I'm Sorry, Clan Head Chen

When it comes to the development of Eye Power, could a young pup like Uchiha Chen possibly outmatch me?

Holding onto such confidence, Uchiha Fugaku even had the leisure to glance at the many clansmen outside the Four Violet Flames Formation.

By now, you should all be conquered by your clan leader's heroic posture, right?

Seeing the shocked and horrified expressions of the clansmen outside the barrier, Fugaku felt an incomparable sense of satisfaction; even the bone-deep agony that came with activating Susanoo seemed to lighten a little.

Wait, why does it look like they aren't looking in my direction?

"Fugaku, your Susanoo is neither as big as mine, nor as good-looking!"

Uchiha Chen let out a long roar, and the surging Chakra overflowing from his body pushed his Susanoo into its second stage in one breath.

The long blade in the hands of the deep crimson Susanoo slammed directly into the ground, causing the earth to crack like an earthquake and kicking up a sky full of dust.

Fugaku stared with his Mangekyō Sharingan, his heart churning with stormy waves.

Compared to Uchiha Chen's second-stage Susanoo, which possessed muscles, a Chakra cloak, and a long blade, his own skeletal Susanoo looked like nothing more than a grunt standing in front of a fierce general charging into battle.

"This is Susanoo. Are you prepared to face the ultimate power of the Uchiha clan?"

Yasaka Magatama!

The chest armor of the Susanoo above Uchiha Chen's head suddenly opened, and crimson magatama flew out one after another in rapid succession. At the same time, the long blade in the Susanoo's hand was raised, hacking toward Fugaku while surging with intense currents of Chakra.

Boom.

Fugaku's Susanoo crossed its arms, but those skeletal arms, capable of defending against the vast majority of ninjutsu in the Shinobi World, were shattered by more than half under Uchiha Chen's blade. The purple-red flame ribs that originally surrounded Fugaku also became incredibly dim under the bombardment of the Yasaka Magatama.

With just this one strike, Fugaku's Susanoo was practically totaled.

The earth trembled from the blow, the collision of immense force whipped up a Gale, and the powerful shockwaves swept across the Four Violet Flames Formation, causing it to twist violently.

The observing Uchiha clansmen were knocked off balance, their faces filled with a fanaticism and piety as if they were witnessing a god.

Uchiha Chen did not stop, expressionlessly raising the long blade in his Susanoo's hand once more.

"Fugaku, as weak as you are, no matter how much you reach out, you will never be able to touch a true powerhouse. Just stay down there forever!"

Uchiha Fugaku's hair was disheveled, and blood flowed continuously from the corners of his mouth and nostrils due to the shock of the previous attack as he struggled to straighten his body.

"Ahhh!"

He roared, the Mangekyō Sharingan in his eye sockets spinning rapidly. Blood gushed from his eyes as if a floodgate had been opened, and a surging current of Chakra erupted from his body once again.

The Susanoo shrouding him was rapidly repaired, after which meridians and flesh grew from the initial skeleton, and finally, a round shield was constructed on one of its arms.

The deep crimson long blade collided with the purple-red round shield, triggering a series of sonic booms.

"The second stage? Your capacity is not bad after all, Fugaku.

However, why is your Susanoo's weapon a turtle shell?"

After taunting him to draw more hatred, Uchiha Chen narrowed his eyes slightly and thought to himself:

"It seems Fugaku has reached his limit. After all, he is the former clan leader; killing him would have bad repercussions. But I cannot let him continue to interfere in clan affairs. I might as well take this opportunity to cause severe damage to his eyes."

Thinking of this, Uchiha Chen began to 'Sasuke-ize', wantonly squandering his Eye Power.

Yasaka Magatama bombarded Fugaku like they were free, forcing him to constantly consume his Eye Power to block the magatama and repair his Susanoo.

Boom!

After another earth-shaking roar, the overburdened Four Violet Flames Formation finally shattered after a final twist, sending scattered debris and rolling dust flying in all directions.

