Chapter 142: The Weight of a Name
Uchiha Kyosuke, Keiichi, and Ryuhei remained on their knees, their foreheads pressed to the mud, their pleas for mercy hanging in the tense air.
Kagenori appeared before them in a flicker of movement, his gaze as cold as the steel of his blade. "The fact that you three once served under me does not imply camaraderie," he stated, his voice devoid of warmth. "You cannot speak for the entirety of the Uchiha."
His eyes shifted to Uchiha Fugaku. The clan heir was staring blankly at the corpses staining the ground, his chest heaving with ragged, furious breaths. Around him, a few Uchiha still muttered about fighting back.
"ENOUGH!" The roar that tore from Fugaku's throat was raw and hoarse. "All of you, SILENCE!"
As the recognized future leader of the clan, his command carried weight, and the discontented murmurs died down. With steps that seemed to carry the burden of the entire clan, Fugaku walked forward until he stood before Kagenori. He looked at the man, at the Mangekyō Sharingan that was both an object of Uchiha reverence and a symbol of their profound failure, and his eyes churned with a maelstrom of hatred, sorrow, and bitter envy.
In a voice scraped raw, Uchiha Fugaku declared, "The Uchiha… will follow your command."
Kagenori did not acknowledge him immediately. Instead, he calmly flicked the blood from his ninjato, the droplets spattering the mud. "In truth, I had no desire for this extremity. I offered multiple chances. It is your clansmen who proved… ungrateful." He sheathed his sword with a definitive click. "I am, however, a man of considerable patience. I am willing to offer one final opportunity. But can you truly speak for them?"
Uchiha Fugaku's voice was grim. "I can."
Kagenori's eyes swept over the Uchiha ranks, noting the lingering glares of defiance. "Heh. And yet, their expressions tell a different story. They do not seem convinced."
Fugaku whirled around to face his people. "What is wrong with you all?! Will you not obey my order?! Will you only be satisfied when more of our clansmen are lying dead?!"
The phrase "more of our clansmen are lying dead" struck the Uchiha like a physical blow. Their eyes were drawn to the still-bleeding bodies of their clansmen, a visceral reminder of the cost of defiance. One by one, their proud gazes fell to the ground, their postures slumping in sullen, defeated acceptance.
Fugaku turned back. "I give you my word. They will not disobey again."
Kagenori simply shook his head.
Seeing the denial, Fugaku's already dark expression turned stormy. He was forced to appeal to a higher authority. "Kagenori, what more do you want? We are here to fight a war for Konoha! If we waste time with this, it is the village that suffers!"
"I believe you will not disobey," Kagenori clarified, his tone chillingly reasonable. "But I do not trust them. There is a simple way to earn my trust. If any Uchiha disobeys my order from this point forward, you will bear their punishment. Do you accept this condition?"
Fugaku's face paled. It wasn't that he distrusted his clansmen's intentions, but he knew their pride, their volatility. It was highly likely one of them would slip up, intentionally or not, just to spite Kagenori.
Kagenori watched his internal struggle with a faint smile. "What is the matter? Is this not acceptable?"
Fugaku frowned deeply. "Then you must promise me you will not deliberately target my clansmen with impossible orders."
Kagenori spread his hands, the picture of offended righteousness. "I am not 'targeting' anyone. Had you simply obeyed from the start, we would not be here. You brought this upon yourselves. The reason I ordered a direct assault on the Mist is because I have faith in the Uchiha's famed strength. You are Konoha's largest clan, wielders of the legendary Sharingan. Dealing with a few Kirigakure shinobi should be a simple task, no? The village sent you here as reinforcements for a reason—to turn the tide with your power. Did you think you were coming here on a holiday?"
He took a step closer, his voice dropping. "You think I will command from the rear? You are mistaken. I will be on the front lines with you. I will be charging into battle alongside you. So, Uchiha Fugaku, do you have any further objections?"
Uchiha Fugaku took a long, shuddering breath, the air hissing between his clenched teeth. "Fine! I accept! If they disobey, the punishment falls on me."
A satisfied smile finally touched Kagenori's lips. "Good."
He then addressed the Uchiha mass behind Fugaku, his voice ringing with absolute authority. "You all heard him. Your future insubordination will be paid for by your future clan head. If another incident like today occurs, it will be Uchiha Fugaku's body cooling on the ground. I will tolerate failure in the field. But deliberate disobedience? The only outcome, besides your own demise, will be his punishment."
The Uchiha ninja kept their heads bowed, not daring to meet his gaze. A complex mix of shame, fear, and a newfound, grudging respect for Fugaku's sacrifice churned within them.
Fugaku spoke again, his voice heavy. "One more thing. I wish to send the bodies of my clansmen back to Konoha for proper rites."
Kagenori waved a dismissive hand. "Denied. The Sharingan will be destroyed for security purposes, and the bodies will be buried locally. That is not your concern. Your only task is to form the squads as I have ordered and prepare to deploy at dawn."
He clapped his hands together, the sound sharp and final. "This assembly is dismissed." He turned to Nara Kubota. "Kubota, arrange billeting for the Uchiha. Then, have a detail move these bodies to a spare room. I will personally see to the destruction of the Dojutsu and their burial to prevent any… unfortunate leaks of bloodline secrets. It is the least we can do to set the Uchiha clan's mind at ease."
Hearing his name, Nara Kubota jolted out of his stunned reverie. The sheer, audacious risk of Kagenori's actions had left his mind reeling. He had been genuinely terrified that the situation would erupt into a full-blown mutiny. That Kagenori had not only survived it but had brutally crushed their will was a testament to a terrifying kind of prowess.
He looked at the subdued Uchiha and felt a pang of pity for the ordeal they were about to endure. He was profoundly grateful his role did not involve directly commanding them; their hatred would now be exclusively reserved for one man.
As Kubota led the Uchiha away, and after the grisly task of moving the corpses was complete, Kagenori entered the designated room alone, barring others from entry. From a storage scroll, he produced several glass containers filled with a clear preservative fluid. With clinical precision, he retrieved the five bodies. Working methodically, he extracted the Sharingan from each corpse—two from the Jounin, Kazuo, and one from each of the others—placing each precious orb into its own separate vial. He then sealed the vials carefully back into the scroll.
His final act was one of macabre theater. He stuffed the empty eye sockets with a material to give them shape and used a minor, destructive ninjutsu to scar the area around the eyes, creating the illusion of the violent destruction he had promised. Only when the scene was set to his satisfaction did he leave the room, his part of the bargain with Danzo already fulfilled.
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