Seeing Fugaku's moved expression, Rika knew he must think that the elders granting him power was a sign of their immense trust in his abilities.
That old fellow just couldn't be bothered to handle Konoha's affairs anymore. Rika mused to himself.
Even if the Uchiha in Konoha were to fail in the future, they could still preserve the bloodline and continue the legacy of the Uchiha Race.
However, for Fugaku to wrongly assume this is actually a good thing.
After all, the truth would be too cruel for him to bear.
Passing the position of clan leader to him wasn't because of trust in his capabilities, but rather because there was no better choice among lesser candidates—there was truly no other option.
Of course, there was still a chance for Fugaku to succeed.
That is to lead the Uchiha Race to survive in the eyes of the upper echelons, forsaking the clan's former glory and dignity. Perhaps when the upper ranks falter, the Uchiha Race can seize the opportunity to rise.
However, in Rika's judgment, it's unlikely that Fugaku would take this path. The clansmen would rather fight to the bitter end with the authorities than live in ignominy.
"I'm leaving now. All the clan's affairs are in your hands."
Rika mainly came to ensure a proper handover of responsibilities.
After all, Fugaku had only just become clan leader and his experience and abilities were still quite limited. Furthermore, many intelligence channels were in the hands of the elders, which Rika needed to transfer to Fugaku.
Of course, there were also some intelligence channels that couldn't be handed over, such as the contact line with the Land of Demons, which he had severed and buried completely.
The Uchiha in Konoha and the Uchiha in the Land of Demons would no longer have secret communication channels; they were completely divided.
Seeing Rika off, Fugaku breathed a sigh of relief.
When Rika arrived, he thought the elders wanted to convey some new order.
Fortunately, it was only to hand over some responsibilities.
With this, the Uchiha Race would fully embrace a new era under his leadership, that of Uchiha Fugaku.
Fugaku gazed at the azure sky from the corridor, his heart filled with grand ambitions and confidence in his abilities. He wanted to make the Uchiha Race bloom with unprecedented brilliance under his leadership, standing at the pinnacle of Konoha Village.
◎
At the training ground.
"Huff... Huff... Minato-sensei is really strong..."
Lin panted, covered in various bruises, looking at Minato with admiration for the Jonin's strength.
Obito wasn't faring much better and looked at Minato with a face full of frustration.
He had worked so hard, yet still ended up being toyed with by Minato. Seeing Kakashi on the side intensified his feelings of discontent.
The reason being only Kakashi had succeeded in snatching the bell from Minato, passing the real combat assessment.
Whether it was during school or as a ninja, the distance between him and Kakashi had never closed; on the contrary, it only seemed to widen with time.
Kakashi held the White Fang Short Knife, with a faint blue glow enveloping it and tiny currents running along the blade.
Kakashi was still not satisfied with the lightning on the White Fang Short Knife. His chakra control was lacking, allowing a bit of Lightning Attribute Chakra to leak from the blade.
As for the bell in his other hand, it was snatched from Minato, but it proved nothing.
He knew Minato had held back considerably in the fight.
Just as Minato said, it was merely an exercise to understand their strengths, not a life-and-death battle.
He still had a ways to go before reaching Jonin level.
But he understood Minato's prowess exceeded that of ordinary Jonin, especially in taijutsu and the Instantaneous Body Jutsu.
This sense of pressure from the disparity reminded him of the helplessness during practice matches with Hakushi, where Shadow Dancer left him utterly without options.
No matter where he attacked from, it was seen through; even snatching the bell was due to Minato letting up.
"Alright, the exercise is over. I have a rough understanding of your strengths, and your potential is overall quite great. Today is our first meeting, so let's go have a meal together. The teacher will treat."
Minato came over and said with a smile.
"Really, Minato-sensei?"
Obito asked excitedly.
"Of course, you can tell me anything you want to eat."
Minato nodded and smiled.
Kakashi shrugged indifferently, dispelled the Lightning Attribute Chakra on the White Fang Short Knife, and sheathed it.
Seeing this, Minato also breathed a sigh of relief. He thought Kakashi might curtly refuse, but it seemed the issue hadn't escalated to self-isolation. At least, to some extent, he would take his companions' suggestions into account.
Of course, considering and cooperating are two different matters altogether.
At least during the exercise earlier, Kakashi fought alone, while Obito and Lin cooperated in battle.
After sharing a meal, Minato temporarily left, heading toward the Hokage Building to report on his work content, as well as the measures he planned to implement in Minato's Class, all of which he needed to discuss with the Hokage.
"Kakashi, I will definitely surpass you!"
Having witnessed Kakashi's formidable skills and exquisite swordsmanship, Obito was full of fighting spirit, with Kakashi as his goal to progress toward.
"Well, give it your all. I'm heading back now."
Kakashi glanced at the determined-looking Obito, then turned to leave.