At a training base in Training Ground 35.
Hachidai stood before the first batch of Flying Tigers members with his hands behind his back, an austere expression on his face.
"You all used to be elites from various squads—some were squad leaders, others platoon commanders. But from today onward, you have only one identity—you are now all members of the Flying Tigers!
But this doesn't mean you'll stay with the Flying Tigers forever!
You've heard that Vice Minister Kintai will soon return with our clansmen from the Front Line—battle-hardened veterans who've seen real bloodshed.
In the Flying Tigers, strength is everything. How many of you will still be here after that remains to be seen!"
From among the crowd, a voice roared out, "I, Genya, fear no one!"
Hachidai gave a cold laugh. "Big talk is easy! We'll see after a week of training—I hope you're still standing by then."
With that, he bellowed, "Begin training!"
The soldiers immediately broke into groups—some paired up for sparring, while others trained on their own.
Hachidai moved through the grounds, offering guidance and advice.
Suddenly, a thunderous boom echoed through the air.
Boom!
Everyone turned toward the sky where half of a massive crimson fireball had appeared.
[Great Fireball Technique?]
"Are you blind? Since when has there ever been a Great Fireball that big?"
"But it definitely looks like a Great Fireball!"
"..."
Before they could argue further, the colossal red fireball struck something invisible and instantly vanished.
Frowning, Hachidai turned to his deputy. "Shintatsu, put the Flying Tigers on alert!"
Then scanning the area, he called out specific names. "Keita, Akagi, Shuichi—come with me!"
Without waiting, he vanished using Body Flicker Technique, dashing toward where the fireball had been fired. Keita, Akagi, and Shuichi quickly followed.
Soon, the four arrived at the battlefield.
Looking at two distant figures locked in combat and the flames scattered around them, Hachidai started forward, but someone blocked his path.
Fugaku's guard, Zhong Ming Uchiha, stepped forward and stopped him. "Captain Hachidai, the person ahead is the Clan Leader!"
Hachidai nodded in understanding. Such an extremely powerful Great Fireball must have come from the clan leader himself.
He asked, "So it's Aozora out there? What's going on?"
Zhong Ming replied, "Yes, Aozora."
"Aozora!?"
The group exclaimed in surprise.
Hachidai nodded knowingly. "So the clan leader must be giving Aozora a demonstration..."
As he spoke, Hachidai activated his Sharingan and gazed toward the fight scene. His mouth fell open in shock, but he said nothing more.
The battle unfolding before them defied expectations.
Two figures moved like lightning, leaving trails of afterimages across the wasteland, accompanied by howling winds.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Metal clashed violently, sending showers of sparks flying, each clang echoing loudly.
With his Sharingan activated, the battle suddenly zoomed into sharp focus, playing out clearly before Hachidai and his team.
Akagi muttered in astonishment, "How could this be..."
Shuichi observed closely before finally stating, "It looks like Aozora really is gaining the upper hand."
Keita shook his head. "No… It's just because we haven't reached their level yet."
Hachidai also shook his head. "Right now, Aozora is indeed gaining the upper hand."
Indeed, on this battlefield, Aozora currently held the advantage.
Now facing Fugaku, who had awakened the Mangekyou, Aozora had absolutely no intention of holding back.
After closing in, he immediately used both Shrink Step and Body Flicker Technique.
To a Dojutsu user, the Taijutsu of ordinary ninja was surprisingly easy to predict. This was because powerful Dojutsu users could see every subtle movement of their opponents' bodies. Based on these movements, they could easily determine the strength of an attack, the speed of motion, even foresee the complete trajectory of incoming attacks.
However, after Aozora used Shrink Step, Fugaku couldn't predict accurately anymore.
Sometimes Aozora would take a light step forward and instantly appear right in front of him.
Other times he'd stomp hard yet remain motionless, rendering Fugaku's defensive moves useless.
If Aozora's footwork frustrated Fugaku, his close combat drove him nearly to despair.
He never expected Aozora to be so skilled in Taijutsu, nor did he expect his technique to be so brutal!
