A Fearsome Reputation Is Forged in Battle

A team of Uchiha entered the valley and headed straight for Brightheart Compound. Along the way, they ran into several clansmen, greeting one another amicably. When the team reached Brightheart Compound, they pushed open the door and told several Uchiha inside, "Call everyone back. Orders from the clan have arrived." As soon as the words fell, several figures vanished from sight. Before long, all the Uchiha in the valley had gathered—thirty-seven people in total. They were nearly the size of some ordinary clans. Seeing so many clansmen filled everyone with pride.

Someone pulled a sealing scroll from his robes and handed it to Uchiha Ming. He opened it before everyone, gave it a glance, and said, "All squad captains, meeting inside. Everyone else, stay on guard." Uchiha Ming and the other captains entered the room and passed the scroll around. Then he said, "Since the clan has made its decision, we will carry it out with everything we have. Now, let's begin the tactical meeting. This map was drawn over the past two days by clansmen with nothing else to do. The strength markers throughout are fairly clear. The hardest target is here, on the far left side of the valley. On the surface, it is a trading company, but it is actually a Root branch. Its main responsibility is procuring supplies and gathering intelligence for Root. The number of personnel inside is unknown, and there may be a secret passage. Uchiha Saka, Ling, Kirito, and I will handle this location. We'll draw manpower from each squad..."

The meeting lasted over an hour. When they emerged, the Uchiha outside had turned solemn. Uchiha Ming stepped forward and said, "The clan has brought us orders. The village has already made its position clear, but the clan believes this valley should also answer for the attack on the Uchiha squad. Therefore, it may disappear. Kill everyone in the valley. Destroy it completely. Level it to the ground."

The captains then began calling names. Those called fell in behind their captains, forming tactical squads. Each captain laid out a battle plan for his own squad. Uchiha Retsu and Uchiha En had to remain at Brightheart Compound. The doctor and his daughter had escaped disaster as well. Two chunin and two independent tactical squads were also left behind, ready to support any battlefield at any time.

Uchiha Yo had initially been left behind too, but the brat stubbornly refused to give up. He first begged his uncle by marriage, the dual-sword wielder Uchiha Kirito, then begged his two masters. In the end, no one knew how he managed to convince Uchiha Ling, but he ultimately wormed his way into the team attacking Root.

The battle began. From that moment on, the valley became a battlefield—entry was permitted, but no one was allowed to leave. Fighting erupted everywhere at once. Uchiha Yo charged into the trading company with his squad. Standing behind several three-tomoe Sharingan users with only his own two-tomoe Sharingan active, he looked a little adorable. Yet the boy was always casting an Earth Release here, throwing a couple of shuriken there, helping someone with a Wind Release: Wind Blast, then running elsewhere to set fires. He was incredibly active on the battlefield, bouncing all over the place. Everyone simply assumed he was especially eager to avenge the attack. His performance also revealed his jack-of-all-trades side—he knew a little of everything, and his support always arrived in time. That earned him even more goodwill. After all, who would not like a sensible and capable child?

There actually were not many ninjas in the trading company. When the Uchiha clansmen began arriving in twos and threes, someone had already evacuated some personnel and important documents. The place was breached before long, and even the secret passage was discovered. Two squads stayed behind to clear the passage, while the rest went to support the other squads. The detachment left at Brightheart Compound had already moved to the valley entrance. Smoke and flames filled the view as squad after squad of Uchiha returned. Uchiha Yo realized that this operation had somehow resulted in zero casualties, giving him a deep and immediate sense of the Uchiha Clan's strength. Everyone stood at the valley entrance when someone suggested they leave a memento together. At first, Uchiha Yo thought they were going to take a picture, but when he came back to his senses, he realized this was no memento—it was plainly a cremation. More than thirty Uchiha faced the valley together, unleashing Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, Fire Release: Fire Dragon Technique... one Fire Release after another. For some reason, as Uchiha Yo watched his laughing clansmen, he suddenly felt as if they were all peeing against the same wall together...