The next day arrived quietly.
The morning light was still faint, and a thin mist lingered over the Uchiha Clan compound. The early air was cool, carrying the faint scent of damp earth from the rain that had fallen the previous day.
Standing outside the courtyard gate, Uchiha Setsuna took a deep breath.
He needed to calm himself.
"What does the Clan Head want with me?" he murmured under his breath.
A trace of excitement appeared in his eyes.
"I can finally meet the Clan Head in private!"
Uchiha Setsuna was extremely excited.
In the past, he had only seen Uchiha Madara during formal clan meetings held inside Naka Shrine. Those meetings were solemn gatherings attended by the elders and important members of the clan.
Outside of those occasions, Setsuna had never had the chance to meet Madara personally.
Today would be the first time.
For someone who admired Madara deeply, the opportunity felt like a tremendous honor.
While Setsuna was still collecting his thoughts, the wooden courtyard gate suddenly creaked open.
A young boy walked out.
He wore a dark haori decorated with the Uchiha clan emblem on the back. His appearance was handsome and calm beyond his years, and a wrapped longsword hung from his waist.
The boy's presence carried a quiet confidence.
Setsuna immediately lowered his head respectfully.
"Good morning, Young Clan Head."
The boy was Uchiha Su.
"Is Lord Setsuna here to see my uncle?" Su asked calmly.
He recognized the man immediately.
Uchiha Setsuna had a notable reputation within the clan. He was known as a strong supporter of the Uchiha's political ambitions and firmly believed that the clan should eventually produce a Hokage.
In addition, he was a powerful Uchiha Jonin who had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and he currently served in the Konoha Military Police Force.
"Yes," Setsuna replied respectfully.
"The Clan Head sent someone to deliver a message last night, asking me to come and meet him today."
Then he added quickly,
"And please, Young Clan Head, there is no need to address me as 'Lord.' I do not deserve such a title."
Su smiled faintly.
"In that case, Brother Setsuna, please go in and see my uncle."
"I have something to take care of and must head out."
After saying that, Su left the compound without further delay.
Setsuna watched the young boy walk away and could not help feeling slightly amazed.
Although Su was still very young, his demeanor already carried the calm and dignity expected of a future clan leader.
Then Setsuna turned and stepped into the courtyard.
Madara was waiting.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Su had already left the compound and was heading toward Naka Shrine.
A quiet lake lay beside the shrine.
Whenever he had spare time, Su often came here to train.
In the distant future, this lake would become a place where Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke frequently practiced their techniques.
But at this moment in history, the lake was peaceful and undisturbed.
Su arrived at the lakeside and placed his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
His Uchiha Style Swordsmanship had been stuck at a bottleneck for quite some time.
Today, he intended to break through that limit.
Slowly, he drew his blade.
The sword had been given to him by Uchiha Madara on his sixth birthday, half a year earlier.
It was a Kusanagi sword.
Madara had named it Shimizu.
The blade gleamed faintly in the morning light.
From a young age, Su had shown extraordinary talent in swordsmanship. Compared to ninjutsu or taijutsu, his aptitude for the blade was far greater.
He stepped forward.
Then he began practicing.
The moment the sword moved, the air around him changed.
The Uchiha Style Swordsmanship originated during the brutal Warring States Period. Unlike flashy modern techniques, it was designed purely for survival in real combat.
Every movement focused on lethality.
Every strike was efficient and deadly.
Su's sword flashed through the air.
Cold arcs of steel sliced through the mist.
The sword light flowed continuously, weaving an intricate web around him.
Soon, his body began moving instinctively.
His breathing slowed.
His senses sharpened.
Gradually, Su entered a state of flow.
It felt as though the blade had become an extension of his own body. Every motion flowed naturally, as effortlessly as moving his own arm.
Minutes passed.
Finally, Su completed an entire sequence of the sword style.
At that moment—
The world before his eyes seemed to flicker.
A translucent interface appeared.
[Uchiha Style Swordsmanship Lv4 → Lv5]
Su's eyes lit up.
The reason he was able to maintain such intense training was precisely because of this system panel.
He could clearly see his own progress.
Without it, he might have been much more playful like other children his age.
After all, he was technically only six years old.
But seeing visible improvement every day motivated him to keep pushing forward.
Furthermore, Su knew that his natural talent in swordsmanship was exceptional.
