I Am Fugaku Uchiha

This is a vast open space, as large as a football field or even bigger.

Presently, hundreds of people are chatting in groups. This diverse group consists of both the tall and short, the plump and slender, and people spanning generations. However, they all have one thing in common: their clothes bear the emblem of a ping-pong racket, indicating that they belong to the Uchiha clan.

"Why hasn't the clan leader arrived yet?" Uchiha clan members asked with annoyed face.

The mature ninja from the Uchiha clan, who was almost forty years old, crossed his arms and responded nonchalantly, "He left the clan for six months, despite holding the position of clan leader. It seems he doesn't take his responsibilities seriously."

"I agree. And he just agreed to send us to the border as soon as he returned? That's ridiculous."

"Yeah, does he have any idea?"

"Let's not discuss this right now." Another person stopped the one who tried to prevent them from discussing.

"I heard that the clan leader only accepted a reserve of two thousand ninjas instead of the five thousand offered by the village."

"What? Is that true?"

"Yeah, sure, I'm just making this up for fun. It's been all over the place since noon, and other clans are spreading it like wildfire. I just overheard it by chance."

"Damn it, what was the clan leader thinking?"

Akihiko glanced at his clan members, who were whispering among themselves. He felt annoyed, but he couldn't do anything about it.

They rarely had the chance to gather and discuss such matters. Fugaku's actions were perceived as "crimes" within the clan.

"Quiet down; the clan leader is here."

Towards the front, Obito followed Fugaku as he walked slowly, observing the crowd ahead. He smiled nonchalantly.

"It's fine; continue your conversations. I'll just pretend I didn't hear anything."

The crowd went silent. Uchiha Fugaku was the strongest person in the clan, after all. They were afraid to speak ill of him in his presence.

Fugaku said, "It seems that you all still respect me as the clan leader."

"Clan leader, we are curious about the reason for your long absence from the clan and your decision to go to the border with the sand ninja." The speaker avoided Fugaku's gaze and bowed his head slightly. Fugaku looked at him briefly and then turned away.

"The matter of the sand ninja will be revealed in due time. However, I can explain why I left for half a year and refused the reserve of three thousand ninjas." The rest of the group stood up attentively, eager to hear his reasoning.

Fugaku glanced at his clan members and continued: "Here we have our clan members, four hundred and eighty-two in total, of whom thirty have the sharingan. How do you think our fighting strength compares to that of those three thousand ninjas?"

"I doubt we can match them, but we can easily take on one thousand five to two thousand of them." The man with a sharp face and a scar on the corner of his mouth made him recognizable to Fugaku as  a talented member of the Uchiha clan who had already opened the sharingan with three tomoe. His younger brother, who was in his thirties, had two tomoes in his eyes, as did his son, who was eighteen.

As Itsuki spoke, his expression exuded pride—a clear example of the Uchiha clan's superiority over civilian ninjas.

"I agree," nodded Fugaku, approving Itsuki's statement. "Being able to exchange four for one is a true testament to the power of our Uchiha clan."

Although Itsuki heard the clan leader's praise, his proud expression betrayed him. Despite being forty years old, he still respected and appreciated Uchiha Fugaku's strength, feeling fortunate to be part of the Uchiha clan.

Fugaku closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly said, "Now, I will give you the answer you seek. Come on then, let's see what you've all got." However, upon hearing his words, nobody reacted.

"I'm not sure what the clan leader is trying to say. Are we supposed to compete against those three thousand ninjas?" Confusion was written on everyone's faces.

Akihiko remained stoic while he turned to look at Fugaku with an incredulous expression. "You don't mean for us to all fight you?" he asked.

Fugaku calmly opened his eyes and looked at everyone. "Yes, that's exactly what I mean. All of you will fight me together."

"How... how can that be?"

"What… what?"

"Did I just mishear him?"

The members of Uchiha clan present stared at their leader in disbelief, their faces contorting with confusion.

"Did I hear right? Is our clan leader serious?" Akito asked nervously, nudging Kaito next to him. "I… I don't… know!" Kaito was also baffled and shook his head.

Akihiko couldn't contain his anger any longer. "Fugaku, have you lost your mind? What are you trying to accomplish?"

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