Uchiha Setsuna's aged, veined fingers clenched tightly around the top of his cane, turning pale from the strain. His murky eyes, now tinged with scarlet, fixed on Uchiha Akainu.
"Akainu, did you… just say that again?!" he demanded, his voice low and his expression radiating a dark, oppressive aura.
Uchiha Akainu didn't repeat himself. Instead, he simply activated his own Three-Tomoe Sharingan, a clear enough answer in itself.
"Uchiha Akainu! Are you even one of us, an Uchiha?!" another hawkish elder of the clan yelled, pointing at Akainu. His voice seethed with anger. "Everything we're doing right now is for the future of the Uchiha clan! Are you standing in our way, trying to betray us?"
"And… you were the one who brought the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to the Uchiha compound in the first place! Now you're turning around and trying to stop us from getting to that Tailed Beast incarnation? What exactly are you playing at?"
Even with all his bluster, he didn't dare take another step forward.
Uchiha Akainu finally spoke. "In your eyes, what I'm doing now seems contradictory, doesn't it?"
The elder scoffed, his face red with indignation. "Hmph! It's utterly contradictory!"
Akainu calmly replied, "But your brain, smooth and wrinkle-free as it is, clearly hasn't considered it from another angle—that from the very beginning, I was never on the same side as you vermin who plague the ninja world."
He began to walk forward slowly. "But don't misunderstand. I'm not on the same side as the clan head, either."
Setsuna's eyelids twitched. "Ver… min…"
He had dedicated his life to the Uchiha's future, diligently and conscientiously, believing himself to have a clear conscience. Back in the day, he'd even been thrown into the Leaf Village's prison by that damned Second Hokage for his efforts. And now, in Akainu's eyes, he was just a pest of the ninja world?
Setsuna's anger was about to boil over.
"You scoundrel!" the other hawkish Uchiha elders roared, their emotions inflamed.
Akainu's eyes narrowed, his gaze lingering on their throats, hearts, foreheads—all their vital points.
"Enough!!!"
A loud shout echoed from behind Uchiha Akainu. "If outsiders see us Uchiha clan members fighting amongst ourselves, what kind of image will that project? Sheathe your ninja blades, all of you!"
Uchiha Fugaku, alerted by the commotion outside, appeared. He walked up to Akainu, his face a stern mask, and stared at the hawkish elders. "Everyone, I am the current head of the Uchiha clan. I have my own considerations regarding the conflict between the village and the Uchiha. And as for Naruto Uzumaki, no one is to lay a hand on him without my say-so!"
"Fugaku…" Setsuna began, his brow furrowed.
But Fugaku cut him off. "Setsuna-senpai, I respect your seniority within the clan, and that's why I address you as 'senpai.' Now, I ask that you respect my decisions."
"Furthermore, what I'm doing is for the greater good of the Uchiha. Besides, I've already sent someone to take Naruto Uzumaki to the Leaf Village prison. There's no point in you coming here now."
Fugaku had anticipated this situation and had quickly sent Naruto away. Ignoring the grim expressions of the hawkish elders, Fugaku turned to Akainu, his tone firm. "Akainu, you put your blade away too. That's an order from your clan head."
Akainu simply let the words go in one ear and out the other.
Fugaku: "..."
He noticed that the killing intent in Akainu's eyes hadn't diminished in the slightest. He even had a fleeting thought—that if he said one more word to him, Akainu might just turn around and slice him down.
Having a subordinate like this… it was truly a headache!
"Setsuna-senpai, you should retreat," Fugaku said, changing his target. He looked directly at Setsuna, his voice deep. "Do you truly wish to continue this standoff with Akainu and me here?"
"Fugaku," Uchiha Setsuna took a deep breath. "You're too indecisive. One day, you'll regret the decision you've made today. You are pushing the future of the Uchiha into a deep abyss."
"Setsuna-senpai, I am the clan head."
The fearsome-eyed Fugaku, while seemingly reserved outwardly, was unwavering when it came to internal clan matters. At least, for now, he hadn't been pushed to his absolute limit by the hawkish faction.
"Hmph!!!"
Setsuna's stormy gaze lingered on Akainu's cold, youthful face for a few seconds. He seemed to be committing this unique, out-of-place Uchiha youth to memory.
"Let's go!"
"Phew…"
The tense atmosphere had left Izumi nearly drained, but now she could finally breathe a sigh of relief. She'd been terrified that after clashing with the Root ninja, Akainu-senpai was about to fight his own clan members again. Living a life based on "absolute justice" felt a bit too thrilling, almost as if he were an enemy to everyone in Konoha!
"Hm?"
"Eh!"
Suddenly, Izumi saw Akainu-senpai toss his ninja blade towards her, startling her into quickly catching the hilt and carefully sheathing it.
Just then, Izumi heard Clan Head Fugaku speak. "Akainu, was your killing intent towards them just now… serious?"
Uchiha Akainu replied, "I always mean what I say. If they had taken another step forward, they would have died."
Fugaku took a deep breath. "While their methods might be extreme, they are still your kin. Sometimes, you don't need to show that kind of hostility towards your own clan."
Fugaku's words were actually pointed, hinting at Akainu's inexplicable hostility towards his eldest son, "Itachi Uchiha." At least, Fugaku could never understand what Itachi had done to offend Akainu. He remembered that Itachi wasn't the type to offend people.
Uchiha Akainu said indifferently, "I won't explain something a second time that I've already explained today."
Fugaku was taken aback.
"Are you saying… 'absolute justice' doesn't distinguish between public and private matters?" he recalled Akainu saying to him.
"Hmph, you really were serious…" Even though he had already guessed Akainu was serious, the feeling of guessing it and actually witnessing it were two completely different psychological impacts.
Fugaku was silent for a moment. He offered a reminder, "While your ideals differ from mine, at least your ideals also differ from theirs. At the very least, you don't want the village to fall into chaos. But you'd best be careful, Uchiha Setsuna and the others can be very extreme at times."
Uchiha Akainu countered, "Is there any Uchiha who has activated their Sharingan who isn't extreme?"
Fugaku was speechless. It seemed… that was indeed true.
Uchiha Akainu also offered a detached suggestion, "I still recommend that you have your son see a psychiatrist. I've always suspected there's something wrong with his mind."
Fugaku: "..."
"No junior has ever dared to disrespect me like that! That guy… with that look in his eyes, he actually wanted to kill me!"
The now-distant Uchiha Setsuna was forcefully striking the ground with his wooden cane, creating a rapid "thump, thump, thump." His wrinkled old face was clouded with gloom.
"He's… disloyal to the Uchiha!!!"