Dead silence.
Absolute, suffocating silence blanketed the Uchiha compound.
Hundreds of eyes were pinned in place by invisible nails—motionless, unblinking—locked onto the lone figure at the center.
Uchiha Ren.
The crimson chakra had already withdrawn.
All that remained was the faint, moonlight-like flow within three feet of his body—
And that silver "little sun," slowly revolving.
In front of him, the Third Elder and more than twenty hawkish diehards had only their terrified heads exposed.
Like seeds forcibly "planted" into stone slabs.
Left there to bloom next year.
Gulp.
Gulp.
The sound of throats swallowing echoed one after another.
The heaviness hanging over the clan crushed everyone even further. No one dared breathe too loudly, afraid the next one "planted" into the ground would be them.
Behind Ren, Fugaku watched the scene with a complicated gaze, his thoughts churning like a stormy sea.
He already understood Ren's strength—
But he hadn't expected his second son, who lazed around and acted slack most days, to be this decisive when it truly mattered.
Power?
The power of the Uchiha?
Fugaku didn't mind.
He could even help Ren tighten his grip on it.
But this…
Was this really still his second son—the one who was a little unpredictable, who occasionally "had episodes"?
The more he thought, the more complex his expression became.
Relief. Worry.
But more than anything—
A crushing pressure being forcibly lifted from his shoulders, leaving behind a deep, bone-weary exhaustion.
If he stepped behind the curtain now…
That might not be so bad.
He stayed silent, merely taking a half-step back and handing the entire stage to Ren.
"Who objects?"
Ren repeated it, his gaze sweeping the crowd like a cold searchlight.
Wherever his eyes passed, heads lowered at once. No one dared meet his stare.
"Seems no one objects."
His voice remained calm, yet it reached every ear with undeniable weight.
Then he stepped forward.
One foot pressed down onto an elder's head. His left hand rested at his waist as he casually gestured with his right.
"Then I'll say a few things."
"First."
He raised one finger, pointing at the heads protruding from the ground beneath him.
"These people harbored malicious intent toward their own clan elders and the Clan Head. They incited internal chaos. Their crimes are unforgivable."
"For the sake of Uchiha blood, I'll spare them death—but they will be imprisoned and forced to reflect."
"Only when I'm satisfied they've truly repented and learned to be human again will they be released."
"On this point—does anyone object?"
He paused.
Within his crimson gaze, the enlarged three tomoe spun at terrifying speed—
Like a beast's eyes, radiating a predatory intent that could devour a man alive.
Those eyes alone stirred immediate unrest.
"Three tomoe?! That's a three-tomoe Sharingan!"
"Unbelievable—Uchiha Ren is barely over ten and he's already awakened three tomoe?!"
In a clan where most were still stuck at two tomoe, three tomoe already rivaled elders and jōnin.
And Ren—barely ten—had reached it.
Then in the future…
Would the clan gain yet another Mangekyō?
At that thought, people began to waver.
Strong, young, high-status—
If someone like this led them, it was… reasonable.
But then the Second Elder's eyes suddenly widened. He stared at Ren's eyes so hard his breathing turned ragged.
"No."
"Not three tomoe…"
"It's… it's… it's Mangekyō!"
His voice was slow, but unwavering.
As an elder, he knew the records about the Mangekyō.
Boom!
That sentence was like a bomb thrown into the clan.
Instantly, the Uchiha erupted.
"Mangekyō? The legendary ultimate goal of our clan?!"
"Hahaha—great! It's Mangekyō! The Uchiha are saved!"
They talked over one another, the last traces of hesitation evaporating.
So what if he was young?
Mangekyō was enough.
On the ground, the Third Elder—only just coming to—went completely blank.
"It's… it's Mangekyō Sharingan…"
He mumbled, bitter amusement spreading across his lips.
If he'd known it was Mangekyō, he wouldn't have dared wag his tail no matter what.
Soon, the hundreds of Uchiha fell quiet again.
"Second."
Seeing the shift, Ren turned toward the hawks who'd lost their backbone and spoke softly.
"Konoha's upper ranks incited Uchiha Itachi into betraying us. They fear our Sharingan. They fear our power."
"So they used the most despicable methods to make us slaughter each other—to break us from within."
Damn Konoha's leadership!
Those words reignited the suppressed fury in every Uchiha heart.
"But!"
Ren's voice suddenly rose, like thunder crashing down and crushing all noise.
"Anger and blind revenge will only make us die faster—and die more miserably."
"Just like tonight. You were a hair away from all dying."
"And someone as strong as Itachi? Konoha has at least four more like him."
"What do you have to fight that?"
The blunt, cruel question was a bucket of ice water poured over their heads.
The flame of rage that had just flared up was forcibly pressed back down.
For the first time, a deep powerlessness surfaced on many faces.
They'd always known Konoha was strong.
Even after successive wars, it was still the strongest among the Five Great Nations.
That fact was unquestionable.
Seeing this, the Second Elder glanced at Ren, then turned with a trembling voice to Fugaku.
"Clan Head Fugaku… then… then what do we do?"
"Do we… do we just sit and wait to die?"
Fugaku's lips moved—he almost said, you were already dead.
But after a moment's hesitation, he spared them the humiliation.
He only looked toward Ren in silence.
Maybe… the Uchiha truly needed a new leader.
Ren slowly raised his hand.
First he pointed to the ground beneath their feet—the land the Uchiha had been forced to live on.
Then he pointed beyond the clan walls, to the vast Konoha village bathed in moonlight.
The Uchiha had spent too long as the Police Force.
Their blade had grown dull.
It was time to change.
Ren took a deep breath and said heavily,
"Sit and wait to die? The people in that village have already started selling Uchiha goods at inflated prices."
"Fifty ryō for a bowl of ramen today—what about tomorrow?"
"Will it be five thousand? Fifty thousand? Or—five hundred thousand ryō?"
That chain of questions rekindled the fire in their chests.
Twisting and turning, rising and falling—
Yet the flame only burned hotter now.
When he felt the momentum was right, Ren's voice sharpened, clean and decisive.
"So—what we need is to change the status quo!"
"Take down the two advisors. Seize control of the village's economic power!"
"Huh? Isn't that still a coup?" the Second Elder blurted, stunned.
He understood Ren's meaning—but wasn't that still a coup?
His confusion wasn't his alone.
Before the flames rose, it was a coup.
After the flames rose… it was still a coup?
Then what was the point of letting the flames rise at all?
"No."
Ren lifted one finger and wagged it slowly.
"A coup is what you call it when it fails."
"If it succeeds, it's—restoring order."
He paused, then added silently in his heart—
Or rather…
A revolution.
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