Fugaku Uchiha stood rigidly, his face solemn, his breathing steady but heavy, as though his entire life had built up to this single moment.
His eyes, the three tomoe of the Sharingan spinning lazily inside the crimson glow, were fixed forward. The three tomoe rotated slowly at first, as if testing the boundary of their limits.
Then, suddenly, they began to whirl, spinning faster and faster until the familiar pattern warped into something alien, something higher, something altogether more dangerous.
The tomoe blurred, stretching into black lines, and then folded in on themselves, bending into a design of complex geometry that shimmered with menace.
The circular design twisted into jagged arcs until, finally, it settled into a stable but unfamiliar pattern. The Mangekyō Sharingan had awakened in his eyes.
A wave of shocked silence swept over the battlefield. For an instant, nothing moved—only the crimson glow of Fugaku's new eyes, reflecting like twin lanterns in the darkness. The weight of history, the weight of power, the weight of secrecy—all of it condensed into that single gaze.
Fugaku's heart swelled with pride. After years of carrying this hidden power within himself, after years of choosing silence and restraint, after years of swallowing suspicion and distrust from both clan and village, here at last he had revealed it.
Now, he thought, now they will see. Now they will know my worth.
The Third Hokage will understand that I too have the strength to guard this village, to protect both the Uchiha and Konoha. With this power, he must accept me. He must trust me.
But Fugaku's expectations were a dream already unraveling.
The eyes of the Third Hokage widened in visible shock. The corners of Hiruzen Sarutobi's lips tightened as his gaze sharpened into one of suspicion, not admiration.
Danzo's single visible eye trembled for an instant before narrowing, the lines on his face etched with wariness and thinly veiled fear.
Their reactions were not of acceptance, not of relief, but of distrust.
Both old men thought the same thing at that precise moment: If Fugaku possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan and kept it hidden, then what else might he have kept hidden?
What secret motives lurked behind his mask of composure? What dark agenda could he be preparing for the day when he betrayed them?
To Hiruzen and Danzo, Fugaku's reveal was not a reassurance but a threat.
Itachi Uchiha, standing nearby, was equally stunned—but his shock was entirely different. His eyes widened, his body stiffened, and his breath caught in his throat.
Father… Father has Mangekyō Sharingan?
For so long, Itachi had believed that only he carried that cursed burden within the clan, that only he had been chosen by tragedy and destiny to awaken that power.
Yet here, before all, his father had revealed he too wielded it. Itachi's mind reeled.
Doubt and confusion gnawed at his certainty. The pedestal he had built for himself now shook.
The rest of the Uchiha clan, too, murmured in disbelief. Some gasped aloud; others exchanged suspicious glances.
Loyal members who had once looked up to Fugaku with respect now felt an unfamiliar heaviness in their hearts.
The clan head had concealed such power all this time? For what reason? Why keep it from us?
Before the murmurs could solidify, a new voice cut through like steel against stone.
Indra Uchiha.
His expression was calm, but his lips were curved into a mocking, sarcastic smile. His tone dripped with disdain as he addressed Fugaku.
"So the so-called clan leader has already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan… and chose to hide it. Remain as a coward, afraid of your own strength.
Tch.
What a waste."
The words struck like venom.
Many Uchiha immediately clenched their fists, their teeth grinding in fury. Their anger was not directed at Indra, but at Fugaku himself.
Even those who had been most loyal to him found their loyalty shaken, their pride wounded by the realization that their leader had deceived them.
Disdain showed plainly in their eyes.
Fugaku's own composure faltered. He was caught off guard by Indra's accusation.
His carefully maintained image, his years of restraint and silent burden, now appeared before the clan not as wisdom but as cowardice.
He attempted to defend himself, but his words only dug the pit deeper. Turning not to the clan but to the Hokage, he said in a hurried, measured tone, "I chose to keep it hidden not to cause suspicion.
I wished to avoid making the conflict between the village and the clan worse. I thought… it was for the safety of both sides."
But his explanation only worsened the perception. The Uchiha spat with disdain. To them, these words meant that their leader had trusted the Hokage more than his own clan.
His reasoning sounded like submission, like weakness.
Indra sneered, his tone filled with scorn. "What a fool."
The clan seethed with a mix of shame and fury.
Itachi could not remain silent. He rose to his feet, his voice sharp with conviction. "You have no right to speak to my father that way, Indra! We can clearly see he is doing this for the village.
