"What prestigious shinobi clan? Never heard of it. The petty Uchiha—just a bunch of guys who handle third-rate matters—actually think they can boss the ANBU around? Dream on!"
Hearing the man's words, Uchiha Kaen's expression turned ugly.
These bastards were publicly trampling the dignity of the Uchiha clan and the Military Police Force underfoot!
But he couldn't take responsibility for clashing with ANBU in public.
"Never thought the day would come when Uchiha shinobi would be like this—going soft the moment they run into ANBU."
"That's how it should be. Saves these guys from strutting around like they own the place all the time."
"Just a bunch of posers—I've been fed up with them for ages!"
Listening to the crowd's murmurs, Uchiha Fugaku, who had just arrived, felt his chest heave violently.
The Uchiha clan had always worked tirelessly to maintain order in the village. How could they say such things?!
"Fugaku, see? What's worth protecting about people like these?"
Uchiha Yuzuru finished speaking and pushed through the crowd to step forward.
His crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan radiated terrifying pressure, and the previously noisy crowd instantly fell silent.
The two hardline ANBU exchanged glances and spoke in low voices: "Uchiha Yuzuru, what do you think you're doing?"
"If you obstruct me, I don't mind taking you in as well."
"That'll be between me and the Hokage. But before that..."
Uchiha Yuzuru stepped forward. "Will you get lost, or not?"
Seeing Uchiha Yuzuru's domineering manner, the two ANBU exchanged looks and finally vanished from the spot without a word.
Intervening for the sake of friends they knew was already the limit of what they could do.
If this matter truly escalated, they would certainly face severe punishment.
Moreover, if it came to blows, they had no confidence they could beat these two guys glaring at them with Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Watching their ANBU teammates leave, the two troublemakers immediately said, "Wait, we know—"
Bang!
Bang!
Before they could finish, Uchiha Yuzuru had already punched out their jaws with a single strike each.
Then two kicks broke one leg on each of them.
"Take them away!"
"Yes!"
The screams of the two troublemakers gradually faded, and the diners at Shokumi-tei all fell silent.
"Hit the mouth first to prevent begging, then the legs to prevent escape."
"From now on, when dealing with scoundrels, use my method."
Uchiha Fugaku and the others all laughed despite themselves.
Then Uchiha Kaen clapped Uchiha Yuzuru heavily on the shoulder: "Good lad, I knew I wasn't wrong about you."
He had nearly been driven to fury by those guys earlier; he hadn't expected Yuzuru to have such guts—not giving ANBU any face at all.
Though this guy often made him angry too, right now he looked more and more pleasing to the eye.
"I still have to patrol."
Uchiha Kaen immediately turned and left.
"My future father-in-law won't be won over that easily."
Uchiha Yuriko covered her mouth and laughed. "Yuzuru, I've caused you trouble."
"Brat, talking nonsense."
Uchiha Yuriko chided gently, then said, "I still have work to do. When I'm free, I'll treat you to a meal."
After Uchiha Yuriko left, Uchiha Fugaku spoke in a low voice: "Yuzuru, those two troublemakers must be ANBU shinobi too—otherwise they absolutely wouldn't dare be so arrogant."
"The Hokage faction is getting more and more excessive. What exactly do you plan to do?"
Seeing Uchiha Fugaku's look of barely contained patience, Uchiha Yuzuru asked, "How's the list I had you compile recently coming along?"
"The radical faction and conservative faction have basically been completely distinguished."
"That's good."
Uchiha Yuzuru swept his hand. "Tonight, notify all squad leaders in the Military Police Force to come to Naka Shrine. We're convening a secret clan assembly!"
"On a dark and windy night—the time for killing and arson."
Uchiha Yuzuru gazed at the moon in the sky and slowly donned the Spiral Mask he had prepared in advance.
The design was similar to Uchiha Obito's in the original work, except it had two eye holes.
Dressed and armed, Uchiha Yuzuru's figure slowly vanished from the room.
————
In a residential building not far outside the Uchiha clan compound.
A telescope quietly extended from a fifth-floor window.
Inside the room, an ANBU shinobi who had just finished his shift change simply adjusted the telescope's angle so it could clearly observe the situation inside the Uchiha compound.
"Yawn~"
"These Uchiha shinobi are nothing but trouble. What a waste to have so many ANBU watching them—we should just arrest them outright."
Another ANBU sat on the floor, carefully wiping the kunai in his hand.
Hearing his companion's complaint, he spoke in a low voice: "Don't get distracted. Focus on observing their every move."