The Uchiha approach to Taijutsu emphasized precision and elegance, fully leveraging the advantages of their Dojutsu.
But Aozora attacked with a fearless, reckless attitude.
As the clan head, naturally he disdained engaging in mutually damaging exchanges, and he worried about seriously injuring Aozora, which made him hesitant.
After clashing once and creating some distance, Fugaku glanced toward the four watching clansmen in the distance, his expression turning serious. He decided it was time to end this fight.
The crimson color in his eyes deepened as he initiated an attack against Aozora.
Seeing Fugaku rushing toward him, Aozora felt slightly surprised.
Through their engagement, Aozora realized that Fugaku truly deserved his reputation as the strongest visible member of the Uchiha Clan.
He was proficient in all aspects: Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu — none were beyond his command. His actual power might even surpass his older brother Shisui.
However, Fugaku did have weaknesses due to prolonged absence from battle — specifically, his Taijutsu skills.
Back then, Fugaku's Taijutsu skills definitely belonged among Konoha's top echelon. But after so many years without real combat, much of the instinctual muscle memory had been lost.
Now his body movements relied purely on conscious control, which was slower than natural muscle memory by a fraction. Added to that his many concerns, his reaction slowed further by another fraction.
These two fractions caused him to fall behind Aozora in their Taijutsu clash.
Aozora also saw that Hachidai had arrived, and understanding the situation, he braced himself for a reversal by Fugaku.
Before Aozora could even figure out an elegant way to admit defeat, Fugaku was already upon him.
Fugaku swung his right fist forward, kunai clenched in his palm carving through air, leaving behind a faint black gleam.
Instantly calculating the trajectory of the kunai strike, Aozora raised his arm to block.
At that moment, however, he saw Fugaku's crimson eyes.
Still displaying Three Tomoe, but with an astonishingly intense blood-red hue within the irises.
Aozora felt as if a ferocious beast had pinned him under its gaze, his heart skipping a beat.
For that instant, he felt completely trapped in an Immobilization Jutsu — unable to move anything except his soul.
"Immobilization Jutsu? Genjutsu? Dojutsu?"
The Three Tomoe in Fugaku's eyes spun rapidly, and Aozora quickly broke free from the restraint. Stomping down hard, he shot backward.
Fugaku stayed rooted to the spot, choosing not to pursue.
Though Aozora had endured it, only now did he feel pain radiating from his neck.
Aozora felt his neck and noticed no blood, but still bowed politely to admit defeat. "Thank you for the lesson, Director!"
Fugaku studied the faint mark on Aozora's neck for a moment before flicking the kunai in his hand away.
Rather than respond immediately to Aozora, Fugaku turned and gestured toward Hachidai and the others in the distance.
Hachidai and the other three instantly appeared on the wasteland using [Body Flicker Technique].
The battlefield behind them was scattered with flames from their fight, which could easily spark a wildfire and destroy the entire training ground.
After speaking, Fugaku looked at Aozora, then instantly disappeared with [Body Flicker Technique].
Aozora gave a brief greeting to Hachidai and Shuichi before rushing off after him.
Once Aozora and Fugaku had left, Hachidai said, "Hurry up! We still have training to do!"
Shuichi, Keita, and Akagi immediately began cleaning up as instructed, while discussing the battle they had just witnessed.
Akagi asked curiously, "Didn't Aozora have the upper hand earlier? Why did Fugaku win so suddenly?"
Keita answered instantly, "It must be because Fugaku wasn't holding back before!"
Shuichi thought carefully before adding, "Even though Fugaku's final attack was fast, Aozora should've been able to dodge."
Recalling the image of Aozora fighting against Fugaku, both Keita and Akagi fell into deep thought.
Overhearing their conversation, Hachidai smiled and shook his head. "Do you know what title Fugaku once held?"
Shuichi and Akagi shook their heads blankly while Keita guessed uncertainly, "Fierce Eyes?"
Hachidai nodded, eyes filled with memories.
"That was Fugaku's title back in his youth. Back then, his eyes burned with ferocity — no one dared meet his gaze. Enemies caught under his stare were struck with terror, paralyzed in fear..."
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