Stilts Soccer Remains a Huge Hit

"Should be able to play another match. Any other teams want to come up?" Obito stood in the middle of the field and called out loudly, a smug smile on his face. Clearly, he was very pleased with the victory just now.

"Our Ino–Shika–Cho Squad will play!" At that moment, the eleven members of the Ino–Shika–Cho Squad stepped forward. Their leader, Shikaku Nara, wore a composed smile, clearly confident in his team.

"Alright!" Obito agreed at once. Just as Uchiha Chuan had said, they would turn no challengers away.

With Asuma's earlier failure as a lesson, the Ino–Shika–Cho Squad was extremely cautious. They did not rush to attack. Instead, they passed the ball around, getting used to the balance and rhythm of the stilts. This steady strategy was clearly far wiser than Asuma's reckless charge.

Seeing this, the Uchiha Team immediately pushed forward and began pressing across the entire field. They clearly did not intend to give the Ino–Shika–Cho Squad any chance to get familiar with the game.

Sure enough, the full-field press worked. The Ino–Shika–Cho Team, still not fully accustomed to the stilts, began making frequent mistakes and repeatedly losing possession. The Uchiha Team seized the opportunity and launched a fierce assault.

Yet the cautious Ino–Shika–Cho Team somehow held on. Their defense was somewhat clumsy, but they did not let the Uchiha Team score easily.

"Great! Ino–Shika–Cho, defeat Uchiha!" Asuma shouted excitedly. Clearly, he dearly wanted to see the Uchiha Team get knocked down a peg.

As Asuma's chant rang out, others who also wanted to see a miracle began shouting as well. "Defeat Uchiha! Defeat Uchiha! Defeat Uchiha!"

"Hahaha, good, good, good! Defeat Uchiha." The Third Hokage and the others, who had originally been worried about Uchiha's popularity becoming too high, immediately beamed when they saw everyone chanting for Uchiha's defeat. Clearly, Uchiha Team's dominant performance had made them uneasy.

However, Uchiha's fans would not surrender so easily.

"Damn it, you boys dare compete with us in volume? Sisters!" An Uchiha girl stepped forward, battle spirit blazing in her eyes.

"Uchiha! Uchiha! Uchiha..." In an instant, Uchiha's cheers once again soared into the sky. The girls' voices were clearly even shriller than the boys'.

"Ino–Shika–Cho! Ino–Shika–Cho! Ino–Shika–Cho..." The boys, unwilling to be outdone, shouted at the tops of their lungs.

Cheers rose and fell across the entire playground, and the atmosphere reached its peak.

"What's happening? Have Uchiha and Ino–Shika–Cho gone to war?" Passing villagers heard the earth-shaking cries and asked in shock.

"Probably not. Those sound like cheers of support. It should be some kind of match," someone guessed.

In any case, many people began wondering what exactly was happening at the Ninja Academy today.

"Why are they suddenly cheering for Uchiha again? What are these brats doing?" The Third Hokage, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and the other old-timers clearly did not understand young people these days. Their brows were tightly furrowed, and they were evidently troubled by the chaos.

In the end, the stilt football showdown between Uchiha and Ino–Shika–Cho ended in a draw, due to Uchiha's lack of stamina and Ino–Shika–Cho's unfamiliarity with the game.

Inside the Hokage's Office, the atmosphere was so heavy it seemed capable of crushing a person's spine.

"Hiruzen, if we do not find a way to isolate Uchiha again, then Uchiha will truly become integrated into the village. When that happens, dealing with them will not be so easy." Utatane Koharu's expression was grim, and there was urgency in her voice. Her gaze was sharp enough to pierce through any disguise and strike directly at the heart of the problem.

"I know that, of course. But what can we do now?" The Third Hokage sighed, his voice filled with helplessness. Through the window, he looked toward the distant Ninja Academy, where waves of cheers still rang out. Clearly, the Uchiha Clan's stilt football matches were still ongoing.

"Hiruzen, Koharu, what do you think Uchiha Chuan's purpose was in designing such a fiercely competitive game? Was it truly just to integrate into the village?" Mitokado Homura slowly spoke, his voice low and thoughtful. His fingers lightly tapped the desk, as if pondering something.

