Misleading Sarutobi Hiruzen

Seeing the two men agree, Uchiha Fugaku smiled.

Since he intended to become a Sage clan, the matter of senjutsu would inevitably be exposed sooner or later; it was better to take this opportunity to intimidate and mislead them.

After all, they had no idea of the true nature of the senjutsu he had created and would only compare it to the senjutsu of the Three Great Sage Regions.

And he, of course, possessed information regarding the Three Great Sage Regions.

Uchiha Fugaku then spoke.

"In that case, Lord Hokage, Clan Leader Hiashi, I shall not decline. Please forgive my clumsy display."

As he spoke, a unique energy surged from within Uchiha Fugaku's body.

A crimson chakra cloak formed around Uchiha Fugaku, covering his entire body. The red cloak was adorned with black patterns, and several black tomoe appeared on the collar of the garment.

As the chakra cloak fully materialized, a wave of unique energy pulsed outward, battering the surroundings.

The Uchiha clansmen had long since retreated to a distance at Uchiha Fugaku's signal, leaving only Sarutobi Hiruzen and Hyuga Hiashi, who were closest, to face the pressure and energy shockwave of Uchiha Fugaku's exclusive Sage Mode.

Under the weight of this energy, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Hyuga Hiashi were forced to use their full strength just to hold their ground and avoid appearing disgraced.

In the distance, Might Guy's eyes lit up as he watched Uchiha Fugaku. He couldn't help but wonder: how would the Clan Leader's Sage Mode compare to his own Eight Inner Gates Formation, which burned with the fire of youth?

However, as they were both from the same village, he likely wouldn't have the chance to test it.

But as for his attitude toward the strong, he, Might Guy, would eventually surpass them all.

That is the essence of my youth.

With this, the figure of Uchiha Fugaku was firmly etched into the mind of the face-blind Might Guy.

Meanwhile, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Hyuga Hiashi, now drenched in sweat, were far less excited than the distant Might Guy.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Hyuga Hiashi exchanged glances, both seeing the shock in the other's eyes.

Wasn't this pressure a bit too strong?

As expected, Uchiha Fugaku was the one hiding the deepest in Konoha. Not only had he awakened a Sharingan comparable to Madara Uchiha without anyone noticing, but he had also mastered the senjutsu used by the First Hokage and achieved Sage Mode.

Fortunately, he lacked Wood Release; it was hard to imagine the tremors that would shake the ninja world if someone possessed both of those supreme abilities.

(Sarutobi Hiruzen: No, when I get back, I must find more forbidden techniques for mutual destruction. I am determined to take Uchiha Fugaku down with me.)

(Hyuga Hiashi: When I return, I must warn all my clansmen to avoid conflict with the Uchiha Clan. What if one of my subordinates hits an Uchiha and the Clan Leader comes to hit me back? I can't beat an Uchiha Clan Leader who knows senjutsu and pilots a giant avatar.)

Seeing their expressions, Uchiha Fugaku smiled and spoke.

"What do you two think of this exclusive Sage Mode of my Uchiha Clan?"

Upon hearing Uchiha Fugaku speak, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Hyuga Hiashi felt a sound as vast as a great bell tolling through their souls. After a brief moment of disorientation, their souls began to ache violently.

What was happening? He hadn't used any genjutsu, so why were they suffering mental damage?

Seeing their expressions, Uchiha Fugaku suddenly remembered something and slapped his forehead.

"I forgot. My exclusive Sage Mode has a trait: it cannot be heard."

"Anyone who hears me speak while I have Sage Mode activated will suffer a soul-based attack."

"I am truly sorry, Lord Hokage..."

Before Uchiha Fugaku could finish, he was interrupted by Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was clutching his head and forcing himself to speak.

"Clan Leader Fugaku, say no more. Please, deactivate your Sage Mode. I... we can barely hold on."

To be honest, it was humiliating for Sarutobi Hiruzen to admit this. As the Third Hokage, known as the strongest in history, he couldn't even listen to Uchiha Fugaku's voice without suffering—it was truly shameful.

But it was better than fainting from the strain.

