Two Pairs of Mangekyō?

"Don't be so tense." Yue acted as if he hadn't noticed the killing intent in Fugaku's eyes and continued speaking unhurriedly.

"I'm here to tell you that someone has their sights set on the Nine-Tails inside Kushina Uzumaki. On the night she gives birth, one of the Uchiha, a person with the Sharingan, will summon the Nine-Tails and attack Konoha."

At those words, Fugaku's face instantly turned livid.

"Utter nonsense!"

Fugaku laughed furiously. "The Uchiha Clan signed a peace treaty with the village long ago. Why would we do something that would destroy our own foundations? And controlling the Nine-Tails... Do you think it's a summoning beast? It's a natural disaster!"

"Besides, you're a rogue ninja who came back at such a sensitive time, spreading rumors like this. Are you trying to drive a wedge between the Uchiha and the village so you can reap the benefits?"

To Fugaku, this was an exceptionally crude attempt to sow discord.

If the Nine-Tails' rampage happened, whether or not the Uchiha were responsible, the clan would become a target for everyone because they possessed the Sharingan. As clan head, he understood that better than anyone.

"Drive a wedge?"

Yue shook his head. The amusement in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by cold, condescending indifference. "I'm just warning you fools. Believe me or don't. That's up to you."

"Shut up!"

Fugaku was thoroughly enraged.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Jutsu!"

Without wasting another word, Fugaku formed Hand Seals at lightning speed.

But Yue and Hikari's Sharingan moved even faster than he could unleash his jutsu.

"Vmmm—!!!"

Two immense waves of chilling chakra, enough to suffocate anyone, erupted without restraint in the courtyard!

The three Tomoe in the eyes of Yue Uchiha and Hikari Uchiha spun, stretched, and intertwined at the same time.

In one eye, a deep and mysterious Star Dice pattern appeared.

In the other, an eerie, intricate Yachihoko pattern emerged.

Two pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan radiated a terrifying pressure, as if from hell itself, in the faint light of dawn!

"Th-this is..."

The fury on Fugaku Uchiha's face froze completely.

"Mangekyō... Sharingan?!"

Fugaku's voice was dry and hoarse, full of disbelief. "And... two pairs?!"

"Damn it, how could this happen?"

There was no way to settle this peacefully now.

Fugaku had a Mangekyō too, but he'd hardly ever used it, mostly because he feared the village would grow wary of him.

Now, if he fought them, winning wasn't even the only concern. The village's interrogation afterward would be more than enough to give him a headache.

"Can you calm down and hear me out now, Clan Head?"

Yue's voice remained even, but to Fugaku it rang like thunder.

Fugaku took a deep breath. Cold sweat slid down his cheek from his forehead.

He slowly let the chakra in his hands dissipate, and the Three Tomoe in his eyes receded into black.

As clan head, he had to take responsibility for the lives of the entire clan and the Uchiha's honor.

"Put away your ocular power... Don't draw people from the village here."

Fugaku's voice suddenly sounded years older. He waved his hand, looking somewhat dejected. "Let's talk inside."

Hikari glanced at Yue. When he nodded, she slowly deactivated her Mangekyō and obediently stepped half a pace behind him, returning to the quiet girl in red and white.

Yue straightened his collar, a satisfied smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

As expected, in the Ninja World, only when you showed enough power to flip the board would people calmly invite you to sit down and have tea.

"Sorry to trouble you, Clan Head Fugaku."

Yue stepped into the Japanese-style room, as if the hostility from moments ago had been nothing but an illusion.

The atmosphere inside the room was entirely different from the scorched-earth tension in the courtyard.

A faint incense fragrance mingled with the distinctive milky scent of a baby. It smelled like home.

"Fugaku, do we have guests? It sounded like quite a commotion in the courtyard..."

A gentle, warm voice came from the inner room.

A moment later, a woman with long hair, lovely features, and a dignified air emerged.

She held a swaddled infant in her arms and held the hand of a little boy around four or five years old with her other hand.

It was Mikoto Uchiha, along with the young Itachi Uchiha and the newborn Sasuke Uchiha.

Seeing the two strangers following her husband inside, especially the girl in red and white with a striking Short Blade at her waist, Mikoto's gaze tightened slightly.

Out of a ninja's instinct, she subconsciously held the baby in her arms a little closer.

The little boy she held by the hand, Itachi Uchiha, reacted with astonishing sharpness.

Though only four or five, the instant he saw Yue and Hikari, a maturity and wariness beyond his years flashed in his dark eyes.

That rogue ninja.

He quietly stepped forward, putting his small body between his mother and younger brother. His hand had even crept toward his Ninja Tool Pouch.

"So this is the legendary... Itachi Uchiha?"

Yue stopped with interest, his gaze settling on the prodigy who would one day bear the darkness of his entire clan.

Itachi didn't yet have the two distinctive lines running down from his eyes. His cheeks still had a touch of baby fat, but the resolve and protectiveness in his gaze were already beginning to take shape.

"Those are good eyes."

Ignoring Fugaku's murderous glare, Yue crouched down and brought his eyes level with Itachi's.

"Little one, you should greet your elders. It's rude to reach for your Kunai."

Itachi pressed his lips tightly together, his body taut like a drawn bow.

He felt a pressure unlike anything he'd ever experienced from this man, something as unfathomable as an abyss.

"Itachi, don't be rude."

Fugaku sternly stopped his son.

He knew just how powerful the two monsters before him were. If Itachi attacked rashly and offended them, the consequences... even Fugaku wouldn't be able to prevent them.

"These two are... distant relatives from the clan," Fugaku said through gritted teeth, struggling to invent an excuse.

"Distant relatives?"

Mikoto watched Fugaku lie through his teeth and rolled her eyes.

Yue's S-rank rogue ninja portrait was hanging in the most prominent place in the clan compound. Distant relatives? Who did he think he was fooling?

But as the clan head's wife, she was exceptionally composed.

She quickly regained her composure and offered a gracious smile. "So you're distant relatives. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Mikoto. Please excuse my earlier reaction."

"Think nothing of it. Lady Mikoto, you're raising your son well. He'll surely amount to great things."

Yue stood up and turned his gaze to the baby in Mikoto's arms.

That was Sasuke Uchiha.

Little Sasuke was sleeping soundly, completely unaware of what was happening around him. Half of his chubby little face peeked out from the swaddling, looking utterly defenseless.

"So this is the newborn? His name's Sasuke, right? Named after the Third Hokage's father, Sasuke Sarutobi... Clan Head Fugaku, you've certainly gone to great lengths to show the village your loyalty."

There was a sharp edge of mockery in Yue's words, and Fugaku's expression darkened further.

"May I hold him?"