At the Uchiha Clan Land, surrounded by forests and rivers, lies the training ground.
The silver-haired elder, Uchiha Shikora, stood outside the field with a cane, his eyes fixed intently on the sparring pair within.
Only ten years old, Uchiha Ruri, dark hair flowing, rapidly launched shurikens towards the opposing Jonin Uchiha.
This Jonin Uchiha was named Uchiha Rika, about twenty-five or six years old, with a scar on his face, adding a fierce air to his appearance.
He opened his Three Tomoe Sharingan; the swift shuriken's trajectory was easily seen through, and he swung his kunai to deflect them.
However, the shuriken carried a significant force, and after deflecting, this force acted on Rika's kunai, causing his body to stall momentarily.
Such great strength! Rika's eyes were solemn.
Rika sensed that the shuriken Ruri threw contained a hidden technique of inner force, which, when weapons were used to block it, this force would transfer through the weapon to the enemy's body, causing a brief paralysis.
The duration of the paralysis depended on the person's physical condition.
If a Genin encountered this, they would probably remain motionless for several seconds, unable to move, waiting for the next round of shurikens to turn them into a pincushion.
Even he, a powerful Jonin, was momentarily paralyzed.
Although the paralysis time on him was negligible, Ruri seized the gap and quickly formed hand seals:
"Fire Style: Mighty Dragon Fire Technique!"
A dragon-shaped object, four or five meters long and massive.
Composed of high-temperature flames, it had a terrifying impact and could incinerate enemies to ashes.
Boom!
The ground cracked, creating a massive crater.
Jonin Rika dodged at the last second, his hair slightly singed and looking rather disheveled. His Three Tomoe Sharingan rotated as he immediately turned to swing his kunai.
Clang!
The smaller Ruri attacked with a kunai but was blocked by the opponent.
At this moment, the two locked Sharingan directly, and their Eye Technique released simultaneously towards each other.
After the Eye Technique released, Jonin Rika felt a stinging pain in his eyes, a momentary fatigue, and hurriedly retreated.
Breathing heavily, he looked at Ruri opposite him; her Sharingan level was still Two Tomoe. Although she was also breathing heavily, her breath was much steadier compared to his own.
The most astonishing part was that she was only ten years old and in the Two Tomoe Sharingan state, yet she faced off against his Three Tomoe Sharingan without fear in a direct clash of Eye Technique.
In the end, he couldn't successfully control her with Illusion Technique, which was simply unbelievable.
Speed, nerve reaction, dynamic vision, strength, Ninja Techniques usage, Eye Technique—all together, even he, a Jonin, found it exceedingly troublesome.
His only chance of winning was having more Chakra than Ruri, waiting to exhaust hers for victory.
Jonin Rika sighed slightly; using such a method to win against a little girl felt dishonorable.
But being defeated by her would be even more embarrassing.
So, the next step was to continue the battle, gradually depleting Ruri's Chakra.
Ruri seemed to notice Jonin Rika's intentions. She immediately pulled out a Soldier Rations Pill specially made by Hakushi from her ninja tool bag. When she was about to consume it, elder Uchiha Shikora, who had been watching, called out:
"Alright, stop now, Ruri."
Ruri then put the Soldier Rations Pill back into her ninja tool bag and made a Seal of Reconciliation towards Jonin Rika.
Jonin Rika also made a Seal of Reconciliation towards Ruri.
"You were amazing, Ruri. Your current strength is probably beyond the average Jonin's ability to handle."
After completing the Seal of Reconciliation, Jonin Rika approached, unabashedly praising Ruri.
It was a matter of great joy for the clan that such a powerful and outstanding genius had emerged among them.
A true genius of the Uchiha Race!
Ruri nodded slightly, acknowledging that her strength at this moment could not be separated from her efforts and talent, but Hakushi's contribution could not be ignored.
If it weren't for the new medicine he'd developed using Natural Energy to enhance physical abilities, she wouldn't have grown this quickly.