His choice was for peace. For stability. For everyone's safety!"
Indra's eyes narrowed dangerously. His Mangekyō glowed, a predatory gleam flashing across the pattern. Without hesitation, he cast a genjutsu directly at Itachi.
Itachi's body stiffened. His breath caught in his chest. Blood spilled from his lips as the weight of Indra's illusion crushed down on him. His knees buckled, and he collapsed.
"Ahhh—" he coughed violently, his body trembling.
Mikoto, his mother, rushed to his side, catching him before his body struck the ground.
She cradled his shoulders, panic etched in her expression, fear gripping her heart as she felt his body shake.
Indra's voice was cold, his warning absolute. "Do not interfere in the discussion again."
The silence that followed was thick and oppressive. Even the air seemed to weigh heavily upon everyone present.
The Third Hokage's thoughts raced. Fugaku was no ally. He was a coward, perhaps even more dangerous for his duplicity. Maybe, Hiruzen thought, we can use him.
Perhaps we can push him against Indra, force them to clash, and in the chaos strike them both down.
Yes. That was the thought growing stronger in the Hokage's mind. He still did not trust Fugaku, not even now after this dramatic reveal.
But if Fugaku's power could be turned into a weapon against Indra, then the Hokage would not hesitate. Let them fight. Let them tear each other apart.
Danzo's mind mirrored Hiruzen's, though his smile was hidden. Yes, let them destroy each other.
And then, when both are weakened, I will claim the title of Hokage. The Uchiha will bow. The village will be mine.
The moment of stillness ended. Fugaku, seeing the disdain in Indra's eyes and the scorn of his own clansmen, clenched his fists.
His pride as clan leader could not allow him to step back now. His eyes, bleeding Mangekyō patterns, focused fully on Indra.
The battle began.
Fugaku's Mangekyō techniques emerged, sharp and controlled. His first ability was to see glimpses of the future—brief flashes of what might occur moments ahead.
With this, he attempted to predict Indra's attacks, stepping where strikes would not land, raising his defenses before danger even materialized.
His second ability warped time itself in a small radius. Within a narrow circle, he could slow or accelerate the passage of time—forcing an enemy's attack to crawl sluggishly or fast-forwarding his own strikes to blur past defenses.
At once, Fugaku activated both techniques. His eyes bled at the effort, but his resolve did not falter. Susanoo's skeletal frame began to form around him, massive and menacing, though limited.
Its size was constrained, barely one hundred meters, but within that space it radiated strength.
The Susanoo's armored chestplate gleamed darkly, its blade drawn, its form a towering guardian against Indra's mocking calm.
The battlefield tensed as Fugaku lunged forward, his Susanoo swinging its blade. The ground shook beneath the sheer force of the strike.
Time warped, slowing around Indra, the very air thickening as though gravity had multiplied.
Fugaku pressed his advantage, glimpses of Indra's next movements flashing in his vision, allowing him to anticipate, to preempt.
But Indra was no ordinary foe. His Eternal Mangekyō narrowed, his smile widening with cruel amusement.
And with that, the true clash between Indra and Fugaku began.
The battlefield roared with a tension that could suffocate even the strongest shinobi. Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan burned furiously, his eyes bleeding faintly from the tremendous strain of his power, yet his pride still pushed him forward.
His Susanoo towered above the ground, a massive armored figure standing nearly one hundred meters tall, its skeletal structure quickly forming into a warrior cloaked in ethereal armor.
Each step it took cracked the earth, its pressure alone causing even seasoned Uchiha to take a step back.
But standing before that titanic creation was Indra Uchiha. His presence was unnervingly calm. He didn't even flinch at the scale of Fugaku's Susanoo.
Instead, he let out a sharp, mocking laugh that echoed across the battlefield.
"Hahaha… So this is the so-called leader of the Uchiha Clan? Eyes bleeding, body trembling, hiding his Mangekyō like a rat in the shadows, and now finally baring it in desperation.
Truly… pathetic."
Fugaku's face stiffened, anger bubbling within him, but he didn't respond. Instead, he raised his Mangekyō Sharingan higher, the complex patterns spinning wildly.
A sudden wave of energy rippled outward — his ability activated.
The air distorted.
Indra suddenly froze, his movements suspended for a fraction of a second as if time itself had been snatched away.
Fugaku's eyes glowed brighter, and in that instant, his Susanoo's massive blade slashed downward with terrifying force, tearing through the ground with an impact that shook the entire Uchiha compound.
