The Third Power-Susanoo!

"Again?!"

Shisui stood to one side, his hands crossed in front of him protectively. His scalp prickled.

He had the Sharingan too, so he could sense far more clearly than an ordinary person just how powerful the ocular prowess Uchiha Fugaku had unleashed was!

At first, Shisui had thought the Uchiha's talk of a coup was nothing more than a moth flying into a flame—a reckless gamble with everything at stake.

But now...

Now that he could sense the two terrifying powers in the room...

Shisui's convictions had already been completely shaken.

With two Mangekyō Sharingan, the Uchiha really did have the power to bring Konoha down with them.

The changes in the room continued.

As Fugaku activated his Mangekyō, a red skeletal half-body of Susanoo began to take shape behind him at almost the same moment.

Susanoo's skeletal arm reached out to shield Fugaku, like a monster guarding its lord. It seemed to possess the strength to sweep everything away!

"The Third Power—Susanoo!"

Setsuna Uchiha murmured. The excitement that had filled his eyes at the power of the Mangekyō vanished in an instant, replaced by calm.

As the Uchiha's former leader, he knew very well what it meant to wield Susanoo.

Uchiha Fugaku was even more proficient with the Mangekyō Sharingan than he was!

This Uchiha Clan Head, who seemed to pose no threat, might be the person who had hidden his true strength most deeply in all of Konoha!

"Decades have passed, and the Uchiha Clan has produced quite a remarkable figure. What a shame he's content to remain in a corner."

"Fugaku, if you and I joined forces, we'd have the strength to challenge the Konoha High Command."

Setsuna Uchiha still refused to give up. He wanted to ally with Fugaku, but the latter had no such intention at all.

"Back then, the First, Senju Hashirama, and the previous clan head, Uchiha Madara, had to join forces to keep the great and small shinobi clans of Konoha in check and withstand incursions from other countries."

"With just two Mangekyō Sharingan, even if the Uchiha could replace Konoha, all we'd gain would be ruins left behind by war. There'd be no point."

"The young really do surpass their elders."

Setsuna Uchiha sighed and withdrew the ocular power surging in his eyes. Seeing this, Uchiha Fugaku likewise drew back his Chakra.

If two Mangekyō wielders fought here, they might destroy the entire Naka Shrine!

The dark Chakra that had filled the air gradually faded, and the suffocating pressure receded like a tide.

"Hah... hah... hah..."

Shisui dropped to one knee and gasped for breath. He was already drenched in sweat.

The only things echoing through his mind were the Mangekyō Sharingan the two men had just displayed, and the technique Uchiha Fugaku had demonstrated—the one called Susanoo!

Dark, powerful, impossible to resist!

This was no technique an ordinary shinobi could wield!

Uchiha Shingen, standing to one side, was just as stunned.

Even though he had already held high expectations for the Sharingan after its evolution, seeing the two men use it for real had still far exceeded anything he had imagined.

This power was enough to break through the limits of ordinary ninjutsu and reach another dimension!

More importantly...

The technique Uchiha Fugaku had just used, Susanoo, made Uchiha Shingen envious beyond words.

That red skeleton had completely enveloped Fugaku, making it both a shield and a weapon.

Shingen had no idea how strong its defense was, but the Chakra that had just filled the air made one thing clear: ordinary ninjutsu couldn't possibly break through Susanoo's defenses!

After all, defense was a crucial part of the artillery strategy Uchiha Shingen had planned for himself.

An artillery platform that couldn't hold its ground was useless. Susanoo solved that problem perfectly!

"So this is... the Mangekyō Sharingan?!"

"This is the Mangekyō Sharingan."

Uchiha Fugaku turned toward the two at the edge of the room and offered an explanation.

"That's right."

Setsuna Uchiha nodded. His sharp presence faded, and he once again looked like an old man on the brink of death. He explained,

"The Mangekyō Sharingan's abilities vary from person to person. That's where its name comes from. But as long as you have both eyes, you can awaken Susanoo."

"It has other abilities?!"

Uchiha Shingen seized on the key phrase. When Setsuna Uchiha nodded, his surprise only deepened.

So the evolved Mangekyō Sharingan had not only ocular power that surpassed the ordinary Sharingan and Susanoo, which was both offense and defense, but also unique ocular techniques?!

That was ridiculously overpowered...

Thanks to Jiraiya's guidance during this time, Uchiha Shingen had gained a comprehensive understanding of the Kekkei Genkai in the Shinobi World.

He knew the Sharingan's potential already put it leagues above most known Kekkei Genkai.

The two weren't even on the same level.

Didn't that make the Uchiha seem even more like the protagonists?

The Sharingan, a power that grew through failure and pain, was a protagonist staple in any manga.

Uchiha Shingen couldn't help turning to Shisui. The more he looked at the kid, the more he liked him.

Without Shingen, Shisui's story would probably have gone something like this: a few years later, after the war, he would awaken the Sharingan, resolve the conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha, and bring the war to an end in one fell swoop.

The classic hero's journey. As classic as it got!

Who would believe he wasn't the protagonist?!

"Is something wrong, Shingen?"

Shisui shifted uncomfortably under Uchiha Shingen's gaze.

"Nothing."

Uchiha Shingen shook his head, banishing the sudden thought. Then he turned back to the two men and asked,

"So what are your ocular techniques, Clan Head and Elder Setsuna?!"

"That's a secret."

Uchiha Fugaku smiled and shook his head.

"In a battle between shinobi of comparable strength, whoever learns the other's secrets first gains an overwhelming advantage."

"Ninjutsu is every shinobi's greatest secret. Mangekyō ocular techniques, even more so."

"If you make it this far yourself, you'll understand what I mean."

Uchiha Shingen understood. He was now even more eager to learn what kind of ocular techniques his own eyes would grant him once he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Still, he couldn't help feeling disappointed that he hadn't seen their techniques.

Just then, Setsuna Uchiha spoke up.

"If you want to see mine, I can show you. This technique doesn't mean much anymore to an old man like me, not when both my legs are crippled."

"But you have to agree to one condition."

Uchiha Shingen's eyes lit up with interest.

"What condition?!"

"Cough, cough—!"

Settled into his wheelchair, Setsuna Uchiha coughed softly twice. A teasing look entered his eyes.

"I'm old, and I don't have any blood relatives. I still need someone to inherit everything I've learned. You seem like a good fit."