Kiyohara frowned slightly.
The tone of these people was extremely… "Uchiha."
In Itachi Shinden, even the clan leader's own son, Uchiha Itachi, had been treated with this exact same attitude.
Within the Uchiha clan, challenging authority from below was practically a tradition.
Or rather, the entire Uchiha clan held a very simple belief—
Strength was supreme.
"And what if I don't go?" Kiyohara asked.
"Then it won't be up to you," the leading Uchiha sneered.
"The Sharingan is the bloodline of the Uchiha clan. Since you've awakened it, you must return to the clan. That's the rule."
Kiyohara looked at them and suddenly smiled.
"Rules? And who made those rules?"
"The Uchiha clan did!"
"But I'm a Konoha shinobi," Kiyohara said calmly.
"My allegiance is to Konoha."
The expressions of the three Uchiha shinobi all darkened.
"So you're refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit."
All three of them activated their Sharingan at the same time. Scarlet pupils spun as tomoe revolved within.
The atmosphere instantly became taut, like a drawn bowstring.
But at that moment, a voice came from the side.
"Stop."
A boy walked over from the other end of the street.
He was very young, the youngest person present.
Yet when the three Uchiha saw him, they dared not be careless.
The reason was simple: he was the Uchiha clan's prodigy, Shisui.
At such a young age, he had already awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan, his future practically limitless.
He was also the famed young hero known as "Shisui of the Body Flicker."
He looked at the three Uchiha shinobi and said,
"You can go back first. Tell Lord Fugaku that I'll bring Kiyohara over myself."
"But—"
The three Uchiha hesitated for a moment, exchanged glances, and ultimately lowered their heads before leaving.
After they were gone, Shisui turned to Kiyohara.
"Sorry. Some people in the clan are rather hardline, but please believe me, most of the clan welcomes your joining."
"I know," Kiyohara replied with a slight nod.
That was simply how the Uchiha were.
Which was why they so easily clashed with other shinobi and ended up with a reputation that wasn't particularly good.
"Why did you come?" Kiyohara asked next.
Those three Uchiha earlier clearly looked like they'd been sent by Fugaku. Shisui was obviously not with them.
"When I learned that you had awakened the Sharingan, I was very surprised, so I came here," Shisui said, lifting his head to look at Kiyohara.
Because of their ages, Kiyohara was actually taller than Shisui.
"I see," Kiyohara said.
He figured Uchiha Takka, the one he had defeated earlier must have been shocked as well.
"By the way, Shisui, I want to ask you something," Kiyohara said, looking at him.
He wanted to get a sense of Shisui's true stance, how concentrated his Will of Fire currently was.
"In your opinion, what is the relationship between the Uchiha clan and Konoha right now?"
Shisui fell silent for a moment upon hearing the question.
After thinking for a while, he answered seriously:
"They are one."
He spoke slowly, his black eyes fixed on Kiyohara.
"The Uchiha are a part of Konoha, and Konoha is the home of the Uchiha. It's just that… over the past few years, misunderstandings and barriers have formed, making that relationship more complicated."
Shisui paused, then continued:
"Kiyohara, I know you may feel some resistance toward the clan, but please at least go and meet Lord Fugaku. Listen to what he has to say. Fugaku isn't a stubborn man. I believe he wants to prevent conflict between the village and the clan."
"..."
Kiyohara was momentarily speechless.
Prevent conflict?
Well, that certainly was prevented.
After all, Fugaku allowed Itachi to slaughter the Uchiha clan, gave up all resistance, and calmly waited to be killed by his own son.
All Uchiha clan members except Sasuke died in an internal Uchiha massacre, there truly was no conflict with the rest of the village.
It was just… a bit too much of a hellish joke.
"Is that so? Then take me to meet him," Kiyohara said.
Uchiha Fugaku was going to approach him sooner or later anyway. Kiyohara had already anticipated being invited to the Uchiha clan.
It was just that the three earlier Uchiha had clearly come looking for trouble, leading to a brief verbal clash.
"Alright. Follow me, Kiyohara," Shisui said with a smile once he saw Kiyohara agree.
He then led the way.
After passing through a large gate, Kiyohara knew they had entered Uchiha territory.
The two of them headed toward the Uchiha clan grounds—or rather, the settlement.
