Day after day passed, and the talk about Uchiha Shinsuke at the training ground had quieted considerably.
Cleanly finishing off Uchiha Yuu with one punch and one kick was a record sufficient to shut the mouths of the overwhelming majority.
Doubt?
Disbelief?
The facts were right there in front of everyone.
In the Uchiha Clan, where only fists were respected, strength was the best proof of all.
Now, no one dared to call Uchiha Shinsuke "worthless trash" to his face anymore, and in its place was a complicated gaze mixed with reverence and envy.
Uchiha Shinsuke paid no attention to any of it.
He poured every hour into training, squeezing out every last bit of potential from this body with relentless intensity.
A life fixed between three points, dull and repetitive, yet it gave Uchiha Shinsuke a deep sense of calm.
Early chunin strength alone was still far from enough.
In this world where destruction on a divine scale was commonplace and gods clashed with gods, that level of power did not even qualify him to serve as cannon fodder.
Uchiha Shinsuke needed to grow stronger, and faster.
'System, display the status advancement rewards.'
Late at night, Uchiha Shinsuke sat cross-legged on his bed and recited the command inwardly.
A vivid blue panel of light expanded before his eyes in an instant.
[Host: Uchiha Shinsuke]
[Clan Standing: Ordinary Genin]
[Next Stage Standing: Uchiha Military Police Force Member (Probationary / Full)]
[Advancement Reward (Military Police Force Member): Full mastery of all Fire Style jutsu, chakra reserves and physical condition elevated to Elite Chunin level.]
Looking at that line of gold-gleaming text on the system panel, Uchiha Shinsuke's breath caught for a single moment.
Full mastery of all Fire Style jutsu.
Elite Chunin level chakra reserves and physical condition.
The Uchiha Clan dominated the ninja world through Fire Style, a gift carved into the very bloodline, and if he could push that gift to its absolute limit, his combat power would undergo a fundamental transformation.
More important still was the Elite Chunin level of strength.
That would be enough for him to establish a firm footing within the Military Police Force, and even rise to stand among its finest.
'How can I join the Military Police Force as quickly as possible?' Uchiha Shinsuke sank into deep thought.
According to Uchiha Clan custom, clan members who graduated from the ninja academy would most often choose to join the Military Police Force.
The original host's ability had been so poor that he had never even dared to dream of it.
But now, this was a path he had to walk, and he had to walk it quickly and steadily.
'It seems I need to be more proactive.'
A bold idea began to grow wildly in Uchiha Shinsuke's mind.
He wanted to draw out the "potential" of the "Military Police Force Member" standing right now, before officially joining.
Although he had not yet formally joined, the fact that the system had set this as the next stage goal meant this was a confirmed advancement route.
In that case, could he "draw an advance" on a portion of that strength ahead of time, the way a beginner's gift pack worked?
To give him the most critical support at the moment he needed power the most.
The idea was reckless, but worth attempting.
Uchiha Shinsuke focused his full concentration and issued the command to the system.
'I declare joining the Uchiha Military Police Force as my sole current objective, and I claim the staged strength advancement.'
[Ding!]
The cold system notification tone rang out.
[Strong intent detected from host, along with an urgent need to increase strength.]
[Based on the potential already demonstrated by host, the system has determined there is a very high probability that host will successfully join the Uchiha Military Police Force.]
[Determination passed!]
["Military Police Force Member" reserve-status strength enhancement package, now distributing...]
Uchiha Shinsuke's heart surged with wild joy.
He had gambled correctly.
In the next instant, everything pertaining to Fire Style flooded into him, from the most foundational chakra nature transformations to a dizzying array of hand seal techniques.
The mysteries of countless Fire Style jutsu were no longer cold text on scrolls, but were instead forged into the deepest instinct and branded by force into the very depths of Uchiha Shinsuke's soul.
And it did not stop there.
With a tremendous surge, the chakra within Uchiha Shinsuke's body began to swell explosively, and his physical condition improved across every dimension.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, host has obtained "Full Mastery of All Fire Style Jutsu"!]
[Congratulations, host's chakra reserves and physical condition have been elevated, and overall combat strength has reached "Elite Chunin" level!]
Elite Chunin.
Uchiha Shinsuke's eyes snapped open as he clenched his fist tightly.
'As I am now, even facing an ordinary jonin, I absolutely have the power to fight.'
'At the very least, I will never again be in a situation where I can be killed in an instant.'
Uchiha Shinsuke was eager to verify his strength in that very moment.
His figure flickered and vanished from the room, and when he reappeared, he was already at the uninhabited training ground on the rear mountain of the clan grounds.
Uchiha Shinsuke drew a deep breath, mobilized the surging, torrential chakra within his body, and completed his hand seals at a speed the naked eye could barely follow.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A roaring rush of air erupted.
A massive fireball over three meters in diameter, as dense and blazing as a small sun, came howling from his mouth.
A thunderous boom rang out.
The solid boulder, nearly half a person's height, could not hold for even a single second before it rapidly melted and vaporized under the terrifying heat and then exploded apart.
The smoke and dust cleared.
All that remained was a large scorched crater, its edges fully vitrified into glass, still trailing faint wisps of smoke.
"Incredible."
Even Uchiha Shinsuke himself was startled by the power of that Great Fireball.
The same jutsu, unleashed by him now at Elite Chunin strength and with "Fire Style Mastery," was more than ten times stronger than before.
This was what Fire Style jutsu of the Uchiha Clan was meant to look like.
'With this strength, I will be able to make a name for myself after joining the Military Police Force.'
It was decided.
Tomorrow he would go to the Military Police Force headquarters and submit his application to join.
He would enter the core power structure of the Uchiha Clan in the shortest time possible.
As for concealing his strength, the thought flickered through Uchiha Shinsuke's mind and was immediately snuffed out without hesitation.
'Foolish.'
'In a clan like the Uchiha, where strength is revered and the strong rule, hiding your power is the most idiotic thing you can do.'
Staying low-key would only invite more trouble and more testing.
Only by displaying absolute, crushing power and unmatched talent could he silence everyone.
Only then would those with ill intentions lack even the courage to form a wicked thought.
Tall trees catch the wind first?
'Then let that wind come all the fiercer.'
'I want to see whether I am destroyed by the wind, or whether I reduce even that wind to cinders.'
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, Uchiha Shinsuke changed into a clean, sharp black outfit with a small Uchiha fan clan crest embroidered on the back, his whole bearing full of spirit and his eyes as keen as a blade.
Without the slightest hesitation, he walked straight toward the Uchiha Military Police Force headquarters building.
That place would be his very first step onto the stage of Uchiha Clan power.
[Uchiha Shinsuke Attribute Panel]
[Strength: Elite Chunin]
[Mastered Skills: Body Flicker Technique (Mastered), Full Mastery of All Fire Style Jutsu, Sharingan (One-Tomoe)]
[Clan Standing: Ordinary Genin (Military Police Force Reserve)]
[Clan Honor Points: 85]
[Overall Clan Prestige Assessment: Genin Level (Early)]