"An earthquake? Or are there enemies?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been sleeping soundly, suddenly opened his eyes. Like a Monkey, he leaped lightly, nimbly flipped over the window, and jumped onto the roof of the Hokage residence.

The earth was trembling noticeably, but this tremor was not like an earthquake that lasted only a few dozen seconds and was accompanied by crustal cracking; instead, it felt more like some giant creature was active.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had an ominous premonition.

Did the Nine-Tails break out again? Or did Kumogakure crazily sneak the Eight-Tails or Two-Tails into the village?

There was no time to think; Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned, quickly changed into his combat gear, and headed toward the direction of the tremors, constantly summoning Anbu and other ninja along the way.

Soon, a large number of ninja gathered, and a massive crowd walked to the edge of the main district of Konoha, but the source of the tremors was even further away.

"Further that way, that's the Naka River, right?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked toward the direction of Naka Shrine with a gloomy face. He knew that the Uchiha were holding a clan meeting today, and almost all the Jōnin were gathered at Naka Shrine.

Could the Uchiha have encountered some troublesome enemy?

Thinking of this, Sarutobi Hiruzen slowed his previously rapid pace and reached out to give tactical hand signals, ordering the Anbu to conduct a carpet-style advance through the surrounding area.

The speed of the team, mixed with ninja clans and civilian ninja, immediately dropped by more than half.

The trembling of the ground continued, indicating that the battle was not yet over.

"Is it an enemy? I hope the Uchiha can manage a pyrrhic victory!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen stared into the distance toward the Naka River with flickering eyes, muttering to himself.

Uchiha Fugaku sat slumped on the ground, blood flowing from his seven orifices, his green Jōnin vest stained with the blood he had coughed up.

His Susanoo was already tattered, having regressed back to its skeletal state, and even the bones were gradually becoming translucent.

But now, he no longer had the Eye Power to repair his Susanoo.

Not a single drop left!

Uchiha Fugaku had intended to force himself to clash with Uchiha Chen one more time.

However, the sudden, excruciating pain in his eyes forced him to cover them and collapse to the ground, causing his Susanoo to dissipate instantly.

Fugaku braced his body, struggling to open his eyes, which had already reverted to their normal state, only to find that the surrounding trees and earth were covered in a thick fog, and the countless blurred images made him dizzy.

Has my vision actually deteriorated to this extent?

Fugaku knew he had completely reached his limit.

Eye Power was essentially Chakra, which would eventually recover once exhausted, but the damage to his eyes and the decline in his vision were irreparable.

He lay helplessly on his back, looking up at the hazy moon in the sky with a sense of exhaustion.

"Is this the end?"

Uchiha Chen stood before the sprawled-out Fugaku with a relaxed expression, following his weary, bewildered gaze toward the full moon in the sky.

"Cough, cough!"

Fugaku coughed up two pools of blood; although he could not see Uchiha Chen's face clearly, he could hear the ease and regret in his tone.

After squandering his Eye Power until not a drop remained, Uchiha Fugaku now found himself in a state of post-battle clarity, feeling an immense sense of relief in his heart.

"I am sorry, Clan Head Chen, for failing to satisfy you!

Kill me!"

"No, I will not kill you!"

Uchiha Chen sprinkled a peach blossom petal he had plucked before arriving at the shrine onto Fugaku's forehead, then used his hand to block the moonlight shining on Uchiha Fugaku's face.

"However, I want you to remember today's defeat every time you see the moonlight from now on!"

Fugaku caught his breath; naturally, it was better to stay alive.

"Yes, Clan Head!

I will no longer harbor delusions about impossible things!"

Uchiha Chen shifted his fingers slightly.

The moonlight spilled through the gaps in Uchiha Chen's fingers onto Fugaku's face, and that fierce countenance now held nothing but submission and respect.

"As expected," Uchiha Chen nodded with satisfaction, "The First's ultimate move for taming Uchiha Pokémon is truly effective!"