[Read up to Chapter - 76 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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Fugaku frowned deeply as Kanzou suddenly arrived at his home with a group of policemen.
He wanted to ask Kanzou about the promise he had made earlier, but with so many people around, he was too embarrassed to bring it up. After all, that sort of matter could only be discussed in private.
"Kanzou, what's the meaning of this?" Fugaku asked, trying to maintain composure.
A playful smile curved Kanzou's lips. "Fugaku-san, don't you know why I'm here?"
"What are you trying to pull? Are you going back on your word?" Fugaku stepped forward, lowering his voice.
"What do you think?" chuckled Kanzou.
Though Kanzou didn't outright deny it, the look in his eyes was enough.
Fugaku understood immediately—Kanzou had never intended to keep his promise.
No—this wasn't betrayal. Kanzou had never planned to withdraw from the patriarchal race in the first place. He had never intended to hand over the position. All he wanted was for Fugaku to willingly put a green hat on his head… which Fugaku really did.
"Fugaku-san," Kanzou said coldly, "I'm here to arrest you."
Kanzou waved his hand, and immediately, Shin and Souta—who stood behind him—moved into action. Their blades came to rest against Fugaku's neck.
Caught off guard and still recovering from injuries, Fugaku was too slow to react.
"What is the meaning of this?! Kanzou, do you think I won't expose all the disgraceful things you've done?" Fugaku shouted angrily.
It was one thing to betray trust—but to humiliate him like this?
"If I make your secret affair with Mikoto public, your reputation will be ruined!" he barked. "Don't forget—Mikoto hadn't broken off the engagement with me at the time. What you two did was utterly immoral!"
Of course, it would also be humiliating for Fugaku himself, which is why he had kept quiet about it. But if pushed into a corner, he wouldn't hesitate to go down swinging.
'If I am going down, then I am taking you down with me,' he thought grimly.
"I'm sitting here with a clear conscience—what have I done wrong?"
Kanzou spoke without the slightest hint of shame, a testament to how thick-skinned he was.
"On the contrary, it was you, Fugaku-san, who came to me with a depraved scheme—having her seduce me so that I'd support you as patriarch." Said Kanzou deviously.
"Uchiha Mikoto was your fiancée, wasn't she? I didn't expect you, of all people, to pull such a scheme using your own fiancée. Using her to seduce me? How vile can one man be? To think someone as shameless as you exists in our Uchiha clan. If word of this spreads, what do you think the other clans in Konoha will say about us?"
Kanzou lashed out at Fugaku mercilessly.
His words caused a stir among the onlookers, many of whom were now murmuring in shock and curiosity.
When Kanzou stormed into Fugaku's home, he'd already drawn the attention of other Uchiha clansmen.
Those who were neutral had gathered to watch the drama unfold, while Fugaku's supporters looked increasingly anxious as Kanzou turned public opinion against him.
Everyone present had just overheard a shocking revelation—and now, all eyes were fixed on Fugaku with disbelief.
Some of the clansmen even looked at him with open contempt.
None of them had expected Fugaku to be that kind of person.
When word first spread that Fugaku was breaking off his engagement with Mikoto, many had been puzzled. Had he lost his mind?
After all, without Mikoto by his side, there was no way elder Tadayoshi would continue to support his bid for clan leadership
It was as if he'd willingly severed his own arm.
But now, hearing the truth, everything made sense—he had planned it all along.
He tried to deal with Kanzou using Mikoto, his own fiancée, as a tool in a political scheme.
He'd broken off the engagement just to make it easier for his plan to succeed.
No doubt, Fugaku was a ruthless strategist who'd sacrifice even people around him… but that only made the clan's disgust for him grow.
At that moment, Fugaku's face was flushed a deep red—humiliation and rage mixing beneath the surface.
Seeing Fugaku's flushed face, the crowd of onlookers felt even more convinced that the accusations must be true.
Their expressions of disdain and distrust toward him only deepened.
What they didn't realise, however, was that Fugaku's face wasn't red from shame, but from rage.
It was only now that Fugaku understood—he had been played by Uchiha Kanzou.
Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Kanzou's Three Tomoe Sharingan locked onto him.
The oppressive force of the Sharingan's gaze, combined with Kanzou's powerful aura, left Fugaku rooted to the spot. He couldn't move a muscle.