Rocks and dust shot into the sky like an explosion.
Gasps erupted from the watching crowd. Kurenai covered her mouth in shock. Mikoto, holding the weakened Itachi, widened her eyes in horror.
Even Danzo momentarily narrowed his gaze, silently acknowledging the sheer power behind Fugaku's technique.
Yet as the dust cleared, a sinister chuckle broke through the silence.
From within the rubble, Indra's Mangekyō Sharingan gleamed.
His Susanoo, far darker and denser in chakra, had manifested partially, its ribcage structure effortlessly blocking the giant blade of Fugaku's Susanoo.
The clash of chakra created sparks that lit the sky, and Indra's laughter sent shivers down every spine.
"So… you can glimpse the future, and meddle with time itself. A noble ability indeed." His tone dripped with sarcasm. "But what use is seeing the future… if you cannot change its outcome?"
Before Fugaku could respond, Indra's Susanoo expanded violently, chakra roaring as if the earth itself had awakened.
Its skeletal frame thickened, flesh forming over it until a menacing, complete upper torso of a warrior loomed.
In its hand, it materialized a colossal sword of blackened chakra, pulsing with destructive energy.
Fugaku's eyes narrowed. Blood trickled down his cheeks as he pushed his Mangekyō further, forcing his Susanoo to clash again.
Their blades collided, the shockwave blasting outward in a storm that shattered trees, destroyed nearby walls, and forced the onlookers back.
The Third Hokage shielded his face from the violent winds, his heart pounding. "This power… if left unchecked, the village will be destroyed…" he thought bitterly.
Danzo, however, watched hungrily. His single eye glimmered with greed as he whispered under his breath, "So many Sharingan… so much power… one day, all of this will belong to me."
On the battlefield, Fugaku tried desperately to keep up. His Mangekyō's ability to fast-forward time within a small field allowed him to dodge several of Indra's strikes. One moment Indra's blade would be falling, and the next,
Fugaku's body would blur unnaturally, already positioned meters away as if he had skipped time itself. The crowd marveled at the sight, believing Fugaku was holding his ground.
But Indra knew better.
"You shorten your lifespan with every second you meddle with time, Fugaku. I can see your eyes failing already." His words were cold, calculated to pierce deeper than any blade.
Fugaku grit his teeth, his hands trembling as his Susanoo raised its shield to block another devastating slash. "I fight… for the clan!" he shouted, trying to drown out Indra's scorn.
Indra smirked. "No. You fight for yourself. If you truly fought for the clan, you would not have hidden your eyes like a coward. You are a weak leader — and weakness disgusts me."
With that, Indra's Susanoo roared, its sword igniting with overwhelming chakra. He swung down mercilessly, and the sheer force of the attack tore through Fugaku's Susanoo's defenses.
The shield cracked, then shattered like glass, fragments of chakra dispersing into the wind. Fugaku staggered, blood pouring from his eyes as his Mangekyō burned painfully.
The watching Uchiha gasped. Some turned their heads away, unable to watch their clan leader falter so miserably before Indra's might. Others, once loyal to Fugaku, felt shame and anger rise in their chests.
Kurenai's heart raced as she clutched her chest, whispering, "Indra…" She feared his ruthlessness, yet a part of her felt an overwhelming awe at his dominance.
Fugaku, panting heavily, refused to fall. He activated his ability once more, glimpsing a few seconds into the future.
He saw Indra's next strike, saw the path of the blade. Gritting his teeth, he forced his body to fast-forward time in a desperate attempt to counterattack.
His Susanoo lunged, its sword thrusting forward with all its might.
The ground split apart under the attack, but as the future played out, Fugaku's heart dropped.
Indra was already there, waiting.
His Mangekyō Sharingan glowed ominously. "Your future is mine to break."
Indra's Susanoo moved faster than Fugaku could process, its blade tearing through the arm of Fugaku's Susanoo, severing it in one devastating strike.
The sound of cracking chakra resonated like thunder as Fugaku screamed, his body jolting from the backlash. His Mangekyō bled more violently now, the vision in his left eye blurring.
Indra stepped forward, his laughter echoing once again, cruel and triumphant.
"Fugaku Uchiha… this is the difference between a coward who hides in shadows… and one who was born to rule!"
His words thundered louder than the battle itself, piercing the hearts of every Uchiha watching.
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End of Chapter
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