Seeing Kenma's slight discomfort, Fugaku hurried over, his face showing genuine concern.
"Perhaps my lord should keep Shisui's eyes permanently."
"If you have a mission for Shisui, these eyes of mine are also Mangekyo and are qualified to serve as your eyes, my lord."
As for the other clansmen, they only had the three-tomoe, not as outstanding as the Mangekyo, and therefore not quite worthy.
Hearing Fugaku's words, Kenma was stunned.
'Qualification...'
'I'm able to take away the Uchiha's most important ability, so what's with this attitude of ranking qualifications?'
Kenma's gaze swept around, and he saw that the surrounding Uchiha all wore looks of concern.
Not a single one of them opposed Fugaku's view.
It was truly hard for Kenma to imagine.
If he were an Uchiha and heard that someone could take his Mangekyo Sharingan, he would definitely eliminate the threat before it could grow.
If he discovered someone could take his Zanpakuto's ability, he would also not hesitate to act immediately.
But the choice and focus of these Uchiha before him were completely different from his own.
Not only did they not feel fear or worry, but they were actually worried about him?
Could it be that these people were truly loyal to him?
It should be known that the reason Kenma dared to stand among these Uchiha was because he had an absolute trump card that gave him confidence.
One was his powerful spiritual pressure.
All the people present combined did not have one-tenth of his personal spiritual pressure.
As Aizen said, a Shinigami's battle is a battle of spiritual pressure. In the face of such a huge gap in spiritual pressure, no technique could be effective.
On the contrary, Kenma could crush them with spiritual pressure alone.
Two, was the ability of his Zanpakuto.
The oath back then was not just empty words. If anyone dared to harbor rebellious thoughts, his slash would follow the connecting threads and fall upon the rebel, causing them to die by the sword as sworn.
It was because of these two guarantees, which gave him an absolute advantage, that he was so bold.
But the concern and anxiety in the eyes of these Uchiha did not seem fake.
And their proud nature made them disdain pretense.
Was he really being small-minded?
Kenma fell silent for a moment.
But his appearance, on the contrary, made the faces of the surrounding Uchiha grow even more anxious.
Just as they were about to speak out, Fugaku's fierce and murderous Sharingan swept over them.
'Quiet!'
'Don't disturb our lord!'
This was the meaning conveyed by the crimson Mangekyo.
All the Uchiha saw it at a glance and instantly fell silent, only looking with anxious eyes at Kenma, who was surrounded by the crowd.
Fugaku asked with concern, "My lord, is there any discomfort?"
Kenma raised his head, his gaze sweeping over each of these Uchiha. In those ominous Sharingan, various emotions were reflected, all of them genuine.
He gripped the Zanpakuto at his waist.
The connecting threads also transmitted the true feelings of the crowd.
They...
Were all genuinely worried about him from the bottom of their hearts!
Was this the emotion... or characteristic of the Uchiha?
Or perhaps, Stockholm syndrome?
Kenma didn't understand.
If he were in the Uchiha's situation, even if the other party had truly done him a great favor, he might be grateful for a time.
But to ask him to be a servant for life, he couldn't do it.
Even if he didn't rebel immediately, he would definitely backstab them in the future.
It wasn't that Kenma thought himself so righteous or possessed the arrogant spirit of a conqueror, unwilling to bow his head.
It was that he understood his own nature, how sordid, greedy, and envious he was in the deepest part of his soul.
"It's nothing. I'll get used to it soon."
Kenma looked at these Uchiha, and the expressionless face he originally wore softened considerably.
Fugaku was still worried and asked, "How about my lord switches back to Shisui's eyes? My eyes are also Mangekyo, and can serve as well."
"No need. You all have missions next. What would be the point if you were blind?" Kenma refused with a shake of his head.
"Yes, my lord. It was my lack of consideration."
"Good, go and carry out your missions."
"As you command."
"Wait."
Watching the departing Uchiha, Kenma suddenly spoke, stopping them.
The group turned around. Fugaku, as the clan head, represented the group and asked with confusion, "My lord, are there any other instructions?"
"One more thing."
Kenma paused, then explained another use of his Zanpakuto Kiritsugu's connection ability.
"If you silently chant my name in your hearts, you should see a line of light connecting from your chest."
Although the Uchiha were puzzled by Kenma's words, they still tried it as commanded.
They were surprised to find a thread extending from their chests, connecting to the Zanpakuto at Kenma's waist.
"My lord, we can indeed see it."
"As long as you can see it, it's fine," Kenma said. "If you encounter trouble that you cannot solve on your own, you can use your consciousness to pull on the thread, and you will be able to contact me."
"I can temporarily grant you a portion of my spiritual pressure for you to use against the enemy."
"If that is still not enough, you can also let my consciousness extend over and fight for you. That should allow you to display greater strength."
After hearing Kenma's words, the Uchiha exchanged glances, and Fugaku stepped forward. "Rest assured, my lord. We Uchiha are a proud clan. We will absolutely not cause you any trouble."
"If we can't even complete the mission you've given us, and even need to borrow your power... to trouble you to such an extent, even if you don't pursue the matter, we will definitely punish ourselves severely!"
Fugaku's answer made all the Uchiha nod in agreement, their faces full of approval.
They were the strongest Uchiha clan in the ninja world. Even in death, they had their pride.
Failing a mission was shameful enough, but to even borrow their master's power, what was that!
It was beyond embarrassing!
And the Uchiha's reaction was almost exactly as Kenma had expected.
His face returned to its usual, almost rigid and serious expressionlessness. He said to the group, "This is just a reminder. Whether you use it or not is up to you."
"Go."
The Uchiha responded with a shout, used Shunpo, and left the rooftop with a swoosh, heading towards the locations Kenma had just designated.
Fugaku, with his small team, went to the execution platform, overlooking the square and the bay below.
Seeing that everyone had reached their designated positions, Shisui nodded at Kenma.
Kenma said, "Shisui, contact them."
"Yes."
Shisui immediately squatted down, drawing a corresponding pattern on the green tiles with his finger, while softly chanting the incantation for a kido.
"Heart of the south, eye of the north, finger of the west, toe of the east, with the wind it gathers, with the rain it scatters."
"Bakudō #58, Kakushitsuijaku."
The kido was successfully activated, capturing everyone's spiritual pressure. Their locations were all within Shisui's perception.
His movements didn't stop. He then used his fingertips to draw concave and convex curves on his arms, spreading his hands forward.
A square frame appeared before him, glowing with a soft light that illuminated Shisui's face.
Shisui chanted again.
"Net of black and white! Twenty-two bridges, sixty-six crown strings, footprints, distant thunder, sharp peak, returning earth, night hiding, sea of clouds, blue formation, fill the great garden and shoot for the heavens!"
"Bakudō #77, Tenteikūra!"
As his voice fell, the kido activated. Shisui's spiritual pressure spread out, forming a net-like search, successfully connecting to the scattered group.
Shisui's voice echoed in everyone's minds.
"Now, activate the barrier!"
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]