Chapter 25 – The Uchiha's Initial Development
"Go all out, the three of you! My chakra reserves are still plentiful! Don't worry about your clan leader's safety. Remember, if you call me your clan leader, then you must trust me!"
With Uchiha Akira's reminder, the three noticeably unleashed themselves. Fire Release, Uchiha swordsmanship, and taijutsu were all displayed one after another. Akira only countered with a variety of Water Release techniques.
Akira knew very well that the path he was taking was similar to Senju Hashirama's, one of overwhelming force and grandeur—quite different from the traditional Uchiha way.
On top of that, due to his lack of combat experience, Akira always considered himself more like a mage. To him, knowing how to maximize strengths while avoiding weaknesses was basic combat common sense.
After all, ninja were essentially high-offense, low-defense assassin types. Apart from rare exceptions like the Raikage, Might Guy, or Sakumo the White Fang with his perfected kenjutsu, it was extremely difficult to achieve major breakthroughs purely with the body.
Although this was Akira's direction for the future, it didn't mean he rejected his current "artillery mage" role.
In fact, Akira thoroughly enjoyed this artillery-style fighting. Various jutsu flowed from his hands with ease, suppressing three elite jōnin steadily. That alone was already something to be proud of—after all, these three could hold their ground even against Sarutobi Hiruzen.
And Akira hadn't even used his Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Fine then, let me show you what luxury looks like! Earth Release—Earth Flow Rampart!" Akira once again raised the height of his stone wall, now over thirty meters tall. The temporary barrier set up by Uchiha Homura and the others was crushed instantly.
"Water Release—Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
A massive surge of water like a tidal wave drowned the three.
"Clan Leader, stop! The water is too much, it's going to flood the estate!"
"Earth Release—Earth Flow Rampart!" Akira redirected the flood, channeling it straight out the rear gate of the manor.
The three finally surfaced after struggling in the flood, all of them having swallowed plenty of water. The sheer volume rivaled real ocean waves—had it been anywhere else, maybe they could have escaped, but inside the manor grounds? Impossible.
Akira eventually fished out the three, who had been knocked unconscious by the flood's impact. After Mikoto examined them, she confirmed they weren't badly hurt—just two broken ribs and a fractured arm. Such injuries weren't too serious for shinobi.
Mikoto healed them with medical ninjutsu, and they soon regained consciousness.
"Well? Had your fill of water?" Akira asked with a grin.
"More than enough! Clan Leader, that was too unfair—you just took advantage of us having less chakra!" Homura joked.
"If you know your chakra reserves are lacking, then train harder. Even though the clan is settled now, you can't allow yourselves to slack off. Of course, fighting inside the manor restricted your movements too. My combat experience is also limited—I fought purely with ninjutsu this time."
"Clan Leader, you're too modest. We wanted to use ninjutsu as well, but our Fire Release was completely countered!"
This wasn't Akira showing off, nor the three deliberately provoking him. For a clan that had just secured stability, the leader's martial prowess was precisely what could reassure and inspire. The Uchiha were a clan that revered strength; raw power was the best guarantee of stability.
Seeing their clan leader's might firsthand, the clansmen grew both excited and inspired. This was the kind of leader the Uchiha had always dreamed of—strong, protective, and overwhelming. Since Madara had left, they hadn't experienced such unstoppable force in a leader.
And Akira hadn't even used his Mangekyō Sharingan. Incidentally, ever since merging with Asura's bloodline and body, his right eye's Mangekyō had awakened naturally.
He had long suspected that his body's lack of durability was why only one eye had originally awakened. Whether that was self-preservation or the system's protection, he didn't know.
Most importantly—Akira could now summon Susanoo, the ultimate dream of every Uchiha. In fact, at its initial stage, it barely caused him any strain.
He guessed this was the effect of Asura's cells. Normally, even Itachi and Sasuke suffered severe side effects from Susanoo's first and second stages—not to mention the gradual blindness that came with Mangekyō usage.
But Akira had no brothers to transplant eyes from, and even if he did, he would never harm his kin. Though he possessed Fugaku's Mangekyō, who could say if transplanting them would awaken the Eternal Mangekyō?
He wasn't too worried—after all, the Sage of Six Paths' brother never transplanted eyes either.
In the end, being a ninja was all about bloodline. The closer to the Ōtsutsuki lineage, the stronger one's inherited abilities.
"If you can't beat them, join them. I don't mind taking in some Ōtsutsuki blood," Akira thought clearly. Real benefits were what mattered. Fugaku, for instance, had once cared too much about appearances and was tricked countless times by the Third Hokage.
The weaker you are, the easier you are to bully.
And so, the Uchiha continued to live peaceful, steady days. Akira immersed himself in ninjutsu studies, unable to pull away. That rapid sense of growth was as addictive as gaming in his past life.
Half a year later, Akira had shot up in height, and his chakra reserves had reached "tons of chakra." While still far from Hashirama at his peak, Akira was only a child—he still had plenty of time to grow.
In that half-year, the Uchiha clan familiarized themselves with this world and strengthened their foundation. Many new children were born, and several fresh genin graduated.
The newborns were the hope of the clan's future, while the genin represented the expansion of its military might.
The Uchiha Ninja Academy was organized by the elders. The honorary principal was, of course, Akira; the vice principals were Mikoto and Uchiha Tekka. After all, Akira was a hands-off leader who didn't bother with management. Mikoto handled administration, while Tekka oversaw the instructors.
The curriculum was shortened from Konoha's five-year system to a three-year program. Were it not for concerns about the children's physical development, two years would have been possible.
Konoha's five-year system had been designed to give commoners a fairer chance. But for great clans, it was unnecessary baggage. The gap in talent between individuals in this world was greater than the gap between humans and dogs—a hard reality.
Since all the students were Uchiha, there was no need for gradual pacing. Raising the bar immediately was the right approach. Can't keep up? Parents could teach at home. Still struggling? Then perhaps a beating was in order.
"You're an Uchiha. Everyone else can do it, why can't you? If you can't even show a specialty, then it's because you're not trying. And if you're not trying, of course you'll be punished!"
Plenty of mischievous kids only learned their lesson after a few beatings—this was no lazy Konoha academy anymore.
In fact, half a year was enough for more than a dozen of Konoha's former fourth-year students to graduate outright. After six months of intensive training, if they still dared not to graduate—well, they'd have their legs broken.