"ENOUGH!"
Hearing this, Ryuji was taken aback for a moment, looking at Minato in surprise.
Yes, the person who shouted this wasn't the Uchiha trio, whose anger was about to reach its peak, but Minato.
But on second thought, Minato's action wasn't inappropriate.
As a member of Konoha, seeing the village's people and a prominent clan being insulted, it would be more wrong for him not to speak up.
Moreover, the conflicting parties were the Uchiha and the leader of the Sunagakure's delegation. If he allowed the conflict to escalate into physical combat, regardless of who won, the aftermath would be difficult to manage.
Speaking up in time to prevent the situation from worsening was the most responsible action for him to take.
"As the teacher, the responsibility for this lies with me." Seeing everyone's attention shift to him, Minato continued calmly, "I wanted Obito to see the wider world, so I allowed him to challenge Ryuji-kun. Later, I will report to the Third Hokage and accept any punishment."
Hearing this, the expressions of the three Uchiha improved slightly.
They had heard the commotion and came to investigate, only to find Obito knocked down by a doll and in danger, as from their perspective, the doll was aiming at his eye from his nose bridge, while the rest of his team watched from the sidelines. This had ignited their fury.
Due to the historical baggage left by Madara, many in the village were unwelcoming toward the Uchiha. The series of policies implemented by the Second Hokage had placed the clan's every move under the surveillance of the entire village, making the more sensitive clan members resent Konoha even more, firmly believing that a tough response was the correct approach.
These individuals were known as the Uchiha hawks.
And this Uchiha Setsuna was the leader of these hawks. Even during the Second Hokage's lifetime, he had frequently led clan members in opposing him… though only through policy disputes, of course.
When the Second Hokage assigned the Uchiha Clan the role of Konoha's Military Police Force, Setsuna had strongly opposed it. Although he ultimately failed to stop it, he had secured many benefits for the clan.
Such as increased funding.
The Military Police Force, initially intended just for public security, received funding comparable to the Hokage's direct Anbu forces and possessed a considerable degree of autonomous law enforcement and judicial authority.
A man like this harbored a natural hostility toward anyone outside the Uchiha Clan within Konoha.
His first thought upon seeing Obito being beaten while three others watched was that the village was bullying and ostracizing an Uchiha.
That's why they had approached with such menacing intent.
However, Setsuna, who was generally unfriendly to non-Uchiha, held a relatively high degree of trust in Minato.
After all, he was radical, not stupid.
He knew not everyone in the village was hostile to the Uchiha. He understood Minato's character well enough to know he would never allow such a thing.
Therefore, after Minato's explanation, most of his anger dissipated.
But only most, not all.
Ryuji's earlier words could not be ignored by anyone.
Therefore...
"Some people are ignorant and overestimate themselves. They need to be taught a lesson." Setsuna's expression, which had just softened slightly, turned sharp again. The crimson pupils of his eyes swirled with three tomoe.
"Wait!"
Minato tried to stop him, but it was too late.
No matter how fast he was, he couldn't be faster than someone's line of sight. The Sharingan's Genjutsu had already been activated.
"Tremble before the power of the Sharingan! Genjutsu: De… Urk!"
Halfway through activating the Genjutsu, Setsuna's face contorted violently. He spat out a mouthful of blood and slumped down, his entire body going limp.
"Setsuna-san!"
The other two Uchiha hurriedly supported Setsuna. Seeing his pale, trembling form, shock and fury surged within them.
He had been using the Sharingan's Genjutsu on an enemy, yet he ended up in this state. What on earth had happened?
"So this is the Sharingan? How laughable." The corner of Ryuji's mouth lifted into a merciless ridicule.
"What did you do to Setsuna-san?!"
The two Uchiha were seething with rage, but dared not act recklessly.
Ryuji had stood motionless and reduced Setsuna to this state... Their infallible Sharingan had not only been ineffective against this man but had seemingly backfired. How could the other Uchiha not be shocked? How could they not fear him?
Not just them, but Minato and the others were also deeply shocked, unable to regain their composure for a long while.
In terms of pure strength, Minato believed he was stronger than Setsuna. But that didn't mean he could meet the Sharingan's gaze and remain unscathed.
The Sharingan's Genjutsu, which could trap someone through mere eye contact, was simply too overpowered.
He had initially tried to stop the fight precisely because Ryuji had already met Setsuna's Sharingan gaze.
If a fight broke out, he would be instantly defeated.
If the leader of the Sunagakure's delegation was publicly defeated in seconds by a key figure of Konoha's Military Police, the situation would escalate terribly.
But the result was the opposite of what he'd imagined.
It was an instant defeat, but the defeated party wasn't Ryuji as he'd thought, but Setsuna.
This left him speechless with astonishment.
If Minato was like this, the other three were even more so.
Kakashi had grown up hearing the legend that 'every Uchiha Shinobi is an elite'.
While Rin wasn't as familiar with the details, she had also heard many tales about the Uchiha.
And Obito, as a member of the clan, understood the Sharingan's prowess intimately. His shock was no less than Minato's.
All three of them stood with their mouths agape, staring dumbfounded at the scene, unable to process it.
…
"What did I do?"
Ryuji tilted his head slightly, showing a genuinely confused expression. "Did I do anything? I only remember that guy glaring at me fiercely and then collapsing... Wait, you're not trying to pull a scam, are you?"
Looking at Ryuji's act of innocence, the two Uchiha trembled with fury, their fists clenched so tight their knuckles cracked.
Seeing this, Ryuji adopted a look of fear. "Huh? What are you going to do?"
The faces of the two Uchiha turned livid, their anger seemingly reaching a boiling point, while Ryuji appeared completely oblivious.
"It really is a scam!"
"Just as I thought. A clan obsessed with reputation, prone to boasting and fabricating facts… this is all they're capable of."
"You bastard!"
The two Uchiha could bear it no longer.
They set Setsuna down, drew kunai, and charged at Ryuji with relentless momentum. The water on the ground splashed high on both sides, drenching Kakashi, Rin, and Obito.
But they had no mind to care about that now. Their eyes were fixed unwaveringly on the impending clash.
Ryuji stood rooted to the spot without any movement, as if he had given up on defending himself. Only the faint upward curve of his lips suggested otherwise.
Snap!
Snap!
At the very instant before the two sides collided, a yellow blur inserted itself between them. Two hands firmly gripped the wrists of the charging Uchiha.
The assault halted.
Minato looked earnestly at the two Uchiha, speaking with sincerity, "You are no match for him. Leave this to me. I will ensure you receive a satisfactory answer."