Whoosh—
On a street, Uchiha Arashi, disguised as a passerby, suddenly drew a kunai and stabbed toward a sickly-looking beggar on the roadside.
The beggar's face changed dramatically. His reaction speed starkly contrasted with his frail appearance. He quickly rolled aside, narrowly avoiding the thrust.
Swish—
Arashi's eyes turned into the three-tomoe Sharingan, capturing the beggar's every move in vivid detail.
He sidestepped, instantly appearing where the beggar rolled to, and drove the kunai forward.
Pfft—
It was as if the beggar had willingly impaled himself—Arashi's kunai pierced through his chest.
Blood spurted from the wound as the beggar went limp. The transformation jutsu dispersed, revealing a man in black clothing.
---
"Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique—"
On another street, Uchiha Wako, disguised as a common housewife, suddenly activated her three-tomoe Sharingan. Her eyes met with a man seated in a nearby shop.
The moment their gazes locked, her genjutsu activated.
Pfft, pfft, pfft—
Massive, metallic stakes rained from above, nailing the man's limbs in place.
His body froze, unable to move, intense pain coursing through him with every breath.
Slash—
Wako flashed toward him. In his terrified gaze, her kunai slit his throat.
---
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Claw Crimson—"
On yet another street, an Uchiha disguised as an elderly man formed hand seals, launching a Fire Style jutsu.
Flames wrapped around his shuriken like phoenix flowers and rained toward a seemingly ordinary pedestrian.
The man's face changed dramatically. Displaying agility far beyond that of a civilian, he dodged rapidly.
Boom—
Still, he failed to fully evade. Several fiery petals struck him, burning nasty scorch marks into his body.
His transformation jutsu broke, revealing a man clad in black.
Following up, the disguised Uchiha hurled eight kunai from both hands toward the man.
Thud, thud, thud—
All eight kunai struck. The man collapsed on the spot.
At that moment, similar battles erupted in six different locations across the town.
Meanwhile, back at the building Uchiha Fugaku had discovered earlier—
Swish—
Using the Mayfly Technique, Fugaku emerged from underground beside the bound Taiwa Yōshi.
"Who's there?!"
A shinobi inside the house immediately noticed him and rushed forward with a kunai.
"True Genjutsu—"
Fugaku's eyes turned into Mangekyō Sharingan. With a glance, he cast an illusion on the attacker.
In the next instant, the ninja froze mid-step, blood spurting from his throat as he collapsed.
"Enemy attack!"
The first man's cry alerted the remaining six shinobi, who instantly surrounded Fugaku.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Just then, loud crashes rang out from all sides of the house.
Uchiha shinobi burst through walls and doors—six in total—each targeting one enemy.
"Thank you for saving me, Clan Head Fugaku…"
Fugaku cut through the ropes, freeing Taiwa Yōshi.
Fat and trembling with relief, Taiwa Yōshi's face was filled with the terror of a man who had just escaped death.
"It's only right, given the longstanding ties between the Uchiha clan and the Taiwa Guild," Fugaku replied calmly, glancing at the fight unfolding between his people and the six enemy shinobi.
Pfft, pfft, pfft—
Under the assault of the six Uchiha, the enemy shinobi barely resisted—falling one after another with little effort.
---
"Something's wrong…"
Watching the enemies fall so easily, Fugaku frowned.
Even the strongest among them were barely special jōnin—nowhere near the level of those who attacked the merchant convoy.
Ssssss—
Suddenly, a strange sound reached his ears.
His Sharingan darted toward the source—his expression turned grim.
All around the house—along the walls and ceiling—were concealed explosive tags, now igniting one by one.
"Such ruthless intent!"
Fugaku felt a chill run down his spine. He was stunned.
These seven shinobi had been abandoned from the start.
Their sole purpose was to lure the Uchiha in—then die together in a massive explosion.
---
BOOM!
A deafening blast erupted, shaking the town.
"No—something happened!"
"Explosion!"
Elsewhere, Uchiha Arashi, Wako, and their four teammates, having just dealt with the lookouts, looked toward the source of the explosion in horror and raced toward it.
Upon arrival, they found a wide swath of town had vanished—reduced to rubble around the original building.
Smoke and dust billowed high, completely obscuring the center.
"Clan Head…!"
The six shouted anxiously as they approached the center.
"We're fine!"
Fugaku's voice rang out from within the smoke.
Relief flooded their hearts—followed by disbelief.
They had survived that?
As the smoke cleared, a terrifying black skeletal torso emerged—a half-body Susanoo.
Within it stood Fugaku and the others, completely unharmed—not even a tear in their clothing.
"Susanoo… That's Susanoo?!"
Uchiha Wako recognized it instantly and was stunned.
"What? That's the Susanoo? And the Clan Head is controlling it does that mean…?"
The others, hearing this, were equally shocked.
Susanoo the ultimate power of the Uchiha, granted only to those who awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
That meant… Fugaku had awakened it.
"I didn't expect the enemy to plant so many explosive tags. That was close," Fugaku said, lifting the unconscious Taiwa Yōshi with one hand as he dispelled Susanoo.
To avoid Yōshi witnessing Susanoo, he had knocked him out beforehand.
"Clan Head… Have you awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
After a brief pause, Uchiha Arashi asked.
"Yes."
Fugaku nodded calmly.
"I awakened it ten years ago, but due to certain reasons, I've kept it hidden until now."
"This remains a secret. None of you are to tell anyone."
"Understood!"
The twelve Uchiha answered in unison, their voices filled with newfound reverence.
The Uchiha clan had always revered strength.
Though Fugaku had long been their clan head, he'd rarely shown personal power—thus, the respect he commanded was limited.
Now, learning he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan a decade ago, their awe was undeniable.