Newcomers Arrive

Dan Katō and Tsunade only stayed at the camp for a few days.

After successfully getting Meikyō and the other two started on the Spirit Activation Technique, the two hurriedly left.

As the village's top combat forces, with the war still ongoing, they had plenty to keep them busy.

Other than that, all Tsunade left behind was a long reading list.

She meant that only after memorizing all those medical books would they qualify to study Medical Ninjutsu further.

But where some people left, others naturally arrived.

The earlier defeat at the front lines had been caused by Mitokado Homura's command errors, and Konoha's ninja had almost all retreated within the borders of the Land of Fire.

Although Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya had stepped forward and held back Hanzo, allowing Konoha to preserve as much of its remaining strength as possible, the losses had still been severe.

Moreover, after forming an alliance with Hanzo, Hanzo found it difficult to sustain a prolonged campaign because the rear logistics reserves of Amegakure had been destroyed by Dan Katō, Kiyomi Kōtō, and Mitokado Homura. Thus, Hanzo specifically demanded that Konoha provide supplies such as food as part of the alliance.

Therefore, Konoha dispatched a powerful elite force to support the Land of Rain, transporting a large quantity of supplies at the same time.

And the leader of that force happened to be someone Meikyō knew.

The Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Fugaku.

By this point in the Second Shinobi World War, Konoha did not actually have much strength left that it could deploy, yet Hanzo had chosen this moment to form an alliance with Konoha.

Anyone who was not brain-dead could see that if Konoha and Hanzo worked together wholeheartedly from here on out, they had a very good chance of achieving victory on the Land of Rain battlefield.

If the war in the Land of Rain could end, it would undoubtedly relieve enormous pressure on Konoha.

But Konoha truly could not spare any more forces, so it could only turn its attention to the Ninja Clans, trading a portion of its interests in exchange for those clans deploying their reserve elite ninja.

As the head of the Ninja World's Foremost Great Clan, Uchiha Fugaku was undoubtedly the most suitable choice to lead the force, especially since the main family of the Hyuga Clan could not be mobilized easily.

Furthermore, with neither Konoha's higher-ups nor its other top experts currently in Konoha, there was no one else suitable for the role. No matter how deep her prejudice against the Uchiha ran, Utatane Koharu still had to grit her teeth and acknowledge Uchiha Fugaku as the leader.

After all, when facing an external threat, even the greatest internal conflicts had to take a back seat.

Thus, Uchiha Fugaku set out for the front lines with a group of elite ninja, including members of the Uchiha Clan.

Besides, it was not Uchiha Fugaku who would serve as battlefield commander at the front. After resigning from the position due to his previous mistake, Mitokado Homura had recommended Orochimaru for the post. Once he had finished discussing the alliance terms with Hanzo, he headed to the Land of Hot Water to assist Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Third Hokage-sama could hold his own against the Third Raikage alone, but against the A and B Combination formed by the Third Raikage and the current Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, even the Third Hokage, hailed as the strongest Hokage, was naturally no match. He needed a sufficiently powerful teammate to help keep them in check.

Although Mitokado Homura was weaker than Hiruzen Sarutobi, he was not yet the frail old man he would become years later. At the peak of his strength, he still possessed combat power close to the Kage-level.

"I have heard about your performance recently."

Inside the base, Uchiha Fugaku sat formally on his knees across from Meikyō, his hands resting flat on his thighs and his back ramrod straight.

He cared deeply about every word and action, because he believed that as the head of the Uchiha, his every move represented the Uchiha.

"To achieve a record of killing multiple Chunin only half a year after graduation, while also holding off Amayuzuru Dairo—you have done very well."

Amayuzuru Dairo was the name of the Rain Ninja who had used Explosive Tags in an attempt to drag Meikyō and the others down with him. He wielded an Umbrella Sword ninja tool.

He had some fame in the Land of Rain and was among the strongest Chunin below the Jonin rank.

With the Uchiha Clan's intelligence network, naturally they could investigate such information, including Meikyō's performance on the battlefield.

"Clan Head, you praise me too highly. I am only a Genin, and I still have much to learn."

Uchiha Meikyō modestly replied again and again.

If Meikyō did not truly possess the Sharingan, Uchiha Fugaku would have suspected whether he was really Uchiha blood.

What kind of Uchiha was this modest?

If it were any other clan member, even with the Clan Head sitting before them, their tail would already have been sticking up in the sky.

"From now on, when you are outside, you should pay more attention to upholding the clan's image."

Uchiha Fugaku felt that this was not quite right and wanted to correct him.

Because it was not Uchiha.

Uchiha Fugaku had spoken too indirectly, so Meikyō claimed he was still too young to understand the meaning behind his words.

But since Uchiha Fugaku had said so, he might as well give some casual response.

"Meikyō understands what the Clan Head means, but I believe that actions are the best example. Earning War Merit and displaying great strength are, in themselves, the best way to uphold the clan's image."

That statement was perfectly correct, whether in the village or within the clan.

Uchiha Fugaku was clearly satisfied with Meikyō's answer. He stood up and called Uchiha Meikyō outside.

He planned to properly instruct Meikyō in Fire Style.

To awaken the Sharingan at the age of ten and achieve such a record only half a year after graduation—even among the Uchiha, he was the most outstanding genius in more than twenty years.

In fact, the previous genius of the Uchiha Clan to awaken the Sharingan before the age of ten and become a Chunin within a year of graduation had been Uchiha Fugaku himself.

Therefore, Uchiha Fugaku thought very highly of Uchiha Meikyō's future and held enormous expectations for him.

He hoped to cultivate someone who could become his right-hand man in several years.

Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!

A powerful dragon-shaped flame burst from Meikyō's mouth, crashing into the mountain wall before him and blasting chunks of rock loose.

At Meikyō's side, Uchiha Fugaku silently nodded as he watched.

Uchiha Meikyō had learned the Great Dragon Fire Technique only a little more slowly than Fugaku himself had back then.

In truth, this was also because Uchiha Meikyō's abilities had improved greatly in every aspect.

First, Dan Katō's Spirit Activation Technique had successfully gotten him started, allowing for the initial development of his Mental Energy.

At this point, his Chakra control was more precise than before, which boosted Meikyō's learning of any ninjutsu.

The other reason was Dan Katō's guidance in Fire Style over the past half year.