Thinking of this, a softness entered her usually indifferent eyes, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.
In Jonin Rika's eyes, her smile seemed to be due to the sincere praise from a fellow clan Jonin.
At this time, elder Shikora walked into the field.
In his sixties, he was already a senior ninja; even in retirement, he would give his last ounce of strength for the clan, raising an Uchiha ninja capable of winning the Hokage seat from the Senju lineage.
"Elder Shikora,"
Ruri bowed slightly; in the past, he had graced her with an education.
Having clearly defined her path, Ruri no longer needed Shikora's teachings but still harbored respect and gratitude for his diligent efforts for the family.
"Ruri, while you work hard in training, don't forget to relax as well; practice requires a balance between effort and rest."
In Elder Shikora's eyes, Ruri's rapid draw with Rika likely meant she used all her time for training.
He hoped Ruri could relax a bit during training to prevent this talent from exhausting her potential too soon.
The importance he placed on Ruri surpassed even that of another Uchiha heir, Uchiha Fugaku.
If there was anyone in the Uchiha now who could restore the Mangekyo Sharingan's glory, he believed it was undoubtedly Ruri.
"Understood. Elder Shikora, if there's nothing else, I'll be heading back now."
"Wait a moment; this is a scroll documenting B-Class Fire Style Jutsu. Take it home to study. With your strength, you can already learn high-level Fire Style Jutsu. It's something left by 'that person.'"
Uchiha Shikora said meaningfully.
Ruri was taken aback.
'That person' referred to the former clan leader Uchiha Madara.
The ninja who had already turned his back on the clan and the village.
In the current Uchiha Family, very few people mention Uchiha Madara by name; they use 'that person' as a reference.
Ruri accepted the Fire Style Scroll from Elder Shikora, expressed her gratitude again, and started heading home.
"Ruri is getting stronger and stronger; just two years ago, I could easily toy with her. The Eye Technique of her Two Tomoe Sharingan put pressure on my Three Tomoe Sharingan—unbelievable. How did you manage to make her so strong?"
After Ruri left, Jonin Rika couldn't help but praise Elder Shikora's educational standards.
Elder Shikora shook his head and smiled, "Rika, do you still not understand? The strength of the Sharingan depends on the person. The number of Tomoe only serves as a lower limit reference but cannot be the sole measure of Eye Technique's strength. Moreover, this is all thanks to Ruri's own efforts—I only added the finishing touches."
Jonin Rika sighed; he understood this point.
But just thinking about how a ten-year-old girl could completely surpass him in a few years made him feel disheartened.
He had once been celebrated as the talented ninja of the Uchiha.
"Rika, you are also a specially trained elite Jonin of the clan, have a little more confidence in yourself."
"Elder, it's not that I lack confidence in myself, it's just that the youth these days are too disheartening. However, I'm curious, when Ruri graduates, who will be her leading Jonin, and how will the Third Hokage arrange it?"
Rika didn't believe the Third Hokage wouldn't have records of Ruri, this Uchiha genius, so he was very interested in what kind of leading Jonin the Third Hokage would appoint for Ruri.
If their strength was too low, they'd likely be overshadowed by Ruri and become a laughingstock among the Jonin.
As for a strong Jonin, from what Rika knew, even among the Sannin, they were still just a bit short.
"Hatake Sakumo."
Elder Shikora uttered this name.
Rika's body shivered, cold sweat forming on his face, looking at Elder Shikora in disbelief.
It was as if the name itself held an extraordinary power. Even Rika, a Jonin with a wealth of experience, couldn't let go of the awe in his eyes.
"Wait, Elder, are you joking? That man is..."
"Only with such an arrangement can both the Third Hokage and I rest easy."
The Third Hokage needed the Uchiha to provide combat strength in this war.
While the Uchiha needed a powerful leading Jonin, someone who could earn Ruri's respect and also safeguard her potential as a genius.
Elder Shikora's intention was clear in this regard.