'How… how is this possible? How is his Visual Prowess so strong?' Fugaku thought bitterly, overwhelmed by a creeping sense of fear.
Suddenly, a voice called out from the edge of the crowd:
"Kanzou-sama… I've brought Uchiha Mikoto!" It was none other than Hazuki.
"Uchiha Mikoto is here?"
"Look! It's really her!"
Everyone turned their eyes to the woman. Her appearance was intact, but her body was trembling, and her hands were bound as she was escorted by Hazuki.
But no one pitied her… rather, they looked at her as if looking at a vile wretch…
Some of the clansmen who still supported Fugaku perked up with renewed hope.
Perhaps Mikoto would deny everything—perhaps she would expose it all as a lie and turn the tide against Kanzou.
"Mikoto-san, did Fugaku-sama force you to seduce Kanzou? I hope you'll tell us the truth," a Uchiha from Fugaku's supporters said with a stern expression.
The situation had turned dire for Fugaku.
Now, everything hinged on Mikoto's response.
After a moment of hesitation, he added in a grim tone, "I hope you think carefully before you answer."
"Oh? Is that a threat?" Kanzou turned his head sharply and shot that particular Uchiha a cold glance.
The immense pressure from Kanzou's Sharingan made the said Uchiha's breathing grow shallow. Instinctively, he activated his own Three Tomoe Sharingan.
But even then, he immediately realised—his visual prowess was nowhere near Kanzou's. Not even close.
That was only natural. Kanzou had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. Even if he was currently using only the standard three tomoe form, his chakra and ocular power were far beyond that of an average Uchiha.
After confirming that Uchiha had fallen silent, Kanzou turned to Mikoto and asked coldly,
"Speak, woman… did you approach me and whisper sweet words in my ear with the foul intent of seducing me and gathering dirt on me?"
Mikoto's face twisted in horror as her body trembled.
Kanzou snarled, "Did I not tell you to speak?"
Pushed by Kanzou, Mikoto gave a slight nod.
"I did… with that intention. Fu—Fugaku-sama ordered me to seduce you, have you fall in love with me, and gather dirt on you, so… so that you couldn't compete for the position of the patriarch."
"She's lying! I never gave her any such order!" Fugaku shouted in protest as Mikoto confessed to something he had never commanded.
"Silence!" Shin barked, delivering a harsh kick to Fugaku's gut, cutting off his words as Mikoto's statement echoed through the crowd, stirring whispers and tension.
"She actually admitted it?"
"Fugaku really ordered her to do something like that?"
"What kind of man sends his own fiancée to seduce another?"
"Better question is… what kind of woman is she to agree to do it?"
The onlookers erupted in murmurs, their reactions a chaotic mix of shock, disdain, and curiosity after hearing Mikoto admit to her actions.
Hearing the murmurs of the onlookers, Mikoto quickly shook her head and lifted her tear-streaked face, speaking desperately, "Kanzou-sama… I… I didn't do it because I wanted to… I didn't have any ill intentions towards you… I… I just…"
"If you didn't harbour any ill intentions, then why did you go through with it?" Kanzou asked coldly, his expression hard.
"Why would you speak those sweet words to me? Did you think I wouldn't be able to figure out your true intentions?"
Mikoto fell silent. Then, breaking into sobs, she cried out, "Uchiha Fugaku… this incompetent and vile man… he threatened me… I didn't want to do something so disgraceful… but he threatened me with Sofu-sama's life. He knew that he was an incompetent man and could never defeat you on his own… so he chose to use me to achieve his goal. He threatened me for it… He said if I didn't do as he said… he would kill Sofu-sama… just as… just as he killed the other two elders… I… I tried to fight him… oppose him… but he was far too strong… I was helpless… and had no choice…!"
She repeated the story exactly as Kanzou had taught her.
But since it was her first time lying so brazenly, there were a few noticeable flaws. Still, her tears made the act quite convincing… Kanzou would definitely give her an eight out of ten.
"Mikoto, you—"
"Shut up. You have no right to speak." Shin landed another kick in Fugaku's gut, sending the furious man stumbling backward.
"Fugaku-sama… I truly misjudged you."
