The door opened and Fugaku entered. He wore the dark formal robes of the clan head, his face stern with deliberately maintained authority. His gaze toward Mikoto held guilt, but also firm, commanding resolve.
"Mikoto," Fugaku said in a low voice, "still acting out?"
Mikoto turned her head and met his eyes directly. "This isn't a tantrum, Uchiha Fugaku. This is imprisonment."
Fugaku frowned slightly. "Watch your words. This is for the clan's sake, and for your own good. Kamiyama Ryo has become an unstable factor in the village. You've seen the Hokage's attitude yourself. Elder Setsuna made the right decision. If you continue your relationship with that dangerous man, it will bring—"
"Disaster?" Mikoto's voice carried a trace of mockery. "Is it because Ryo is too strong? Strong enough to make the Elders and the Hokage afraid? So, you'll sacrifice my love for your fear?"
"Enough!" Fugaku snapped, his expression darkening. "The clan's interests come before everything. Your marriage will be decided by the clan. You don't need to think about Ryo anymore. Prepare yourself for the wedding. Fulfill your duty."
"Duty?" Mikoto stood up abruptly, fury blazing in her eyes. "My duty is to be a bargaining chip in your political games? Uchiha Fugaku, that's not what you said when you pursued me. Now you're just a coward hiding behind Elder Setsuna and the Hokage. Sacrificing me and Ryo for your seat. What kind of clan head are you?"
"Silence!" Fugaku's face showed a flash of shame and anger. He stepped forward, a powerful chakra pressure starting to leak from his body. "Mikoto, know your place. This is an order. The wedding will proceed soon. You'd best accept reality."
Mikoto met his gaze without flinching. Her body trembled slightly with rage. "I will never accept it. Not unless I die."
"You..." Fugaku was speechless, staring into her defiant eyes. He did need Setsuna's support to solidify his position as clan head, but faced with Mikoto's outright rejection, even he found it hard to manage. He took a deep breath and suppressed his anger. "Stubborn girl. Then stay here and reflect. Guards, watch her closely."
Fugaku stormed out, slamming the door behind him. From outside came his harsh order. "No one is allowed to release her without my permission. She is not to see anyone."
Mikoto slumped back to her seat. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
Uchiha compound.
Ryo's arrival was like a massive stone dropped into still water. The waves of unrest spread instantly.
"Stop right there! Who are you? This is the Uchiha compound. No trespassing!" a Uchiha shinobi shouted harshly, trying to suppress him with authority. But when he saw the man's face, his pupils shrank in shock. "Ro... Kamiyama Ryo?"
Ryo didn't answer. He didn't even look at them. His calm gaze passed over their heads, fixed deep into the compound as if searching for something. His eyes were indifferent, like he was looking at pebbles on the road.
That disregard was more insulting than any provocation.
"Kamiyama Ryo! This is the Uchiha clan! Leave immediately!" another ninja shouted, summoning his courage. At the same time, he gave a subtle hand sign, signaling his comrade to alert the clan.
But in that very moment, an indescribable pressure suddenly descended.
The air solidified, becoming so heavy it suffocated. This wasn't simple killing intent, but a purer, higher-level force... a focused, terrifying aura that surged forward like an invisible tidal wave, crashing into every Uchiha in Ryo's path.
"Ugh!"
"Thud!"
The four gatekeepers, along with a few Chūnin and Genin who had rushed over, dropped like harvested wheat. Eyes rolled back, foam at their lips, their bodies collapsed without even a full scream.
Only the Jōnin in charge remained standing. His face was pale as paper, drenched in cold sweat. His chakra flow had stalled and his body was stiff like a statue, but he barely remained conscious, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Conqueror's Haki. Targeted release. Anyone below Jōnin level was instantly knocked out.
Ryo still didn't look at them. He lifted his foot and stepped forward.
The grand gate symbolizing the pride and strict authority of the Uchiha, crafted from sturdy timber and reinforced with steel, crumbled under Ryo's foot like it was made of paper.
Boom.
An earth-shaking explosion.
The gate and its side pillars exploded into splinters. Wood shards and iron chunks flew as a cloud of dust billowed upward. A massive opening was blasted into the sacred border of the Uchiha compound.
Amid the smoke, Ryo walked in. His pace was slow, but every step was unstoppable. Each footfall landed like a hammer on the hearts of every Uchiha present.
"Enemy attack!"
"Sound the alarm! Highest alert!"
"It's Kamiyama Ryo! He broke in!"
After a moment of stunned silence, blaring alarms and panicked cries echoed across the Uchiha grounds. Whistles shrieked through the sky as countless figures leapt out from every corner, like a startled flock.
The shinobi quickly organized, forming defensive lines to block Ryo's advance. Kunai and shuriken flashed with cold light. Sharingan eyes opened one after another, crimson tomoe spinning in the smoke-filled air. The tension in the air peaked. Chakra fluctuations boiled like water.
Yet when their eyes landed on the figure walking through the smoke, all movement froze for a second.
Kamiyama Ryo. The Konoha Asura whose name resounded throughout the shinobi world.
He had just walked in, alone, stepping over the broken gate into the heart of the Uchiha. His expression was calm, his eyes steady, as if strolling into his own backyard.
But the pressure radiating from him made every Uchiha on the field feel suffocated. Their hands turned cold.
What terrified them even more was the invisible field surrounding Ryo. Anyone who tried to approach, but wasn't at Jōnin level, collapsed instantly without a sound, as if struck by a formless hammer.
This bizarre and horrifying scene made every remaining Uchiha tremble. Morale collapsed.
"Kamiyama Ryo! You dare break into the Uchiha compound! What are you trying to do?!" A Jōnin forced himself to speak, his voice trembling with the pressure. His Sharingan spun rapidly, trying to grasp Ryo's depth. What he sensed was a bottomless abyss.
Ryo finally stopped walking.
He looked up, his gaze sweeping over the Jōnin still barely standing and the bodies lying all around them.
His voice was not loud, but it carried clearly through the compound with undeniable authority.
"I came to pick up my lover, Mikoto."
(To be continued.)