Gathering

Fugaku nodded. "I'm glad Father is all right. How are the Uchiha casualties? Have you finished counting?"

"We have," Kenichi said heavily. "Twenty Uchiha were killed: four with Three-Tomoe Sharingan, seven with Two-Tomoe, and nine with One Tomoe.

"Most of those who fought suffered at least a few wounds. More than seventy were seriously injured, including the clan head."

Fugaku fell silent. The Uchiha had more than four hundred Ninja in all. Nearly a hundred had been sent to the four bases on the Land of Rain battlefield, and after the defeat there, their prospects were grim. Casualties were bound to be heavy.

In Konoha alone, more than ninety had been killed or seriously wounded—almost a hundred. After just two battles, the mighty Uchiha, Konoha's foremost clan, had been left crippled.

And fighting this brutal would continue for more than a decade. No wonder the Uchiha could be wiped out so easily twenty years later, without causing so much as a ripple.

"See that our people's bodies are recovered and cared for. We need to train the younger generation properly. Starting with the next clan-wide competition, let the children watch and learn.

"They need to get used to Ninja combat early. Between the Land of Rain and the fighting here in Konoha, the Uchiha have suffered heavy losses. No one knows how many more years this war will last.

"If we don't start training the younger generation quickly, the end of this war will mark the beginning of the Uchiha's decline. Submit my proposal to the clan head and the other Uchiha leaders."

"Fugaku, you..."

"I'll be going with Orochimaru to support the Land of Rain. I'm counting on you all to keep a close watch on Konoha."

Kenichi Uchiha nodded. "Don't worry. I'll pass your proposal on to the