The squad members

"This guy..."

"He's so strong!"

"Is this the Uchiha Hui I know?"

"Who said he only got promoted because of the clan head?!"

"Was Ryo still half asleep? Why was he so weak?!"

"..."

Uchiha Hui brushed the dust off his clothes, then casually stowed the rewards dropped by Uchiha Ryo's defeat in his temporary space. Only then did he sweep a cool gaze over the crowd.

He heard the chatter around him.

But his expression did not change in the slightest, as though the cold, ruthless fighter had turned back into an "ordinary" ninja.

"Well?! Anyone else want to fight me? After today, you won't get another chance to challenge the 'Captain'!"

Uchiha Hui posed the question.

His voice was not loud, but every Uchiha ninja present heard him clearly.

And beyond his calm,

they could sense his confidence and anticipation.

Just as they thought.

This senior really did love fighting!

To most of the Chunin present, his seniority within the Uchiha was considerable. He had graduated several classes ahead of nearly all of them, making him their senior.

But in the past,

because Uchiha Hui's strength had failed to keep pace with the years, many had overlooked that seniority.

Now, however,

with this powerful Uchiha Hui standing before them,

everyone acknowledged his standing and status as their "senior."

At the same time,

they recalled how this Chunin had spent the past month or so constantly seeking out fellow clan members to spar with. He really did love a fight!

See? He had barely knocked one opponent down before asking for another.

After speaking, Uchiha Hui walked over to Uchiha Ryo, helping him up while giving his injuries a quick check.

He had held back appropriately.

The blows might have hurt at the time, even briefly putting Ryo out of commission, but a short rest would be enough for him to recover for the most part.

"Thanks."

Uchiha Ryo gave Uchiha Hui a grateful look. His expression no longer held its earlier arrogance, and a measure of respect had taken its place.

"You're not weak. I just caught you off guard. The next time we fight, I might not be able to beat you."

Uchiha Hui gave him a way to save face, while also feeding him a false impression in the hope of getting more rewards out of him.

Hearing Uchiha Hui say that,

Uchiha Ryo looked briefly taken aback. Then, after a little thought, he realized things really did seem to be as Uchiha Hui had said.

His swift defeat

had partly been due to his own overconfidence, as well as his unfamiliarity with the Ninjutsu Uchiha Hui knew.

That Hidden Mist Technique, for instance,

was the signature technique of the Hidden Mist Assassination Squad, something of a minor secret art.

He truly had not expected Uchiha Hui, who had spent years in the village, to be able to use it, let alone with such apparent proficiency.

With that thought,

Uchiha Ryo, who had felt rather discouraged by his defeat, found his spirits lifting.

"Can I come spar with you again?"

Uchiha Ryo asked.

"We're all members of the Konoha Military Police Force, and we're all Uchiha. Why not?"

That was exactly what Uchiha Hui had been waiting to hear, and he immediately smiled.

Unlike the rather stiff, haughty smiles of most Uchiha, Uchiha Hui had gradually shed many of the original owner's habits over the month or so since arriving in this world. His smile genuinely made him seem approachable.

Like a helpful passerby.

Seeing this,

Uchiha Ryo rubbed his abdomen. Most of the pain had already faded. Then he extended a hand to Uchiha Hui, shaking hands to put their disagreement behind them.

"I lost!"

Then he turned around and announced it loudly to everyone present.

Willingly admitting defeat was not typical of the Uchiha.

But he had the breadth of mind befitting a Special Jōnin. Admitting one defeat was hardly something to fear!

In that, he was utterly different from ordinary Uchiha ninja who had yet to understand where they stood!

With Uchiha Ryo openly acknowledging that his challenge had failed,

the crowd, already stirred by Uchiha Hui's words, erupted into another wave of chatter.

But chatter was all it was.

For the moment, no second challenger stepped forward.

Uchiha Ryo was already one of the more notable ninja below "captain level." Even he had failed, and so quickly at that. The others were no fools; they would not step up to challenge Hui so readily.

Not only did they lack confidence,

they might even incur the displeasure of the clan head, Uchiha Fugaku.

Every one of you looks down on the new captain I personally chose. What, do you think I no longer have a say as clan head and captain of the Konoha Military Police Force?

The Uchiha might be hotheaded brutes,

but they still understood that much about social niceties.

"It seems we already have our answer?"

Upstairs, Uchiha Fugaku looked at Uchiha Setsuna, whose mouth hung open around unfinished words. Surprise and pleasure flickered across Fugaku's face, but he soon regained his composure. "Elder Setsuna, put some care into selecting his squad members. I'll leave the rest to you."

With that,

he gave the clan elder a meaningful smile and turned to leave.

After he left,

the other "captains" who had also been watching began talking among themselves.

Clearly,

they were all rather surprised by Uchiha Hui's strength.

Even Uchiha Tekka, who had previously watched Uchiha Hui spar, gazed down at him in thought.

Had they been in Ryo's place,

they certainly would not have lost just now.

But had Uchiha Hui really shown his full strength?

To think the clan head's younger brother had quietly grown stronger where no one had noticed. Perhaps he still fell somewhat short of a Jonin who could truly hold his own, but he already counted among the mainstays of the Uchiha!

"Let's head down."

Uchiha Setsuna watched Uchiha Hui, who was quietly discussing something with Uchiha Ryo, then looked at the other captains.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth,

he leaped straight out of the window and landed in the training ground.

The other veteran captains followed close behind.

"It seems this old man has missed something exciting?"

Uchiha Setsuna swept his gaze over the gathering. His voice was low and raspy, yet every word rang perfectly clear.

Uchiha Hui looked at him.

Setsuna looked back.

Then, before Uchiha Hui could speak, Setsuna gave him a kindly smile and a slight nod before surveying the crowd.

"You've all seen Hui's strength. Next comes the assignment of members to the new squads. Those of you still in the reserves, stand before me. I will now announce your squads and captains."

Uchiha Setsuna addressed the crowd.

At that,

several ninja soon stepped out from among them. They all looked fairly young; to Uchiha Hui, some seemed downright immature, probably no older than fifteen.

"Uchiha Kumo, Uchiha Takashi, Uchiha Tobihi... you are now members of Squad Seven. Your captain is Uchiha Fu!"

"Uchiha Toki, Uchiha Zeyan, Uchiha Fi... you are now members of Squad Eight. Your captain is Uchiha Yu!"

"Uchiha Arima, Uchiha Yu, Uchiha Tiger... and Uchiha Ryuka. You are now members of Squad Nine. Your captain is Uchiha Hui!"

Uchiha Hui had already joined the other captains.

Beside him,

Uchiha Yakumi and Uchiha Tekka stood fairly close. Both were familiar faces.

However,

as Uchiha Setsuna finished assigning the reserves, Uchiha Hui heard several familiar names.

Among them,

the one that surprised him most was Uchiha Ryuka.

The reason was simple.

Judging by their past encounters, this ninja who specialized in genjutsu seemed to disdain him. He had challenged him several times and had once viciously mocked the original owner of this body...

After all, assigning members to these squads was not a one-sided decision.

Many people were asked for their preferences before being assigned. If they did not want to serve under a particular captain, they could say so outright and have their assignment changed.

That meant...

Uchiha Ryuka had actually chosen to serve under him?!

That really was a surprise!