It is said that each Mangekyō Sharingan ability of the Uchiha clan is unique, a reflection of the user's psyche. Furthermore, these Mangekyō abilities are all related to ancient mythology. Susano'o, Izanagi, Amaterasu, and others all have mythological prototypes.
Ameno Mihashira... Legend says the ancient god Izanagi used a great pillar named Ameno Mihashira when building the great hall. What exactly does Ameno Mihashira represent? It's truly intriguing. His heart itched with curiosity; what if he just died a little to find out? He wondered if Uchiha Kirika had the same talent, the potential to awaken the Mangekyō.
Uchiha Mahiru opened his eyes again and said, "Clan Leader Kane, the Uchiha clan can no longer remain so passive! Uchiha Madara is a rogue ninja that even the First Hokage couldn't kill, yet the village sends us to investigate him. It's called an investigation, but in reality, it's just a suicide mission, merely testing Uchiha Madara's attitude towards Konoha. I admit we are at fault; we have an obligation to hunt down rogue ninja from our own clan. But is Uchiha Madara the same? He's a titan from the village founding era! Even if we must hunt him, it's not unreasonable for our Uchiha clan to be the main force, but sending only half an Anbu squad to assist? Isn't that deliberately sending us to our deaths? We must seize more initiative, more power! We can't let the village casually send us to die! Power isn't for ruling Konoha, but for protecting ourselves. If we don't advance, we retreat. Without power, we will all end up like my teacher, dying in some mission!"
Uchiha Kane thought, This is bad. After Uchiha Mahiru's power increased dramatically, he's become ambitious and ready to challenge the village. Just like Uchiha Setsuna back then, who, after a great increase in power, insisted on challenging the Second Hokage. In the end, the Second Hokage imprisoned Uchiha Setsuna in Konoha's prison. Since then, the Uchiha clan has heard no news of Uchiha Setsuna. Who knows if he was killed before being imprisoned or imprisoned and then killed?
Uchiha Kane said, "Mahiru, the village has always been wary of us. This was a policy set since the Second Hokage's time. The Second Hokage said that Uchiha clan members are极易 prone to swing from one extreme to another. One day they are kind, good people, and after awakening their eyes, they become so extreme they want to kill the entire clan. There have been many such extreme cases in the Uchiha clan's history, which is why the village has always been guarded against us. Mahiru, you must learn to control your power, not immediately declare war on the village after awakening the Mangekyō!"
"Control?" Uchiha Mahiru said angrily, "If I control myself, can I bring my teacher Uchiha Michi back to life? If I control myself, can I prevent other Uchiha ninja from being sent to their deaths by the village? Clan Leader! We must resist and strive like Hatake Sakumo did, until we seize power and become the village's top brass!"
"Strive like Hatake Sakumo?" Uchiha Kane looked at Uchiha Mahiru like he was a child holding a great sword. "Do you think just because you've become stronger, the village elders will bow their heads? You might be strong in a fight now, but do you think you are a match for Hatake Sakumo?"
Uchiha Mahiru's momentum instantly deflated.
Yes, he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, but he wasn't confident he was stronger than Hatake Sakumo. The title "Konoha's White Fang" was earned by cutting down enemies one by one on the battlefield. Many of those who died by his hand were famous and powerful ninjas. Could he be stronger than Hatake Sakumo? Hatake Sakumo is a top-tier powerhouse, yet now he wholeheartedly teaches his students. Within the village, one could often see Hatake Sakumo with his three disciples, either performing D-rank missions or dining and wandering around.
"Mahiru!" Uchiha Kane said, "I admit you are very strong, the strongest ninja in the clan now. But you must not misjudge the situation because your power has increased. Uchiha Madara was strong enough, right? What was his outcome? He was still driven out repeatedly by the First Hokage. Hatake Sakumo is strong enough, right? Yet before the elders, he doesn't even get a chance to perform. The former Anbu Vice-Captain Lynx was strong enough, right? He died at the hands of the rogue ninja Sarutobi Kanenosuke. This mission indeed has the suspicion of sending us to our deaths. But can you say the rogue ninja hunt mission in the Land of Grass was also deliberately sending Vice-Captain Lynx to his death? Do you think the kind of heart and lung rupture injuries Anbu's White Ram suffered were just an act for our benefit? Any mission can involve sacrifice and casualties; any mission can produce miracles. For example, in this mission, you awakened the Mangekyō, and we also learned some intelligence: that Anbu's Copper Fox actually possesses Wood Release. In my opinion, Copper Fox didn't intend to deliberately sacrifice us in this mission. He left his own subordinates, abandoned the flank to come help us on the front lines, almost getting one of his own squad leaders killed. White Ram's fate is still unknown even now. Not to mention others, Mahiru, do you think you can defeat Anbu's top enforcer, Copper Fox?"
Uchiha Mahiru was unwilling to concede. He said, "I might not be a match for Hatake Sakumo or Uchiha Madara, but surely I have a chance of winning against Copper Fox, right?"
Mahiru's younger brother, Uchiha Kirika, quickly tugged on his brother's clothes. Even he felt his brother was getting a bit inflated. His boasts were a bit too big. Uchiha Kirika was somewhat afraid of Copper Fox. In the end, Copper Fox had dragged them away using wooden vines. Although it got them away from danger, being dragged along the ground, especially with broken bones, was a truly unpleasant experience. Copper Fox was ruthless, dangerous, extreme, and utterly devoid of sympathy. Copper Fox had a formidable reputation; it was better to lay low.
Uchiha Kane didn't expose Mahiru's false bravado and continued, "Fine, even if you can defeat Copper Fox, what about Anbu Chief Yellow Dog? If Copper Fox is this powerful, what level of strength must his superior, Yellow Dog, possess? Even if you can defeat Yellow Dog, can you defeat the Third Hokage?"
Yōkō thought to himself, Yellow Dog's perceived strength has also become mysterious and powerful as Fox's abilities grow. In reality, Yellow Dog has always been at the elite Jōnin level – not weak, but certainly not Kage-level. Yellow Dog is also benefiting from Fox's reputation; he should thank Fox.
Uchiha Kane said, "The Third Hokage is hailed as the strongest Hokage in history. Have you seen the terrifying scenes of him rivaling a Tailed Beast? A single rogue ninja, Sarutobi Kanenosuke, gives the village such a headache. The Third Hokage, who has mastered the ultimate Five Elements Unrivalled Attack – do you know how strong he is? Mahiru, you've just obtained a new ability. Practice it, master it, let it become your trump card! Don't rush out now just to get beaten badly, or even killed, by Konoha's experts! As for the power of the Uchiha clan you mentioned, that matter must be approached slowly. Right now, we have good relations with Hatake Sakumo, the Senju clan, and others. It's very possible we can ride the momentum and rise in the next power reshuffle. The power struggles within Konoha aren't just about fighting and killing, not merely about eliminating opponents. More importantly, it's about finding ways to gain more people's support."
Under the leaf, Yōkō didn't dare to agree. In his opinion, while gaining more people's support was important in Konoha's power struggles, physically eliminating enemies was the shortcut. If eliminating enemies physically didn't yield power, it just proved that not enough were eliminated. The other side didn't feel enough pain, so they didn't know to stop or relinquish power.
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(End of Chapter)