A Warning to the Uchiha Clan

The battle on the ice grew increasingly intense.

Whether Marines or Pirates, people were being killed everywhere, at every moment.

The Uchihas standing on the Execution Platform saw it most clearly.

Their scarlet Sharingan swept across the ice, taking in every last trace of the battlefield's brutality.

Born in the Ninja World, which had endured war after war, they were already accustomed to such scenes.

They had learned and grown up in such an environment, fought and lost people. Instead, they considered this sort of cruelty to be ordinary.

"War exists in every world."

Fugaku murmured under his breath.

Perhaps war was the normal state of the world.

Compared to the slaughter and death on the battlefield, these Uchihas, who regarded killing and parting as parts of life, were more astonished by the abilities these people displayed.

"Ah, my eyes!"

"Idiot, close your eyes! That's General Kizaru's Devil Fruit ability. He can turn into light."

"Against an enemy like that, the Sharingan we take such pride in would become a burden instead."

A brilliant flash rose from beneath the Execution Platform, stopped high in the air, and transformed into a weathered middle-aged man in a yellow suit and Justice coat.

It was General Kizaru.

Kizaru gathered dazzling light in his hands and scattered countless orbs of light at Whitebeard aboard the pirate ship.

Just as they were about to strike the pirate ship and trigger massive explosions, a blue figure streaked through the sky and blocked the exploding orbs of light.

Blue flames burned over that injured body. After being scorched by the flames, his wounds immediately healed completely.

"Blue flames, and he can turn into a bird..."

"Mm, he appears to be a Mythical Zoan, even rarer than a Logia."

"Then he must be Whitebeard's right-hand man, Phoenix Marco."

The Uchihas came to this realization, only to see General Kizaru kicked back toward the Marines by Phoenix Marco. The resulting explosion destroyed a corner of the town.

At that moment, a massive block of ice as large as a plaza was hurled over!

The ice was so enormous that it blotted out the sky and covered a vast stretch of the plaza, like Mount Tai bearing down from above.

Yet it was soon vaporized by the intense heat of a surging pillar of magma.

The magma splashed downward, melting the ice and boiling the seawater. From the high platform, Fugaku could even see people being tortured half to death by the scalding water.

"Such an enormous block of ice—what incredible strength!"

"Jozu, who ate the Diamond Fruit, is quite an impressive figure as well."

"And that terrifying magma must be General Akainu's."

"With this, the abilities of the Three Admirals are clear."

Suddenly, the ground shook. Even from the distant Execution Platform, they could feel the tremors.

On the ice not far away, a giant several times larger than an ordinary Giant suddenly appeared. With bluish-brown skin, horns growing from his head, and a savage face, he effortlessly defeated the Marine Giants.

But as he charged into the plaza, he was struck repeatedly by attacks from the Shichibukai and collapsed.

"Such a huge Giant... I wonder if Lord Kenma has a way to bring him to the Soul Society."

"And those hulking Shichibukai—if they can't become Shinigami, bringing them back as decorations would still look imposing."

"Being able to witness such a great battle has made this journey to another world worthwhile."

"I just wonder what my lord thinks. If he agrees to let us intervene, then..."

As the Uchihas sighed in amazement, one clansman stood before Fugaku, waiting anxiously.

"Hey, Clan Head, what did Shisui say? Do we need to make a move?"

Fugaku said nothing. His expression merely turned incomparably frightened in an instant.

"What happened? Did my lord send word? What exactly did he say?"

Under the clansman's urging, Fugaku visibly relaxed, though his expression remained somewhat grim. He shook his head at the people beside him.

"My lord refused. He also reprimanded Shisui and expressed great dissatisfaction with our reckless behavior."

"What? What did Shisui do to provoke my lord's fury?"

"This isn't Shisui's fault. He did his best... My lord wasn't furious, either. He merely warned us that there must not be a next time."

Fugaku's mood instantly worsened.

At the same time, he felt a trace of relief.

He had never expected this request to draw a warning from his lord.

It was fortunate that they had not acted rashly.

A moment earlier, on the Rooftop.

Hearing Shisui's words, Kenma's expression remained as calm as ever, without the slightest change.

"Fugaku told you to ask?"

"Yes..."

Shisui did not dare conceal anything.

The Master before him had the same expression and tone as usual. Nothing had changed.

Yet for some reason, an inexplicable terror lingered in Shisui's heart.

It made him tremble with fear, not daring to make the slightest movement.

"N-no, not just the Clan Head. This also reflects your Subordinates' wishes..."

"Fugaku is quite capable. He learned Tenteikūra so quickly."

What Fugaku had used to contact Shisui just now was Bakudo #77.

When this Kido was used, it caused a slight fluctuation in Spiritual Pressure, which Kenma beside Shisui noticed.

Kenma was not the recipient Fugaku had selected, so he could not hear the conversation between Fugaku and Shisui.

However...

Although Kenma could not hear the contents of Tenteikūra, he could perceive Fugaku and Shisui's thoughts.

After all, they had signed contracts with him and formed connections with him.

Within the contracts between them, Kenma held considerable initiative, including the ability to perceive a Contractor's thoughts and emotions at any time and in any place.

Of course, this carried risks as well.

As long as a Contractor's Spiritual Pressure exceeded his own, the hierarchy between them would reverse.

But... was that possible?

Whenever a Contractor's Spiritual Pressure grew stronger, the contract would siphon off a portion of it and feed it back to Kenma.

Moreover, the Lost Souls Kenma had established connections with numbered far more than just this one.

It was absolutely impossible for a Contractor to surpass him!

"Shisui, I'm afraid this isn't merely the idea of you and Fugaku alone, is it?"

Kenma's tone was calm, yet Shisui's expression changed at once. The terror in his heart could no longer be suppressed and surfaced on his face.

Clang.

The sound of roof tiles striking each other rang out.

Shisui had already fallen to his knees, lowering his head deeply, his forehead pressed tightly against the blue tiles.

Under this inexplicable fear, Shisui did not dare speak carelessly, afraid of adding further Sins to the Uchiha Clan.

He could only use his actions and attitude to express his own repentance, as well as that of the Uchiha Clan.

This time, however, Kenma did not tell Shisui to rise.

"Shisui, I have no intention of criticizing your Uchiha Clan. After all, you are individuals with independent minds, so naturally you have your own thoughts and desires. There is nothing wrong with that."

"But you should know what is appropriate. There are things I can permit you to do, but there are also things you had better not even think about, much less touch. Otherwise, I will be very displeased."

"Of course, I also know that I am not a good person. Sometimes, for my own interests, I inevitably resort to underhanded methods or harm innocent people. But there is always a line, and I do not wish to cross it."

"Do you understand, Shisui?"

"Y-your Subordinate..." Shisui trembled, not daring to say more.

Before Shisui could answer, Kenma's voice traveled along the line of their connection and forcibly descended into Fugaku's mind.

[Fugaku, there will be no next time.]

After delivering those words, Kenma did not concern himself with Fugaku's thoughts. Instead, he looked at Shisui's lowered, pitch-black head.

"Shisui, what I dislike most is not your reckless thoughts, but what you just said."

"Come on, explain to me what it means to say you would be pushed out to quell public anger."

"Is that how despicable you think I am?"