From the top floor of the Police Force building, Uchiha Fugaku watched the battlefield below.
Even under the joint assault of eight squad captains, Uchiha Yuan showed no signs of faltering.
A smile of approval touched Fugaku's lips.
Beside him, Uchiha Itachi suddenly spoke.
"Father… Yuan's techniques resemble kenjutsu."
Fugaku's three-tomoe Sharingan spun slowly as he tracked Yuan's movements.
"You're right," he said thoughtfully. "His movements are blade techniques. They remind me of someone."
"Who?" Itachi asked.
"The White Fang of Konoha."
Sakumo Hatake
"A senior of the village. I carried out several missions with him. A shinobi worthy of respect."
A trace of memory surfaced in Fugaku's eyes.
"He was from the Hatake clan. I've heard Yuan has a close friend from that family. I imagine he learned those blade principles there."
Itachi's expression grew complicated.
"He also has a friend from the Senju clan."
Fugaku showed no surprise—clearly, he already knew.
"His ability to befriend a Senju was unexpected," Fugaku said lightly. "Very good.
He's different from the others. Orochimaru values him. The Yamanaka and Akimichi clans have been quietly observing him.
I have high expectations for that boy."
"So that's why you overruled the three unit commanders and appointed him directly as squad captain," Itachi said.
He had assumed Yuan's strength alone earned that trust. Now he sensed there were deeper calculations involved.
Yet Itachi could not forget Yuan's repeated refusals of Shisui. In that regard, Yuan seemed no different from the clan's harder faction.
At that moment, a new figure entered Itachi's view—charging straight into the battlefield.
Uchiha Tonghu.
On the Training Grounds
The eight captains were already losing ground.
Yuan's figure flickered in and out among them, striking with explosive force. One after another, captains were blasted backward.
"Even eight aren't enough," Itachi said quietly. "Adding Tonghu won't change the outcome."
Fugaku asked calmly, "Can you see why they're failing?"
Itachi's Sharingan spun.
After a moment, he answered,
"They can see Yuan's movements through the Sharingan… but their bodies can't keep up. Their reactions fall short of his speed."
Fugaku smiled faintly.
"Good observation. The Sharingan is powerful—but there are always those in this world it cannot restrain."
"It's a pity," Itachi replied, "that many in the clan remain intoxicated by its power."
Below, the tide shifted again.
Bang!
Yuan's palm struck Uchiha Isao square in the chest—then shifted to a clawing grip, tearing open his vest and leaving five deep finger marks over his heart.
Isao staggered back, breathing heavily.
He glanced at the marks and retreated several more steps.
"I withdraw."
He understood Yuan had held back.
On the battlefield, that would not have been five prints.
It would have been five holes.
Nearby, three more captains—Hirasuke among them—also stepped back, eyes filled with complicated emotion.
Eight against one.
And they could not suppress him.
Minutes later, Uchiha Gi dodged a straight punch and landed beside Isao.
"I acknowledge him," Gi said evenly.
With Gi's withdrawal, the remaining captains' formation collapsed.
Soon—
Heavy impacts echoed across the field.
Several bodies were sent flying and crashed onto the ground in humiliating defeat.
Yuan looked down at them coldly.
"Do you wish to continue?"
Uchiha Takahiko lay flat on his back, avoiding eye contact.
"I concede."
Yuan's gaze shifted.
It landed on Tonghu.
Tonghu's Final Gamble
Tonghu had been blasted away by a punch. Now he rose, breathing raggedly, Sharingan blazing with unwillingness.
His trembling hands pulled out a scroll.
After forming a seal, two massive Fūma shuriken burst forth.
With a roar, Tonghu hurled them.
Yuan's expression chilled.
He would no longer hold back.
His right hand became a blade—
A thunderous horizontal slash split the air.
The two Fūma shuriken exploded into fragments.
Without pause, Yuan advanced in a long stride, his killing intent locking onto Tonghu.
He raised his arm—
A decisive execution strike.
Gi and the others sensed it instantly.
Their faces changed.
That attack carried true killing intent.
Tonghu felt it most clearly.
Before Yuan's overwhelming presence, he felt as small as an insect beneath a descending thunderbolt.
He could not block it.
He could not escape it.
At the final instant—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three figures appeared in front of Tonghu.
BOOM!
The ground shook violently.
Yuan's descending strike was halted—three palms intercepting it in unison.
A straight fissure carved through the earth, stopping at Tonghu's feet.
Yuan withdrew his hand calmly.
The three men standing before him were the ones who had watched from the trees all along—
The three unit commanders.
"Commander Shiratori."
"Commander Hyōga."
"Commander Tachibana."
The captains saluted immediately.
Commander Shiratori surveyed the battlefield before turning to Yuan.
"Uchiha Yuan," he said steadily, "welcome to the First Unit of the Police Force."
Yuan inclined his head slightly.
"Commander."
Shiratori nodded—then turned sharply toward Tonghu.
"Squad Leader Tonghu. Return to formation at once."
The battle was over.
And authority had been decided.
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