Jōnin, as high-ranking personnel in the ninja village, hold significant authority within the Jōnin class and are generally well-informed about intelligence matters.
Uchiha Yuma, a rising star of the Uchiha clan, had gained fame over the past year.
The Jōnin were already familiar with his feats—defeating Biwa Juzō, clashing with Sasori of the Red Sand, and being one of the only two users of the Flying Thunder God technique in the village.
However, while they acknowledged his talent, the idea of him single-handedly defeating the Seven Ninja Swordsmen was beyond their imagination.
"How could Yuma-kun be so powerful? To wipe out the Seven Ninja Swordsmen... His strength must already rival the Kage of a village, right?"
"No doubt about it. This kind of power is the level of a Kage."
"But isn't he only around ten years old?"
"To be precise, he's thirteen."
"Uchiha is truly blessed to have someone like him in this era."
"Indeed."
As the Jōnin continued their heated discussions, another group in the room—the Uchiha Jōnin—watched with a sense of pride.
For them, Yuma was more than just a prodigy. He represented hope—the closest anyone from their clan had come to claiming the title of Hokage.
Uchiha Yuma was undoubtedly the clan's brightest star, and his latest achievement only solidified his position.
The fiery glances from the Uchiha Jōnin in his direction made their intentions clear.
Seated at the head of the room, Uchiha Fugaku observed all of this silently. The admiration in his clan's eyes did not escape him, nor did the gravity of Yuma's accomplishment.
He couldn't deny his own feelings of shock.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were a signature group of elite Jōnin from Kirigakure. Fugaku, as the commander of the coastline defense, had personally faced them before and knew their strength well.
Just three of them were enough to overpower him, yet Yuma had wiped out all seven.
Fugaku couldn't help but compare his own strength to Yuma's.
The conclusion? He didn't stand a chance.
It was astonishing to think that he had watched this boy grow from a two-tomoe Sharingan user into someone who now exceeded even his own abilities.
This level of growth was beyond genius—it was monstrous.
Still, none of that mattered. What mattered was that Yuma was on Konoha's side.
Suppressing his thoughts, Fugaku refocused on the room and coughed lightly to gain everyone's attention.
"Cough... Gentlemen, please quiet down for a moment," he said, his voice steady. "Yuma-kun has stated that defeating the Seven Ninja Swordsmen isn't the most important matter here. The critical information lies within the heads we've recovered."
The room fell silent as Uchiha Yuma stepped forward, his expression serious.
"I appreciate your praise," he began, bowing slightly. "It will serve as motivation for me to continue contributing to Konoha. However, during this encounter, I noticed some unusual details about these ninjas.
"These anomalies were alarming enough that I asked Lord Fugaku to gather you all here. Therefore, I request the intelligence team to share their findings openly with everyone present."
The Jōnin listened intently, their expressions turning grim.
What could possibly warrant such seriousness? Could these ninjas possess critical information about Kirigakure?
Yuma scanned the faces of those present and could guess their thoughts.
However, his focus was on the intelligence team.
The three intelligence ninjas, having stepped forward, bowed respectfully to Fugaku and the gathered crowd before turning their attention to the heads.
Wasting no time, they began their work, using their techniques to extract information from the brains of the deceased.
As their jutsu progressed, the atmosphere in the room grew tense.
The intelligence ninjas' faces turned pale, beads of sweat forming on their brows.
Their visible distress did not go unnoticed.
"What's making them look so horrified?"
"Yeah, as members of the intelligence team, they should be trained to stay calm, no matter how shocking the information."
The growing curiosity among the Jōnin was palpable, and even Fugaku was intrigued.
He glanced at Yuma, whose composed expression only added to the sense of mystery.
Finally, Fugaku broke the silence.
"Well? What is it that has you so shaken?" he asked, his voice firm but curious.
All eyes turned to the intelligence team, awaiting their answer.