Sensing Uchiha Sei's chakra behind him, Kaze didn't even bother turning his head—his reflexes acted on their own.
Smack!
His hand whipped back in a clean arc, landing squarely on Sei's cheek.
The blow landed before Sei could even register what happened. His face instantly felt like it had been slammed into a furnace—intense heat seared his skin, his eyes reflexively clamped shut.
His body went tumbling through the air, crashing into the Naka Shrine's stone wall with a heavy thud. The world spun around him, up and down blurring together. Even with one hand braced against the wall, he couldn't immediately find his balance.
"Next," Kaze said flatly.
He didn't spare even a glance at the defeated Sei.
His gaze swept the rest of the Uchiha clan—elders, youths, every pair of eyes watching from their mats.
His voice carried no arrogance, no anger.
Just a calm, quiet authority.
The kind that didn't need to shout to make its point.
A long, tense silence followed.
Then—
"Hsssss…"
All across the room, the gathered clan members drew in sharp breaths.
Uchiha Sei had been one of the most promising talents of his generation. Ever since the Third Great Ninja War, he had carried the hopes of many as one of the clan's rising stars.
And yet… that prodigy had just been slapped senseless.
In under four seconds.
Some weren't even sure they'd seen what happened. Kaze's movement—turn, strike, reset—was so fast it was a blur to even Sharingan eyes.
"S-So fast…" Itachi narrowed his eyes, inwardly reeling.
He'd caught a glimpse—just barely—of the technique behind the blow. Lightning Release chakra had surged through Kaze's arm during the spin, accelerating his reaction and amplifying the strike's power.
That explained why Sei, a seasoned jōnin, was still conscious at all.
Had it been someone else, they might've been knocked out cold on the spot.
"When did Kaze become this strong…?"
Itachi's gaze flicked across the shrine. Almost no one had picked up on the finer details—most were still too shocked by the spectacle. A few even whispered that maybe they'd imagined it.
After all, Kaze had just knocked Sei out of the air with a single slap.
The only one who didn't look the least bit surprised was Shisui.
He'd fought Kaze once before.
He knew.
Uchiha Sei was undeniably gifted—his battlefield awareness, his instincts, even his combat experience were all impressive.
But his greatest flaw… was arrogance.
"If he had activated his Sharingan first and tested Kaze's rhythm with a few shuriken," Shisui thought, "he might've avoided such an embarrassing defeat."
"Sigh…"
Shisui let out a soft, helpless sigh.
This wasn't just Sei's problem—it was the same flaw shared by far too many in the clan.
They placed blind faith in their own power, so much so that they'd lost the ability to see the bigger picture.
If they really intended to launch a coup with that mindset, the result would be the same as Uchiha Sei's: crushed before they even understood how they lost.
Shisui's thoughts grew heavy. What he saw in Sei's defeat was just a microcosm of a deeper, more dangerous pattern in the clan.
Silence fell over the Naka Shrine.
Those who moments ago had still entertained the idea of challenging Kaze now looked like wilted vegetables—pride frozen by cold fear.
Even the elders who had opposed Fugaku's proposal were looking a little… conflicted.
One of them stared at Kaze, eyes unreadable.
He was clearly shocked by the raw power in that strike.
Fugaku took all of this in without a word, a rare feeling of satisfaction blooming in his chest.
Kaze's strength truly exceeded expectations.
"If nothing else," Fugaku thought, "with this little… intermission, tonight's clan meeting should go much more smoothly."
But—
Just as he was about to move the meeting forward, a figure slowly rose from his mat.
A figure so familiar, it made Fugaku's heart skip a beat.
Dressed in the uniform of the ANBU Black Ops, short sword strapped to his back, black ponytail neatly tied—
It was none other than his eldest son.
Uchiha Itachi.
"Itachi? What are you doing?" Fugaku's brow twitched slightly.
He had assumed only the hardline faction would take issue with Kaze's appointment.
He never imagined Itachi of all people would object as well.
As Fugaku spoke in a tone bordering on reproach, every pair of eyes in the shrine turned toward the young prodigy.
Some still held quiet resentment toward Itachi's decision to join the ANBU.
But none could deny his power.
No—because they acknowledged his power, they found it even harder to understand why he had chosen that path.
Aside from Shisui, Itachi was considered the most likely person in the clan to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.
And now… he was standing in open opposition?
