"Huh?!"
"Is that the Flame Gunbai?"
"I never thought I'd see this again in my lifetime!"
The clansmen were utterly swept up in excitement.
The Uchiha Gunbai, lost for decades, had returned to the clan. It was a blessing from the heavens!
Compared to Uchiha Fugaku's gloomy expression, Uchiha Chen—who had recovered the Flame Gunbai and was now brimming with confidence and acting arrogantly—seemed more like a true Uchiha.
"Chen! I support you!" "Maybe making Chen clan leader wouldn't be so bad?"
Scattered voices of support rose, making Uchiha Fugaku's heart sink even further.
Nearly half the clan had voiced their support for Uchiha Chen. Among the rest, plenty were wavering.
He had led the clan for years. He might not have achieved anything great, but he had always worked diligently. And now a few words from Uchiha Chen and a single Flame Gunbai were enough to make them switch sides?
Bang!
Fugaku slammed his hand down on the table, his previous composure gone.
He was an Uchiha, too. He had his own pride.
Once provoked, he was just like any other Uchiha: his "wise" side took a nosedive, leaving him a reckless fighter driven by nothing but the desire to fight.
At that moment, he'd cast both the clan and the village from his mind. All he wanted was to completely subdue Uchiha Chen—and the other clansmen.
Only an overwhelming show of force, crushing all opposition, could preserve his dignity and standing as clan leader!
Uchiha Fugaku slowly rose to his feet, like a lion preparing to hunt. The Three-Tomoe in his eyes spun rapidly as he stared coldly at the clansmen making the biggest fuss.
"Inabi!"
Uchiha Fugaku barked the name. The instant Uchiha Inabi looked his way, Fugaku unhesitatingly hit him with the [Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique], pinning him to the spot without a moment's hesitation.
Sometimes, the gap between one elite jonin and another was even greater than the gap between an elite jonin and a dog!
Fugaku's display of authority had worked perfectly. After he took down Inabi with a single glance, the secret chamber fell completely silent.
"Chen, let me show you. The Flame Gunbai is certainly important, but the Sharingan is the very foundation of our clan's strength!"
Uchiha Fugaku was now riding high, seeming years younger. Even his shoulder-length hair fluttered in the wake of his powerful aura.
The three tomoe in Fugaku's scarlet eyes spun more and more slowly, while the red at their depths grew ever richer. At last, the tails of the tomoe joined together into a shape like the character for "person," framing his pupils. The original tomoe were reduced to three black dots.
"This is the power of the Mangekyō—the legendary power of the Uchiha. Against these eyes, you have no chance of winning!"
Ignoring the clansmen's cries of shock, Uchiha Fugaku stared straight at Uchiha Chen, meeting his gaze.
[Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique]
This farce ends here. Hmph!
Huh? Genjutsu Reflection?
A bead of cold sweat ran down Uchiha Fugaku's forehead. His slightly raised mouth twitched in pain from the genjutsu.
His genjutsu had been reflected back at him.
For the Uchiha, a genjutsu clash was a contest of Eye Power. Uchiha Chen's Eye Power was greater than mine, even though I'd awakened the Mangekyō? How was that possible?
Uchiha Fugaku stared at Uchiha Chen in utter shock. In that instant, the other man's scarlet eyes had undergone a startling transformation.
"You've awakened the Mangekyō too!"
Fugaku's lips parted slightly, his voice sounding distorted as his hands trembled.
"What's so surprising? You can awaken it, but I can't?"
Uchiha Chen slung the Flame Gunbai across his back. His smile grew more delighted as he regarded Uchiha Fugaku with amusement.
"Looks like we'll have to settle this with a fight after all.
"Still, defeating a Mangekyō user as the ceremony marking my rise to clan leader sounds pretty good!
"Come on. Let's go outside. There's no room to fight in here!"
Uchiha Chen laughed heartily, as if victory were already his. He strode toward the shrine entrance.
Uchiha Fugaku clenched his fists until his veins bulged, a shame beyond words surging through him.
In his mind, the worst outcome of this farcical "coup" had been that he would reveal his Mangekyō Sharingan and use his overwhelming strength to bring Uchiha Chen to heel.
But now, everything had slipped out of his control. He had no confidence at all in a fight against another Mangekyō user.
Fugaku stood stiffly for a moment, his expression darkening and brightening by turns, then headed toward the shrine entrance as well.
Once the two main players in the clan leader dispute had left, the clansmen in the secret chamber finally erupted into shouts, laughter, and wild excitement.
"My god! Two Mangekyō!"
Uchiha Ryoji's face flushed red. He clutched his chest with both hands, nearly unable to catch his breath.
Shisui carefully thumped Ryoji's back to help him breathe, then chimed in, "Exactly! Who could've seen this coming? Second Grandfather, let me help you get some rest!"
"Bull!"
Uchiha Ryoji tensed and sprang to his feet. "I may still be able to move, but even if I were dead and reduced to ashes, I'd float out to watch a battle like this! Come on! If we don't hurry, we won't get a good spot!"
Uchiha Ryoji used the Body Flicker Technique, forcing his way in front of several clansmen. Then he looked back at Shisui with a smug grin and dashed off, leaving everyone else behind.
"Four Violet Flames Formation!"
In the woods beside the Naka River, four Uchiha jonin activated this powerful defensive Barrier Ninjutsu. Barriers rose from the north, south, east, and west, merging into one as transparent purple flames ignited around it.
Uchiha jonin had no shortage of Chakra.
As a result, the barrier covered a vast area. It soon formed a cube with sides nearly a hundred meters long, enclosing Uchiha Chen and Uchiha Fugaku, who stood facing each other at a distance.
"Chen, I don't want to—"
Uchiha Fugaku tried to say a few more words to Uchiha Chen, but Chen cut him off with a sudden burst of laughter.
"Mm-ha, mm-hahaha, hahahahaha!"
"Don't worry, Fugaku! If you can give me a good fight, I'll spare your life!"
Uchiha Chen pointed the Flame Gunbai at Fugaku from afar, then yawned nonchalantly.
"But I'd still advise you to be careful. After all, it's hard to control power like this—you have to step over ants without crushing them!"
Uchiha Fugaku's expression darkened further, but he didn't argue.
He's seventeen. I can't beat him at trash talk, so I'll let my skills do the talking.
Fugaku pulled a Sealing Scroll from beneath his arm. Amid the "poof" of a Summoning Technique, he instantly hurled dozens of Shuriken from the scroll.
The Shuriken collided with one another in midair, changing their flight paths. In the end, they formed a dense web that closed in on Uchiha Chen.
"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
Following several steel wires attached to the Shuriken, the flames Fugaku spat out shot toward Uchiha Chen at tremendous speed.
"Uchiha Reflection!"
Uchiha Chen swung the Flame Gunbai in his hands with all his strength. The Great Dragon Fire was absorbed by the Flame Gunbai and converted into wind-style Chakra. A gale roared out, scattering every Shuriken that had shot toward him like a downpour.
"The Uchiha should dance on blades and sing in the flames!"
Uchiha Chen leaped high into the air, the Gunbai in his hand crashing toward Fugaku with unstoppable force. He laughed wildly, utterly unrestrained.
"In the world of the Mangekyō, your flashy fighting style belongs on the rubbish heap—right alongside you, you incompetent clan leader!"
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