The World's Number One Ninja Tournament!

The World's Number One Ninja!

Although the Uchiha had learned before being summoned that this was going to be a tournament, the main reason nearly the entire clan had turned up was because...

Uh... Uchiha Jin had simply offered too much!

The winner of the Chunin division would receive a ten-million-ryō prize, along with a "Strongest Chunin" trophy certified by the Police Force.

The winner of the Jonin division would receive an even larger prize of thirty million ryō, along with a "World's Number One Ninja" trophy certified by the Police Force.

The runners-up, third-place finishers, and even those who made it to the top eight would also receive generous cash prizes, as well as all kinds of honor-laden medals and trophies.

Indeed!

The Uchiha were conceited, arrogant, and haughty... Naturally, they would never admit they were tempted by the prize money. Surely, the title of "World's Number One Ninja" belonged to them and no one else. As members of the Uchiha Clan, they had to give it their all for the sake of honor!

As for whether it was a little inappropriate for the "World's Number One Ninja Tournament" to be open only to the Uchiha Clan...

If anyone else had done this, even the Senju Clan, another of the oldest shinobi clans, or the Hyuga Clan might have wondered if it showed excessive pride.

But the Uchiha Clan!

Apart from the handful of genetic outliers represented by Shisui, not a single one of the nearly thousand genuine Uchiha present felt there was anything wrong with it. The thought had not even crossed their minds.

As the strongest clan in the Land of Fire, the Ninja World's greatest nation, and Konoha, the Ninja World's strongest village, the word "number one" naturally belonged to the Uchiha Clan!

What was the problem?

So, it had to be said that once the plaque was unveiled, the Uchiha below grew even more excited and feverish.

The only thing that made them a little uncomfortable was the pair of vertical plaques hanging on either side of the lofty "World's Number One" sign. From left to right, they displayed two lines of powerful calligraphy!

There was no shame in giving up; only sore losers were trash!

The two lines, so jarringly out of place with the scene, left the Uchiha feeling slightly uneasy, but they did not pay them much attention.

At that moment, all their attention was focused on the heroic figure beneath the blazing sun, as they waited for this unprecedented grand event to begin.

"Good!"

Uchiha Jin looked around at the crowd, a hint of satisfaction showing in his eyes.

Eighty-eight Jonin!

Of them, sixty had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Their pairs of crimson eyes were so chilling that they seemed to cast a shadow over the blazing sunlight!

Behind this formation of Jonin stood a neat row of one hundred and eighty-eight Special Jōnin. Their perfectly synchronized Two-Tomoe Sharingan made for an equally imposing sight!

As for the six hundred and sixty-six Chunin at the rear, although they were the most numerous and two-thirds had already awakened the Sharingan, they were still far inferior to those who came before them!

And the Genin?

Uh... A few dozen kids who hadn't grown up yet were off to the side, curiously watching the spectacle alongside the Uchiha villagers.

With the Uchiha Clan Head and the six members of the Elder Council on the main platform, nearly the entire fighting force of the Uchiha Clan had gathered!

Nearly a thousand shinobi, all of such high caliber!

The Uchiha Clan truly was Konoha's undisputed strongest clan. They had accomplished the glorious feat of "one clan holding off one village" during the Third Shinobi World War. It was precisely their formidable strength that made the Konoha High Command so wary of them now.

Uchiha Jin simply couldn't understand how such a powerful Uchiha Clan could one day be wiped out by a traitor like Uchiha Itachi.

Forget a thousand shinobi—even if they were a thousand pigs, Uchiha Itachi would need half a day to kill them all!

And the Third Hokage, who supposedly hadn't had time to send help?

Was he planning to put on another botched act, like the massacre of Uzumaki Village?

Still, considering Uchiha Itachi's mastery of genjutsu and his Mangekyō Sharingan, as well as the clan's trust in the Clan Head's eldest son, perhaps it could be done with underhanded poisons and sleeping drugs, genjutsu, ambushes, and seals...

With all those factors combined, Uchiha Obito, with his space-time Mangekyō, assisting from within, and the ruthless Root shinobi launching a surprise attack from without, the Uchiha Clan's extermination wasn't all that surprising.

Hmm...

Should he find a way to assassinate this traitor first?

His homegrown crop of leeks hadn't even ripened yet, and a group of people were already lurking in the shadows, ready to harvest them early. Did they really think he'd thank them for it? The thought left Uchiha Jin feeling exasperated.

"Uchiha Itachi, step forward!"

One of the tournament's main goals was to foster recognition and bonds, and in Jin's plans, Uchiha Itachi clearly didn't deserve either.

Hmm?

Uchiha Itachi, standing among the Special Jōnin, furrowed his brow. As someone tasked with monitoring the Uchiha Clan for the Anbu, he obviously didn't want to attract anyone's attention.

That's right!

The Uchiha were making such a huge commotion that it almost seemed like they were about to stage a coup, yet the Konoha F4 were still sitting calmly on the platform.

That was because Uchiha Jin had deliberately let things proceed, giving the two little traitors, Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi, a chance to pass the information along.

And so...

Sarutobi Hiruzen and the rest of the Konoha High Command probably assumed this disturbance was a scheme by some "Jade Shatter" ringleader to stir up trouble.

After all, if the Uchiha were really going to stage a coup, they wouldn't be stupid enough to cripple the Root shinobi monitoring them beforehand.

Everyone who had fought in the Ninja World War understood the Uchiha's strength. Until it was certain that the Uchiha really intended to betray the village, no clan was willing to make them a mortal enemy.

Therefore...

What the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had always feared was the Uchiha launching a sudden attack without warning—and whether Konoha, weakened by crushing them, could still stand against the four great shinobi villages that constantly coveted it.

If the Uchiha were rash enough to openly take on all of Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen was confident he could quickly muster the strength of every shinobi clan in the village and completely wipe out this uncontrollable force, now officially branded as traitors.

As for the consequences afterward, that was another matter.

At the moment, Uchiha Itachi's mission was to relay every detail of the Uchiha Clan's activities now that neither the Anbu nor Root could infiltrate the Uchiha Clan Compound.

And so, beneath Uchiha Jin's cold gaze, the shadow in Uchiha Itachi's heart rapidly grew.

Had he been found out?

Uchiha Itachi couldn't figure out where he had slipped up. Even if he had made some mistake, he was sure there was no evidence. So, after taking a deep breath, he walked with firm steps onto the enormous hundred-by-hundred-meter platform ahead.

"So that's the despicable 'Jade Shatter' ringleader? Shisui told me he's a ruthless man who dared threaten him with his life!"

Uchiha Itachi warily studied the handsome figure before him. Filled with the Will of Fire, he was naturally furious with this "villain" who disrupted harmony between the clan and the village. But as a double agent, he couldn't show the slightest hint of that here. Instead, he feigned ignorance and asked Uchiha Jin with a puzzled look.

"What is it?"

Uchiha Jin fell silent. He didn't answer Uchiha Itachi's question, but instead studied the small figure before him with a strange look.

Finally!

The killing intent in his heart gradually subsided, replaced by a hint of amusement. Uchiha Jin smiled warmly and asked Uchiha Itachi kindly,

"Little guy, how old are you?"