the best?"
"Taijutsu doesn't matter! The Sharingan is the Uchiha's true power!"
A cute boy who was clearly younger than the others suddenly stepped forward while everyone else fell silent. He defiantly roared at the figure looking down on them.
Uchiha Sasuke!
As soon as he recognized the boy, a meaningful glint flickered deep in Uchiha Jin's eyes. Then his mocking smile returned.
Today really was the first day "Uchiha Sasuke" had joined clan training...
Raised in the kind of environment where everyone doted on him, he had also shown decent talent when he enrolled in the Ninja Academy not long ago. Only a rookie who hadn't been properly trained would fail to understand why nobody else dared to talk back to Uchiha Jin.
But—
Time really did fly. In the blink of an eye, the fated twins were about to meet, which meant the show was about to begin.
How exciting...
Still, none of that could interfere with today's lesson. Uchiha Jin had plenty of experience dealing with hotheaded troublemakers like "Uchiha Sasuke."
"Oh? Have you awakened your Sharingan?"
Uchiha Jin gave Sasuke an amused glance. The simple question instantly flushed the boy's face. He stood frozen in place, his impassioned words cut off as if someone had grabbed him by the throat.
Too young!
Uchiha Jin gave a disdainful smile, then looked toward the few older Uchihas at the back of the line.
"And you're laughing? Don't you know what shape you're in?"
Uh...
The familiar silence once again settled over the field. Their stubborn, eager gazes turned back to Uchiha Jin.
"The Sharingan's power is unquestionable. And the Two-Tomoe and Three-Tomoe Sharingan are nowhere near the limit of our Uchiha Clan!"
There was a hint of temptation in Uchiha Jin's fervent voice. His words easily captured the attention of every Uchiha child below, and their defiant gazes grew ever more curious and heated.
Was there a Sharingan even more powerful than the Three-Tomoe?
Feeling their gazes grow hotter, Uchiha Jin saw no need to keep them in suspense. He continued at an easy pace:
"Konoha Village was founded by our ancestor Uchiha Madara and the First, Senju Hashirama, after they ended the chaos of the Warring States period. Those two great figures, known as 'legendary shinobi,' possessed power like that of the gods."
"And that self-important Sarutobi Hiruzen, who shamelessly calls himself the 'Strongest Hokage'—someone like him wouldn't last a second against Old Madara!"
"What!"
Now it wasn't just Sasuke. The other Uchiha children at the training camp were shocked too. This was the first time they had heard anything about Uchiha Madara.
Had the Uchiha really produced someone so powerful?
And when they thought about the Sharingan that Uchiha Jin had said surpassed the Three-Tomoe, the children below began to sense what he was getting at. Born with a desire to pursue greater power, their hearts now beat faster than before.
"That's right!"
Uchiha Jin was very pleased with the children's reaction. He glanced into the distance, then promptly continued:
"Above the Three-Tomoe Sharingan is the Mangekyō Sharingan, said to possess 'the power of a god'!"
"Beneath those eyes, even the mighty Nine-Tails Fox had to bow its head. Kage Level fighters were nothing but ants. But..."
Seeing that he had made his point, Uchiha Jin abruptly changed tack. The persuasive edge in his voice grew even stronger.
"Uchiha Madara possessed such powerful Sharingan techniques, yet he once defeated the Second and Third Tsuchikage together with nothing but Taijutsu. Why do you think someone like Uchiha Madara had such powerful Taijutsu? Could there be a secret behind it?"
"What secret?"
Uchiha Jin's description of the Mangekyō Sharingan left the Uchiha children feeling almost giddy, as if they were about to awaken the power of the gods themselves. They couldn't help murmuring:
"What is the Sharingan?"
"The Sharingan is a powerful Kekkei Genkai, of course. But it's a Kekkei Genkai that we use through our eyes, and our eyes are part of our bodies too!"
"So don't we need strong bodies to nourish powerful eyes? And only eyes strong enough can bear the immense ocular power of our Uchiha Clan's Sharingan!"
"So!"
At this point, the persuasive tone vanished from Uchiha Jin's voice, replaced by an angry roar that swept across the training ground like a storm.
"Do you still have the nerve to say Taijutsu doesn't matter?"
Just as Uchiha Jin had expected, the Uchiha children who had been looking tired now seemed to be on fire. They panted as if ready to devote themselves to the great cause of strengthening their bodies.
Tsk, tsk... Such simple-minded Uchihas!
Though it wasn't much different from before, seeing how much better his motivational speech worked each day still made Uchiha Jin congratulate himself on his excellent ability to "CPU" people!
Shinobi, after all... were always high on offense and low on defense.
Taijutsu might seem to have a low ceiling, but in truth, it was part of every battle from Genin all the way to Six Paths level. Training in Taijutsu was undoubtedly one effective way to grow stronger.
The Uchiha had also inherited the power of the Otsutsuki Clan's bloodline. Even if what they inherited was the Yin Release power associated with ocular techniques, they still had a huge advantage over ordinary shinobi. Most importantly, gaining strength through Taijutsu was an essential part of Uchiha Jin's plan.
Feeling the Uchiha children's restless excitement grow, Uchiha Jin murmured so quietly that only he could hear:
"Only if these Uchihas grow stronger..."
Jin tilted his head and glanced at the distant woods. Then he looked toward the young figures sweating on the training ground. A cold glint of murderous intent abruptly flashed through the warmth in his eyes.
"The greater the benefits they bring me after they die!"
Before you continue