Kotetsu

Toma Uchiha wanted to dissuade him, but upon meeting the eyes of Setsuna Uchiha, he found himself unable to utter a single word.

In that instant, he was struck by a strange illusion.

It felt as if the person he was pushing was not some decrepit old man on the verge of death, but a beast that had just broken free from its shackles, ready to devour anyone in its path!

"Understood."

"Mm."

Setsuna Uchiha sat upright again, his gaze sweeping across the mansion before he directed Toma Uchiha to push the wheelchair forward.

They entered what had once been his study.

Most of the books and scrolls in the room had been devoured by moths, yet a wooden box placed on the highest shelf remained perfectly intact.

Forget moths; not even a speck of dust had settled upon it.

It was as if even these mindless vermin could sense the danger contained within the box and had deliberately steered clear of it.

"This is..."

Toma Uchiha's gaze fell upon the wooden box, and he felt an inexplicable chill brush against his neck, as if he had suddenly been decapitated.

He jerked his hand up to touch his throat, only exhaling in relief once he confirmed he was unharmed.

In the split second that Toma Uchiha was distracted, the wooden box had already fallen into the hands of Setsuna Uchiha.

With a creak, the box opened, revealing the object preserved within.

It was a blade!

The appearance of the sword was extremely simple, its edge gleaming silver and devoid of any flashy patterns, yet the killing intent it exuded made one instinctively feel uneasy.

"The killing intent stored within the blade alone is enough to cause me to hallucinate?!"

Toma Uchiha felt his hair stand on end, but the moment he saw the sword, his breath hitched:

"Is this the blade Izuna Uchiha used back then?!"

As an elder among the Uchiha, Toma Uchiha had been born before the founding of Konoha and had once stepped onto the battlefield himself.

Naturally, he had witnessed the clashes between Izuna Uchiha and the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju; the weapon Izuna Uchiha had wielded back then was precisely this blade!

"I remember the name is..."

"Kotetsu!"

Setsuna Uchiha murmured, his gaze fixed on Kotetsu as if recalling days long past.

"After Izuna Uchiha passed away, this blade eventually came into my possession. I never expected that after all these years, it would have a chance to see the light of day again!"

"It is just a pity..."

"I am already past the age where I can wield it."

Bang!

Closing the wooden box once more, Setsuna Uchiha felt no further attachment to this place. He had intended to head straight to his quarters to summon his old subordinates, but on a whim, he paused and said:

"I heard there is an incredible junior in the clan."

"I shall go take a look."

"You need not follow; I can manage on my own."

"Yes!"

Konoha.

South District 4.

After Uchiha Shingen hurriedly clocked in at the Konoha Military Police Force, he brought Shisui here.

Today, Jiraiya had uncharacteristically not come over to discuss his new book. Although Uchiha Shingen was somewhat surprised, his attention was quickly drawn to other matters.

Along the way, the expressions on everyone's faces were somewhat grave.

Recalling the strange atmosphere at the Konoha Military Police Force today, Uchiha Shingen pulled Shisui aside and asked:

"Has something happened within the clan?!"

"Captain Shingen, you don't know yet?!"

Shisui was somewhat surprised, but seeing that the confusion on Uchiha Shingen's face was not feigned, his young face turned solemn as he explained:

"Elder Setsuna has been released from prison."

"Setsuna?!"

"Setsuna Uchiha?! The one who rebelled against the Second Hokage back then?!"

Shisui nodded and continued:

"The relationship between the Uchiha and the village had just begun to show signs of improvement, but now that the village has released him, I fear there will be trouble."

Hearing this, Uchiha Shingen's expression grew several shades more serious.

Whether it was Konoha or the Uchiha, both were vague about the coup d'état launched by Setsuna Uchiha, but there was no doubt that Setsuna Uchiha had ultimately failed.

Yet, it was precisely this coup that tore the already crumbling trust between Konoha and the Uchiha even further apart.

It could be said that for the Uchiha's current predicament, aside from the precautions taken by the Konoha leadership and the attack by the clan head from two generations ago, Uchiha Madara, this man had to take the biggest share of the blame.

This old geezer showing up now, he wouldn't have any impact on my grand plan of slacking off at the Police Force, would he?!

That absolutely cannot happen!

With his grand plan of slacking off at stake, Uchiha Shingen was pondering whether there was any room for him to intervene in this matter.

Shisui then broke free from his hand and walked toward the intersection in the distance.

Uchiha Shingen looked toward Shisui and saw an old man with silver hair and a withered complexion sitting in a wheelchair by the side of the road.

This old man was none other than Setsuna Uchiha, who had come here from the Uchiha clan to take a look at the two most outstanding juniors of this era.

Unaware of the truth, Shisui took the initiative to approach him:

"Grandpa, do you need any help?!"

"..."

Setsuna Uchiha was clearly somewhat uncomfortable with Shisui's sudden closeness.

Seeing that Shisui had not seen through his identity, he decided to play along and pointed toward a bookstore in the distance:

"I would like to go there to buy a few books."

"I'll push you over."

With that, Shisui pushed the old man to the entrance of the bookstore that Uchiha Shingen often frequented and settled him in front of the tea table that Jiraiya had set out.

After Shisui poured a cup of tea for Setsuna Uchiha and saw that he had no other needs, he returned to Uchiha Shingen's side.

Setsuna Uchiha sat at the tea table, and after scanning his surroundings, his gaze landed on Uchiha Shingen in the distance, his aged brows instantly knitting together!

Even though it was his first time seeing Uchiha Shingen, he sensed a familiar scent!

"It's the Nara!"

"Could Uchiha Shingen be a half-blood of the Nara?"

"However."

"Although the Nara clan is somewhat lazy by nature, they possess a level of intellect that most Uchiha clansmen lack, which explains why he is valued by that kid Fugaku."

"I shall observe him first to see what he is truly made of."

"If he is truly outstanding, I might consider taking him under my wing!"

Seeing Shisui return, Uchiha Shingen gestured with his chin toward the old man:

"Do you know him?"

Shisui shook his head:

"I don't. But he looked quite pitiful all by himself, so I went to ask."

Uchiha Shingen acknowledged this. He did not sense any particular aura, so he lowered his guard and resumed the previous topic:

"Speaking of which, how much do you know about this man, Setsuna Uchiha?!"

Shisui shook his head, his brows slightly furrowed:

"Although it's not good to gossip behind people's backs, from what I understand."

"Setsuna Uchiha has an aggressive personality and an iron-fisted style; he is the type of person who would draw his blade and strike at the slightest disagreement."

"His appearance in the Uchiha clan at this time may not be a good thing!"

"I've also heard people say that he didn't do many good deeds back when he was in the clan!"

Bang--!

Just as Shisui was getting into the flow of his story, a sudden explosion rang out from the tea table in the distance.

Uchiha Shingen couldn't help but turn his head to look, and with his eyesight, he could clearly see the shattered teacup in the old man's hand.

Whether it was his imagination or not, he vaguely felt that the veins on the back of the old man's hand were bulging abnormally.

Was there something wrong with his health?!