Back to Uchiha Yuan.
After returning to the Uchiha clan compound, Uchiha Yuan didn't go to meet with any more high-ranking clan members. Instead, he went home.
He had already demonstrated his strength in front of the Uchiha elders, and there was no need to continue appearing before them constantly. Some things, if overdone, lose their effect.
Once he officially took over the Third Division, it would be soon enough to take the next step.
At this time, the Uchiha high-level meeting had also "adjourned."
"Yakumi, help me gather all the information we have on Uchiha Yuan," Uchiha Fugaku instructed his trusted aide, Uchiha Yakumi.
"Clan Leader, I've already prepared it in advance." Yakumi handed over a scroll to Fugaku.
Fugaku opened it and quickly skimmed through, then commented:
"This Uchiha Yuan is nothing like I expected."
"Not what you expected? What do you mean, Clan Leader?"
"He's not someone who showed overwhelming talent from a young age. Rather, it was after awakening the Sharingan at age ten, when both of his parents died, that he began to rise.
From awakening the Sharingan at ten to now, at thirteen, he's already able to crush Yashiro in terms of ocular power. In just three years, while most would be lucky to develop to two tomoe, Yuan is far beyond that.
His growth rate reminds me of Uchiha Madara."
Upon hearing that name, Uchiha Yakumi's expression turned serious.
It's said that Uchiha Madara awakened his Sharingan at twelve, and by age twenty, he had already gained the Mangekyō and stood unrivaled in the shinobi world, save for Hashirama.
"Then Clan Leader, should we…"
"Yuan is currently aligned with Icarus and the Dove Faction. Their stance on the village is similar to mine. For now, Yuan is not our enemy."
"But won't the Hawk Faction become uneasy because of his rise?" Yakumi asked.
"If not for Setsuna, they probably would be. But now that Setsuna will be released, the Hawk side should calm down a bit. The situation can still be stabilized."
"But Clan Leader, the village released Setsuna precisely to muddy our waters. Do you really think they'll let us stay stable?"
"For now, at least, the Third Great Ninja War isn't over. The village won't act against us yet.
If they do anything, it'll be after the war ends. We don't need to worry for now."
As Fugaku said, Konoha's higher-ups indeed had no intention of acting against the Uchiha at this stage.
One reason for releasing Setsuna was that they didn't want to pay a high price to keep Kakashi's Sharingan intact. After all, Kakashi was directly under the Third Hokage, not Koharu, Homura, or Danzo.
To them, resolving this issue with minimal cost was the best outcome.
The other reason was to plant a seed of discord in the Uchiha.
Setsuna himself was a representative of the Hawk Faction. Although the balance between Hawk and Dove was currently stable, the addition of Setsuna might disrupt it.
He would need time to influence the clan—but with the war nearing its end, the timing was perfect. Once peace returned, the village would "activate" this planted seed.
A peaceful and stable Uchiha? That's not what the village wanted.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Yashiro had regained consciousness.
"Yashiro, how are you feeling?" Uchiha Kumon asked.
"Just a bit dizzy, otherwise fine," he replied.
"Yashiro, what happened during your genjutsu clash with that brat Yuan?" asked Uchiha Chiyama.
"I attacked Yuan unexpectedly, having heard he had already awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan and was practicing advanced genjutsu.
Logically, since I awakened my Sharingan many years before him, I should have had stronger ocular power—and I struck first, giving me the advantage.
But to my surprise, the moment I activated the genjutsu, Yuan countered. He simply reflected the genjutsu back on me and shattered my illusion space with overwhelming ocular force."
Hearing this, Kumon and Chiyama exchanged glances.
"If they both have three tomoe, Yuan shouldn't be able to overpower Yashiro by that much," Kumon said.
"Kumon-elder, are you suggesting—?"
"That Yuan, like Fugaku, may have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"What?! Mangekyō?! But he's only thirteen!" Yashiro said in disbelief.
"To crush a three-tomoe like that, what else could it be?" Kumon answered.
"It might not necessarily be Mangekyō," Chiyama offered. "Maybe he's using some special genjutsu technique.
Don't forget—Naori's descendant, Uchiha Cai, is stationed in the Land of Bears. That branch has always been gifted in genjutsu. Yashiro, didn't you also struggle with Cai's illusions?"
"Yes… I've fought Cai before. Once caught in her illusions, I had no way to escape," Yashiro admitted.
Kumon's expression eased slightly.
"Elder Kumon, Yashiro, we don't need to worry too much about Yuan right now. After all, he hasn't officially taken over the Third Division yet.
Compared to him, we should keep our eyes on Setsuna. Once he's back, the Dove Faction will likely make their move. We must remain vigilant," Chiyama advised.
Kumon nodded. That was exactly why he had gathered the others here today.
This was still wartime, and the Uchiha's top priority should be the war effort.
But anyone with eyes could see that the war was nearly over.
Iwagakure and Kumogakure were locked in bitter conflict and had no interest in fighting Konoha anymore. Kirigakure had tried to pick up scraps from the start, but now that the opportunity was gone, they were likely to retreat.
That left only Sunagakure.
But a dying camel is still bigger than a horse—even weakened, Konoha had no reason to fear Suna.
So, the outcome of the war was already more or less decided.
And the Uchiha, having suffered heavy losses in this war, would face deepening internal conflict once peace returned.
(To Be Continued...)