"Why so serious..."
"But speaking of which, these Uchiha now are like dogs kept in a pen, huh."
"If the Hokage gives the order, I'll be the first to charge in and kill a few more Uchiha. Just thinking about that scene makes me want to laugh. Hahaha..."
After the observing ANBU laughed a few times without getting a response from his companion, he couldn't help but turn around: "Hey, why aren't you reacting at all? Don't you find what I said interesting—"
His voice cut off abruptly.
At some point, a man wearing a spiral mask had appeared inside the room, and his companion was lying on the floor clutching his throat, completely lifeless.
"What's interesting about it? What's so funny? What do you take the Uchiha who founded Konoha for?"
A magnetic voice echoed through the room. The ANBU shinobi felt his body go weak.
The masked man before him possessed two eyes far more sinister than those of ordinary Uchiha.
The eerie pattern seemed filled with ill omen—one glance was like falling into an abyss.
"Damn it, how did he get in?!"
To better monitor the Uchiha clan, a powerful barrier had long been set up in the surrounding area.
Even a fly entering would be detected instantly.
Why, until now, had no one noticed the presence of this masked man?
No, now wasn't the time to think about that.
The ANBU shinobi looked at the masked man still some distance away and formed hand seals, preparing to make some noise.
But before he could act, he felt the world spin.
"Kamui!"
The ANBU shinobi heard a low murmur, then immediately lost consciousness.
————
Naka Shrine.
Inside the underground chamber, over a dozen Uchiha clansmen sat upright.
Uchiha Taro raised his hand in a gesture, and the scene immediately fell silent.
Hearing Uchiha Taro's statement, everyone present opened their mouths wide in shock.
Concerning the future of the Uchiha clan?
Just what was this about?
While everyone puzzled over it, Uchiha Yuzuru's figure appeared out of thin air.
"I had to handle some matters, so I'm a bit late."
"It's fine."
Uchiha Taro nodded at Uchiha Yuzuru. "Yuzuru, you may begin."
Seeing this, Uchiha Yuzuru didn't waste words and got straight to the point: "Everyone should already know—the Third Hokage has forbidden the Uchiha clan from making contact with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, on the grounds that our Uchiha Sharingan can influence Tailed Beasts."
"This is a manifestation of the village leadership having absolutely no trust in us."
"The Uchiha clan has reached a moment of life and death!"
"We absolutely cannot sit and wait for our doom!"
Hearing this, everyone present drew in a sharp breath.
Though Sarutobi Hiruzen's order did make them feel quite displeased, was it really necessary to put it so gravely?
Uchiha Yashiro couldn't help but say, "Uchiha Yuzuru, you're completely fearmongering."
"Because of what Uchiha Madara did in the past, it's understandable that the Hokage made such a decision, isn't it?"
Uchiha Yuzuru glanced at Uchiha Yashiro, and his eyes directly transformed into the Mangekyo Sharingan.
The next second, everyone—including Uchiha Taro and Uchiha Fugaku—stood up in shock.
"Yuzuru, your, your eyes..."
"That's right. This is the Mangekyo Sharingan, the legendary power of the Uchiha clan."
This era wasn't particularly distant from Uchiha Madara's time, so those present were not unfamiliar with the Mangekyo Sharingan.
An existence surpassing the Three-Tomoe Sharingan—the power with which Uchiha Madara pacified the warring states...
Uchiha Yuzuru actually possessed such eyes!
"No wonder your ocular power is so much stronger than mine. So you have the Mangekyo Sharingan!"
Uchiha Fugaku suddenly understood.
After losing to Uchiha Yuzuru, he had always wondered why, with the same Three-Tomoe Sharingan, the gap in their ocular power was so vast.
It turned out Uchiha Yuzuru's eyes had already evolved into the Mangekyo Sharingan!
Uchiha Kaen swallowed hard and said in a trembling voice, "Yuzuru, when did you awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan?"
"The moment I saw clearly the path forward for the Uchiha clan."
Uchiha Yuzuru finished speaking and transferred the ANBU from earlier out of the Kamui dimension.
Using genjutsu to make the ANBU shinobi reveal Sarutobi Hiruzen's surveillance of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Yuzuru then slit the ANBU's throat.
"Hiss..."
Seeing Uchiha Yuzuru's casual manner, everyone present felt their hearts tremble.
They had all killed plenty of people, but this was ANBU.
Attacking ANBU was no different from treason!
Uchiha Yashiro's voice carried a hint of panic: "Uchiha Yuzuru, you, you, you—doing this will get us all killed!"