Crack.
The sound of a bone snapping yanked everyone back to reality.
Even the proud Uchiha were left gaping when they saw Yuzuru twist Fugaku's arm out of joint.
Yuzuru…
Wasn't that a bit reckless?
Under everyone's stare, Fugaku rose, clutching his arm, teeth clenched to stifle any sound.
With his mind still reeling from the psychic blow, staying conscious at all was already his limit.
Looking at Uchiha Fugaku's pale complexion, Yuzuru deactivated his Sharingan.
Dong—
A mellow bell rang just then, and the doors of Naka Shrine slowly swung open.
At the sight, Yuzuru tugged his collar into place and turned to head inside.
"By the way…"
"Call it picking on the weak if you want, but don't blame me—lessons without pain are meaningless. If a person sacrifices nothing, they gain nothing."
"Next time you come challenge me, think about the arm I broke today."
The confidence Fugaku had boasted before the fight was handed back to him almost word for word; feel his face burning.
This was truly too humiliating!
He stared, a little dazed, at Yuzuru's back as he walked away.
As the one who'd faced him directly, Fugaku had the truest sense of Yuzuru's ocular power.
Under that surging, violent impact, he hadn't even been able to resist.
Proud since childhood, Fugaku felt a frustration he'd never known.
Same three-tomoe Sharingan—so why was the gap this huge?!
…
People filed into Naka Shrine, though the murmurs never stopped.
No one had expected a showdown between the old and new prodigies to end like this.
"I can't believe it—Yuzuru actually beat Fugaku!"
"Yeah, and did you notice? Compared to Fugaku, Yuzuru looked completely unaffected."
"That only means one thing: Yuzuru's Dōjutsu power is far superior to Fugaku's!"
"Yikes. Terrifying!"
The power Yuzuru had revealed left the Uchiha present unsettled.
If they hadn't witnessed it themselves, they'd never have believed it.
Same three tomoe…
Wasn't Yuzuru's ocular force a bit too monstrous?
In the underground chamber beneath the shrine—
Yakumi and Inabi sat beside Yuzuru, still a little keyed up. "Yuzuru senpai, you were amazing—you actually beat Fugaku-sama!"
"Yeah, we thought you were done for a minute there."
When Yuzuru didn't respond, they didn't mind. Yakumi said, eyes shining, "Worthy of the youngest squad captain. If only I could be as strong as you someday."
Inabi rubbed his chin, thought for a moment, then said, "Yakumi, while you might become strong like Yuzuru-senpai, it's not very likely you'll become as strong as Yuzuru-senpai."
"Then let me ask you—let me ask you—let me ask you—let me ask you—" Yakumi shot back, refusing to yield.
Listening to the two bicker, Yuzuru felt his head start to throb and simply shut his eyes to rest.
Compared to everyone else, the one who had defeated Fugaku felt neither excitement nor thrill.
In a straight ocular contest, three tomoe were never going to match the Mangekyō.
He wasn't Itachi facing Sasuke. With the Mangekyō in his eyes, beating a three-tomoe Fugaku was only natural.
After a short wait, Uchiha Tarou, the clan leader, appeared before the crowd.
"Quiet, everyone. The clan assembly begins now."
Tarou glanced first at Fugaku holding his arm, then—almost imperceptibly—at Yuzuru, before continuing.
"First announcement: the plan is to appoint Yuzuru as captain of Police Force Squad Seven. We'll vote now. Raise your hand if you agree."
Everyone present had known about this beforehand.
And after Yuzuru's decisive win over Fugaku, nearly every hand shot up at once.
Even Fugaku raised his.
"Then it's settled," Tarou said, sweeping his gaze around. "Yakumi, Inabi—you two will serve under Yuzuru."
Assigning squad members was simple compared to choosing a captain; Tarou decided it on the spot.
Inabi and Yakumi sprang to their feet, thrilled. "Yes, sir!"
Following Yuzuru had been their wish all along.
"Next, we'll discuss the clan's budget expenditures…"
Under Tarou's chairing, they moved through topics: distribution of clan industries, training for clan shinobi, exchange of ninjutsu resources—even landscaping, and planning for clan grounds and building projects.
Attending to every detail, the discussion only finally concluded well past midnight.
Yuzuru listened intently.
Now that he was bound to the Clan System, the clan was the foundation of his strength.
Matters tied to the clan's development couldn't be ignored.
"All right—next let's discuss how to elevate the clan's influence in the village so we can prepare in advance for the next Hokage election!"
At that, the drowsy crowd perked up.
Within moments, someone raised a hand to speak. "Clan Head, I think we should increase the Police Force's manpower and work even harder to maintain public order. That'll raise our clan's standing in the village."
"I say we challenge all the other clans' powerhouses, one by one, so everyone understands the might of the Uchiha."
"Lord Tarou, we should regularly have our elite instruct the rest—share experience and techniques, and answer training questions."
"…"
Listening to the suggestions, Tarou sighed inwardly.
The same old lines. Not useless, but proven of little effect.
The clan's influence in the village was waning by the day, and their reputation was getting worse.
Sometimes he couldn't understand it—despite their efforts, why did it feel like their position was only getting harder?
Just then, a young voice sounded: "Clan Head, I do have an idea about how to make the Uchiha clan stronger."
Tarou looked up to see Yuzuru standing.
At the sight of the boy—the clan's acknowledged new-gen prodigy, just fourteen and fresh off a win over Fugaku—curiosity stirred despite himself.
What kind of view would he offer on a matter like this?
Even so, Tarou didn't expect much.
Unlike pure combat, this wasn't something you could handle without experience and perspective.
Clearly, the others felt the same; many looked at Yuzuru with amused expressions.
While they greatly respected Yuzuru's strength, this matter had absolutely nothing to do with strength!