His gaze was as sharp as a sword, his fierce expression still carried an air of indomitable spirit, his back was ramrod straight, and chakra had begun to surge through his body.
All of it showed that Sarutobi Hiruzen was ready to fight.
Uchiha Yuji had grown used to seeing him as an old man, so seeing him in his prime made him feel as though he were looking at an entirely different person.
But even in his prime, with all seven chakra natures at his command, Hiruzen was merely at the pinnacle of what an ordinary shinobi could achieve.
Uchiha Yuji's lips curled into a faint smile. "You can stop thinking about leaving this space. This is the power of my Mangekyō Sharingan."
"This world is independent. It isn't a space attached to the Shinobi World. Oh, and as a friendly reminder, the Summoning Technique is completely useless here."
"That's the power of my left eye."
"And my right eye gives me complete control over this space."
Uchiha Yuji explained his abilities in detail, like a villain who had victory in the bag. He didn't seem worried in the slightest about revealing his secrets.
"For example, like this."
He raised his right hand and gave it a little wave, prompting Sarutobi Hiruzen to look over.
His young, pale fingers suddenly curled into a claw.
His heart! It felt as though his heart had been seized!
His heartbeat faltered, and his body was briefly deprived of oxygen. Not only did this interfere with his ability to draw out chakra, it also made Hiruzen's vision go black.
Uchiha Yuji released his grip. Hiruzen's dazed eyes slowly came back into focus, and he stared at Yuji in disbelief.
What kind of joke was this?
Sarutobi Hiruzen had seen the Mangekyō Sharingan with his own eyes, long ago.
But even Uchiha Madara hadn't possessed an ability this bizarre.
His emotions surged like a raging torrent, but Hiruzen kept his face impassive. "An ability this powerful must have serious limitations, right?"
Uchiha Yuji answered frankly, "Opening up a world and controlling it at will takes a lot of chakra."
A lot of chakra, you say?
Hiruzen glanced at the scorched terrain all around them and the Uchiha elites sprawled on the ground. He studied the boy, who didn't even have a bead of sweat on him, and wondered if the intelligence he'd been given was false.
But Uchiha Yuji didn't give him any more time to think.
"I'm the kind of person who speaks plainly, Third. Let's be honest with each other."
The words were respectful, but Hiruzen didn't feel an ounce of respect behind them. Still, he didn't mind and nodded.
"I was thinking the same thing."
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat on the barren earth, unbothered by the harsh surroundings. His bright eyes met Uchiha Yuji's.
"The Second never trusted our Uchiha Clan. And as his student, you, Third, have never trusted us either."
"The Hokage is the leader of the village. When the leader makes it clear that he doesn't trust us, the villagers, who have no minds of their own, naturally follow his lead."
"Konoha has started to distrust the Uchiha, too."
The conversation had barely begun, yet a thin sheen of sweat had already appeared on Sarutobi Hiruzen's forehead.
"That's not—"
"I said we should be honest with each other. You should understand what that means, Third."
The blood-red eyes spun wildly, and in an instant the sky in that space turned crimson. The invisible pressure became a tangible force, pushing Hiruzen, who had just begun to rise, back down to the ground.
"You've sent us to the most dangerous battlefields to face the most dangerous enemies, even enemies whose abilities completely counter ours. We could endure all of that."
"Because we Uchiha are strong. We're strong! A crisis won't break us. It will only spur us to grow and become even stronger!"
The Uchiha standing nearby, along with those lying on the ground, all nodded in agreement and proudly puffed out their chests.
"But the Uchiha Police Force—that department's creation!"
"It only puts us in shackles and collars us. To you, our Uchiha Clan is no longer the clan that ended the Warring States era and founded Konoha alongside the Senju Clan."
"In your eyes, we're nothing but a weapon that could explode at any moment."
"I can even predict what will happen to the Uchiha Clan: the villagers will keep pushing us out of the inner circle until, one dark and windy night, we're wiped out completely."
"No. I won't let that happen." Sarutobi Hiruzen's words were resolute.
Uchiha Yuji sighed and shook his head slightly. "You're too weak, Third."
"Though they call you the Shinobi Hero, you don't have the courage of a true hero. You're even more timid than Elder Setsuna."
"You don't even have the courage to take out your partner, who keeps encroaching on your power and testing your limits. How could you expect us to trust you?"
"Oh?" Uchiha Yuji's rising momentum abruptly halted. A mocking smile appeared on his face. "He actually walked right into this."
"He blew himself up right in our Uchiha Clan Compound. No wonder he's a root buried deep beneath Konoha. He never does anything decent."
A round opening, like a mirror, suddenly appeared beside Uchiha Yuji. It showed a projection of events unfolding outside.
A powerful shock wave brought down countless walls. Blazing flames scattered everywhere, and tiny sparks quickly set the wooden buildings alight. Towering clouds of smoke and the sound of explosions rapidly drew the attention of all the shinobi left on guard.
Countless shadows rushed toward the smoke from nearby. They were the Anbu stationed in the area.
But they were met by countless dancing flames.
"Third, it's time to make your choice."
Meeting Uchiha Yuji's gaze, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a dull ache beginning to throb in his head.
He didn't need to think twice to know who in Konoha would do something like this.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had thought the Uchiha Clan's strange behavior was just an act of rebellion caused by their dissatisfaction with the status quo.
A few small adjustments should have been enough to deal with it. He'd never expected things to turn out like this.
The Uchiha Clan's leadership had been completely reshuffled. Now, there was only one voice in the entire clan.
And they'd just been talking about the village's distrust of the Uchiha. Hiruzen had been about to deny it, but Danzo had chosen this moment to show up, making it impossible for him to continue the conversation!
Danzo! Danzo! You've ruined everything!
Before you continue