The Uchiha settlement was essentially like a residential complex from Kiyohara's previous life.
In fact, most of the great shinobi clans had their own independent "neighborhoods."
The Hyūga clan, the Nara clan—both were the same.
Clan members lived in designated areas populated entirely by their own people.
Ordinary clan members ran small businesses within the settlement, which fellow clan shinobi would usually patronize after returning home.
Kiyohara even saw the pancake-selling couple, Uchiha Teyaki and Uchiha Uruchi. The two looked at him curiously.
And not just them—Kiyohara could clearly sense many other gazes as well.
Outsiders rarely came here, so upon seeing Kiyohara, nearly all eyes naturally fell on him.
After all, he was still considered an "outsider" for now.
Shisui and Kiyohara walked side by side along the stone-paved road, soon arriving at a narrower street.
Most of the courtyard walls were painted with the Uchiha clan crest—the flame fan.
It was afternoon, sunlight slanting down and casting dappled shadows of trees across the stone road.
"Feels like there are quite a lot of people," Kiyohara remarked.
"Most clan members are on duty with the Konoha Military Police or have gone to the battlefield, so this isn't even the busiest time. If you came at night, it'd be livelier," Shisui replied.
Kiyohara nodded.
There were indeed many people, but he could feel that the atmosphere here was different from the rest of Konoha.
More closed-off. More… self-contained.
It was as if a faint yet pervasive sense of pride hung in the air.
Turning a corner, several figures appeared ahead.
At the front stood an elderly man with graying hair and a slightly hunched back, but his eyes were sharp as an eagle's.
He wore traditional Uchiha robes and leaned on a cane, standing in the middle of the road as if waiting for someone.
"That's Elder Setsuna," Shisui said quietly, his tone carrying a hint of gravity.
Hearing the name, information about Uchiha Setsuna surfaced in Kiyohara's mind.
Uchiha Setsuna—the hawkish elder of the Uchiha clan.
He was considered the spiritual successor of Madara.
Although Kiyohara never quite understood why, when Madara was still alive, not a single clansman followed him when he left—
yet once everyone believed Madara had been "killed" by Hashirama, so-called inheritors of "Madara's will" began appearing instead.
…
Kiyohara was looking at the people opposite him.
At the same time, Uchiha Setsuna and the others across from him were also observing Kiyohara closely.
"So this is the bloodline that wandered outside?"
Setsuna's voice was hoarse.
"The Sharingan is an eye that only a small portion of our clan can awaken."
Setsuna's somewhat clouded eyes fixed steadily on Kiyohara.
He hadn't expected that a bloodline scattered outside the clan could actually undergo atavism and awaken the Sharingan.
And now that there was already an example like Kiyohara—
In places unknown to them, could there be other Uchiha bloodlines scattered beyond the clan as well?
"Do you mind letting us see your strength?"
After saying this, Setsuna glanced to the two shinobi standing beside him.
The one on the left was tall and lean—Uchiha Inabi.
The one on the right was broad and powerfully built, muscles knotted and pronounced—Uchiha Yashiro, one of the few within the Uchiha clan who specialized purely in taijutsu.
The two of them activated their Sharingan simultaneously.
Inabi's eyes held two tomoe, while Yashiro's eyes bore three.
"Strength…"
Kiyohara narrowed his eyes.
Uchiha Setsuna… truly was just as aggressive as the rumors said.
But if he weren't aggressive, he wouldn't have been thrown into prison by Senju Tobirama back then.
What Kiyohara hadn't expected was that the test would come so quickly.
Well—perhaps that really was the Uchiha way.
So far, he had only fought Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Tekka.
Sparring with more Uchiha shinobi wouldn't be a bad thing.
Kiyohara also had his own little calculations.
The Sharingan possessed the ability to "copy."
In this battle, he could openly steal and learn his opponents' techniques, or even take out some of the overlapping techniques he already possessed and "legitimize" them.
For example, if someone used Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, Kiyohara could use it as well.
"Elder Setsuna, this is Lord Fugaku's—"
Seeing that the atmosphere was off, Shisui tried to interject.
"Hmph. Fugaku, of him becoming the clan head, this old man contributed quite a bit to it."
Uchiha Setsuna shot Shisui a glance.
He appreciated talented juniors.
