Lightning Release: Kirin, Reforging the Clan's Glory

"This is great! Big Brother Lu Ming, just wait and see—I'll definitely bring back first place!"

Sasuke jumped up, his little face flushed red as he loudly accepted the wager.

A specially made chakra weapon was simply an irresistible temptation for a child who had just started school.

Itachi stood to the side, his brows slightly furrowed, silently accepting Lu Ming's arrangement.

Itachi was far more mature than children his age. Looking at Lu Ming's gentle face, he replayed Lu Ming's earlier words to Sasuke in his mind—"Use your strength to prove the Uchiha Clan's power to all of Konoha."

It sounded like encouragement for a junior,

but Itachi keenly sensed the hidden edge within those words.

Lu Ming smiled and waved, seeing the two brothers, Itachi and Sasuke, off.

Once their figures disappeared at the end of the street, Lu Ming's smile faded. His expression turned grim as he headed straight for a hidden training ground outside Konoha.

A breeze brushed through Lu Ming's black hair, and his gaze remained calm.

Lu Ming understood the cruelty of this world.

He was not some clueless brat. When he had been born into this world, he had already possessed the complete and immense spiritual power of an adult.

That innate advantage had allowed him to leave everyone else behind right from the starting line.

An adult's spiritual power granted him exceptional learning ability, precise chakra control, and remarkable talent for genjutsu.

Within the clan, he was as famous as Shisui, and the higher-ups called them the "Uchiha Clan's Two Great Geniuses."

But Lu Ming saw farther than Shisui.

Because he was a veteran fan of Naruto.

He understood the conflict between the Uchiha Clan and the Konoha Leadership, and he also knew of Black Zetsu and Madara Uchiha's schemes lurking behind the scenes.

If events were allowed to proceed as they had,

the entire Uchiha Clan would be slaughtered that night and become sacrifices to a political struggle.

Having understood all this since childhood, Lu Ming made a single vow: he would stop this tragedy of clan extermination!

Stopping the tragedy could not rely on Fugaku's compromises, nor could he place his hopes on Shisui's Kotoamatsukami.

The only way out was to make the Uchiha great again,

to become powerful enough that the Third Hokage, Danzo, and the entire Konoha Leadership would not even dare entertain the thought of making a move!

Dignity existed only upon the edge of a blade;

truth existed only within the range of ninjutsu.

Lu Ming moved through the forest, recalling the Third Shinobi World War.

Back then, he had made a decision that no one could understand.

On the battlefield, while everyone else was killing enemies and earning merit, Lu Ming had not taken part.

He had turned his exceptional chakra control into refined medical ninjutsu, moving across the most dangerous front lines and doing everything he could to save gravely wounded, dying clansmen.

Within that meat grinder where lives were worth less than grass,

Lu Ming had forcibly snatched the lives of countless young Uchiha from the hands of death itself.

What truly made his name resound throughout the Shinobi World was that desperate battle against Iwagakure's main force.

In that battle, the Uchiha unit was surrounded by Iwagakure, while the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki of Both Scales, floated in the air.

"You insignificant Uchiha brats dare act so arrogantly before me? Then turn to dust!"

Ōnoki looked down from above as white light shone between his hands. He unleashed the Kekkei Tōta—Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu.

Faced with that power, the Uchiha clansmen closed their eyes, their hands gripping their blades trembling unsteadily.

At that critical moment, Lu Ming stepped forward, rapidly forming hand seals as he guided the thunderclouds gathering in the sky.

"Lightning Release: Kirin!"

Lu Ming roared as lightning condensed into a colossal beast and crashed toward Ōnoki in midair.

That strike was faster than sound; its power reached the pinnacle of S-rank ninjutsu!

The thunder was deafening.

Lightning flashed, and the shockwave leveled the surrounding forest.

As the smoke and dust cleared, the entire battlefield fell silent.

The Iwagakure shinobi looked into the sky. The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, had been forced back, half his body scorched black by lightning, shock written across his face.

"What kind of monster is this brat?!"

Ōnoki gritted his teeth. Wary of Lu Ming's strength, he led the Iwagakure forces in retreat.

The instant Ōnoki withdrew, the entire Uchiha unit erupted in cheers of survival.

Everyone looked at Lu Ming as though he were their savior.

He had become famous in a single battle!

With that S-rank Lightning Release: Kirin, Lu Ming had completely transformed from a medical genius into a true top-tier powerhouse.

After the war, he was naturally promoted to Jonin.

Using the prestige he had built within the clan, he gradually gathered the young people he had saved and cultivated a force of his own.

Without realizing it, Lu Ming had reached the depths of the forest. With one hand, he formed a seal, dispelled the genjutsu barrier ahead, and stepped into a vast underground training base.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The moment Lu Ming entered the base, more than a dozen black shadows darted out from the darkness. They dropped to one knee and lowered their heads.

"My lord!"

Their orderly, low call echoed through the underground chamber.

Lu Ming stopped and looked at the group before him.

This was the most steadfast core he had built with countless painstaking efforts.

These young people whom he had saved had grown vastly stronger under harsh training and the instilled belief of "Uchiha Glory."

Not a single one standing here was weak.

Even the weakest among them was a battle-hardened Chunin with the strength to kill a Jonin above his rank.

The thirteen people in the front row were genuine Elite Jonin.

"Raise your heads," Lu Ming said.

Whoosh—

More than a dozen people raised their heads at once.

In the dim underground chamber, more than a dozen pairs of scarlet eyes lit up.

One Tomoe? Two Tomoe? No!

Three tomoe were reflected in the eyes of the thirteen Jonin.

Thirteen pairs of Three-Tomoe Sharingan opened at once, their ocular power converging.

They stared at Lu Ming, their eyes filled with fervor and reverence.

In their hearts, what was Fugaku? What were the higher-ups?

Lu Ming was the only god they served!

Lu Ming looked at this force with satisfaction and slowly walked before them.

"The Konoha Leadership's suppression of us has reached the point where it is completely open."

"The villagers' insults, our marginalization from power, the compression of our living space..."

Lu Ming's voice turned cold.

"And yet our clan head, Fugaku, only knows how to retreat again and again, trampling the Uchiha's dignity beneath his feet for others to desecrate!"

The kneeling clansmen began to breathe heavily. The Three Tomoe in their eyes spun wildly as suppressed rage burned in their chests.

"We can no longer wait, and we can no longer retreat."

Lu Ming raised a hand and pointed straight toward the heavens.

"The time has come! I declare that the operation has officially begun!"

The entire hall fell silent. Everyone held their breath and watched Lu Ming.

"Our first step—seize the position of clan head!"

Lu Ming looked at them and declared loudly,

"I will lead you and make the Uchiha great again!"

Those words ignited everyone's emotions.

No one hesitated.

The surrounding clansmen shouted in unison, "Everything for Uchiha Glory!" Their expressions burned with fervor.