The Uchiha Clan Compound had not yet been pushed to the village outskirts because of the future Nine-Tails' Rampage.
Even so, the atmosphere within the Clan Territory felt somewhat subdued.
A Shadow Clone moved swiftly through the Clan Territory, extending his senses.
Sure enough, most of the elite forces had been transferred to the front lines. Few ninja remained in the Clan Territory, and their strength varied considerably. Most of those left were ordinary clan members, the elderly, the weak, women, and children.
The Clan Territory seemed rather deserted. Occasionally, a few ninja with activated Sharingan hurried past, most wearing grave expressions.
The Uchiha Clan's private training ground.
It was already late at night, yet continuous explosions still rang out from the training ground.
A man in his twenties, dressed in the Uchiha's standard high-collared, short-sleeved attire, stood in the center of the training ground, his hands rapidly forming hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Boom!
An enormous fireball roared forth, striking a distant target and exploding into a mass of flames.
Yet the man seemed dissatisfied. His scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan stood out in the darkness, and his face was filled with resentment and frustration.
"Not enough! Still not enough!"
He growled and formed hand seals again.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Another fireball shot out.
"Lin Ze" appeared in the shadows, carefully sensing the man's presence.
Jōnin-level chakra reserves, Three-Tomoe Sharingan... judging by how concentrated his chakra is and the power of his Fire Release, his strength should rank slightly below average among Uchiha jōnin.
"Lin Ze" studied the man's face closely, finding it somewhat familiar.
Soon, a long-buried memory surfaced.
So it's him... Enta Uchiha.
"Lin Ze" remembered.
Back when Hiruzen Sarutobi had first specially recruited him into the ANBU reserve unit, during his entry assessment.