Public Disposal

"Commander!" a member of the Senju clan shouted in a hurry before dropping to his knees. Uchiha Xiao, who had been deep in thought, lifted his head at the cry and looked toward the newcomer.

"Long Er, what is it? What has you so flustered?" Uchiha Xiao rose with a faint smile and stepped forward.

"Reporting to the Commander, we have captured two of Jiraiya's subordinates. They attempted to break into a private residence and were knocked unconscious and apprehended by Long Yi, who was on patrol." Long Er spoke rapidly, but every vital detail reached Uchiha Xiao's ears clearly.

"Oh? Where are they? Take me to see them." Uchiha Xiao smiled, hands clasped behind his back, his eyes dancing with amusement. Long Er hurried to lead the way.

Tsunade had also overheard Long Er's report. She stood up and followed behind the two, curious to see how Uchiha Xiao would handle the situation.

Before long, the trio arrived at Long Yi's location. Seeing Uchiha Xiao and his party, Long Yi suddenly said, "Lady Tsunade, Commander Xiao... Lord Xiao, you've arrived."

Tsunade and Uchiha Xiao exchanged a glance. Uchiha Xiao stepped back, positioning himself a pace behind Tsunade. Understanding his intent, she commanded, "Splash them awake!"

The subordinates chuckled. If the Land of Rain lacked anything else, it certainly didn't lack rainwater. They grabbed a wooden bucket from the roadside, filled to the brim with freshly collected rain.

As the water splashed over the two unconscious men, the Uchiha ninjas jolted awake. They were just about to unleash a torrent of abuse when they caught sight of the blonde-haired Tsunade.

The two immediately began to beg for mercy. "Lady Tsunade, we truly didn't know what we did wrong! This is the Land of Rain, not the Land of Fire—why can't we 'borrow' some food?" the two-tomoe Uchiha wailed.

Tsunade's gaze turned icy. "Is this what Jiraiya taught you? Someone, slap their mouths thirty times each!"

"Yes!" A flicker of excitement crossed the eyes of Long Yi and Long Er. These were Uchiha! Aside from Xiao, every Uchiha deserved a beating!

They carried out the public punishment in front of all the troops and the watching villagers. The immense humiliation caused the Sharingan of the two men to undergo a transformation.

The two-tomoe eyes evolved into three-tomoe, while the one-tomoe eye shifted into a one-and-a-half-tomoe state.

Seeing that the time was right, Uchiha Xiao gave Tsunade a look. She understood and gestured for him to step forward while she watched from the side.

"Oi, Yamazaki, Ryuichi, do you still recognize me?" Uchiha Xiao smiled. These two, Uchiha Yamazaki and Uchiha Ryuichi, were minor geniuses in the clan and the two who had bullied Uchiha Xiao the most viciously.

"It's you, you base-born trash! No wonder the Senju troops came to attack us without a word; you must have said something. Just you wait—when we return to the village, I'll have the Great Elder enforce clan law and properly punish you, you disgrace to the Uchiha!" Uchiha Yamazaki boasted arrogantly.

Uchiha Ryuichi remained silent. He glanced at Tsunade and then at Uchiha Xiao, his brow furrowing. It seemed this guy...

Before Uchiha Yamazaki could say anything more, Uchiha Xiao's expression turned cold. He signaled for the others to step aside, then lifted his right foot and slammed it down, driving Uchiha Yamazaki's head into the ground.

Boom-crack! The ground collapsed instantly under the immense force, burying Uchiha Yamazaki's head deep into the soil.

Uchiha Ryuichi's face turned pale. He looked at Uchiha Xiao, only to find that his expression hadn't changed; the corners of his mouth were even curled upward slightly, looking at the Uchiha Yamazaki beneath his foot as if he were an ant.

After the stomp, Uchiha Xiao crouched down, grabbed Yamazaki by the collar, and hauled him up, brushing the dirt off his clothes. "What did you say just now? I didn't hear you clearly. Say it again," he said with a smile.

Uchiha Xiao had held back his strength just now; otherwise, even if Uchiha Yamazaki were a Jonin, he wouldn't have survived that kick!

Uchiha Yamazaki was no longer arrogant. Looking at Uchiha Xiao's calm, water-like smile, tears flowed involuntarily. How could this guy be so brutal? They were of the same clan! They both carried the Uchiha name!

Uchiha Xiao seemed to guess what he was thinking. "Heh, are you wondering why I'm being so cruel to you when we're both clansmen?"

Uchiha Xiao turned his head to look at Uchiha Ryuichi. "You tell him why." With that, he tossed Uchiha Yamazaki in front of Uchiha Ryuichi like a piece of trash.

Uchiha Ryuichi gasped. "Yamazaki, have you forgotten how you used to bully Uchiha Xiao? Everyone else only joined in because of your talent and your father, the Great Elder."

Uchiha Yamazaki was furious. What was Uchiha Ryuichi playing at? He was distancing himself entirely! Back then, he hadn't even known Uchiha Xiao; it was Ryuichi and the others who told him there was a piece of trash who wouldn't fight back no matter how they vented their anger, which was how he became one of Xiao's tormentors.

Uchiha Xiao laughed, a somewhat eerie sound. "Uchiha Ryuichi, if I didn't know what kind of person you were, I might have almost believed you."

"Today, you trespassed in a private residence, and our troops apprehended you. Even if you took this to the Hokage, you would have no case. Are you ninjas or bandits? Furthermore, this is a battlefield, not the Uchiha compound. Watch your mouths! Otherwise, I can't guarantee that the Rain Ninja won't launch a sneak attack and leave you dead at their hands!" Uchiha Xiao smiled.

Uchiha Ryuichi's face went pale. He scanned his surroundings and noticed that the Senju troops were all looking excited and seemed very interested in Uchiha Xiao's words. He was shocked—how had Uchiha Xiao become so close with this group of Senju?

Could it be just because he was Lady Tsunade's confidant? No, that wasn't it! Uchiha Ryuichi observed the Senju ninjas. Although not all of them were present, he noticed that almost none of the Senju troops were injured, and their morale was far better than theirs.

Was it Lady Tsunade's brilliant leadership? No, that couldn't be right. Among the three—Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru—only Orochimaru was a master tactician. Even he couldn't achieve a zero-casualty record; it was impossible for Tsunade.

Unless... His eyes lifted and met Uchiha Xiao's gaze. Uchiha Xiao's eyes were currently blood-red, with two tomoe spinning in each.

Uchiha Ryuichi's pupils constricted. A two-tomoe Sharingan! Uchiha Xiao had actually awakened a two-tomoe Sharingan! A pressure stemming from their bloodline washed over him, making it difficult to breathe.

In truth, the moment Uchiha Xiao had stomped Uchiha Yamazaki into the dirt, the lingering obsession of the original Uchiha Xiao had begun to dissipate, and his Sharingan had evolved into two tomoe along with it. Uchiha Xiao himself hadn't even realized it yet.

Tsunade was slightly stunned, then said, "Xiao, your eyes..."

Only then did Uchiha Xiao snap out of the thrill of his revenge. He instantly felt a searing, burning pain in his eyes. He bit back the agony and gasped.

"Uchiha Ryuichi, you're a smart man. I don't know what you've guessed, but if you dare to speak nonsense, you'd better pray your family never leaves the village." It was a threat—a naked, blatant threat. Yet, Uchiha Ryuichi broke into a cold sweat and hurriedly said, "Lord Xiao, I will never speak a word of this," before kowtowing several times.

Uchiha Xiao let out a cold snort and left the scene, supported by Tsunade.

A complex look flashed in Uchiha Ryuichi's eyes. This guy's talent...