The fierce battle in the valley had taken a sudden, split-second turn due to Uchiha Shinsuke's unexpected genjutsu.
Who was Uchiha Tekka?
A battle-hardened Guard captain!
Though he was inwardly shaken to the core and had never anticipated that Uchiha Shinsuke could unleash a genjutsu of such power, his combat instincts had been carved into his very bones and required no conscious thought at all!
"Cut them down!"
Uchiha Tekka exploded into motion in an instant and lunged at the rogue ninja leader who had been caught in the genjutsu.
Slash!
A line of blood sprayed through the air!
The rogue ninja leader, trapped in the genjutsu, did not even manage to let out a scream before his throat was severed in an instant by the sharp tachi in Tekka's hand!
His head flew upward into the sky.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Boom!
Boom!
The remaining two jonin-level rogue ninja watched helplessly as their leader was killed in an instant, and were struck with extreme shock and horror.
Before either of them could even collect themselves, what greeted them was the overwhelming concentrated barrage from Uchiha Tekka and the other Guard members!
The terrifying flames, fueled by the wind, swallowed both of them whole in an instant.
The battle was over quickly.
A thick smell of blood and the charred stench of burning bodies hung heavy in the air.
Uchiha Shinsuke leaped down from the rocks and landed steadily.
Uchiha Tekka strode over to Uchiha Shinsuke in great, sweeping steps.
"Shinsuke..."
Tekka reached out with his large, fan-like hand and gave Uchiha Shinsuke's shoulder a firm, heavy slap.
"Well done, kid! Beautifully handled!"
"You flatter me, Captain."
Uchiha Shinsuke gave a light laugh, his manner humble.
That unshakeable composure in the face of both praise and disgrace made Tekka and the other squad members regard Uchiha Shinsuke with even greater esteem.
To have this level of strength at his age, and yet remain neither arrogant nor impatient: this young man's future was truly without limit!
"That Great Dragon Fire's power was already a match for my full-strength attack! And that genjutsu... good lord, it left a jonin completely helpless and got him killed in an instant! Even accounting for the opponent's carelessness, being able to do something like that is already enough to overwhelm ninety-nine percent of the chunin in the clan!"
Uchiha Shinsuke did not offer much of an explanation.
What the system had granted him was perfect mastery of the Sharingan, which already went beyond the bounds of common sense.
"Clean up the battlefield! Then we head back to the village!"
Uchiha Tekka gave a sweeping wave of his large hand and issued the order.
After that high-intensity, life-or-death battle, Uchiha Shinsuke could clearly feel that his chakra, having been pushed to its absolute limit, had undergone a new refinement, and his command of the Sharingan had grown even more natural and effortless.
[Ding! Squad Mission: Annihilate the Roaming Rogue Ninja (mission rank upgraded to A-rank due to the presence of three jonin) has been completed!]
[The host performed outstandingly in the mission and played a decisive role, earning Clan Honor Points: 200!]
[Current Clan Honor Points: 735.]
The system's cold notification chime sounded in his mind right on cue.
An A-rank mission, 200 Honor Points.
A solid gain.
More importantly, after this battle, Uchiha Shinsuke's standing within the Guard would climb to an entirely new height!
This was of critical importance to Uchiha Shinsuke's subsequent control over the Guard and, ultimately, the entire Uchiha Clan.
Upon returning to Konoha, Uchiha Tekka did not dismiss the squad members, and immediately brought Uchiha Shinsuke straight to Guard headquarters to report the full details of the mission to Vice-Captain Uchiha Inahiko.
When Inahiko had listened to Tekka's complete account of the battle, and in particular when he heard how Uchiha Shinsuke had used a genjutsu to instantly immobilize a jonin and thereby turn the entire tide of the battle, that perpetually iron-stern face of his showed a rare expression of disbelief.
"Tekka, are you certain you haven't exaggerated?"
"You're not letting him take the credit just to bring a junior along, are you?"
Uchiha Inahiko's sharp gaze swept back and forth across Uchiha Shinsuke.
"Vice-Captain, I stake my honor on it, every word is true!"
Uchiha Tekka declared with absolute conviction, his expression utterly serious.
"The way things stood at that moment, if Shinsuke had not turned the tide, our First Squad would likely have suffered severe casualties!"
Uchiha Inahiko fell silent.
He fixed his gaze on Uchiha Shinsuke for a full ten-plus seconds before finally giving a satisfied nod.
"Uchiha Shinsuke, you have done well."
"The Guard will remember your contribution."
"It was only what I should do," Uchiha Shinsuke said with a slight bow, his manner humble.
Coming out of the headquarters building, Uchiha Tekka once again gave Shinsuke's shoulder a firm slap and burst into laughter.
"Kid, you're truly famous now! Even Vice-Captain Inahiko sees you in a whole new light! From now on in the Guard, I'd like to see who still dares look down on you!"
Uchiha Shinsuke only smiled faintly.
This was still only the beginning.
His goal was not simply to make a name for himself within the Guard.
Over the following days, the news of Uchiha Shinsuke's brilliant performance on the border mission, turning the tide and saving the First Squad from disaster, spread rapidly throughout the entire Uchiha Guard!
The Uchiha Clan revered strength and respected those who were powerful.
For a true genius, they never held back their admiration and praise!
Uchiha Shinsuke's reputation rose swiftly, reaching an unprecedented peak within the clan!
The former "failure" who had once been mocked had now become the "genius" spoken of with awe by countless clan members, especially the younger generation!
At the same time, the data on Uchiha Shinsuke's system panel had also been steadily climbing alongside the rise in his reputation.
[Uchiha Shinsuke Attribute Panel]
[Strength: Elite Chunin (Chakra approaching early Jonin level, spiritual power comparable to a Jonin, overall combat power has reached the Jonin threshold)]
[Mastered Skills: Shadow Clone Technique (Mastered), Complete Fire-Style Ninjutsu Mastery, Sharingan (One-Tomoe, perception greatly enhanced), Uchiha-Style Taijutsu (Mastered)]
[Clan Standing: Uchiha Guard First Squad Ace Member (extremely high prestige within the clan)]
[Clan Honor Points: 885]
[Overall Clan Prestige Assessment: Genin Level (High) (clan cohesion slightly strengthened due to substantial rise in host's prestige and Honor Points)]
Late at night in the quiet stillness, Uchiha Shinsuke looked at his panel.
The strength of an elite chunin was indeed considerably greater than before, but it was still far from enough.
To control his own fate and change the future in which the Uchiha Clan was annihilated, his strength needed to rise to at least the Kage level at minimum, only then would he have the standing to take a seat at the table and become a player in this game.