Uchiha Zheng's Evil Hair!

[Congratulations, host! Your accumulated Merit Points have exceeded one hundred!]

[Congratulations, host! You have obtained a new ability... Lightning Style Ninjutsu!]

[Currently unlocked... Lightning Style: False Darkness (Beginner 50/100)!]

Qianyu's heart stirred.

"Oh? So accumulating Merit Points to a certain amount directly unlocks new abilities?"

"Lightning Style Ninjutsu... it is indeed one of my Chakra natures, though I haven't trained in it before."

"Lightning Style: False Darkness, if I recall..."

In the original work, this was the Lightning Style Ninjutsu of Kakuzu, an S-Rank Rogue Ninja from the Akatsuki Organization.

Its power... was terrifying!

It had even forced Kakashi Hatake to use both hands for the S-Rank technique, Lightning Blade Double Thunder Shock, just to cancel it out and contend with it!

With such a powerful Lightning Style Ninjutsu, Qianyu would be even more effective in carrying out his duties from now on.

A rare hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Just then, on the path ahead of his patrol, two figures came rushing over.

Leading them was the head of the Uchiha clan...

Fugaku Uchiha.

He saw Qianyu and his expression shifted instantly.

"Qianyu, how did it go?"

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, he..."

Qianyu stopped, shaking his head calmly.

"It's nothing."

Uchiha Yamikaze, who had been hurrying after him, quickly explained what had happened.

After Fugaku Uchiha listened, though he breathed a sigh of relief for Qianyu, he couldn't help but feel a surge of mixed emotions.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, that old fox is truly formidable..."

Uchiha Aoki nodded repeatedly.

"He saw which way the wind was blowing. His act was flawless, making all the watching villagers and ninjas grateful to him alone, completely forgetting that the murderer of innocent civilians was executed by Captain Qianyu..."

Uchiha Yamikaze snorted coldly. "What a cunning old schemer!"

Fugaku Uchiha sighed. "If it weren't for that, how could Hiruzen Sarutobi have sat securely on the Hokage's throne for decades?"

"When it comes to manipulating people's hearts, no one can match him..."

Uchiha Yamikaze cautiously probed, "Clan Leader, last time Captain Qianyu struck a civilian, you were furious. This time, he directly killed the head of the Sarutobi clan, the Hokage's nephew, yet you're calm and haven't blamed him at all?"

Fugaku gave a bitter laugh.

"Would blaming him do any good?"

"Besides, I've thought carefully about what Qianyu said last time. It may not be without reason..."

"Since no matter what we do, we can't stop the Konoha higher-ups and the village ninjas from their attitude toward the Uchiha clan, we might as well just do as we please..."

"Qianyu, you did well."

"It's just a pity that much of the credit was snatched away by Hiruzen Sarutobi..."

Qianyu said indifferently, "I don't care about that."

Fugaku shot him a glare. "Like hell you don't! Listen, you can do things without expecting rewards, but we have no reason to hand credit over to our enemies!"

Uchiha Aoki and Uchiha Yamikaze nodded vigorously.

"The Clan Leader is right!"

Qianyu said, "No one can keep their hand over everything forever..."

"Sooner or later, what is good and evil, what is black and white, will come to light."

Fugaku stared at him, silent for a long moment.

After a while, he shook his head and sighed. "You bastard, your methods are so extreme, yet sometimes you seem so naive..."

Qianyu said, "I've always been an optimist."

"I firmly believe that as long as I keep killing, one day I'll kill off all the evil."

Fugaku took a deep breath.

"Maybe..."

In the Hokage's Office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was in a towering rage.

He slammed his fist down hard, the entire desk shaking as countless documents flew into the air.

Sarutobi Hiogo shuddered in terror.

"Good... very good..."

"You two, father and son, are just wonderful..."

"I made you clan head, and this is how you repay me?!"

Sarutobi Hiogo hurriedly knelt.

"Lord Hokage, I... I couldn't just watch Jiro go to his death..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's rage blazed.

"Fool! Do you think I would stand by and let Jiro die?!"

"Did I say you couldn't save him?"

"But what did you do? With so many ninja and villagers watching, in broad daylight, under everyone's eyes, you openly bent the law and shielded your own son. What were you trying to do?!"

"You may not care about your own face, but have you thought about the Uchiha clan's honor?"

"What about my face as the Hokage?!"

Only then did Sarutobi Hiogo realize that Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't angry at him for shielding his son—he was angry at him for doing it "in public," nearly ruining his reputation and authority.

He couldn't help but feel fury inside.

Was your reputation, Hiruzen Sarutobi, truly more important than my son's life?!

But he dared not show it.

Hiruzen Sarutobi saw it all clearly.

"You're not convinced, are you?"

"You think I value my own name more than your son's life, don't you?"

Sarutobi Hiogo remained silent.

"Fool!"

"Of course you do what needs to be done—but how you do it is the key!"

"And I trusted you with such an important role, yet you don't even understand this basic principle!"

"It seems removing you from the clan head position was the right choice after all!"

Sarutobi Hiogo was now utterly devastated, numb to the core.

"It doesn't matter... I have no right to be clan head anymore anyway..."

"If I can't even protect my own son, what kind of clan head am I?"

"Heh heh heh..."

He retreated silently, like a walking corpse, hollow and lost.

"You..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's fury seemed to dissipate into the air, finding no target, only fueling his anger further.

An ANBU beside him said, "Lord Hokage, he just lost his son. He likely can't hear your reprimand right now."

"And with the clan head position gone, his heart is probably filled with nothing but hatred for Uchiha Qianyu..."

"At this rate, he might do something reckless..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded.

"Have someone keep an eye on him."

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

Several ANBU immediately pushed open the door and left, just as another figure appeared at the entrance.

"Hm? Shisui..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi suppressed the rage in his heart and forced a calm expression.

Uchiha Shisui was his most powerful and important card against the Uchiha clan.

He could not afford any mistakes.

"What's wrong? You look a bit down..."

Uchiha Shisui knelt.

"Forgive me, Lord Hokage. You ordered me to enlighten Uchiha Qianyu, but that man..."

"Won't listen to reason, will he?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi forced a smile.