The Uchiha elders clutched their chests when they heard Shisui's declaration; several of them nearly followed his father to the Pure Land on the spot.
They would rather be scolded by Hoshiyomi for three days and three nights than hear that come out of Shisui's mouth. When they first heard Shisui had awakened the Mangekyō, they thought their long-awaited chance had finally come.
Despite their age and frailty, they rushed over as fast as they could, hoping to seize this opportunity to pull Shisui firmly to their side—securing a power strong enough to challenge Konoha.
Even when Hoshiyomi appeared, though they were shocked, they still held onto a sliver of hope. But Shisui's one sentence completely shattered that last bit of wishful thinking.
That short declaration had said everything:
He wanted to clear all obstacles for Konoha, not for the Uchiha.
These old men might be stubborn, but they weren't complete fools—they could at least read the room.
Seeing that Shisui could no longer be won over, and now that even Gekko Hoshiyomi himself had shown up, they knew they had lost their chance entirely.
With that realization, their faces turned bleak as death, and they began preparing to retreat.
But while the elders understood the situation, their descendants certainly didn't. Just as the matter was settling down, a furious shout came from the crowd:
"Who the hell do you think you are, daring to meddle in Uchiha internal affairs?"
Everyone turned toward the voice.
It came from a young man standing at the edge of the crowd.
He was not an unfamiliar face. His name was Uchiha Shō, the beloved grandson of one of the elders present.
Because he was born talented and happened to be the grandson of a clan elder, he was well-known within the Uchiha.
Not just for his talent—also for his terrible temper.
He constantly picked fights with clan members he disliked, and looked down on village civilians even more. But because of his strength and his elder grandfather's protection, he'd never been punished.
With his naturally explosive temper, seeing an outsider criticizing the Uchiha and even disrespecting his grandfather enraged him. This time, he completely lost control.
As the clan members looked toward him, he raised his chin proudly and glared at Hoshiyomi, wearing the expression of someone untouchable.
He didn't believe Hoshiyomi would dare lay a finger on him within Uchiha territory. In his mind, this outsider was only being bold because the Fifth Hokage backed him.
But so what?
If Hoshiyomi stayed at the level of verbal bravado, fine.
If he actually dared to strike, surrounded by Uchiha… he'd be dead.
Uchiha Shō had already planned it out—if Hoshiyomi touched him, he would incite the clan to swarm him. No way would Namikaze Minato punish the entire Uchiha for one subordinate.
You came to the Uchiha to assert Konoha's leadership, but I won't let you succeed.
He was still imagining how he'd rally the crowd when suddenly—
A shadow flickered.
Before he could even finish raising his guard, he was sent flying at incredible speed, slamming into a wall and leaving a huge crater.
Everyone assumed the outsider had finally lashed out.
But when they turned, they were horrified to see the outsider standing there calmly—
And the one who had struck was… Uchiha Shisui.
The crowd was stunned.
Shō's grandfather looked utterly shocked. He rushed to his grandson, touching the ribs that had clearly snapped in several places, and cried in disbelief:
"Uchiha Shisui, how dare you! He's your clansman! If anything, he's technically your cousin! When you and your father had no one to rely on, I even sent him to bring rice and flour to your home! How could you beat him like this?
Your father only just passed—he's watching you from the heavens right now! How can he show his face to the Uchiha ancestors after what you've done?"
The clan elder racked his brains but still couldn't understand—how could Shisui, who had always been gentle and polite, suddenly, right after showing goodwill to Hoshiyomi, beat his grandson half to death?
Even if he wanted to show loyalty to Konoha's leadership, he didn't need to go that far.
They were his true clansmen!
In the end, these elders had never really taken Shisui seriously.
They cared only about his Mangekyō—
not his father,
not his feelings.
They still believed they could use their status as elders to persuade or even control these eyes.
Hearing the elder's nonstop scolding, Shisui suddenly glared at him.
Just that single look made the long-entrenched Uchiha elder snap his mouth shut instantly.
Once he had fallen silent, Shisui finally spoke slowly:
"I said already—I will inherit my father's and grandfather's will. I will use these eyes to sweep away all obstacles to Konoha."
"You—you!!"
Hearing this, the elder could no longer endure it.
He spat out a mouthful of blood.
What did this mean?
Was Shisui saying that he, a Uchiha elder—and his grandson—had become obstacles to Konoha that needed to be removed?
Did this brat even know what he was saying?
Had he gone mad?
Did he really think awakening the Mangekyō made him invincible?
Just as he was about to shout again, a woman's voice rose:
"Shisui is absolutely right. Some obstacles have reached the point where they can no longer be ignored."
Kuugetsu stepped forward.
She didn't need to move a muscle; the sheer pressure released by an elite Kage-level shinobi was enough to make the elder collapse weakly onto the ground.
Looking down at him, she said:
"I still respect you as an Uchiha elder. I'll leave you a shred of dignity. So today, let your grandson bear the punishment on your behalf."
As she spoke, she lifted a foot and stomped down hard on Uchiha Shō's chest.
His ribs had already been broken; this second blow crushed his entire chest.
Even if he were saved, he would be crippled for life.
Seeing his grandson barely clinging to life, the elder finally snapped completely. He screamed in insanity:
"Are you all insane?! You're Uchiha—Uchiha! Instead of becoming the pillars of the clan, you want to become Konoha's dogs?! You even dare kill my grandson?! Do you even acknowledge us elders anymore?
Fugaku! What kind of clan head are you!?"
Fugaku, who had been standing stiffly with a conflicted expression, suddenly turned pale. He glanced at Hoshiyomi, then at the two pairs of Mangekyō before speaking:
"The elders are old—rambling is inevitable. Someone, take them away and let them rest properly!"
Author's Note:
Today's chapter mainly establishes attitudes for future events, and also sets up groundwork for helping Itachi and others awaken their eyes later. Only when the entire Uchiha clan guarantees absolute loyalty to Konoha can Hoshiyomi continue assisting them.
Otherwise, with multiple Mangekyō appearing at once, Konoha really would end up renamed "Uchiha Village."
The Uchiha-and-Mangekyō-related plotline will be set aside for now; the story will soon accelerate toward the main timeline.
At this point, the book has already surpassed one million characters, which exceeded my expectations. Since the protagonist is already very strong, the original plot won't be stretched out much longer. We'll move quickly toward the Fourth Great Ninja War and then the finale.
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