Uncle is the person who treats me best in this world!

Mikoto was Uchiha Fugaku's wife, the wife of the Uchiha Clan's leader!

Her name, in a sense, represented the face of the Uchiha Clan.

For Namikaze Mirai to address her so directly, with a hint of mockery in his tone, was seen by Uchiha Setsuna and the others as outright provocation.

"Mikoto is fine, no need for your concern."

As the Uchiha Clan leader, Uchiha Fugaku knew this was no time to be swept away by emotion.

He took a breath and replied in a calm tone.

Uchiha Setsuna and Inabi watched Fugaku, seeing him composed as ever with no change in expression, and silently shelved their own thoughts about speaking up.

Since Fugaku wasn't angered, they, as outsiders, had no reason to interject.

Fugaku, Mikoto, Minato, Mirai... though Mirai was the youngest among them, he could barely be considered a ninja of the same era, with deep ties between them.

Namikaze Mirai's words could also be interpreted as a greeting among old friends.

The mockery in his eyes faded, and Namikaze Mirai's gaze turned sharply serious as he stared straight at Fugaku.

"I want to know the truth of that night!"

As his voice fell, the temperature in the hall dropped several degrees, and a bone-chilling cold seeped from Namikaze Mirai's eyes.

This chill, even Uchiha Setsuna, who had weathered countless struggles since the era of Madara, felt a momentary frost.

So, it had come after all.

Uchiha Fugaku sighed inwardly.

When he received word of Namikaze Mirai's return, he had guessed this day would come.

Missing for three years, the first news upon his return was the brutal death of his respected brother and sister-in-law.

And the Uchiha seemed deeply connected to this matter.

Would Namikaze Mirai let it go? During the Third Great Ninja War, his reputation was far bloodier than the Yellow Flash's...

"When the Nine-Tails ran rampant, I received word and wanted to lead the Uchiha Police Force to assist, but I was stopped by Danzo's Root and could only watch it unfold."

Uchiha Fugaku spoke with a complex tone.

"Danzo?"

Namikaze Mirai's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Yes."

Fugaku sighed.

If he could have led the Uchiha Police Force to assist during the Nine-Tails Attack, with the Sharingan's restraint over the Nine-Tails, the situation might not have been beyond saving.

But...

"I'll remember this and seek an explanation from Danzo."

The coldness in his eyes didn't fade; his azure irises were like frozen ice.

"I've heard that on that night, the Nine-Tails' pupils showed tomoe patterns, suspected to be controlled by the Sharingan..."

He didn't continue, but anyone could hear the chill in his words.

If Fugaku couldn't provide a reasonable explanation for this, then this man, whose reputation still surpassed the Yellow Flash's, might reveal his most terrifying side.

"I don't know..."

A bitter smile crept onto Fugaku's lips.

He truly didn't know.

Even now, he hadn't figured out why the Nine-Tails' pupils reflected three tomoe that night.

Yet all the evidence and witness accounts confirmed it.

"But one thing I can be sure of is that the Nine-Tails couldn't be controlled by an ordinary Sharingan. To achieve that, nothing less than a Mangekyo would suffice."

"Fugaku!"

Before he could finish, Setsuna slammed his staff beside him and shouted in anger.

The Mangekyo was the Uchiha Clan's highest secret.

How could outsiders know of it?

"Elder Setsuna, do you think at this point there's still a need to hide it?"

Uchiha Fugaku met his eyes directly.

Revealing intelligence related to the Mangekyo in exchange for calming Namikaze Mirai was clearly worth it.

Moreover, it was no longer their choice.

"Mangekyo?"

Namikaze Mirai frowned slightly.

"Yes." Uchiha Fugaku took a breath. "It's a higher-level eye beyond the ordinary Sharingan. In the Uchiha Clan, no one has mastered it since the ancestor Uchiha Madara."

He carefully concealed the intelligence about his Mangekyo Sharingan activation.

For now, it was best not to touch Namikaze Mirai's sensitive nerves.

However, even if the news of his Mangekyo activation were exposed, the scene of him leading the police force in support that night had been witnessed by many clan members and Root operatives, enough to prove his innocence.

"Tell me all the intelligence about the Mangekyo Sharingan."

Namikaze Mirai's tone carried no room for refusal.

Fugaku hesitated briefly, then finally nodded and began his account.

He explained how the Mangekyo was awakened and the secret that each eye corresponded to a unique dojutsu technique.

Inabi, Itachi, and the others present listened to these mysteries, shock flickering in their eyes...

Outside the house, Naruto and Sasuke were playing a ninja role-playing game.

Unlike the tense atmosphere inside, this place was filled with harmony and joy.

"You're on the bottom, I'm on top."

Naruto gripped a wooden kunai, pinning Sasuke beneath him, locking his arms so he couldn't move.

"Not fair! I want to be on top!"

Little Sasuke's eyes welled up with tears, struggling in vain to break free.

They had clearly agreed to play ninja combat, but Naruto had sneak-attacked him—no martial honor.

Naruto let Sasuke go.

"Alright, let's try again."

A few seconds later, Sasuke was pinned underneath once more.

His little face scrunched up like a distressed cat, on the verge of crying.

"You look like a girl, but you've got some guts after all!"

Naruto pulled Sasuke up, laughing cheerfully.

Under Namikaze Mirai's care, he had gradually shed his former gloom and melancholy, gaining some of the vitality and energy befitting his age.

"Hmph, of course I do."

Though secretly thrilled by the compliment, Sasuke put on a haughty air.

Before he could react, Naruto grabbed his hand and held it tightly.

"Then we're friends now."

Naruto's smile was radiant.

Come to think of it, this was the first friend he had ever made.

Sasuke froze. Just like that... it felt like he was the one losing out.

"Hey, how come you're so strong?"

"Uncle taught me, of course. He's taught me a lot of other stuff too."

"Other stuff?"

"Yeah, like the Electromagnetic Induction Phenomenon, the theory and research on the Electromagnetic Railgun, five years of research, three years of simulation..."

Naruto counted on his fingers, listing them one by one.

Sasuke listened, dumbfounded. What were these things? He couldn't understand a single one. At this age, shouldn't he be clinging to his brother and acting spoiled? Naruto suddenly remembered that the Electromagnetic Railgun assembly, with his uncle's help, was almost complete.

It seemed pretty impressive.

Should he bring it along the next time he went to prank Grandpa Hokage's place? "Your uncle... just who is he?"

After calming down, Sasuke swallowed hard and asked earnestly.

Naruto's eyes curved into crescent moons.

"Uncle? He's the best person in the world to me!"