The night was dark as ink, within Uchiha Shinsuke's room in the Uchiha clan grounds.
Uchiha Shinsuke sat cross-legged, slowly circulating his chakra and guiding its medicinal energy to repair his damaged meridians and muscles.
"Huu…"
After a long while, Shinsuke exhaled a slow, heavy breath and opened his eyes.
Deep within his gaze, a cold killing intent surfaced.
"Danzō…"
Had he not erupted in that critical moment during the ambush and forcibly activated the incomplete Lightning Release Chakra Mode: Prototype, he would most likely be nothing more than a cold corpse by now.
That sensation of standing on the razor's edge between life and death had driven Uchiha Shinsuke's craving for power and his obsession with controlling his own fate to an unprecedented peak!
After roughly a week of recuperation, Uchiha Shinsuke's injuries had mostly healed.
He immediately summoned Min, Tetsu, and Kai.
"Sit down."
Uchiha Shinsuke gestured for the three to take a seat.
"It's time I explained to you in detail what happened during the ambush."
The three nodded, their expressions solemn.
"The ones who attacked us were Root, under the command of Konoha Elder Danzō."
"The Root attack was only a beginning."
"The situation our Uchiha Clan faces within Konoha is far more difficult than any of you have imagined."
Uchiha Shinsuke paused, then gave the three a brief account of the village leadership's suspicion and suppression of the Uchiha following the Nine-Tails incident, as well as the potentially fatal crisis the clan might face in the future, though Shinsuke did not speak of annihilation outright and only hinted at the existential threat hanging over the clan.
When Min, Tetsu, and Kai finished listening, they looked as though they had been struck by lightning, their faces draining to a deathly pale!
Although they lived among the Uchiha and had heard something of the unfair treatment the clan had suffered, they never imagined that the clan's predicament had already reached such a grave and desperate degree!
"How could this be… how could things have come to this?" Uchiha Min's voice trembled slightly, as she had always believed the Uchiha were the strongest clan in Konoha.
"Those higher-ups are actually treating our Uchiha this way? How much blood did we shed for the village during the Third War, and how many of our clansmen did we sacrifice!"
Uchiha Kai's eyes turned red: "Captain! Is what you're saying true? Are we… are we Uchiha really going to…"
He could not bring himself to say that terrifying word.
"What I've told you is, if anything, an understatement of reality."
"So we have no way to retreat."
"If we want to survive, if we want the Uchiha Clan to once again stand at the summit of the shinobi world, we must become stronger, strong enough to crush every enemy, strong enough to set new rules!"
[Ding! Uchiha Kai's loyalty to the host has reached 100% (Fanatical Devotion)!]
[Ding! Uchiha Tetsu's loyalty to the host has risen to 100% (Loyal unto Death)!]
[Uchiha Kai's loyalty has been detected at 100%, satisfying the special conditions for "Potential Awakening"!]
[Uchiha Tetsu's loyalty has been detected at 100%, satisfying the special conditions for "Potential Awakening"!]
Hearing this, Uchiha Shinsuke felt a stir in his heart!
Kai and Tetsu had both reached full loyalty at the same time.
"Captain! From this day forward, my life is yours! Whatever you tell me to do, I will do it!"
Uchiha Kai dropped to one knee with force and swore his loyalty to Uchiha Shinsuke.
"Captain, same for me," said Tetsu, as he and Min knelt together.
"Good, Kai and Tetsu, I accept your loyalty."
"Next, I will awaken your potential, and allow you both to increase your strength, just as Min did."
Uchiha Shinsuke did not hesitate and directly selected "Potential Awakening" for Uchiha Kai in the system interface.
[Confirm consuming 500 Clan Honor Points to perform "Potential Awakening" on Uchiha Kai?]
"Confirmed!"
Hmmmm——!
An invisible ripple instantly spread outward from Uchiha Shinsuke's body and enveloped Uchiha Kai!
Crack, crack, crack!
The bones within Uchiha Kai's body let out a rapid succession of faint popping sounds.
His muscle fibers visibly grew tougher and more developed before their eyes!
His already impressively sturdy frame now radiated an even more explosive sense of raw power!
[Ding! Uchiha Kai's Potential Awakening was successful!]
[Physical constitution talent greatly increased!]
[Strength and defense significantly enhanced!]
[Chakra volume slightly increased!]
Kai had already excelled in taijutsu, and now with his constitution, strength, and defense all comprehensively improved, his power leapt to the level of a seasoned chunin, and with just a little more training he would reach the standard of an elite chunin.
"Haaaah!"
Uchiha Kai let out a low roar, clenched his fists tight, and a powerful surge of presence erupted from his body!
"This… this is incredible power!"
"Captain… I…" Kai was so overwhelmed that he stumbled over his words.
"Do you feel it?" Uchiha Shinsuke smiled faintly, "This is only the beginning."
He turned to Uchiha Tetsu: "Tetsu, you're next."
Having witnessed Kai's successful transformation, Uchiha Tetsu's eyes were filled with anticipation as well.
Shinsuke once again spent 500 Clan Honor Points and performed "Potential Awakening" on Uchiha Tetsu.
The same invisible ripple enveloped Uchiha Tetsu.
Unlike with Kai, Tetsu's body did not undergo any dramatic outward change.
However, at the center of his brow, a faint and unusual ripple of spiritual energy quietly emanated.
[Ding! Uchiha Tetsu's Potential Awakening was successful!]
[Genjutsu talent greatly increased!]
[Spiritual power moderately increased!]
[Chakra control precision improved!]
In that single instant, Uchiha Tetsu's understanding of genjutsu reached an entirely new level!
"Captain…" Tetsu's voice carried a trace of excitement that he barely concealed, "I feel… my understanding of genjutsu is completely different now."
"Good." Uchiha Shinsuke nodded with satisfaction.
"Kai, Tetsu, the transformation you've undergone is only a beginning."
Uchiha Shinsuke looked at the two of them, his eyes filled with expectation.
"In the future, you will grow even stronger!"