Seeing Fugaku's moved expression, Rika knew that he must believe the Four Elders delegating authority to him is an immense display of trust in his abilities.
That old geezer is just too lazy to bother with Konoha affairs anymore. Rika muttered in his heart.
Even if the Uchiha here in Konoha fail in the future, the bloodline can still be preserved, and the Uchiha legacy will continue.
But Fugaku's misunderstanding might actually be a good thing.
After all, the truth is far too cruel for him.
The Clan Leader position is being passed to him, not because of trust in his ability, but because he's just the tallest among short men—simply no better choice.
Of course, Fugaku still has a chance for success.
That would be to lead the Uchiha Clan in barely scraping by under the eyes of the higher-ups, giving up the clan's former glory and dignity. Maybe one day, if the authorities mess up, the Uchiha Clan can seize the opportunity and rise up.
But judging by Rika's assessment, let alone whether Fugaku would choose this path, the clansmen would rather go down fighting against the authorities than keep living in humiliation.
"I'm leaving then. All the clan affairs are in your hands now."
Rika had mainly come to properly hand over the work.
After all, Fugaku had only just become Clan Leader, and both his credentials and skills were still shallow. Plus, many of the information networks were controlled by the Four Elders. Rika needed to transfer these channels to Fugaku.
Of course, there were some intel channels that simply couldn't be handed over. For example, the link to the Land of Demons had already been completely severed and buried away by him.
The Uchiha of Konoha and those of the Land of Demons would have no more clandestine contact—complete separation.
Watching Rika leave, Fugaku finally let out a sigh of relief.
When Rika arrived, he thought it was yet another order from the Four Elders.
Thankfully, it was only to hand over some affairs.
This way, the Uchiha Clan would finally embrace a brand new era under the leadership of Uchiha Fugaku.
Standing in the corridor, looking out at the deep blue sky, Fugaku felt a surge of heroism in his chest. He was full of confidence in his abilities, determined to make the Uchiha Clan shine brighter than ever in his hands, to stand atop Konoha Village itself.
◎
Training grounds.
"Huff... huff... Minato-sensei is so strong..."
Lin panted, covered in bruises, as she looked at Minato on the field, not even a hair out of place, marveling at the strength of a Jonin.
Obito didn't look any better either. He looked at Minato, resentment written all over his face.
He had worked so hard, but in Minato's hands, he was still played like a fool. Glancing over at Kakashi, that feeling of frustration grew even stronger inside him.
The reason was that only Kakashi had managed to snatch a bell from Minato, passing Minato's field test.
Whether during their school days or after becoming ninja, he'd never closed the gap between himself and Kakashi. In fact, as time passed, the distance only grew wider.
Kakashi held the White Fang Short Knife in his hand, the blade shining with a pale blue light, fine currents of electricity crackling along its edge.
But Kakashi still looked dissatisfied at the lightning swirling on the White Fang Short Knife. His Chakra Control just wasn't good enough, and he actually let a little Lighting Attribute Chakra leak out of the blade.
As for the bell in his other hand, it had been snatched from Minato, but that didn't prove much.
He knew that, in the previous fight, Minato had been holding back significantly.
Just as the man said, this was only a training exercise to gauge their strength, not an actual life-or-death battle.
He still had a long way to go to reach Jonin level.
But it was also clear that Minato's skill was far above that of an average Jonin, especially when it came to Taijutsu and Instantaneous Body Jutsu.
The oppressive feel of that difference reminded him of sparring with Hakushi in the past, when Shadow Dancer techniques left him helpless.
No matter where he attacked from, he was seen through—and even snatching the bell this time was only because Minato went easy on him.
"Alright, the exercise is over. I have a general idea of your abilities now. Overall, all three of you have great potential. Today is our first day meeting each other, so let's go out and get something to eat. Sensei will treat."
Minato walked over, smiling as he spoke.
"Really? Minato-sensei?"
Obito asked in surprise.
"Of course. You can tell Sensei anything you want to eat."
Minato nodded and smiled.
Kakashi just shrugged indifferently, dispersing the Lighting Attribute Chakra from the White Fang Short Knife and sliding it into the sheath on his back.
Minato, seeing this, also let out a sigh of relief. He'd thought Kakashi would coldly reject the invitation, but it seemed things hadn't gotten to the point of him shutting himself off. For suggestions from his teammates, he could still listen, at least a little.
Of course, listening and cooperating are two different things.
At least during the exercise, Kakashi had fought completely alone, while Obito and Lin worked together.
After having a meal together, Minato left for now, walking toward the Hokage Building to report on work matters, as well as to explain the measures he intended to implement in Minato's Class to the Hokage.
"Kakashi, I'll definitely surpass you!"
Witnessing Kakashi's overwhelming skills and his near-magical swordsmanship, Obito's heart blazed with fighting spirit—he would take Kakashi as his goal and press forward.
"Then you'd better work hard. I'm heading back."
Kakashi glanced at the earnest-faced Obito, then turned and left.