Earning Prestige

Uchiha Yo stood proudly in the center, looking every bit like the king of the kids who was about to beat them all into tears. Who else refused to submit?

"That's enough. No one among them can withstand your single strike right now." The speaker was none other than Uchiha Ming, Uchiha Yo's mentor. His words also confirmed that Uchiha Yo now dominated his generation with a single blade.

"I thought you weren't the competitive sort. Who would have guessed that you still had the hot blood of youth? Hahaha, fellow disciples fooling around, and you two had to make such a big scene? Shouldn't I give you both a proper lesson?" Uchiha Zepha scolded with a laugh from the side. Both of his disciples had turned out so outstandingly; naturally, it reflected well on him.

The elders had actually arrived long ago. But how could adults interfere with a children's game? It was a public sparring match, after all, and strength spoke for itself.

Still, continuing the fight would not look good. They were family, after all; there was no need to leave everyone with the impression that they were overly arrogant. That was why the two teachers stepped forward to support their disciples. Uchiha Ming had framed Uchiha Yo as the strongest of his generation in the clan, while Uchiha Zepha had turned Uchiha Yo's arrogance into youthful vigor. After all, what young man wasn't a little wild?

Winning was one thing, but he still had to save some face for his own clansmen. Uchiha Yo was no fool. He simply wanted to use this strong return to make a name for himself and lay the groundwork for the road ahead. Put plainly, he was building momentum for himself. If he wanted his own faction in the future, he first had to establish his reputation.

"Everyone's here playing around, and there isn't a soul left on the streets. Hmph, young people these days really love a spectacle. You've even forgotten your duties. Everyone except the Fourth Brigade, disperse." The one who spoke was Uchiha Saka. The other two had already said everything there was to say, so all he could do was dismiss the crowd. He had taught them before, after all. He had to show some support.

Uchiha Kuzan sighed. At that moment, Uchiha Ming took a blade from a scroll and said, "Your path isn't wrong. Everyone has their own path. Yo follows the samurai sword style, while you and I are the same—we follow the ninja blade style.

"That sword of yours has long been unable to bear your caliber. This blade is called Breeze. It was forged by the same master who made Xiao Yo's blade. It's yours. It's rare to see such a talented junior." With that, he shoved the blade into Uchiha Kuzan's hands.

Uchiha Zepha laughed. "I had a blade prepared for you too, but it pales compared to Ming's. You shouldn't refuse a gift from an elder. Take it."

Uchiha Kuzan accepted the blade and ceremonially bid everyone farewell one by one. He then fastened Breeze at his waist, carried his own sword in both hands, and left, seemingly intending to give it a proper burial.

Uchiha Ming looked at the disciple before him and said, "You just got back and already caused such a commotion. A simple squad captain appointment, and you turned it into some kind of martial arts tournament. If I made you brigade captain, what then? Would you overturn Konoha? What exactly are you trying to do?"

Before Uchiha Yo could speak, Uchiha Retsu and Uchiha En walked over. Uchiha Retsu patted Uchiha Yo on the shoulder, while Uchiha En, who understood exactly what Uchiha Yo was thinking, laughed aloud. Wouldn't they be overturning Konoha sooner or later...

The three still understood one another perfectly. Earlier, Uchiha Yo had already made his intentions clear to the two of them. Seeing his two friends support and encourage him, Uchiha Yo decided to stop pretending and lay his cards on the table before his teachers.

He needed powerful people backing him for his plans to be carried out smoothly. His uncle was the clan head, after all, and would not let him act recklessly. As for that handsome uncle, he was already showing signs of "Shisui ideology"; speaking to him would be even less advisable.

So he said, "It's been many years since the three of us have met. Since all three of my honored teachers are here today, the three of us would like to invite you to a simple lunch at the old place. You can rest assured about En's cooking, and Retsu has already prepared everything. We were simply waiting for this spar to end before inviting you. I hope the three of you will join us." As he finished, he looked around.

"Hahaha, good! Retsu, did you prepare any wine?" Uchiha Saka was the first to throw an arm around Uchiha Retsu's shoulders. They headed toward the old place—the training ground from before.

"En, you must have fought Yo already, right? You're still young. If there's anything you don't understand, come ask me. You've only visited four times in all these years. That brat Retsu practically lived at my house for several months. Hahaha, you haven't forgotten my tastes, have you? Come on, come on, hurry up and make me something to eat." Uchiha Zepha urged Uchiha En.

"The Fourth Brigade is off today. Assemble on time tomorrow morning. New assignments will be issued. Dismissed." After saying that, Uchiha Ming nodded, signaling that Uchiha Yo could leave.

After the meal, everyone seemed to have recovered some of their old closeness. Uchiha Yo brewed tea for his three teachers. He had learned the craft from his grandfather in the mountains, so naturally, he was quite skilled.

After a pot of tea, Uchiha Yo slowly said, "Three teachers, I haven't been in Konoha these past few years. When it comes to friends, I only have En and Retsu. Now that I've suddenly risen to the middle ranks, the clan's younger members beneath me will inevitably be dissatisfied. There may be all kinds of noncooperation in our work going forward. Because of that, I can only use strength to overcome cleverness.

"If they think my strength isn't enough, then come and fight me. If they think my ability isn't enough, no problem—bring your squad, and we'll compete. I've already proven my strength. Next comes my ability. I plan to carry out a major purge in the patrol zones under the three of us. We'll clear out spies from other villages and suspicious individuals. A new official must always make some noise upon taking office, right, Teacher?"

Uchiha Ming pondered. "You held a sparring match, and now you're launching a major purge to rack up achievements. Your ultimate goal isn't merely to gain some prestige, is it?"

"Teacher, you think too highly of me. How could I have that many schemes? I just want to produce some results so that I can climb higher and go farther in the future. Through what happened before, I came to understand something: if you are not in a position, you cannot concern yourself with its affairs.

"If I want to change the relationship between the clan and the village, I first have to be able to speak on behalf of the clan. And if I want to speak on behalf of the clan, I first need to have a voice within it.

"I can't earn everyone's recognition by relying solely on the protection of my elders. The best way to gain recognition is through strength and achievements. That's all I want to do. It isn't that complicated," Uchiha Yo replied.

Uchiha Ming rose to his feet and said, "Mm, it's a good idea. Then I'll be looking forward to your performance." With that, he got up and left. After expressing their support, the other two teachers left as well.

Uchiha En said, "You want to catch spies to throw Konoha into chaos. Are you just trying to give the higher-ups a headache?"

Uchiha Yo looked at his friend and said, "How would that throw things into chaos? We're only carrying out our duties." Then he kicked off one leg of a stool and smiled at Uchiha En.