Uchiha Clan Compound, Yohei Uchiha's house.
The sound of ping-pong-pang—kunai clashing—rang out from the courtyard. Two figures collided and then circled each other, looking for an opening. Yohei Uchiha was sparring with his father, Shosuke Uchiha.
Yohei had activated his Sharingan. In his crimson eyes, a single tomoe spun rapidly due to Chakra circulation. Yohei lunged at his father again, the sharp kunai flashing with a chilling light.
The kunai clashed again. This time, Shosuke didn't hold back. Relying on his Jonin strength, he easily knocked Yohei away. While still in mid-air, Yohei saw a blur beside him. Before he could adjust his posture, his father's large hand grabbed his collar and slammed him ruthlessly to the ground.
Lying on the ground, Yohei gasped for air, trying to calm his erratic breathing. Only then did his father pull him up.
"Now do you understand the gap between you and a Jonin?" Shosuke Uchiha said with a smile. It seemed Yohei's personality didn't come from nowhere; just look at his father.
"And you wanted to challenge a Jonin? Forget a Jonin; even a Special Jonin would kill you if you met one." Shosuke was still smiling, but his words made Yohei furious.
It turned out that after returning from the mission, Yohei had been boasting at home about how difficult it was—ambushed by Jonin, blocked by Special Jonin. Basically, he claimed he had displayed divine might, turned the tide, and completed the mission perfectly.
If Captain Yamaguchi hadn't warned him about confidentiality, he probably would have blurted out the matter about the intelligence ninja too.
As Yohei's father, Shosuke naturally couldn't watch his son become so arrogant. A bout of "tough love" mercilessly knocked Yohei from heaven back down to earth, letting him understand exactly how much he weighed.
"This Taiichi Matsushita you mentioned... is he really as good as you say? You didn't exaggerate?" The father and son sat kneeling on the tatami, sipping tea leisurely after the fight.
"Of course! My own performance might be exaggerated, but I told the truth about Taiichi. Not a single lie!" Yohei swore solemnly, looking as if he were ready to rip out his heart to show his father.
"That truly is an amazing child. He'll probably become a ninja renowned throughout the ninja world in the future." Shosuke Uchiha sighed. "Get along well with him. These are your connections."
"We're good friends! Don't make it sound like I'm befriending him on purpose," Yohei said indignantly.
Shosuke gave Yohei a deep look and said softly, "That's for the best."
Knock, knock. A sound came from the door.
Without waiting for his father to speak, Yohei zipped over to open it. Shosuke Uchiha shook his head, thinking, I wonder who this kid takes after?
The door opened to reveal another Uchiha ninja. Yohei stared at him curiously. "Can I help you?"
The visitor looked Yohei up and down, as if confirming something. "You must be Yohei. I'm Hayashi Uchiha. I'm here on the Clan Head's orders to ask you to come for questioning."
"Me?" Yohei pointed at himself in confusion.
Hayashi nodded in confirmation.
Hearing the commotion, Shosuke Uchiha came out. After confirming Hayashi's identity, he said to Yohei, "Since it's the Clan Head's summons, go ahead, Yohei. Remember, be polite!"
"Got it, Dad! I'm off!" With that, he followed Hayashi Uchiha to the Clan Head's residence.
The current head of the Uchiha clan was Fugaku Uchiha, the future father of Itachi and Sasuke. When Yohei met Fugaku, the Clan Head was arranging flowers in the living room, seemingly cultivating his character.
"Greetings, Clan Head." Yohei greeted him first, his father's instruction still ringing in his ears—be polite.
"Mm. Yohei, I heard you awakened your Sharingan, is that correct?" Fugaku had a gentle expression, though in Yohei's eyes, that face couldn't possibly be described as gentle. The name "Wicked Eye Fugaku" had quite a reputation in the Second War.
"Yes, Clan Head. I awakened it unknowingly during a battle on the last mission." Yohei then vividly recounted the events to the Clan Head, even including the embarrassing detail that he only realized he had awakened it after Taiichi pointed it out.
Fugaku listened, stunned. Before he could even ask, the kid had blurted out everything, whether he should have or not.
Composing himself, Fugaku said to Yohei, "The Sharingan has many unique uses after awakening, and there are secret techniques specifically designed to work with it. Your family might not have all of them. If you have questions, take my token to the clan library to find answers."
He took out a token and handed it to Yohei, instructing him, "You can only keep this token for seven days. If you need it again later, it will depend on your contribution to the clan."
Yohei took the token joyfully, playing with it in his hands. With this, he could learn many of the Uchiha clan's unique ninjutsu. The only problem was the short time limit; he didn't know how many he could learn.
"How is your relationship with your teammates?" Fugaku asked casually.
"Great! We have a life-and-death friendship, the kind where we'd take a kunai for each other without regret!" Hearing the Clan Head's question, Yohei snapped out of his thoughts. He started boasting again about how amazing his teammates were and how close they were, mentioning how Taiichi had helped him master water walking during a previous mission.
Fugaku listened quietly. When he heard that Taiichi frequently trained with Tsunade and Jiraiya, his eyes lit up. This matched the intelligence he had received.
Fugaku chatted with Yohei for a while longer, then had Hayashi Uchiha escort Yohei back home.
Watching Yohei leave, Fugaku was lost in thought. There had always been a serious crisis of trust between the clan and the village. Before, Kagami Uchiha could mediate between them. Now that Kagami was dead, the clan urgently needed to find another ninja like him.
The relationship between Yohei and Taiichi was a crucial reference point.
Leaving the Clan Head's residence, Yohei was still confused. He felt that Clan Head Fugaku was overly concerned about Taiichi.
Back home, Yohei recounted his experience at the Clan Head's house to his father in detail, only to receive a look that said "you idiot" from his father. This annoyed Yohei greatly, but he could do nothing about it. In the end, he only got the advice: "Maintain a good relationship with your team members."
Furukawa House.
Back from the mission and rested, Saori was also summarizing her experiences. Although she had done her best in everything during this mission, compared to Taiichi and Yohei, Saori felt she was still far behind.
Saori expressed her worries to her father and received the advice: "Fully utilize your own abilities."
Depressed, Saori racked her brains in her room. Finally, seeing the rows of books on Sealing Jutsu on the shelf, she had an epiphany: Neither Taiichi nor Yohei knows Sealing Jutsu, and that is exactly what I specialize in.
Having figured it out, Saori spent the next two days consolidating her knowledge of Sealing Jutsu. She also took advantage of her father being home to ask for guidance on further studies.
Watching Saori studying diligently in the study, her parents outside smiled with relief. A child finding their own presence within a team was the true mode of interaction for a qualified squad. They were proud of Saori.