At the Guard's dedicated Seventh Training Ground, three slightly ill-at-ease figures stood before Uchiha Shinsuke.
This was the first official assembly of Uchiha Shinsuke's squad.
Min, Tetsu, and Kai were all filled with nervous anxiety in their hearts.
They had never imagined even in their dreams that they, such unremarkable "fringe figures" within the clan, would be chosen by this rapidly rising genius!
The feeling was surreal to the point of disbelief.
Uchiha Shinsuke's gaze swept slowly across each of the three faces in turn, sharp as a hawk's.
"Good."
"From this day on, you are members of my squad."
"Yes, Squad Leader!"
Almost instinctively, all three straightened their chests and answered in unison.
Uchiha Shinsuke paused, his tone growing heavier.
"Now that you have joined my squad, the first thing you must remember, and the most important thing, is..."
"Absolute obedience to my orders!"
"In my squad, my word is the rule!"
"For any mission and any action, my orders are not to be questioned, defied, or hesitated over!"
"Even if I order you to your deaths, you must carry it out without a moment's hesitation!"
"Can you do that?!"
Those last three words crashed through the minds of all three like a thunderbolt!
They had no doubt that if any one of them dared to say a single "no," the young squad leader before them would kick that person out of the squad without any hesitation at all!
"Yes!"
All three answered with one voice.
Uchiha Shinsuke slowly withdrew his presence.
Min, Tetsu, and Kai immediately felt the pressure lift, and without exception they all drew in great lungfuls of air, their backs already soaked through with cold sweat.
This young squad leader was far more forceful and domineering than any of them had imagined!
"Good."
Uchiha Shinsuke gave a satisfied nod.
Seeing the lingering fear on all three faces, he shifted his tone and let it soften.
"Of course, I, Uchiha Shinsuke, never shortchange my own people."
"I did not form this squad to coast along in the Guard, nor to use any of you as cannon fodder."
"My goal is to make this squad the strongest elite squad in the Uchiha, and to give every member strength that surpasses their peers and even surpasses anything they once imagined possible!"
All three heads snapped up, a flash of disbelief crossing their eyes.
The strongest elite squad in the Uchiha?
Was... was that even possible?
With the three of them, the "failures" that no one in the clan gave a second glance?
"As long as you remain loyal to me, train hard, and complete your missions..."
Uchiha Shinsuke saw through their doubts and continued.
"I will personally guide your training, provide you with the best possible resources, and help you grow at the fastest possible pace!"
Anyone could make promises.
But Uchiha Shinsuke's promises were the kind that could be cashed in for real!
To add weight to his words, a flash of crimson light blazed in Uchiha Shinsuke's eyes!
Two tomoe rotated slowly within his pupils, radiating an eerie and powerful presence!
"T... two-tomoe Sharingan!"
Uchiha Tetsu's pupils contracted sharply as he cried out involuntarily!
Min and Kai were left standing completely frozen on the spot!
Two tomoe!
Among the Uchiha Clan today, those who could activate the Sharingan at all were already a minority.
And to activate two tomoe at his age: across the entire Uchiha, only a handful of geniuses could manage that!
How old was Uchiha Shinsuke?
But the shock was not yet over.
Crackle!
Uchiha Shinsuke slowly raised his right hand, and a dazzling cluster of blue lightning exploded in his palm!
The wild and razor-swift lightning style chakra condensed into a highly compressed orb of light, and the terrifying surge of energy it radiated made all three instinctively feel a jolt of dread!
"This... this is lightning style!"
Uchiha Tetsu pushed up his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses going perfectly round.
The Uchiha Clan was renowned throughout the world for fire style!
Clan members who possessed chakra of other natures were rare to begin with!
And someone like Uchiha Shinsuke, who had brought lightning style chakra to such a terrifying level of mastery, was something no one had ever heard of!
"Squad Leader, you... you also have mastery over lightning style?" Uchiha Kai asked, stumbling over his words.
Two-tomoe Sharingan!
Powerful taijutsu!
Fire style mastery!
And now lightning style of such formidable power!
Just how many more hidden cards did this young squad leader have?!
Uchiha Shinsuke gave a faint smile and withdrew both his Sharingan and the lightning style in his palm.
"That is only a fraction of my strength."
"As long as you follow me, you will have the chance to reach higher levels as well in the future."
Uchiha Shinsuke looked at the three flushed faces before him, flushed with excitement, and knew his purpose had been achieved.
First establish authority, then extend goodwill.
First overwhelm them with absolute strength and dominance, then tempt them with a bright future and tangible, within-reach benefits.
With this combination, Uchiha Shinsuke was confident that these three squad members had been brought firmly under his hold for now.
Fear would bring obedience.
And hope would give rise to fierce, fervent loyalty!
"Starting tomorrow, you will undergo one week of integration training."
Uchiha Shinsuke issued his first directive.
"The training content will be designed by me personally, and the intensity will far exceed anything you have imagined."
"I hope that one week from now, I will see a squad with strict discipline, prompt execution of orders, and a burning hunger for what lies ahead."
"Is that understood?"
"Yes, Squad Leader!"
All three answered in unison, their voices ringing out with tremendous force!
"Good."
"Now, dismissed, and be back here at six in the morning tomorrow without fail."
"Yes!"
All three bowed respectfully in unison.
Watching the three figures walk away, Uchiha Shinsuke felt a surge of feeling rise within him.
'My first squad...'
'System, check their loyalty levels.'
[Ding! Check complete!]
[Uchiha Min: Loyalty 96% (Absolute Trust, slight increase)]
[Uchiha Tetsu: Loyalty 94% (Highly Approving, slight increase)]
[Uchiha Kai: Loyalty 95% (Admiration and Reverence, significant increase)]
"Good."
Uchiha Shinsuke gave a slight nod.
Kai, that honest and straightforward fellow, had seen the fastest rise in loyalty and was nearly catching up to Min.
The foundation of this squad had been laid.
'What comes next is forging all of you into true elites.'