"Where there are winners and losers, there is gambling? Could they be using it for gambling? But who would they gamble with? Us? What do they want to bet against us?" Utatane Koharu frowned deeply, uncertainty in her voice. Her gaze moved between the Third Hokage and Mitokado Homura, clearly seeking an answer.

"If it were Fugaku Uchiha, perhaps we could guess a thing or two. But Uchiha Chuan's thoughts are far too wild. Just like when he suddenly dropped out of school before, who would have known his ultimate purpose was merely to teach Danzo a lesson?" Mitokado Homura said with a bitter smile, clearly helpless over Uchiha Chuan's actions.

"Sigh. Let us assume they are doing it to change Uchiha's image. We should simply wait and see." The Third Hokage sighed, a trace of compromise in his voice. His gaze returned to the window, as if searching for something amid the commotion outside.

"No. Uchiha students are only students. Most of Uchiha's bad image was caused by members of the Uchiha Police Force. If they wanted to change anything, they should be changing the Uchiha Police Force's image. Clearly, Uchiha Chuan has some other purpose." Utatane Koharu spoke decisively, her voice firm. A chill flashed through her eyes, and she was clearly deeply wary of Uchiha Chuan's actions.

"As long as it does not affect the village, let him make a mess of things. Whatever his purpose is, it will eventually surface. If we intervene halfway through, it may provoke even fiercer targeting, just like with Danzo." The Third Hokage spoke quietly, his voice filled with helplessness and exhaustion. His fingers lightly tapped the desk, as if he were thinking something over.

"..." Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura exchanged a glance before ultimately nodding helplessly. Their faces were full of reluctance, but they clearly understood that the Third Hokage's words were not without reason.

"Those evil, damned Uchiha." Utatane Koharu cursed under her breath, her voice full of resentment. Her fingers clenched tightly into fists, and she was clearly extremely dissatisfied with the Uchiha Clan's actions.

Mitokado Homura also sighed and quietly agreed. "Yes. The Uchiha Clan is, in the end, the village's greatest source of instability."

The Third Hokage remained silent, his gaze still fixed on the view outside.

Inside the Police Force office, the atmosphere was completely different from the heaviness of the Hokage's Office. Instead, it was filled with ease and confidence. Fugaku Uchiha sat behind his desk with a cup of tea in hand, a faint smile at the corner of his mouth. Clearly, he was very satisfied with the current situation.

"Next, we will see whether the Hokage can discover our purpose. If he cannot, then when the time comes, he may once again stand against all the village's civilian ninja." Fugaku Uchiha took a light sip of tea, amusement in his voice. Through the window, he looked toward the distant Hokage Building, as though awaiting something.

"Hahaha, I doubt they can. They always think the worst of us Uchiha. How could they possibly think well of us? So they will keep suffering losses at Little Chuan's hands until they fully acknowledge us." The First Elder sat nearby, his face full of confident smiles. His fingers lightly tapped the desk, clearly full of faith in Uchiha Chuan's schemes.

"Hahaha, that is Little Chuan's brilliance." The Second Elder laughed as well, his eyes full of praise. There was a note of pride in his voice, and he was clearly very satisfied with Uchiha Chuan's performance.

"Little Chuan's wisdom rivals that of the Second Hokage. In some respects, he may even surpass him." The Second Elder added with a sigh.

"Have the forbidden techniques all been passed on to Little Chuan? Perhaps he may even create new forbidden techniques." The Third Elder asked, anticipation flashing through his eyes. He looked toward Fugaku Uchiha, clearly full of expectations for Uchiha Chuan's future.

"They have already been passed to him. The Uchiha Clan no longer has even the slightest secret from Little Chuan." Fugaku Uchiha spread his hands, his tone relaxed. Satisfaction flickered in his eyes, and he was clearly very pleased with Uchiha Chuan's growth.

"That is good." The First Elder nodded in satisfaction, a relieved smile appearing on his face. His gaze swept across everyone present, and he was clearly full of confidence in the Uchiha Clan's future.

The Second Elder and Third Elder wore the same expressions, clearly very satisfied with Uchiha Chuan's performance.