Uchiha Interrogation

[System prompt: congratulations, host. Mission complete]

[Reward obtained: template progress +2%, current progress 30%]

[Skill unlocked: Galick Gun (beginner)—can perform another nature transformation on the foundation of Saiyan chakra, releasing a highly compressed beam-type energy wave. At present, the host can fire "Fire Release: Galick Gun"]

Although Galick Gun was only at the beginner level, and could currently only be released with the fire attribute, compared to "Pseudo Galick Gun," it was already a qualitative leap.

The difference between them was like throwing grenades at an enemy: one could only hit someone, while the other would explode.

After receiving the reward, Arashi's eyes finally calmed. He murmured,

"Orochimaru... just you wait. One day, I'll make you understand what a foolish decision today's threat was!"

Just as Arashi was preparing to leave, several hurried footsteps came from the edge of the forest.

"This way! The chakra fluctuation just now was here!"

"And there are traces of a fight! Who was fighting here?"

Arashi's heart instantly tightened.

He could sense that quite a few people were coming, and their chakra was not weak. They carried the typical aura of the Uchiha.

Soon, several figures wearing Uchiha clan uniforms appeared in the forest clearing.

The leader was a middle-aged man with a short beard and sharp eyes. His forehead protector was worn on his brow, revealing the Uchiha clan's iconic Sharingan, and it was even in the two-tomoe form.

"It's Uchiha Arashi!" one of the young clansmen recognized Arashi and shouted in surprise.

The middle-aged man in the lead wore a chunin vest. His name was Uchiha Shinka, and he was the father of Tekka and Enshin.

He quickly walked up to Arashi, his gaze sweeping over the wrecked surroundings before landing on Arashi's slightly disheveled body. His brows knitted tightly. "Arashi, are you all right? What happened here? We sensed a very powerful and cold chakra, as well as intense battle fluctuations."

Arashi looked at these clansmen, especially Shinka's eyes, and his mind raced.

Orochimaru's appearance was a secret. At least for now, he could not let too many people know.

But the commotion from the battle just now had been so huge that there was no way to hide it.

"I was testing a new ninjutsu here," Arashi said, trying to make his tone sound calm. "I ran into a giant python that came out of nowhere and fought it."

"A giant python?" Shinka's eyes narrowed. He carefully inspected the marks on the ground, especially the scorched black pit blasted out by the energy wave. "What kind of giant python could cause this level of destruction? Young Master Arashi, are you sure it was only a giant python? The chakra we sensed just now... was extremely dangerous. It didn't seem like something a wild beast could possess."

Another clansman also added, "That's right, Young Master Arashi. That chakra made us feel very uncomfortable, as if... as if it was..." He seemed to have thought of something, his face turning a little pale, and he did not dare continue.

Arashi's heart stirred. It seemed these people had vaguely guessed something too.

Although Orochimaru's reputation in the Hidden Leaf was not yet as rotten as it would be later, the higher-ups and some major clans could not possibly be completely unaware of those dark rumors about him.

As one of the Hidden Leaf's top clans, it was normal for the Uchiha to be wary of the aura of such a dangerous figure.

"Perhaps," Arashi said, neither directly denying nor admitting it. "That snake was indeed very unusual, and it was very strong. But I already drove it off." He deliberately made it sound casual.

Shinka looked deeply at Arashi, as if trying to read something from his face.

But Arashi's current expression, aside from a trace of exhaustion, was only his usual coldness and aloofness, making him impossible to see through.

In the end, Shinka did not question him further and instead continued, "The clan head also sensed the anomaly over here just now. Please come back with us to the clan meeting hall and report the situation to the clan head."

"The clan head?" Arashi raised an eyebrow.

The clan head was named Uchiha Fugaku. With the strength of an elite jonin, it was not at all strange for him to have sensed any battle that happened within the clan compound.

"All right. I'll go with you." Arashi nodded.

Along the way, many Uchiha clansmen saw Arashi being "escorted" by Shinka and the other patrol ninja, and they all cast curious looks at him.

Soon, the group arrived at the central area of the Uchiha Clan Compound, before a grand and imposing building. It was none other than the Uchiha clan meeting hall.

The moment they entered the hall, they could feel that the atmosphere inside was somewhat solemn.

At the center of the hall, a tall man with a dignified face was seated in the main seat.

He wore a dark brocade kimono embroidered with the Uchiha clan crest. The collar and cuffs were outlined in silver thread with cloud patterns like table tennis paddles, exuding an unquestionable majesty amid his steadiness.

The protagonist understood at once. This man was one of the key figures who would determine the future fate of the Uchiha clan. That aura of someone long accustomed to high position, along with the Uchiha clan's unique sharp gaze, was already enough to make others not dare underestimate him.

He was the current clan head of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Fugaku, and also one of the most powerful people in the Hidden Leaf Village.

At the same time, he was the leader of the Hidden Leaf Police Force, and the police force was in charge of all public order and criminal matters throughout the entire Hidden Leaf Village.

His powerful sense of qi made him instinctively feel the powerful chakra fluctuations hidden within the other party's body. The Saiyan gene that loved a good fight was quietly activated, and the thought in his heart that longed to surpass the strong began to stir again.

On either side of Fugaku sat four gray-haired elders. They were Uchiha elders, their auras equally steady, their eyes carrying scrutinizing gazes.

Shinka led Arashi to the center of the hall and bowed respectfully. "Clan head, elders, Uchiha Arashi has been brought here."

Fugaku's gaze fell on Arashi. The exposed Sharingan rotated slightly, as if assessing Arashi's condition.

"Uchiha Arashi," Fugaku said in a deep and powerful voice, "was the battle at the edge of the clan compound caused by you?"

"Yes." Arashi raised his head and looked straight at Fugaku, answering neither servilely nor arrogantly.

"Who was your opponent?" Fugaku pressed, his tone carrying a trace of sharpness that was hard to detect.

Arashi fell silent for a moment. He knew he could not avoid this question.

Fugaku's sensory ability was probably much stronger than Shinka and the others'. Perhaps he had already guessed it.

"At first, it was a huge python. Very strong," Arashi said slowly. "Later, an uninvited guest appeared."

"Who?" Fugaku leaned forward slightly.

"Orochimaru."

When the three syllables "Orochimaru" came from Arashi's mouth, the atmosphere in the hall instantly froze.

Fugaku and the four elders' expressions all changed drastically for a moment.

Orochimaru! Lord Third Hokage's proudest disciple, a legendary figure of the Hidden Leaf. Why would he appear on the outskirts of the Uchiha Clan Compound? And why had he clashed with Arashi?

A complicated light flashed through Fugaku's eyes. There was surprise, confusion, but even more than that, it seemed to be a kind of... excitement?

"Orochimaru?" Fugaku's voice unconsciously softened a great deal. "What did he want with you?"

Arashi looked at everyone's reaction of bullying the weak and fearing the strong, and he only found it somewhat amusing.

"He said... he took a fancy to my potential and wanted to take me as his disciple," Arashi answered truthfully.

"What? Such a good thing happened!"

Fugaku shot to his feet, the steadiness on his face completely swept away, replaced by unconcealable wild joy.

Not just him—even the elders revealed excited expressions.

"Orochimaru wants to take one of our clansmen as his disciple? This is wonderful news!" one of the elders said.