"Father," Itachi said calmly, "I don't believe making Brother Kaze the deputy commander of the police force is the right decision."
Itachi didn't mince words as he stood before Fugaku.
His objection wasn't rooted in Kaze's lack of qualifications—far from it.
Rather, it was the reputation of the police force that concerned him.
Too many in its ranks belonged to the hawkish faction—those who believed power alone could secure the clan's future.
He feared Kaze, by working too closely with them, might be influenced… even indoctrinated.
To Itachi, the idea of Kaze being turned into another muscle-bound ideologue was unacceptable.
Not just for the clan's sake—but for Konoha's future as well.
And perhaps… more personally, he remembered how kind Kaze had been to him when he was younger.
If there was anything he could do to keep Kaze from going down the wrong path, he would do it.
Kaze, he believed, was someone who should carry on the Will of Fire.
Not some narrow, insular ideology obsessed with bloodline pride.
So when Itachi stepped forward, there was a rare emotion in his voice—earnestness, even if it came off as cold.
"Kaze-nii," he said, "if you lose, I want you to resign from the police force completely."
He ignored Fugaku's frown, ignored the tense silence that followed.
Unsurprisingly, his words ignited immediate fury from the hawkish elders nearby.
"Itachi! Just what are you implying? That the police force is beneath you?"
"Don't forget—you're a Uchiha too."
"You'd better take that back. I don't care if you're the clan head's son. That kind of insult won't be tolerated."
Their eyes sharpened, voices rising in protest, and a faint killing intent began to creep into the room.
But before the situation could boil over—
"No problem."
Kaze's voice rang out, firm and clear, silencing the clamor like thunder cutting through mist.
He casually rolled his shoulders, cracked his neck, and stepped forward.
"I've been waiting for a chance to beat your face in anyway."
The words came out blunt and direct, no attempt at subtlety.
Itachi blinked.
"???"
Wait… what?
He hadn't expected that.
From his memory, Kaze had always been calm, even philosophical. He'd been the one lecturing Itachi on looking at the world through the eyes of a Hokage.
He'd spoken about justice, peace, the burden of strength…
So why did it sound like Kaze had been holding a grudge this whole time?!
Itachi was momentarily baffled.
Kaze, however, looked perfectly relaxed—grinning even.
"But if I lose," he continued, "I'll walk away from the police force. Fine."
"But Itachi—what happens if you lose?"
Kaze's question came out light, casual—almost like he was asking what was for dinner.
But everyone present could sense the weight behind it.
A bet was a bet. And if one side had stakes, so should the other.
"I won't lose," Itachi replied without hesitation, his tone calm and confident.
But after a brief pause, his voice softened just a touch. "What do you want if I do?"
Kaze smiled faintly, his eyes narrowing with amusement.
"Relax. I'm not asking you to quit the Anbu—after all, you are our little spy on the inside."
There was a noticeable twitch in Fugaku's expression. A few elders shifted uncomfortably, exchanging glances. Some weren't aware Itachi's allegiance was that… flexible.
Kaze let the moment hang, then continued, voice low.
"If you lose, you owe me one favor. Something I'll ask of you later."
Itachi nodded without hesitation. "As long as it doesn't go against my principles—deal."
After all, he wasn't planning to lose.
A second later, his three-tomoe Sharingan spun to life, blood-red irises locking onto Kaze with precision.
Even surrounded by his own clan, with Kaze standing just meters away, Itachi's expression remained unreadable.
He didn't underestimate Kaze. Not for a second.
Everyone had seen what happened to Uchiha Sei.
Kaze's strength wasn't some fluke. His speed, his control over lightning, his unshakable presence—they were very real.
But no technique is flawless, Itachi reminded himself silently.
Even Kaze-nii's brutal hand-to-hand style must have an opening.
And the Sharingan… was made to find it.
The air in the Naka Shrine grew heavy, thick with tension and anticipation.
Around them, the clan elders held their breath. Shisui narrowed his eyes, already gauging how far this might escalate.
Fugaku said nothing, but his fists were clenched at his sides.
Kaze, meanwhile, didn't even activate the Sharingan.
He just stretched one arm behind his head, cracking his knuckles lazily.
"Come on, then."
He grinned.
"Let's see how much you've grown, little Itachi."
(T/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter, if you did I would appreciate some power stones.)