"Not only did you make your fiancée seduce another man, but you also forced her into it by threatening her family… I'm deeply disappointed in you."
A few Jōnins who had previously supported Fugaku looked at him with deep disappointment.
A man who could sacrifice and threaten his own fiancée—what else might he be willing to do?
Serving under someone like that filled him with unease.
One by one, supporters began to waver. In an instant, nearly three-quarters of those who had backed Fugaku stepped away.
Even the few who remained were his closest allies—those personally favoured or groomed by him looked at him with conflicted expressions.
Though they didn't leave, their trust had clearly been shaken.
"Just one last question…" Kanzou said, his voice low and steady, his gaze solemn as it locked onto hers.
"Those sweet words you spoke to me… the whispers you shared… tell me—what were they? Were you simply following orders… or was there something more?"
Mikoto bit her lip and looked down, shame written across her face.
"At first… they meant nothing," she admitted softly. "Just cold, scripted lines I was ordered to say…"
She paused, then slowly raised her head, meeting his eyes with quiet sincerity.
"But the more time I spent in your arms—the more I got to know you, learned about your other sides—I began to understand my feelings.
I had always admired you… from a very young age… even back when we were in the Academy. We were in different years… but I often found myself watching your back and working hard from a distance…
That admiration was something I kept buried deep inside, and I stayed away because I believed it was never meant to be… After all, I was already betrothed to him…
But when I was threatened to… to seduce you by him… and I began spending time with you… Everything I'd suppressed in my heart started to break free.
And I… I started falling in love with you.
Those words I whispered—they weren't hollow. Those murmurs… they became real.
Uchiha Fugaku may have forced me to whisper words of love and passion by threatening Sofu-sama's life… but the emotions behind them became mine.
On one hand… I came to love you, and on the other hand, I came to despise Fugaku for what he made me do. And with you… I found strength. I did everything I could to resist him, to fight back."
She hesitated for a moment, then added, "Do you remember the underwear I gave you? That was my silent protest against Fugaku… I… I truly meant it…"
"…That's enough," Kanzou said, cutting her off gently before her words spilled further.
"Kanzou-sama… I…" Mikoto began, trying to say more, but burst into tears…
Meanwhile, Kanzou secretly glanced around, observing the expressions of those nearby as Mikoto confessed her guilt and revealed her true feelings for him.
Some appeared genuinely moved, as if witnessing a tragic love story unfold before their eyes—
A tragic woman, forced by her cruel fiancé to commit an immoral act against the person she had loved from a very young age, only to find solace and protection in the very arms of the man she was meant to deceive as the love she had always had for him could no longer be suppressed….
Someone in the crowd murmured, "Uchiha Mikoto… she's not to blame… she's the victim here."
"Kanzou-sama… please forgive her… please accept her…"
Seeing Mikoto in tears, few people doubted the sincerity of her words.
After all, society often views women as victims by default.
Kanzou, his expression stern, looked at Mikoto in silence for a long moment before finally speaking.
"As for your situation… We'll discuss it later." Then, turning to a woman nearby, he said firmly, "Hazuki."
"I understand, Kanzou-sama," Hazuki replied, stepping forward to assist Mikoto.
With Mikoto taken care of, Kanzou shifted his gaze—
Now, it was Fugaku's turn.
"Uchiha Fugaku-san… you're truly inhuman. Are you so obsessed with the position of Patriarch that you'd force your fiancée to seduce another man? That you'd threaten fellow clansmen by using their loved ones and coerce them into obeying your every command, even against their own will? To think someone so vile is part of the noble and proud Uchiha clan… Ahh… I can't accept it, it makes me feel disgusted," Kanzou said, shaking his head as though even looking at Fugaku was beneath him.
He then turned to the gathered crowd. "Everyone, listen to me… Although what Fugaku-san—" he stopped himself and shook his head, "No… someone like him doesn't deserve that respect." Shaking his head, he continued, "Although what Fugaku did isn't a crime punishable by death, our Uchiha clan cannot allow a man like him to remain among us. I propose we expel him from the clan before he brings even more shame upon us and puts his vile hands upon other men and women, threatening them with their relatives. What say you all?"
At last, Kanzou's true aim was laid bare—exiling Uchiha Fugaku from the Uchiha clan.
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Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!
[Read up to Chapter - 76 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]