Let Senju Call Him "Father"

Sarutobi Hiruzen watched through the Telescope Technique, his expression shifting to one of shock as he clearly saw the Mangekyo Sharingan within the eyes of Uchiha Fugaku.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had never expected the Uchiha clan to be hiding a Mangekyo Sharingan user; at this moment, he could not help but grow suspicious once more, wondering if Fugaku was the true culprit behind the Nine-Tails Incident.

After all, no one knew exactly how long those eyes had been kept hidden.

At the same time, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a sense of relief that Danzo had acted preemptively, successfully eliminating one Shadow-level combatant from the Uchiha clan.

One had to realize that the Uchiha clan's Mangekyo had only begun to surface just as Danzo was about to strike, which showed just how deeply the clan had been guarding against the village.

If they had been allowed to gather even a few more Mangekyo users, the village might truly have changed hands.

And the prospect of the Uchiha clan taking control of the village was something Sarutobi Hiruzen could never accept.

After all, Sarutobi Hiruzen had harbored intentions of passing the position of Hokage down to the Sarutobi family—if only his two sons weren't so...

After landing several hundred strikes, Uchiha Fugaku grew a bit bored.

While he had certainly enjoyed the catharsis, he had to admit his heart ached a little, though not by much.

In the end, he rendered Uchiha Itachi unconscious and released the Tsukuyomi space.

Looking down at the Uchiha Itachi lying before him, Uchiha Fugaku beckoned to Izumi Uchiha, whom he had specifically kept behind.

Seeing the clan head summon her, Izumi Uchiha immediately stepped forward to stand before Uchiha Fugaku.

Uchiha Fugaku looked at Izumi Uchiha and smiled with satisfaction.

"Izumi! I'm entrusting my good-for-nothing son to you."

"I have high hopes for you."

"And from now on, please take good care of Itachi."

Having matured early due to the influence of the ninja world, Izumi Uchiha understood exactly what Uchiha Fugaku meant by keeping her behind. Her face flushed red at his words, and she hurriedly replied.

"Yes, Lord Clan Head."

Uchiha Fugaku was not pleased with her response and immediately put on a stern face.

"Calling me Clan Head is so distant, isn't it? Just go all the way and call me 'Father,' just like Itachi does."

Hearing Uchiha Fugaku's words, Izumi Uchiha's face turned even redder, her mind spiraling into a daze, until she finally whispered under his expectant gaze.

"Father."

Hearing that "Father," Uchiha Fugaku smiled in satisfaction, then picked up Itachi and handed him to Izumi Uchiha.

"My Itachi is in your hands now."

"Yes, Father, I will definitely take good care of Itachi."

Meanwhile, the Third Elder, who had been watching the battle from the sidelines, was burning with rage.

"That old shameless Fugaku, how dare he make my granddaughter call him 'Father'? Does he even deserve it?"

"So that's why he kept my granddaughter behind—he had this planned all along. Trash, he's the trash of all trash."

"And to think he's sending Izumi to that traitor Uchiha Itachi, trying to play matchmaker between them?"

"He didn't even consult me! He's completely ignoring me, the Third Elder. Where does he put me, her grandfather?"

"Baka, baka, baka..."

Uchiha Setsuna and several other clansmen struggled to hold back the impulsive Third Elder, Kagami Uchiha.

"Uchiha Itachi is a genius who awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, after all. Your granddaughter isn't exactly getting the short end of the stick, is she?"

"And Kagami, don't be impulsive. You can't beat Uchiha Fugaku right now."

"That's my granddaughter! See how you'd react if it were yours!"

"I don't care if he's a genius; I don't approve, and that's that."

"Can't beat him... I'll fight him anyway!"

Kagami Uchiha, who had been on the verge of charging forward, froze when he realized the other elders had suddenly let go of him.

Could he really fight Fugaku? He doubted ten Kagami Uchihas would be enough to handle him.

Kagami Uchiha could only force himself to swallow his embarrassment, returning to his original spot to stand in silence.

The other clansmen stood by, suppressing their laughter; it had been a long time since such an interesting scene had unfolded within the clan.

Uchiha Fugaku did not return immediately; he had no desire to face the Third Elder's wrinkled, angry face.

He understood the Third Elder well enough to know that after this stunt, the old man likely wanted him dead.

But for the sake of his son, he would shoulder the burden.

However, had that furious child not arrived yet?

It was truly a coincidence; no sooner had Fugaku thought of the furious child, Uchiha Obito, than a vortex appeared, and Uchiha Obito arrived on the scene.

????

Uchiha Obito stared at Uchiha Fugaku before him, feeling somewhat bewildered. Where was Uchiha Itachi?

Had he fallen into some scheme of Uchiha Itachi's?

It was one thing that the Military Police Force was empty, but even Uchiha Itachi was nowhere to be found. If things went on like this, how was he supposed to collect the Sharingan?

Besides, wasn't it agreed that he would handle Fugaku himself? How did it end up with him facing Uchiha Fugaku alone?

Uchiha Fugaku looked at the furious youth before him and decided to tease him a little, playing along with the act.

"Who are you, and what business do you have with my Uchiha clan?"

Hearing Uchiha Fugaku's inquiry, Uchiha Obito gave up on thinking and instantly entered his role, putting on a facade.

"My name is Madara Uchiha."

????

Uchiha Obito watched Uchiha Fugaku remain completely unmoved and was left speechless. Had the name of Madara Uchiha become so worthless these days?

Uchiha Fugaku decided to expose him directly, then spoke to Obito in a grave, earnest tone.

"Really, of all people to impersonate, why did you have to choose Madara Uchiha? You don't even stop to think how old Madara Uchiha would be if he were still alive today."

"You are clearly just a child; isn't that obvious? You are definitely not Madara Uchiha."

"Besides, Madara Uchiha never liked to show himself behind a mask."

"And your disguise is far too clumsy—you aren't even carrying the Uchiha Gunbai."

????

Hearing Uchiha Fugaku's analysis, Uchiha Obito could barely keep his composure.

I'm the enemy, alright? And is now really the time to debate whether or not I am Madara Uchiha?

Looking at Uchiha Fugaku's calm, talkative face, Uchiha Obito could no longer hold back and chose to strike directly.

As for losing, he, Obito, possessed the invincible Kamui.

Uchiha Fugaku watched Uchiha Obito charging toward him and sighed helplessly.

"A youngster indeed, simply unable to keep his cool."

"Let me let you experience the care of an elder from your own clan."

However, Uchiha Fugaku was not as merciful toward Uchiha Obito as he had been toward Itachi. He immediately activated his Mangekyo Sharingan to unleash his ocular technique, Space Breaker, and slashed toward Obito with his blade.

Relying on Kamui, Obito did not dodge or weave, choosing to clash head-on. He intended to use his Mangekyo technique, Intangibility, to catch Uchiha Fugaku off guard and finish him with a single strike.

The two collided, and a spray of blood erupted as an arm clutching a long blade was severed.

????

Uchiha Obito stared at his fallen arm, his mind instantly reeling.

This was the first time Obito had been struck while his Kamui was active. One had to know that even his teacher, the man known as the Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze, had no solution for his ocular technique, Kamui.

At this moment, Obito began to panic; after all, his greatest reliance had failed him, and he hadn't brought White Zetsu Tobi with him this time.

He couldn't even manifest Wood Release for the moment. What was he to do?