Roadblock

"Oh! Isn't this Big Brother Lieyang!" Yu looked at the three youths emerging from beneath the trees, his expression flippant.

"Uchiha Yu, you should know why I've come today!" A youth with brown hair, holding a katana and wearing a resolute expression, stepped forward and spoke.

"Let me guess, Big Brother Lieyang couldn't possibly be here to settle the score for your grandfather, could he?" Yu rubbed his chin, looking at Uchiha Lieyang with an indifferent expression.

"Hmph! At the clan meeting, if my grandfather hadn't been careless for a moment, he never would have lost to a brat like you!" A flash of disdain crossed Uchiha Lieyang's eyes.

"Heh, 'careless'! On the battlefield, the enemy won't give you the chance to be careless. If that's all Big Brother Lieyang has to say, you might as well step aside. My friend and I still need to get home for dinner!"

Yu's gaze turned calm as he looked at the furious Uchiha Liehuo.

"Uchiha Yu, it is said that you were named Young Clan Head at the clan meeting, but I absolutely do not recognize it. If you still have any courage, exchange a few moves with me. If you win, I will acknowledge you as Young Clan Head and follow your lead from now on!"

As his voice fell, a pair of scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan slowly began to rotate in the youth's eyes.

The person who had arrived was a genius of the Uchiha clan, often mentioned in the same breath as Uchiha Shisui. He was the grandson of Liehuo, the leader of the Uchiha hardliners, and the son of Uchiha Liegang, the man competing against Fugaku for the position of Clan Head.

Killing intent filled Uchiha Lieyang's eyes, and his cold ocular power bore down on Yu, causing the surrounding air to drop significantly in temperature.

In the Shinobi World, an Uchiha possessing the three-tomoe Sharingan held a terrifying reputation: "Most ninjas would turn and flee from a one-on-one encounter; against two, there was only a slim chance of victory if caught in a pincer attack."

Itachi, standing behind Yu, sensed that the atmosphere was wrong. He instantly drew the small tachi that Shisui had gifted him and, with a flash of movement, blocked the path in front of Yu, his eyes narrowing...

"Itachi, stand back. This is your big brother's fight." Yu gently pressed down on Itachi's shoulder, stepped forward to shield him, and glanced back at him.

He signaled for him not to reveal his own Sharingan.

Itachi pursed his lips slightly and silently sheathed his small tachi. Although he felt some reluctance, he did not want to defy his big brother at this moment.

He tugged on Yu's sleeve to signal that he understood.

"Big Brother Lieyang, are you sure you want to duel here?" Yu gestured pointedly toward the crowd that had stopped to watch the spectacle.

Uchiha Lieyang's eyes narrowed slightly, and the killing intent that had been permeating the air dissipated. "You pick a place, then!" Uchiha Lieyang retracted his Sharingan and said casually.

"Then let's go to my family's training ground," Yu said with a calm expression, then began walking toward his home's training ground.

Yu did not try to make an issue of their age difference. Faced with the struggle for the future leadership of the Uchiha, only by demonstrating true strength would he convince all the clansmen. This was a challenge Yu had to face.

The group soon arrived at Yu's home. When Mikoto opened the door, she saw four or five people following behind Yu. At first, she thought they were Yu's friends, but seeing their silent faces, she sensed something was wrong.

"Mother, these are my friends. They came over today because we wanted to train together," Yu explained to Mikoto with a wide smile.

Mikoto nodded silently and opened the gate.

As Uchiha Lieyang entered, he bowed slightly to Mikoto. "Aunt Mikoto, sorry for the intrusion!"

Mikoto smiled faintly. "Lieyang, I hope you and Yu get along well."

Uchiha Lieyang glanced at Mikoto. "Don't worry, Aunt Mikoto. It will only be a friendly spar."

"Then I'll have to trouble you to look after our Yu, Lieyang-kun!" Don't let the fact that Mikoto spent her days as a housewife fool you into thinking she was oblivious; these few words had effectively pointed out the age gap between Lieyang and Yu.

Uchiha Lieyang's expression darkened. "Please rest assured, Aunt Mikoto!" Having said that, he didn't say anything more and quickly caught up to Yu. In truth, he was feeling quite agitated, but since his father had lost, he refused to lose himself.

Mikoto watched the group leave, and when she saw the adorable Izumi, a hint of affection flashed in her eyes.

"Izumi, why don't you stay with me? There's nothing interesting about men fighting." Mikoto pulled Izumi, who was trailing behind the group, and gently picked her up.

"But Auntie, I want to go see Yu. I'm worried about him!" Izumi lowered her head, blushing.

Mikoto was filled with maternal love. "Is Izumi home alone again today?"

Izumi nodded her little head.

"Then Izumi can stay at my house today, and I'll make you something delicious!" Mikoto stroked Izumi's back with pity.

"Is that okay? Won't I be a bother to you, Auntie?" Izumi replied in a small voice.

"Heh, you think I can't afford to feed that little mouth of yours?"

"N-no... thank you, Auntie!" Izumi's face was as red as a little apple, looking incredibly cute.

If only Izumi were my own daughter, Mikoto thought, her heart softening as she looked at the blushing girl. It was this damned war that forced a perfectly good family to leave their young daughter home alone while her parents were away.

Mikoto thought to herself, Izumi's parents have been on the front lines for over half a year now. I hope they return safely.

Back at the training ground, the atmosphere was murderous. Uchiha Liehuo, holding a samurai sword, stared coldly at the six-year-old Yu across from him.

"Draw your weapon, Uchiha Yu. I won't be holding back!"

"Oh, is Big Brother Liehuo planning to challenge me in swordsmanship?" Yu had already poured his entire Divine Sense into his Wind Sword Clone. Regarding this guy who had suddenly provoked him, he intended to defeat him soundly today in his own area of expertise.

"Hmph, none of that matters. What matters is winning!"

Uchiha Lieyang was feeling quite conflicted. As a fourteen-year-old youth, a genius who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Uchiha Shisui, he felt immense shame at having to challenge a clansman so much younger than himself.

However, he could not ignore his grandfather's words. If he gave Uchiha Yu a few more years, his own chances of defeating this boy would become slim.

His grandfather's emphasis and his father's expectations were the reasons he had shamelessly come to challenge him today.

"To win, has Big Brother Lieyang already abandoned the pride of the Uchiha? But none of that matters now! Today, I will give Big Brother Lieyang a perfect finale. Sword, come!"

A long sword with a crimson blade flew rapidly from Yu's room and landed lightly in his hand.

"Perfect. It has been a long time since I used a sword to fight an enemy. Uchiha Lieyang, today I shall use you to test the edge of this blade!"

With that, Yu pointed his Fire Sword straight at Uchiha Lieyang, whose face was as still as water.