After all, this was a pure-blooded Uchiha born and raised within the clan—clearly a future pillar of the Uchiha.
But Kiyohara was different.
He had never received Uchiha upbringing or education. It would be difficult for him to feel gratitude toward the clan, let alone dedicate himself to it.
"Shisui, it's been far too long since I've sparred with Uchiha shinobi. Taking this opportunity to test him isn't a bad idea either."
As he spoke, a trace of crimson surfaced in Kiyohara's pitch-black eyes, a single black tomoe revolving endlessly within it.
The world, within Kiyohara's vision, seemed to slow down slightly.
His eyes could clearly see the chakra flowing through Uchiha Inabi and Uchiha Yashiro.
Of course, it was difficult to judge exact chakra quantities—experience was needed.
Unless the chakra volume was so outstanding that one could unmistakably sense its sheer magnitude.
The reason was simple: chakra was extracted and used on demand, transformed from physical energy.
A portion of chakra would be refined at a time, gathered for use.
If too much chakra was refined at once and not fully used in ninjutsu, it resulted in waste.
To convert that wasted chakra back into physical energy required at least jōnin-level chakra control.
"Who do you want to try first?"
Seeing that Kiyohara accepted without flinching, Uchiha Setsuna nodded slightly.
He did have some of the Uchiha clan's spirit, after all.
"The one on the left, Inabi, or the one on the right, Yashiro?"
Uchiha Setsuna asked.
"Both of them together," Kiyohara replied.
He had Steel Release and Earth Release: Earth Spear. Even if something went wrong, there wouldn't be much danger.
"Hmph, such arrogance."
Yashiro crossed his arms.
Being tall and powerfully built, his temper was just as fiery.
Seeing Kiyohara's attitude, irritation flared up immediately.
"Elder Setsuna…"
He looked toward Uchiha Setsuna, signaling him.
Setsuna nodded slightly.
Since Kiyohara had said so, then let him try.
"Mind your limits,"
Setsuna reminded them at the end.
Don't go too far.
Just get a rough idea of Kiyohara's strength.
There were rumors that this kid had used some kind of long-range ninjutsu to blow off one of Raiga Kurosuki's arms and killing Kurotsuki Hōzuki.
His strength was clearly no joke.
But this time, they were testing close-combat ability.
What they didn't know was that Kiyohara's close-combat strength was also extremely formidable.
"Yes,"
Yashiro nodded.
He glanced at Inabi.
Inabi stepped forward and said,
"Since it's the two of us against you, we won't use any ninjutsu that's excessively destructive."
As soon as he finished speaking, Uchiha Inabi moved.
A kunai slid out from his sleeve, flashing coldly in the sunlight as it stabbed straight toward Kiyohara's throat.
At the same moment, Yashiro attacked from the right.
He didn't use a weapon, instead kicking directly toward Kiyohara's ribs. The kick cut through the air with a sharp whistle, heavy with force.
The two moved in perfect coordination—left and right.
Facing their pincer attack, Kiyohara's expression didn't change.
With his greatest shortcomings, dynamic vision and genjutsu, now filled in, aside from fuinjutsu, which he wasn't very proficient in, he had dabbled in nearly every other field.
He was practically a small hexagon of versatility.
Long-range, close combat, medical, sensory—he had techniques for all of them.
His right hand lifted, and in a flash, his index and middle fingers clamped onto the kunai thrust by Inabi, forcibly stopping its trajectory in midair, unable to advance even an inch.
At the same time, Kiyohara's left hand shot out and grabbed Yashiro's kicking leg.
Pa! Pa!
Two crisp sounds rang out.
In an instant, he halted both enemies' attacks simultaneously.
Inabi's eyes widened.
That thrust had been delivered with full force—yet Kiyohara caught it with just two fingers?
Wasn't he afraid the kunai would slip and slice his fingers off?
Was the dynamic vision of a single-tomoe Sharingan really that strong?
Or had Kiyohara's reflexes already reached this level?
"!"
Yashiro was even more shocked.
He was one of the few taijutsu specialists in the clan—one casual kick from him could shatter stone.
Yet now, his ankle was locked in Kiyohara's grip like it was caught in an iron vise. No matter how much strength he used, he couldn't pull free.
"You—"
Yashiro gritted his teeth, chakra surging through his body as he tried to break free.
