[Read up to Chapter - 91 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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"Eat this."
Kanzou tossed a pill toward Araki.
Araki caught it, eyes narrowing with a flicker of hesitation. But after a brief pause, he chose to swallow it.
He was certain it was poison—but if he refused, he would die immediately.
At least this gave him a chance.
"I don't care what method you use. I'm giving you three days," Kanzou said coldly. "If Sarutobi Shinnosuke isn't dead by then, you and your entire family can reunite in the Pure Land."
With that, Kanzou dismissed him.
What he had just handed Araki was indeed poison.
But as long as Araki valued his life, he wouldn't dare run.
And even if he was willing to die, Kanzou was confident he wouldn't risk his family's lives.
"Patriarch," Tsubaki said cautiously, a worried look on her face. "You've ordered him to kill Sarutobi Shinnosuke… but if Sarutobi Shinnosuke dies, Hokage-sama will undoubtedly turn against the Uchiha."
Killing Sarutobi Hiruzen's son—how could the Hokage not go berserk?
"The one doing the killing is Araki. What does that have to do with the Uchiha clan?" Kanzou said coldly. "Do you really think I gave that traitor a chance to live?"
He swept his gaze across the hall, locking eyes with every Uchiha present.
"I don't forgive betrayal. So I suggest none of you even think about turning against the clan. Otherwise…"
In the next instant, the three tomoe in Kanzou's eyes spun—and transformed into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
A wave of surprise rippled through the hall.
"Mangekyō Sharingan!"
"Huh? Mangekyō Sharingan?"
"Has Patriarch also awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
The patriarch had indeed awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Now, with two members of the Uchiha clan possessing Mangekyō eyes, their hopes of restoring the clan's former glory seemed closer than ever.
Since Uchiha Madara's departure, the clan had steadily declined.
After the death of the First Hokage, Senju Tobirama ruled with a heavy hand, suppressing the Uchiha at every turn.
And even after his death, his disciples—Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō—continued that suppression.
The Uchiha clan, long suppressed by Konoha's upper management, had been holding back their resentment for years.
"After Araki kills Sarutobi Shinnosuke, we'll announce that he betrayed the Uchiha clan and was expelled," Kanzou declared coldly.
He wanted Sarutobi Hiruzen to suffer a loss that he couldn't avenge—one that would leave him with no outlet for retaliation.
If Sarutobi Shinnosuke were killed now, there was a good chance Sarutobi Konohamaru would never be born.
But did Kanzou care?
He didn't care whether Uchiha Itachi or Uchiha Sasuke were born in the future—nor even Uzumaki Naruto, the supposed protagonist of this world.
As he was thinking of all the geniuses and saviors that aren't going to be born because of him… certainly he recalled the name of another unparalleled genius the birth of whom shouldn't have been affected by his action…
"Our Uchiha clan has a young genius, doesn't it? Uchiha Shisui?" Kanzou asked suddenly.
"Yes," Shin replied with a nod of admiration. "Shisui truly stands out. He's one of the most promising among the younger generation—seems like he's destined to rise."
With both the patriarch and his wife having awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan—and now a teenage genius emerging—the future of the Uchiha clan looked promising.
Many among the Uchiha believed that their patriarch might one day compete for the position of Hokage.
If Kanzou became Hokage, the Uchiha would undoubtedly become the most powerful clan in Konoha.
"Shin," Kanzou said, turning to him, "you'll be responsible for training him. Make sure the first thing he learns is loyalty—to the Uchiha clan."
And loyalty to the Uchiha clan meant loyalty to Kanzou himself.
Uchiha Shisui was undeniably a prodigy.
Kanzou was curious—if he intervened early enough, could Shisui's beliefs and character be reshaped?
If Shisui's ideals could be realigned, Kanzou wouldn't mind grooming him to become one of his future generals.
But if he remained as he was in the original timeline… Kanzou wouldn't bother killing him—he'd simply take his Mangekyō Sharingan for himself when the time came.
"Understood, Patriarch. I'll train him well," Shin said seriously.
Kanzou gave a slight nod. For now, the current Uchiha Shisui wasn't enough to warrant his full attention. At least not until he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. Only then would Kanzou start to take him seriously.
But Shisui was only three to four years old and had just begun learning to control chakra. It would be a long time before he'd be anywhere close to awakening the Mangekyō.
"Tsubaki. Makoto," Kanzou called out, turning his gaze toward the two.
Even though he hadn't activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, the mere pressure from Kanzou's presence was overwhelming. He had quickly cultivated the aura of a true leader since becoming the patriarch, and both Tsubaki and Makoto couldn't help but feel a tinge of fear.
"You two will join the Konoha Police Force from now on. Any objections?"
Previously, neither Makoto nor Tsubaki—nor even Araki, the traitor—had been part of the Police Force. But Kanzou had decided it was time for that to change.
"No objections, Patriarch." Tsubaki and Makoto responded tersely.
In the current climate—right after a traitor had been exposed—neither dared to question Kanzou's orders.
"Report at the Police HQ tomorrow," Kanzou instructed, dismissing them before turning to head back to his own residence.
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The house was impeccably maintained thanks to Mikoto.
However, keeping someone of her calibre—nearly Kage-level—confined to household chores felt like a waste of her talents, even if Mikoto herself didn't seem to mind the quiet life.
"What's on your mind, Kan-sama?" Mikoto noticed Kanzou's absent expression as he returned.
"Just thinking about how to do more evil things," he replied casually.
"Ah… I see…" Mikoto wasn't certain if he was being serious or just joking and decided not to pay much attention to it.
Kanzou didn't care and remained busy with his own thoughts.
While his evil points continued to grow, it had yet to surpass 300,000.
The current pace was far too slow. Kanzou needed to make a much bolder move.
'How many evil points would I gain if I destroyed Konoha Village?' Kanzou mused.
The dangerous thought surfaced briefly in his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.
Even if he truly intended to destroy the village, his strength was still insufficient. After all, he only had the Mangekyō Sharingan, and the Shikai state of Ryūjin Jakka couldn't be sustained for long.
Besides, Kanzou had no intention of leaving Konoha for the time being.
It was better to harvest slowly—cutting the roots bit by bit.
Uprooting everything at once might bring a large reward in the short term, but it wouldn't last in the long run.
'It's better to start the Third Great Shinobi War,' he thought.
Another dangerous idea took root.
The war was bound to break out eventually anyway.
If he could give it a little push, he might rack up a significant amount of evil value in the process.
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Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!
[Read up to Chapter - 91 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]