Faced with his old comrades' questions, Uchiha Zhan let out a long sigh.
"Sora has grown up under our protection since he was a child. His path has been far too smooth."
"I want him to learn something through this incident."
"There is always someone stronger."
"And there is always a sky beyond the sky."
"Zhan, forgive me, but I disagree."
"Although Sora has always lived under our protection, it is precisely because of that protection that he's developed a mental block."
"He's desperate for a victory…"
"A victory that truly belongs to him."
Zhan gave a cold snort.
"Charging in recklessly without first gauging your opponent's strength only leads to defeat."
"Do you honestly think he has even the slightest chance of winning this battle?"
"If he lacks even that much judgment, then what victory can he possibly achieve?"
He slammed his palm onto the table.
As Isamu's most devoted follower, no one understood Isamu's strength better than Uchiha Zhan.
Likewise…
No one knew Uchiha Sora's capabilities better than his own father.
Without the Mangekyō Sharingan, Sora stood absolutely no chance against either Isamu or Isamu's descendants.
The room fell silent.
As comrades who had once fought alongside Isamu, they all understood exactly what Zhan meant.
Compared to someone who was practically a god…
None of them could measure up.
After a long silence, Uchiha Feng finally spoke.
"Great Elder…"
"What do you think the purpose of this visitor is?"
"I don't know."
"And I don't intend to speculate."
Zhan slowly rose to his feet.
"I don't care who has come."
"As long as they are descendants of the Clan Leader…"
"And as long as they need help…"
"I will help them without hesitation."
"I, Uchiha Zhan…"
"…will never betray the Clan Leader."
"I, Uchiha Feng, will never betray the Clan Leader either."
"I, Uchiha Gao Li, feel the same."
"I, Uchiha Umei, swear my loyalty to the Clan Leader until death."
"So do I."
"I, Uchiha Yue, stand with you."
A smile appeared on Zhan's weathered face.
"In that case…"
"Why are we still sitting here?"
"Let's go welcome our most honored guest."
With that, he walked out of the room.
The others immediately followed.
Meanwhile, on the grasslands outside the settlement…
The ten members of the Guard Unit had all been defeated by Isamu.
None of them had the strength left to continue fighting.
"You've all reached the level of jōnin at such a young age."
"Not bad."
"But against me…"
"…this level of strength simply isn't enough."
Seeing that Isamu had spared their lives, the captain asked once more,
"Who exactly are you?"
"And why have you come here?"
Isamu chuckled.
"Stop trying to stall for time."
"Do you really think I can't see through your little trick?"
"You're waiting for reinforcements, aren't you?"
Seeing through their plan, the captain no longer bothered pretending.
"Since you already know…"
"Then you should leave immediately."
"This is the sacred homeland of the Uchiha Clan."
"There are thousands of Uchiha inside."
"If you don't want to die…"
"Leave while you still can."
"Thousands of Uchiha…"
Hearing that number, Isamu couldn't help smiling.
His clan…
Had truly been passed down.
Zhan and the others had not disappointed him.
"You finally realize you're in trouble, don't you?"
"If you're smart, run."
"Once our reinforcements arrive…"
"…there will be no escape."
"Run?"
Isamu laughed.
"You're actually a kind-hearted fellow."
"But do you know why I let you stall for time even after seeing through it?"
He smiled.
"Because…"
"I'm waiting for your reinforcements."
"I want to see exactly what they're capable of."
"You're overestimating yourself."
"I admit you're powerful."
"But against an army of a thousand…"
"There's only one outcome."
"Death."
Ignoring the guard's warning, Isamu gazed into the distance.
He could already sense an army of over a thousand shinobi approaching.
Garuda, sitting quietly at the edge of the forest, also sensed them.
Her eyes immediately focused ahead.
"Garuda?"
"What's wrong?"
Tsunade asked.
"I sense people approaching."
"A lot of them."
"There should be…"
"…around a thousand."
"A thousand?"
Tsunade's eyes widened.
"That can't be right."
"There shouldn't be that many."
"Will Isamu be alright?"
She wasn't worried about Isamu's strength.
She was worried about the clan.
Isamu would never seriously harm his own people…
But these younger Uchiha might not know who he was.
As countless dark figures raced across the grassland, the corners of Isamu's mouth lifted slightly.
Sure enough…
There were roughly a thousand combat-ready Uchiha.
Including the elderly, women, and children…
The clan had already surpassed two thousand members.
"Zhan…"
"You've done an excellent job."
"My Uchiha Clan…"
"…has finally risen again."
Even as he smiled, Isamu quietly altered his appearance.
He hadn't forgotten that dozens of jōnin still recognized his face.
Now wasn't the time to reveal himself.
Using the appearance of a stranger would make things much easier.
"What a weirdo…"
The defeated guards couldn't help muttering.
"What's the point of changing your appearance now?"
"If that's not strange, what is?"
Moments later…
Led by Clan Leader Uchiha Sora, a massive force of Uchiha shinobi arrived on the open grassland.
Seeing the guards lying on the ground but still alive, Sora relaxed slightly before turning toward the lone intruder.
"Who are you?"
"Do you not know this is the sacred homeland of the Uchiha Clan?"
"When asking someone's name…"
"Shouldn't you introduce yourself first?"
Isamu replied calmly.
Although he'd never met the young man before…
There was something strangely familiar about him.
He guessed the man must be related to Zhan.
"My name is Uchiha Sora."
"I am the Clan Leader of the Uchiha Clan…"
"…and the supreme commander of this sacred homeland."
"Now tell me."
"Who are you?"
Isamu chuckled.
"So…"
"You're the Clan Leader?"
He slowly shook his head.
"I'm disappointed."
"I thought the Uchiha Clan Leader would amount to something."
"I even looked forward to crossing hands with you."
"But this?"
"This is all there is?"
"You're not even worthy of knowing my name."
"What arrogance!"
"If you hadn't spared my clansmen…"
"Do you think I'd still allow you to stand there talking?"
"Strength isn't measured by empty words."
"It's proven through battle."
Isamu looked at him with utter contempt.
"With your level of strength…"
"I'm not insulting you."
"Calling you trash…"
"…would actually be giving you too much credit."
He continued mocking Sora relentlessly, deliberately provoking him from every angle, waiting to see how the young Clan Leader would respond.