But Kiyohara's hand didn't budge at all.
At this moment, Kiyohara's scarlet pupils calmly observed the two of them.
Within the Sharingan's vision, their chakra flow, muscle exertion, and even predictions of their next moves were all crystal clear.
The Sharingan was a weapon, this had already been made abundantly clear in Sasuke and Itachi's battle.
But everyone's physique was different, so the amplification provided by the Sharingan should naturally vary as well.
Sasuke using three-tomoe genjutsu to break Itachi's Tsukuyomi was proof enough of its value.
After all, Sasuke was young and at his peak, while Itachi's eyesight was damaged and his illness terminal.
So even though Itachi's weapon was stronger, he was still countered by Sasuke.
Of course, there was also a high chance that Itachi had gone easy—otherwise, with his experience, he would have played to his strengths and avoided his weaknesses.
"I can't pull it out…"
Inabi grabbed the kunai handle with both hands, yet still couldn't wrench it free from between Kiyohara's two fingers.
This… this was completely unreasonable!
Inabi's Sharingan spun rapidly, until he finally noticed that Kiyohara's fingers had somehow become coated in a layer of deep black.
What kind of technique was that?
A hardening-type technique?
Seeing the ghost-like expressions on both Inabi and Yashiro, Kiyohara had no interest in explaining.
Normally, when wearing clothes, Kiyohara's physique looked no different from other shinobi. But when using Earth Release: Earth Spear to its fullest, he possessed explosive strength capable of splitting stone tablets and cracking boulders.
Not to mention, his natural physical strength far exceeded ordinary people, his chakra reserves were several times greater than those of a jōnin, and with his stacked talents nurtured over a long time, his overall physical attributes had long surpassed those of an average jōnin.
"Hah!"
Seeing that he couldn't pull free, Uchiha Yashiro gave up entirely, twisting his body sharply as his left leg lashed out like a whip toward Kiyohara's head.
This spinning kick carried terrifying force—if it landed, even a skull would shatter.
At the same time, Inabi reacted.
He decisively abandoned the trapped kunai, leaned back, and kicked off Kiyohara's arm with both feet, borrowing the force to leap into the air.
While airborne, his hands were already rapidly forming seals.
Fire Release hand seals.
A trace of understanding flashed through Kiyohara's eyes.
He pressed down on Yashiro's ankle with his left hand, while slightly rotating his body. His right hand released the kunai, elbow lifting to meet Yashiro's spinning kick.
Bang!
A dull impact echoed.
Yashiro felt as though his leg had struck a mountain.
The recoil sent numbing pain through his entire leg, and his body lost balance.
Borrowing that force, Kiyohara smoothly flung Yashiro's ankle to the side and released his grip.
BOOM!
Uchiha Yashiro crashed straight into a courtyard wall beside the street, bricks exploding outward and cracking the flame fan clan emblem.
At that moment, Inabi in the air finished forming his seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball two meters in diameter burst from Inabi's mouth. The intense heat distorted the air as it came crashing down toward Kiyohara.
But Kiyohara was faster.
The instant he flung Yashiro away, his hands were already forming seals.
He acted later but arrived first—using faster hand seals and superior chakra control to complete the Wind Release seals ahead of time.
Kiyohara opened his mouth and expelled a violent gale.
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
The howling wind swept up dust from the ground, forming a wall of wind.
Then, before the wind wall could dissipate, he rapidly formed seals again, completing the Fire Release hand signs.
He spat out a fireball the size of a fist.
Fire Release: Flame Bullet!
This was a technique taught to Kiyohara by Uchiha Kiyohara.
The fireball flew into the wind wall. Fueled by the wind, it expanded instantly several times over, transforming into a massive fireball four meters in diameter that surged upward to meet Inabi's Great Fireball.
From the air, Inabi saw it clearly. His pupils shrank sharply.
Casting two ninjutsu faster than he could cast one?
Are you kidding me?
BOOM!
A deafening explosion tore through the entire street.
Flames burst like fireworks, scorching heat waves rolling outward as trees along both sides of the road were instantly charred black.
When the flames finally dispersed, Kiyohara's fireball was clearly superior.
With the aid of the wind, his fireball was larger, completely overwhelming Uchiha Inabi's.
(End of Chapter)