Ryosuke Uchiha paid no mind to the elders' indignant glares. Instead, he turned to Fugaku, his expression calm.
"Let's set that aside for now, Clan Head Fugaku. I'd like you to take a look at these so-called complaint letters."
Without waiting for permission, Ryosuke summoned his Susanoo—its vibrant blue skeletal form erupted around him, radiating divine chakra. A towering arm of chakra reached forward, snatching the stack of reports and dropping them before Fugaku.
Gasps rippled through the room.
Even Fugaku's eyes widened. The Susanoo—the manifestation of the Mangekyō Sharingan's divine power.
He had already been stunned when Ryosuke awakened the Mangekyō. But this? This was something else. The boy had awakened Susanoo itself. Ryosuke truly was the one destined to lead the Uchiha clan out of the shadows.
"Susanoo..." murmured one of the council members. "He's just a child..."
Fugaku, shaking off the momentary awe, flipped through the reports, each page fueling the fire within him. Meanwhile, the Third Hokage's face darkened with every passing moment. Ryosuke had ignored his command, summoned a divine avatar in the middle of a council meeting, and made a mockery of the elders' authority.
Yet—what could he do? Attack Ryosuke now? Risk civil war? With the village still recovering from the Third Great Ninja War, Konoha couldn't afford such internal chaos. Worse yet, could they even win? Two Mangekyō wielders now stood within the Uchiha clan. Ryosuke, backed by his prodigious taijutsu, and Fugaku, whose calm leadership veiled immense power.
Even if the entire village rallied, the cost would be catastrophic. Lives would be lost. Entire clans could be decimated. Including his own.
The other clans stared at the emerald skeleton, frozen in awe and fear. Even Hiashi Hyuga looked grim, his Byakugan active—but wary.
So this... this was the true strength of the Uchiha. The divine force that had once allowed Uchiha Madara to rival the First Hokage. The Hyuga may have boasted precise vision and formidable defense—but even they had to admit, nothing matched the sheer destructive force of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Fugaku's voice cut through the silence, holding a complaint scroll high.
"This one. This was submitted by a man named Koizumi. His son—caught stealing—was sentenced by the Uchiha police to one year in confinement. And this... this is the complaint?"
The crowd shifted uneasily.
Danzo, arms folded, responded smoothly. "It's a child, Fugaku. We're talking about the future of Konoha. How can we allow a mere boy to be condemned to such darkness? Where's the compassion? Rehabilitation should be our path, not punishment."
Ryosuke smirked, stepping forward.
"Interesting. So theft by a child is not a crime? Then perhaps... we should reeducate our own children."
The council stirred. Ryosuke continued, his tone cold but mocking.
"If this is how Konoha sees justice, then perhaps tonight, Uchiha children should be allowed to 'visit' every clan in this room. Walk in. Borrow some heirlooms. Maybe a scroll. After all, they're just children. Surely none of you will press charges."
A ripple of panic swept the chamber. Several elders went pale.
"You're being deliberately provocative," one elder stammered.
Ryosuke's grin widened. "And you're being hypocrites. Theft is theft. If your clan children can't be punished for it, neither can anyone else's. So, who here disagrees? Please raise your hand. My little cousins are already sharpening their lock-picking jutsu."
The elders went silent. Even the most arrogant clan heads found no courage to speak. Everyone knew what Uchiha children were capable of. If even their genin had Sharingan, the damage they could do—even non-lethally—was immense.
Danzo scowled, his face darkening further. "You're twisting the argument. That's not—"
"Oh, I'm twisting?" Ryosuke cut him off. "Let me be clear. You accuse us of brutality because we enforce justice. But when one of your own is punished, suddenly the system is broken?"
Hiashi stood now, arms crossed. "While Ryosuke's words are... blunt... he raises a fair point. If theft is not to be punished, we set a dangerous precedent. This will invite chaos, not peace."
He turned, gaze sweeping the room.
"The Hyuga clan will not allow thieves to walk free. And we will not oppose the Uchiha in their judgment. If you want leniency for criminals, don't expect it from the Hyuga."
The room fell into tense silence once more.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, rubbed his temple. He had no words. The elders were losing control of the conversation. Worse, Danzo's strategy had backfired—badly.
Ryosuke nodded toward Fugaku. "Clan Head, would you be so kind as to read more of these 'complaints'? Let's see what other pearls of injustice have been stacked against us."
Fugaku picked another scroll, reading aloud.
"This one—claims that an Uchiha patrol questioned a civilian too harshly. The civilian in question was caught sneaking into the restricted ninja training grounds at midnight."
The room fell silent again. What was the accusation? Doing their job?
Ryosuke folded his arms. "And?"
Danzo, growing increasingly irritated, snapped, "Are you mocking the system of village oversight?"
"I'm mocking you," Ryosuke replied without hesitation. "If this is the best 'evidence' you have against our clan, then perhaps you are the real danger to Konoha's future."
Danzo's eye twitched. "Watch your tongue, boy. You forget who you're speaking to."
"I haven't forgotten. I'm just no longer afraid."
Gasps echoed. Ryosuke stepped forward, his Mangekyō blazing again. His voice, though calm, carried the weight of generations.
"You call yourself a village elder, a guardian of peace. Yet all you've done is undermine us, lie about us, and manipulate from the shadows."
Fugaku joined him now, standing tall. His own Mangekyō flared, resembling a spinning shuriken.
"Let it be clear," he said. "Ryosuke Uchiha speaks not just for himself. He speaks for the entire Uchiha clan. Disrespect him, and you disrespect all of us."
Now it was the elders' turn to grow pale.
Two Mangekyō Sharingan. Two Susanoo-capable shinobi. And the rest of the clan, likely already behind them.
Danzo was silent now, seething.
And Hiruzen? He knew he had lost control of this meeting.
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