At the very least, he believed he was not inferior to Sakumo Hatake.
According to the information he knew, the purest swordsmanship masters in the current ninja world were located in the Land of Iron.
That country was the stronghold of samurai.
Their entire culture revolved around the sword.
Almost every warrior there possessed impressive skill.
In comparison, ninja villages such as Konoha or Kumogakure also used swords, but most shinobi focused primarily on ninjutsu.
Only a small number specialized in swordsmanship.
"Sakumo Hatake from the academy also has very impressive sword skills," Su thought.
He remembered their previous sparring sessions.
Sakumo's blade moved like lightning—fast, precise, and extremely dangerous.
However, Su did not believe Sakumo was stronger than him.
Their swordsmanship levels were likely equal.
Just as Su was thinking about this—
A childish voice suddenly spoke from behind him.
"Evil Uchiha brat…"
Su didn't even bother turning around.
"Tsunade," he said calmly, "why are you here?"
The only person who would say something like that inside the Uchiha Clan's territory was Tsunade.
Well—technically there was also a certain white-haired boy who sometimes made sarcastic comments.
But that white-haired boy would never come to the Uchiha compound.
"I already know about the squad assignments," Tsunade said.
She stepped closer and blinked mischievously.
"Guess which team you've been assigned to."
She crossed her arms and smiled proudly.
"How about we make a bet? If you guess correctly, I'll give you—"
Before she could finish speaking, Su waved his hand dismissively.
"Tsunade, don't bet."
"You're terrible at gambling but you love doing it anyway."
"Besides, apart from winning once against the First Hokage, when have you ever actually won a bet?"
"That's slander!" Tsunade protested immediately.
Her voice wavered slightly before she forced herself to speak confidently.
"Besides, before a bet is revealed, no one knows who will win or lose!"
"Only at the moment the answer is revealed can the outcome be determined!"
Su looked at her quietly.
His calm gaze made Tsunade feel strangely uncomfortable.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked suspiciously.
"Are you thinking something rude again?"
Su's eyelid twitched.
"No."
"I was just thinking… that if you ever became Hokage someday…"
"I seriously suspect you would gamble away the entire Konoha Village."
Tsunade froze.
"Huh?!"
She clenched her fists angrily.
"That thought is already rude enough!"
Although…
The more she thought about it…
The less confident she felt.
She quickly shook her head.
"Anyway! I didn't come here to argue with you."
She cleared her throat.
"The real reason I came here is because Teacher Sarutobi asked me to find you."
"Orochimaru, you, and I have been assigned to the same squad."
"Team Sarutobi."
"Our Jonin leader will be Hiruzen Sarutobi."
Su nodded slightly.
"Jonin Sarutobi…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi already had a strong reputation within Konoha at this time.
As a direct disciple of the Second Hokage, his status was extremely high.
At present, the one governing Konoha Village was Senju Tobirama.
Tobirama was known as the man who understood the Uchiha clan better than the Uchiha themselves.
Under his leadership, several important decisions had shaped the relationship between the clan and the village.
The creation of the Konoha Military Police Force.
The relocation of the Uchiha Clan Compound.
And the gradual decline of the Uchiha clan's reputation among ordinary villagers.
All of these developments had occurred during Tobirama's rule.
Meanwhile, Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage, had taken on a different role.
He was now more like Konoha's ultimate deterrent weapon.
His presence alone was enough to intimidate other great nations.
It also kept certain restless factions within the Uchiha clan under control.
After all, when Konoha was originally established, it had been agreed that the first Hokage would come from the Senju clan.
The Uchiha had accepted that arrangement.
The Senju were stronger at the time, and their influence was greater.
So the Uchiha patiently waited for their opportunity.
They believed that the Second Hokage would certainly be an Uchiha.
But no one expected the Senju to break that unspoken expectation.
Instead, Tobirama took the position himself.
Not only that, but his policies gradually isolated the Uchiha from the rest of the village.
For a clan famous for its passionate and extreme emotions—often jokingly called the clan of "red-eyed disease"—such treatment was difficult to accept.
Fortunately, Uchiha Madara was still alive during this era.
Because of that, the relationship between the Uchiha and Konoha remained extremely delicate.
In Su's opinion, the tension during this period was even greater than the time in the future when Uchiha Itachi would eventually destroy the clan.
And the storm that would reshape the ninja world…
Was quietly approaching.