At that moment, Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Yatsushiro, and even the clan's Great Elder had arrived.
After all, something this serious couldn't be ignored — Uchiha Itachi had actually attacked Uchiha Ryosuke.
The report had reached them quickly, and they rushed over at once.
On their way, they noticed the strange black flames still clinging to the trees.
These were no ordinary flames — even at a glance they radiated something ominous.
It confirmed what the clan members had reported: Uchiha Itachi had indeed awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
For in all of Uchiha history, only a handful had ever produced such black fire.
When they arrived at the scene, they found Itachi collapsed on the ground.
His face was streaked with blood from both eyes, his sockets hollow and empty.
It was obvious his eyes had already been removed.
Fugaku turned sharply toward Ryosuke.
"Ryosuke… what happened here? Did he really attack you?"
There was already a bad premonition in his chest.
Ryosuke was not the type to harm a clansman without reason.
Which meant… it could only have been Itachi who struck first.
And if that was true, then could it be… the Third Hokage's orders?
Ryosuke spoke slowly.
"That's right. Itachi conspired with the Third Hokage, intending to use Shisui's eye — Kotoamatsukami — to control me.
But naturally, it failed. In the end, I overpowered him."
He then gestured toward the unconscious Sarutobi Hiruzen lying a short distance away.
Itachi had not targeted the Hokage with Amaterasu, of course, and Ryosuke had deliberately avoided letting that happen.
If Hiruzen had died by Itachi's hand, the world would see it as Uchiha murdering the Hokage.
The label of traitor would stain the entire clan.
Even if they could suppress Konoha with sheer strength, that kind of mark would bring endless trouble later.
After all, Hiruzen still had his loyal supporters.
Ryosuke would never allow such a reckless scenario.
Hearing this, the three elders' faces shifted with shock.
The Hokage had actually intended to seize control of Ryosuke?
If that had succeeded, the entire Uchiha clan would have fallen into his hands.
Given Ryosuke's prestige among the clan, such control would effectively make the whole Uchiha his puppets.
The Great Elder seethed with anger — but beneath it, a sense of relief.
At least Ryosuke had not been caught.
Fugaku, however, felt only pain and fury.
His own son, siding with the Hokage, betraying the clan…
How had he fathered such a child?
He had long known Itachi's thinking was different, less tied to the clan, but to see it come to this…
A betrayal that endangered everyone.
His heart felt heavy with failure as a father.
Thankfully, Ryosuke had been strong enough.
Even against a Mangekyō user, Itachi had stood no chance.
The fact Ryosuke had spared him was no doubt in deference to Fugaku himself.
With a weary sigh, Fugaku asked,
"Ryosuke, but how could Shisui's eye possibly control you?"
Shisui's genjutsu was indeed powerful, but Ryosuke's Sharingan had long surpassed ordinary limits.
Even before awakening his Mangekyō, his ocular power was unmatched.
Now with the Mangekyō, his strength was far beyond.
How could a simple three-tomoe eye control him?
Unless…
"And didn't Itachi also awaken the Mangekyō? Why would he even need Shisui's eyes? And where is Shisui now?"
The other two elders also frowned in confusion.
If Shisui had truly joined this operation, how could he have escaped Ryosuke?
Ryosuke sighed.
"Itachi's Mangekyō couldn't control me.
It was Shisui's Mangekyō — his unique technique, Kotoamatsukami.
It can rewrite a person's will without them ever noticing.
That alone might have been able to affect me.
"As for Shisui… he's most likely dead. His eyes were transplanted into Itachi.
I've already removed them, along with Itachi's own."
The three elders were visibly shaken.
Shisui had awakened the Mangekyō as well — and with such a terrifying ability?
What a tragic loss.
If he had survived, Hiruzen would never have needed to place his eyes in Itachi.
Their eyes fell on the two pairs of Sharingan in Ryosuke's hand.
One pair clearly belonged to Shisui. The other, Itachi's.
Ryosuke's lips curved into a cold smile.
"Still… Shisui's death can serve us.
If we find his body, we can use this to drag down the Third Hokage.
This is our clan's best chance to rise — to take the Hokage's seat at last."
The Great Elder and Yatsushiro trembled with excitement.
Though Shisui's loss was grievous, the opportunity was undeniable.
For too long, the Uchiha had been slighted.
The Senju produced two Hokage, yet the Uchiha — co-founders of the village — had produced none.
Were they weak? Certainly not.
Now that the Senju had withered away, the Uchiha's time had come.
But while the others burned with hope, Fugaku felt only sorrow.
Yes, the clan might finally ascend… but his son Itachi had betrayed them all.
A knife straight into his heart.
How could the child he raised become the clan's greatest traitor?
He asked in a heavy voice,
"Ryosuke… how do you intend to deal with Itachi?"
This could not be swept aside, not even by him as clan head.
The others held their breath.
By every measure, Itachi had committed treason.
Had he succeeded, the Uchiha would not be standing on the Hokage's stage — they would already be shackled as puppets.
Ryosuke answered evenly,
"That's up to you. I've already taken both his eyes.
Even as a Mangekyō wielder, without them, he poses no threat to the clan anymore."
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