For decades, everything had been peaceful. Since the village was founded, the Hokage Building had never faced any outside threat—until now, when it suffered, for the first time in its existence, the pain of a blow to the gut.
Sōken and Danzo had clashed fiercely. Before either of them had drawn blood, the Hokage Building had already taken quite a beating. As Konoha's administrative center, it was built to the highest standards of durability, so it hadn't been easily reduced to rubble.
That was also partly because Sōken and Danzo had both held back from using large-scale, destructive ninjutsu. This was the Hokage Building, after all. If they tore it down today, who knew how much trouble that would cause in the village?
Danzo still had his heart set on the Hokage Position. He thought that rather than waste Chakra on large-scale, destructive ninjutsu, he might as well use attacks that concentrated their power on a single target.
As for Sōken,
He was having a great time!
The moment Torifu Akimichi and the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans chose to stand by and watch, the heads of the other clans had been quick to abandon their plan to pressure the Uchiha alongside the Third. After all, even the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans, allies and vassals of the Sarutobi Clan, had backed down. Surely no one could blame them for not doing their utmost!
And so, the situation had become a standoff between the Uchiha Clan and Danzo. The Third had also hesitated because of Torifu Akimichi's stance, wondering what kind of trump card the Uchiha had that could make Torifu back down. Unable to make up his mind, he merely shouted at Sōken and Danzo to stop fighting, without taking any concrete action to intervene.
As long as Danzo didn't get killed, letting the man suffer a little wasn't a big deal.
The Anbu followed orders to evacuate the clerical staff from the building and issued a gag order, forbidding anyone who had witnessed Sōken and Danzo's fight from spreading rumors. At the very least, none of this could get out before the Hokage gave the go-ahead!
"Earth Style: Rock Stealing Rod."
Sōken formed a hand seal with one hand.
The next moment, a thicket of stone rods thrust up from the floor like a forest of spears.
Naturally, the attack didn't hurt Danzo. But Sōken hadn't used it to injure him. He just needed a more convenient weapon. Shuriken were too sharp; it'd be a real pain if he accidentally killed Danzo.
Besides, to be honest,
Beating Danzo to a pulp made him feel wonderful. He was so happy that even his eyes were beginning to itch.
Could Danzo be the catalyst?
But did awakening the Mangekyō really not require negative emotions? Or was his mastery of Yin Release deep enough, and the ocular power in his eyes so fully accumulated that his Three Tomoe Sharingan had reached its limit? Perhaps he didn't need despair intense enough to remain etched in one's heart as fuel to kindle the Mangekyō's brilliance!
Maybe that's the right answer.
As he saw it, power itself wasn't inherently good or evil. It was just that compared to fleeting happiness, the deeper, lasting despair and grief could bring the Uchiha far greater fluctuations of spiritual energy, driving their Sharingan to evolve to a higher level...
Of course, these were just thoughts that flashed through Sōken's mind in an instant. As for whether they were true... he could find a chance to experiment later. For now, his priority was to keep beating the Danzo in front of him and hold on to this fleeting happiness. Maybe he could awaken the Mangekyō today.
He reached out and snapped off a stone rod.
The power of [Knight of Owner] flowed into the rod in his hand. The rod, which had been only moderately sturdy, instantly became unbreakable. It whooshed through the air, smashing Danzo's Wind Style Technique. Sōken unleashed his physical strength and charged at Danzo, striking him with force so perfectly measured that Danzo suffered deep pain without losing the ability to fight back.
Of course,
Danzo wasn't a helpless punching bag.
The Pot Kage, who dared to covet the Hokage Position, did have some tricks up his sleeve. A silent Wind Style Technique sliced through Sōken's sleeve, leaving a series of bleeding cuts on his arm. It hadn't reached the bone, but it still hurt quite a bit.
Can I only stop the bleeding?
Sōken silently felt the changes in the wound on his arm.
Clearly, his mastery of Yang Release hadn't reached the level of the First's legendary "healing without hand seals." He couldn't even heal a flesh wound like this, and could only stop the bleeding... Sōken wasn't dissatisfied. Samehada could help him train in Yang Release as well as Yin Release.
He had simply devoted most of his effort to training in Yin Release. Though he had made some progress in Yang Release, he still had a long way to go.
But this was enough.
Whether it was stopping his wounds from bleeding or the impressive strength and speed of his body... he was already quite satisfied. Desire drove people forward, but excessive greed was also a poison that could destroy them.
Besides,
Sōken needed the blood staining his sleeve and clothes to show that Danzo was no pushover, so the Third and the others wouldn't rush in to take his side. After all, judging by the situation, Danzo had used Earth Style: Hardening Jutsu again and again to protect himself, and seemed to be mostly unharmed. It was Sōken, covered in blood, who looked like he might collapse at any moment.
Naturally, Sōken's trick couldn't fool everyone.
There were plenty of skilled sensory ninja present, but—
Ever since his younger brother had been forced to take his own life to protect him, Hyuga Hiashi had lost the ambition to compete with the Uchiha for the title of Konoha's Best. He also had grievances of his own against the Third, who had chosen to back down in the face of the Cloud Ninja's coercion.
He wasn't about to ruin such a good show.
Then there was Yamanaka Inoichi, captain of the analysis team. He glanced at the unruffled old man Torifu and chose to stay silent.
But even without a report from any sensory ninja, the Third wasn't senile enough to miss Sōken's little trick.
Just as he was about to intervene in a mix of shock and anger, Sōken, who was enjoying himself to the utmost, chose to take the full force of Danzo's Vacuum Blade on his right leg. At the same time, he swung the rough, crude stone rod—so hard that even Danzo's Vacuum Blade couldn't cut through it—and brought it crashing down on Danzo's right leg.
To Sōken, the sound of breaking bones was music to his ears.
The only thing that spoiled the moment was how tough Danzo was. Even with his right leg battered and bloody, he didn't make a sound.
"Well... since you helped me open that door, I'll let you be the first to witness my dōjutsu!" Sōken said with a laugh, leaning close to Danzo, who was propped against the wall to keep himself from falling. His voice was so quiet that only someone within a foot of him could hear.
His scarlet eyes underwent a tremendous transformation in that instant.
From this day on, Uchiha Sōken had shattered the Uchiha Clan's supposed rule: that one had to endure hellish despair and pain to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.
The Uchiha—
Could awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan happily!
Before you continue