Early the next morning, shinobi from every branch of the Uchiha Clan had, without prior arrangement, all taken leave.
They arrived separately in a forest beside a canyon at the very edge of Konoha, while the clan's Guard Squad had begun making preparations long beforehand.
What was about to happen today naturally would not be casually announced to outsiders, much less would outsiders be allowed to approach. Even if it were to be made public, that would have to wait until everything was over.
Elders such as Uchiha Takechi and Uchiha Zong had long been waiting there. Their eyes were tightly shut, and they appeared exceptionally composed.
But truthfully, there was not the slightest bit of composure in their hearts. After all, they knew that Uchiha Fugaku possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan as well!
Not only Uchiha Fugaku—even Uchiha Itachi, that kid, possessed those eyes. They truly did not know how such freakish talents had emerged from that entire family.
That was right. These elders did not dare call Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Itachi geniuses. They felt that freaks suited this father-son pair better.
One was weak and indecisive, while the other fundamentally did not understand—or perhaps had no intention of understanding—the clan's changes, his will so firm it was unimaginable.
It was truly hard to believe that these two were father and son, and even harder to believe that both had awakened the Mangekyō. If people like them were not freaks, then what were they?
However, according to the intelligence, Uchiha Fugaku had not told Uchiha Itachi about his eyes. Likewise, Uchiha Itachi had not spoken with his father about it.
The sheer oddity of this father-son pair truly left them in awe. Were they really not planning to communicate at all?
Moreover, after Uchiha Fugaku shut himself away, he