Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Konoha, battered by war, had finally regained some signs of life. Its bolder troublemakers gradually ventured out of their homes and began moving through the streets and alleys.
Today, the entrance to the Uchiha Clan Compound was especially lively.
Over a hundred people had gathered before the heavily guarded gates, which had once admitted only members of the Uchiha Clan.
The youngsters formed little circles of varying sizes, speaking quietly among themselves.
They were gifted standouts whom their clans had spent resources nurturing, capable of bearing their clans' future fortunes-the core generation who should have remained within their clans, waiting to take power.
Yet now, every one of them had been forced to leave their clans and gather here, waiting to join the Blood-Eyed Squad founded by the Uchiha.
At the very front stood the elite team from Konoha's foremost prestigious clan, the Hyuga Clan.
Leading them was the Hyuga Branch Family's finest talent-Neji Hyuga.
At just nine years old, he was already a rare prodigy of the Hyuga Clan, proficient in Gentle Fist and Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. Despite his Branch Family origins, his talent eclipsed countless members of the Main Family.
He wore Hyuga clan attire, a white headscarf firmly covering his forehead and completely concealing the Caged Bird Seal.
His cool face was expressionless. His clear Byakugan gazed straight ahead, profound resentment and forbearance hidden in their depths.
He had possessed outstanding talent since childhood, yet simply because he had been born into the Branch Family, he could only give everything for the Main Family. He bitterly resented it.
Right beside the Hyuga team stood the representatives of the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans.
The Nara Clan had sent its representative of intellect, Shikamaru Nara.
The Yamanaka Clan's representative was Ino