Naruto: I am Uchiha Fugaku

A few days later, Uchiha Fugaku left behind a spore clone in Konoha and quietly made his way to the Uchiha clan's secret outpost beyond the village borders.

Hidden deep within a rarely traveled forest, the secret facility was overgrown with vines and shielded by a barrier technique. Any ordinary person approaching would unknowingly fall into a genjutsu and wander away.

Clang, clang, clang—

Upon entering the facility, Fugaku was greeted by the sight of a massive training field.

Dozens of young boys and girls were training—some honing their skills alone, others sparring to sharpen their combat techniques.

These youths were gifted orphans the Uchiha had rescued from across the ninja world—children who would have otherwise perished from hunger or exposure. One day, they would grow into loyal forces serving the Uchiha, active across the shinobi world.

"Clan Leader."

Upon hearing of Fugaku's arrival, Uchiha Hoshi, stationed long-term at the outpost, hurried over—accompanied by a small girl.

The girl, dressed in a white combat suit and with skin as pale as snow, was none other than Yuki no Natsu (Summer of Snow), a prodigy with an extraordinary talent for Ice Release (Hyōton).

"Lord Fugaku! "

Her voice was full of respect, and she smiled faintly, clearly happy to see him. She deeply appreciated this man—the one who had saved her and allowed her to escape the Land of Water.

"Mm."

Fugaku nodded with a soft smile. "Perfect timing. Show me how much you've grown."

"Yes, Lord Fugaku."

Natsu replied confidently, her clear voice brimming with self-assurance. Though the youngest in the base, her strength ranked among the top.

"Clan Leader, shall I be her opponent? " Hoshi offered.

"No need. I'll take her on myself."

Fugaku shook his head, his gaze settling on Natsu.

"Attack me with all you've got—don't hold back."

"Yes!"

Taking a deep breath, Natsu focused her chakra.

"Ice Release: Ice Shuriken! "

Forming hand seals, she manipulated the moisture in the air, conjuring over a dozen ice shuriken, which flew toward Fugaku with piercing force.

Clang, clang, clang—

Fugaku casually blocked them with a kunai, deflecting each with ease before lunging toward her.

Natsu, expression serious, quickly formed more seals and pressed her hand to the ground.

"Ice Release: Frost Spikes! "

Massive ice spikes erupted from the earth like bamboo shoots after rain, aiming to impale the incoming Fugaku.

But he moved like a dancer—one step left, one step right, a calm retreat. He weaved effortlessly through the attack.

He advanced.

Just before he reached her—

"Ice Release: Freezing Prison! "

Walls of thick ice suddenly rose around Fugaku from all sides, enclosing him in a sealed cage. The ceiling and floor sealed shut in seconds.

Though similar in form to Fugaku's own Ice Release: Frost Prison technique, this version lacked the freezing effect—it was merely meant to trap.

"Wind Release: Vacuum Blade! "

Fugaku's kunai lit up with a pale-blue glow, extending into a chakra blade—a technique he had copied from Danzo using his Sharingan during their battle.

Since Ice Release stems from both wind and water chakra, he naturally had an affinity for wind.

Crack—

The ice prison shattered under the slash, and Fugaku stepped out without a scratch.

Natsu was sweating slightly—her chakra reserves were small, and she had expended a lot using consecutive jutsu.

She gasped for breath but still tried to ready another jutsu—

"That's enough."

Fugaku raised his voice gently, signaling the end.

With his Kage-level strength, if he had gone all out, Natsu wouldn't have had time to cast a single jutsu. But he had allowed her to fight freely to gauge her progress.

What he saw satisfied him.

She had reached chunin-level combat ability—already impressive for someone her age.

"Hoo…"

Natsu exhaled, wiping the sweat from her brow. Even a short battle had exhausted her—it was, after all, against Uchiha Fugaku.

"Well done. You've grown much stronger."

Fugaku nodded with clear satisfaction. Hearing his praise, Natsu couldn't hide her joy.

Nothing delighted her more than receiving recognition from the one she admired most.

Leaving Natsu to continue her training, Fugaku walked with Hoshi to the office.

"Clan Leader, I've been here almost a year—when will someone come to relieve me? "

Hoshi's complaint was genuine. Even for a ninja, staying in a remote, joyless outpost like this could be mentally draining. After a year, he felt close to burnout.

"Don't worry, someone will take over in a few days," Fugaku said with a smile.

"Is it Uchiha Min? "

"No, it's Uchiha Arata."

"Arata, huh? " Hoshi was surprised but then nodded. As a Jōnin originally aligned with the elders, Arata had become available to the clan leader after reconciliation between Fugaku and the elders.

"Whoever it is, I'm just glad I can leave."

Fugaku chuckled, then shifted the topic.

"How are the children we adopted progressing? "

"The strongest ones are near tokubetsu jōnin level," Hoshi said with pride. "To temper them, I've started letting them accept basic black-market bounty missions."

But his tone turned serious.

"While taking missions, I noticed something worrying—there's been a rise in bounties specifically targeting the Uchiha Clan."