Peace

Chapter 29

"Don't be so nervous. I wasn't watching you."

Uchiha Fugaku helplessly rubbed his forehead.

His gaze could not help but sweep over Uchiha Akira's hands hidden behind his back. Such an obvious move—did he really think Fugaku would not notice?

And at such close range.

Could there possibly be anything that threatened a powerhouse who had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?

He looked confident and imposing, yet he still explained:

"It was merely because I awakened a special Dojutsu of the Mangekyō Sharingan."

As he spoke.

The black in his eyes turned into the Three Tomoe Sharingan, then the tomoe gradually connected, transforming into the Mangekyō Sharingan. His scarlet eyes carried an eerie gleam, and their powerful Dojutsu Power sent chills down one's spine, like an abyss from hell!

"This is the Mangekyō Sharingan, a power that surpasses the Three Tomoe Sharingan and the Sharingan itself!"

"And my Dojutsu allows me to see the near future."

"That is why I saw the reason for Shisui's death, as well as you standing beside him at the moment he died."

Sincerity filled Uchiha Fugaku's eyes, without the slightest hint of pretense.

Nothing but sincerity.

Tch.

He had nearly forgotten about Uchiha Fugaku's Dojutsu, though it was not really his fault. After all, the original work had not revealed much about Uchiha Fugaku's Dojutsu.

Still.

Wasn't he being a little too straightforward?

He had none of the gravitas expected of a Clan Head!

Look at his two sons. After awakening the Mangekyō, one built himself a secret chamber with a throne-like chair, while the other threw back his head and laughed, declaring himself invincible. Meanwhile, he was... a little too plain!

It completely did not fit the Uchiha's arrogant, overbearing style, did it?!

"You could've just said so. Why make such a fuss?"

Uchiha Akira waved a hand, brought his hands out from behind his back, picked up his teacup, and took a huge gulp.

"Akira."

Seeing the youth before him remain relaxed and wholly unafraid of the Mangekyō Sharingan, Uchiha Fugaku's expression turned heavy and complicated. He tested the waters.

"So, you awakened these eyes as well, didn't you?"

Only someone who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan could remain so calm and unruffled upon seeing his eyes.

He was delighted that Uchiha Akira had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. If a rebellion broke out, the Uchiha Clan would gain another crucial fighting force.

Yet deep down, he was worried.

If Uchiha Akira did not stand with the Uchiha Clan.

Then the Uchiha Clan's rebellion was destined to fail, and the lives of over a thousand clan members would be lost unjustly!

"Clan Head, I understand what you mean."

As Uchiha Mikoto poured tea, her Qipao outlining her perfect curves, Uchiha Akira looked directly at the Uchiha Clan Head before him.

He chuckled softly and said with utmost seriousness:

"I'll say the same thing again."

"Clan Head, no matter who tries to destroy Konoha's peace, I will never allow it. Whether that person is my closest friend, my wife, or even my son."

His voice was calm, but it carried an unshakable resolve.

"It's late, and the night dew is heavy. I'll be leaving first."

Akira stood and walked toward the door.

Buzz—!

Uchiha Fugaku felt as though his heart had skipped a beat.

He rose as well and watched Akira's retreating back. His expression was complicated, but his eyes gradually turned cold.

"Akira, I used to be the same. Like you, I believed in Konoha. I believed Konoha and the Uchiha Clan could coexist peacefully. But the person who could maintain peace between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha is already dead!"

It had been a long time since he had spoken so openly with anyone.

First, there was no need. As someone in a position of power, he had no need to let others know what he thought.

Second, no one in the Uchiha Clan was qualified to make him say such things!

The Uchiha Akira before him was the first.

The tea before him had gone cold, but he did not notice. He drained it in one gulp.

"But how has Konoha treated our Uchiha Clan?"

"During the Nine-Tails's Rampage, the Third Hokage once ordered me to subdue the Nine-Tails. I had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan then—I had the ability to do it! Yet Shimura Danzō's wariness caused that order to be rescinded!"

"After the Nine-Tails's Rampage ended, the Konoha High Command placed the blame for it on our Uchiha Clan!"

"We were moved, clan and all, from the center of Konoha to its outermost edge. That was naked humiliation!"

"As for Shisui's death this time, even though I did not see the killer, I can still tell it must have been Danzo's doing!"

His voice carried fury suppressed to its utmost limit, like storm clouds that had gathered for far too long. A heavy, stifling tension spread through the air, as though torrential rain would fall and thunder would rage in the next instant!

"Akira, do you think a Konoha like this is still worthy of the Uchiha Clan's loyalty?!"

At that moment.

Uchiha Fugaku, who had served as the Uchiha Clan Head for over a decade, completely revealed his truest inner self!

No matter how immovable he appeared at clan meetings.

He was still a staunch member of the Hawk faction at heart. Rebellion was inevitable.

That was why he had to win over Uchiha Akira, who had already obtained the Mangekyō Sharingan. Otherwise, all his plans would come to nothing.

Tap.

Akira said nothing and continued walking.

Uchiha Fugaku's eyes darkened. Was this truly all the Uchiha Clan could do?

All of Konoha was ostracizing the Uchiha Clan. Hiruzen Sarutobi could still keep things under control when he was young, but now he had grown old. Ever since he had been unable to restrain Shimura Danzō during the Nine-Tails's Rampage.

For more than a decade, Shimura Danzō had openly and covertly pressured the Uchiha Clan.

Step by step, he had pushed the Uchiha Clan away from the Konoha High Command.

Now it had even come to the point of exterminating the clan. Could the Uchiha Clan not even resist?!

A large portion of the Uchiha clan members did not understand him.

Even his own son did not trust him.

He had even defected to Hiruzen Sarutobi's side.

Was the Uchiha Clan truly destined for nothing but annihilation? Then why had he been allowed to awaken these Mangekyō Sharingan?!

It felt as though his heart had been clogged by a lump of fermented dough, leaving him unable to breathe.

The frustration made him want to cry out.

Yet even if he made a sound, it would be ignored. His hands clenched into fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his flesh, but he did not notice at all.

Tap.

The footsteps stopped.

"Clan Head."

Uchiha Akira rested a hand on the courtyard gateframe. His figure stood tall and straight, like an unbending spear thrust toward the heavens.

He turned back, and a pair of scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan with triangular shuriken patterns emerged in his eyes.

They carried a biting chill, like something from the depths of hell.

"I already said that I will never allow anyone who seeks to destroy the village's peace, no matter who they are."

He added, enunciating every word:

"Whether it is the Uchiha Clan or anyone else in Konoha, no one is allowed."

A meaningful glint appeared in Uchiha Akira's eyes, as though his words carried another implication.

Uchiha Fugaku's eyes immediately lit up.

His breathing quickened uncontrollably as he understood something. "Good, good, good! I understand, Akira!"

So that was it?

No one.

No one was allowed.

And as long as the Uchiha Clan did not betray Konoha, they too would remain within that peace!