Hearing this, Uchiha Fugaku reluctantly deactivated his Sage Mode and said, "Yes, yes, yes."

"Look at me. Once a clan leader gets busy, he develops a habit of being forgetful."

"My deepest apologies, Lord Hokage, Clan Leader Hiashi."

Hearing Uchiha Fugaku's words, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Hyuga Hiashi looked at him with a hint of resentment. They couldn't see a shred of genuine apology on his face; instead, they sensed a feeling of lingering dissatisfaction.

What was that? Did you actually want to talk us to death just now, Uchiha Fugaku?

(Uchiha Fugaku: It wouldn't have been impossible. (#^.^#))

Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen and Hyuga Hiashi still clutching their heads in pain, Uchiha Fugaku hurriedly stepped forward, speaking with concern.

"I am truly sorry. I didn't expect that just looking at me would hurt you both."

"But Lord Hokage, Clan Leader Hiashi, this is my first time using this ability."

"I didn't realize its power would be so great. After all, it's just a trivial, unavoidable side effect of this Sage Mode."

"I never imagined that simply speaking would accidentally injure you both, but surely, Lord Hokage and Clan Leader Hiashi, you can't blame this entirely on me?"

"After all, I only demonstrated it because you asked, Lord Hokage."

Hearing such shameless words from Uchiha Fugaku, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Hyuga Hiashi felt their heads ache even more.

If you want to say we are weak, just say it; there is no need to be so roundabout.

However, they truly had no way to deal with Uchiha Fugaku for the time being. Firstly, it was indeed the two of them who had made the request, and secondly, they couldn't exactly admit that their strength was lacking, could they?

After a while, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Hyuga Hiashi both recovered their composure and spoke.

"It is nothing; we were merely affected by it for a moment."

"However, Clan Leader Fugaku, would it be convenient for you to disclose the difficulty of practicing this exclusive Sage Mode of the Uchiha Clan?"

Upon hearing the inquiry, Uchiha Fugaku couldn't help but mutter to himself. As expected of you, Third Hokage; you ask the most critical question right from the start. However, this also serves as an opportunity for me to mislead you. Uchiha Fugaku then spoke the truth.

"The difficulty of practice depends on an individual's talent. For me personally, it was still very difficult, and practicing Sage Mode requires special conditions."

"Otherwise, even if the Sage Mode were placed right in front of them, even the most talented person would be unable to master it."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded in deep agreement after hearing this.

After all, Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze had both practiced Sage Mode, and both were only half-successful. Not only was practicing Sage Mode extremely dangerous, but it was also incredibly arduous.

At the same time, one needed to travel to one of the Three Great Sage Regions, Mount Myoboku, and endure all sorts of hardships to succeed.

It stood to reason that the Uchiha Clan's Sage Mode was the same; he estimated that the difficulty of practicing it was likely no less than, or perhaps even greater than, the Sage Mode of Mount Myoboku.

After all, the Uchiha Clan did not have the assistance of the Three Great Sage Regions.

Furthermore, Uchiha Fugaku had been practicing in secret for who knows how long. Judging by how he had hidden the fact that he had awakened a Sharingan comparable to Madara Uchiha, he had likely been concealing this Sage Mode for quite some time as well.

Yet, even though the facts pointed this way, Sarutobi Hiruzen still felt that Uchiha Fugaku was hiding something.

And indeed, Uchiha Fugaku was concealing a few things. What Uchiha Fugaku spoke of was his own exclusive Sage Mode. That exclusive version was indeed as difficult as he described, and if not for Uchiha Fugaku being in Enlightenment Mode, he likely wouldn't have been able to master it even after decades.

However, while in Enlightenment Mode, Uchiha Fugaku had created two simplified versions—a genius version and a standard version. Not only was the difficulty of practice greatly reduced, but there were also no environmental requirements, and by utilizing the Uchiha bloodline, the risk of petrification was bypassed.

Of course, if there were no way to avoid the risk of petrification, Uchiha Fugaku would never have considered passing it down to the clan. After all, he wanted the clan to prosper, not to turn everyone into stone statues.