Promotion

The uproar in the courtyard woke Fugaku Uchiha. He closed his eyes and listened. Another Konoha Elder had been killed at home last night.

Two Uchiha on patrol had also been killed, their throats slit.

The clan members came and went quickly. Their jumbled footsteps faded from Fugaku's hearing.

So I was right. With every nation in the Shinobi World on edge, the Konoha leadership was tightening its hold on the village.

As long as those elders lived, they would have some influence over the leadership's decisions.

When the Elders Council was gone, the threat of the Uchiha clan's destruction would follow.

Two elders had died in succession. Konoha now had its reason to send troops into the Land of Rain.

Fugaku Uchiha dressed and left home for the clan's usual meeting place. Two black body bags lay in the middle of the courtyard, unzipped to reveal the two murdered clan members.

Their pale faces were exposed. Fugaku recognized one at once: Uchiha Moriki of the Security Force. He had awakened the Two-Tomoe Sharingan, though he was not especially gifted.

Several members of the Konoha leadership were there, along with the families of the dead. Two children from one family caught Fugaku's attention.

The older child looked seven or eight, the younger five or six. Both sobbed so hard they could barely catch their breath. They seemed unable to believe that the father they had always looked up to was suddenly gone.

Faint pulses of Pupil Power came from both children. That was what had caught Fugaku's attention. Either could awaken the Sharingan at any moment.

"Fugaku, you're here," Uchiha Tenjo said when he saw his son. "We're about to examine Elder Yamamoto's body. Come with us."

Fugaku Uchiha nodded. "Yes, Father."

Elder Yamamoto's body had been taken to the Intelligence Department. By the time the Uchiha arrived, the Konoha leadership had already examined it without announcing any conclusions.

In a morgue at the Intelligence Department, a headless body lay beneath a white sheet.

Several Uchiha carefully lifted the sheet and inspected the wounds.

The cut at the neck was clean. He appeared to have been beheaded with a single stroke.

Uchiha Tenjo drew Fugaku aside. "What do you see?"

"Nothing." Fugaku paused, then lowered his voice. "Elder Yamamoto's head is missing. He may have known his killer, who didn't want the Intelligence Department searching his memories and seeing their face. I'd guess the same people killed Elder Yamada."

Uchiha Tenjo nodded. "Chilling. They'll stop at nothing to get what they want. Two elders have died already. How many more will they kill before they're done?"

"Elder Yamamoto should be the last," Fugaku Uchiha said. "Public opinion is already on their side. Killing another elder would only ruin Konoha's reputation and work against them."

Uchiha Tenjo nodded. His son had a point.

"I'm reporting the investigation's findings to the Hokage at noon," Uchiha Tenjo said. "It seems we can only identify the killers as ninja from the three nations of Wind, Rain, and Earth. I don't know when we'll be able to avenge our two clan members. And after Elder Yamamoto's murder, the Uchiha will be in an even weaker position."

"We could assign more people to the night patrols," Fugaku Uchiha said. "Let the villagers think the assassinations stopped because of the Uchiha. It might restore some of the clan's reputation."

Uchiha Tenjo nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. It's the only way to ease the pressure on us."

Seven days passed without another assassination in Konoha. Most villagers breathed easier, while word quietly spread that the Uchiha had sent out large numbers of clan members to guard Konoha day and night.

Rumors about the assassinations filled Konoha. The culprit seemed to have been identified as one of the three nations of Wind, Rain, and Earth. Other claims surfaced now and then, only to vanish just as quickly.

Fugaku Uchiha watched coldly as Konoha's villagers were stirred up again and again. In a few years, the Konoha leadership would use the same method to drive the White Fang of the Leaf to suicide.

Amid that storm of public opinion, the Security Force's reputation improved a little. For the Uchiha, it was a small mercy.

Fugaku spent the next few days sorting through what he remembered about Genjutsu and training harder at it. With tensions rising, he could be sent to the battlefield at any time.

Neither Ninjutsu nor Taijutsu could be improved quickly. But with the Sharingan's powerful Kekkei Genkai, Genjutsu was different.

And as his Pupil Power grew, his Genjutsu would only become stronger. It was his best means of staying alive on the battlefield.

That night, father and son talked in Uchiha Tenjo's study.

"War is getting closer. The fighting in the Land of Rain has reached a fever pitch," Uchiha Tenjo said. "A Shinobi World War could break out at any moment. Go to the Hokage's Office tomorrow morning. The Hokage has approved your promotion to Jonin, and he may have a new mission for you."

Fugaku Uchiha nodded. He had expected as much. He just didn't know whose command he would be placed under.

Uchiha Tenjo went on, "You may well be sent to the Land of Rain. Be careful. Four nations are fighting there, and powerful shinobi are everywhere. Don't try to be a hero."

Fugaku Uchiha nodded. "Don't worry, Father. I'll be careful."

The next morning, Fugaku Uchiha knocked and entered the Hokage's Office. The Third Hokage was alone inside.

"Hokage, Fugaku Uchiha reporting."

"You did well on this mission," the Third Hokage said. "Fugaku Uchiha, after verifying the intelligence you brought back from Sunagakure, I am formally promoting you to Konoha Jonin. I now have an S-rank mission for you."

Fugaku Uchiha remained calm. He had prepared himself for this.

"As a Konoha shinobi, it's my duty to complete my missions," Fugaku Uchiha said.

The Third Hokage nodded, satisfied with Fugaku's attitude.

"Two Konoha elders have been killed in succession. The three nations of Wind, Rain, and Earth cannot escape responsibility," the Third Hokage said. "Many years have passed since the last Shinobi World War. The Shinobi World has forgotten Konoha's strength. Konoha has formed the Vanguard Division. You'll serve under the Vanguard Force's captain, Hatake Sakumo."

"Yes, Hokage."

Fugaku had thought he would be assigned to one of the three Sannin. Instead, he had been placed under Hatake Sakumo.

After leaving the Hokage's Office, he opened his mission scroll. It gave the time and place to assemble.

They were to meet tomorrow morning in a forest outside Konoha. At the bottom of the scroll was the Third Hokage's signature. Only those carrying his signature could join the Vanguard Force.

P.S. Regular updates resume tomorrow, with at least two chapters a day. Sorry, readers. I'll gradually make up for the missed chapters.

End of chapter.