Fugaku's strength had improved dramatically compared to six months ago.
His Body Flicker Technique had reached perfection, earning him the nickname "Fugaku of the Body Flicker."
In terms of taijutsu, he was unmatched among his peers in the Uchiha clan, thanks entirely to getting beaten up by Minato so often. He simply had no choice but to improve.
Moreover, his genjutsu had been steadily improving every day ever since receiving guidance from Shin.
As for ninjutsu, there was still room for growth in other areas, but his mastery of Fire Release techniques was already close to that of his father.
It had to be said, there wasn't a single person who could awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan without being an extraordinary genius.
Although he had yet to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, Shin had told him he was fully capable of doing so, and Fugaku took that as absolute certainty.
"Why are you lying down already?" A voice suddenly sounded from behind him, giving Fugaku quite a fright.
"Minato, when are you going to fix that creepy habit of popping up out of nowhere?" Fugaku, upon seeing who it was, lay back down again.
"That's pure jealousy," Minato said.
Just as Fugaku was about to retort, a figure at the entrance to the New Hyūga Clan grounds caught his attention, more precisely, one of two figures.
He quickly stood up, putting on a mature demeanor, and said, "Well, um... Hizashi, do you need any help?"
Though he said that, his eyes never left that particular figure. "Why is Mikoto at the Hyūga clan?" he muttered to himself.
Beside him, Minato noticed Fugaku's behavior and couldn't help but curl his lips into a sly smile. But then, remembering they were out in public, he immediately reined it in and returned to his usual honest expression.
At this moment, Mikoto was walking hand-in-hand with Tsuki into the New Hyūga Clan grounds.
Ever since the Uchiha clan's crisis had been completely resolved and they had regained the trust and favor of the higher-ups, the clan's mindset had improved, which in turn changed the attitudes of its members.
Although they still carried themselves with a certain pride when interacting with others, they had become much more approachable.
After retaking control of the reformed Police Department, everyone realized that the Uchiha clan handled matters with absolute fairness, strictly following the rules without showing favoritism.
And once the people of Konoha learned that the Uchiha's tarnished reputation in the past had been the result of deliberate sabotage by Hiruzen, Danzō, and others, their image was fully restored.
The villagers even began to understand their pride.
After all, as the largest clan in Konoha, if it were them, wouldn't their egos be through the roof? By comparison, the Uchiha's demeanor was actually rather restrained.
As a result, the Uchiha became more willing to interact and make friends with non-clan members.
As for why Mikoto and Tsuki had such a close relationship, it was because they had formed a team.
Ever since Minato, Fugaku, and Hizashi had teamed up, making a name for themselves on the battlefield, completing over a dozen S-rank missions and many difficult covert operations within just six months, people began rethinking team composition.
Minato's individual strength was overwhelming, he was the team's primary damage dealer.
Fugaku's power, though not quite on Minato's level, was still formidable, and with his flawless Body Flicker and terrifying genjutsu mastery, he could create the perfect conditions for Minato to unleash his attacks.
Hizashi possessed top-tier reconnaissance abilities, solid combat strength, and, most importantly, was also a medical-nin.
After some experimentation, many discovered that a lineup with one strong carry and two powerful supports could unleash incredible potential.
This team structure allowed for multiple tactical approaches and offered great flexibility.
In many cases, ninja team compositions were actually far from optimal, sometimes completely random or based purely on personal preference.
Take, for example, the later-famous Team 7: in the early days, it had two people fighting over the main damage role and one person competing to be the dead weight.
But the shinobi world is cruel, a single moment of carelessness can lead to disastrous consequences.
Random, mismatched teams could get people killed.
Luckily for those two carries, they had good fortune: while the "dead weight" was useless in most areas, their survival skills were pretty solid, and their sensei was strong.
Otherwise, who knows how many times they would've died by now.
However, Minato's "Mad Squad" proved to people that scientific team composition was viable.
Ever since Konoha began seriously considering the idea of team compatibility, Tsunade, acting in her capacity as Hokage, established a new Tactics Research Department under the Education Department. She directly ordered studies into team composition, battle tactics, and ways to improve squad combat proficiency and adaptability.
She even made a sweeping move, designating a large area in the southeastern corner of the village for Shin to personally build ten specialized training grounds simulating different terrains and environments, for both research and future ninja training.
The Tactics Research Department invited many ninjas to experiment with various combinations, running repeated exercises across multiple terrains and environments to find the most suitable team compositions, develop new tactics, and more.
They had already achieved significant results.
Some non-classified, proven findings were even made public by the Hokage's office and incorporated into the Education Department's reform plans.
Once those results were announced, the Uchiha and Hyūga clans instantly became the most sought-after partners.
Due to the special traits of their ninjas, both clans could integrate seamlessly into many different tactical systems.
This led to countless people trying every possible means to invite ninjas from those two clans to form teams.
It was no surprise, talent from those clans was simply too tempting.
At first, people were just trying it out, but to their surprise, the modern Uchiha clan was unexpectedly open-minded, stating they had no objections as long as it was voluntary.
After all, they had reaped the benefits of deeply binding themselves to the village, had successfully overcome a crisis, and naturally welcomed the idea.
As for the old Hyūga clan, people had once wanted to invite them too, but the stubborn elders of the former main house refused outright, even calling it an insult to Hyūga ninjas, which killed the idea.
Now, however, the reformed Hyūga clan was taking a page from the Uchiha's playbook, saying, "Do as you see fit."
And so, Mikoto quickly found her old classmate Tsuki, and the two smoothly formed a team.
"Fugaku-nii!" She was surprised to see Fugaku and immediately bounded forward to greet him.
Mikoto was only ten years old, having just graduated early from the Ninja Academy to become a genin.
With the Uchiha clan's current positive atmosphere, her young age allowed her naturally lively personality to shine.
Fugaku's face instantly turned a little red. He stammered, "Mi... Mikoto, I... didn't expect to see you here."
By now, Minato and Hizashi had huddled together a short distance away, watching with gossip written all over their faces.
A single glance between them was enough to say it all, Fugaku clearly liked Mikoto.
But she was only ten. A child!
Minato: Beast!
Hizashi: Shameless!
And wasn't this the same guy who, after a few drinks, boasted that he was a love god, with Uchiha girls lining up from one end of the village to the other for him?
Didn't he say that from a young age he had conquered the romantic battlefield without a single defeat?
And now? He blushes just talking to a girl?
Seriously?
Seriously, seriously?