As Uchiha Chen waited expectantly, the seconds ticked by. In the silent night, even the faint beat of his heart seemed loud.
The wind that had howled outside the window had fallen silent at some point. The surroundings grew unnaturally quiet; even the insects, usually chirping without pause, seemed to sense something amiss and gradually fell silent.
A cold, murderous aura spread like a ghost around the house, lightly licking at every inch of air.
The house was like a nimble wild deer racing across the grasslands, caught in a lion's sights and unable to escape.
Yet no one knew whether the creature inside was a trembling lamb or a dragon soaring through the heavens.
Uchiha Chen, keenly aware that something was wrong outside, didn't just sit and wait.
He took a deep breath, then resolutely stepped forward and slowly walked outside.
The moment he stepped out the door, he looked up sharply and locked eyes with a figure in the woods.
The figure was hidden in the darkness, but his eyes, gleaming with three tomoe, were clearly visible.
"Clan head, you've come to visit in the middle of the night. Do you have some important mission for me?"
A trace of puzzlement crossed Uchiha Chen's face, though a careful listener could still detect a hint of mockery in his words.
There were only a few minutes left before Kotoamatsukami was unsealed.
Yet, facing Uchiha Fugaku, who had come for reasons unknown, Uchiha Chen remained extraordinarily calm. That made Fugaku's hard-won, banked anger flare up all over again.
Despite the turmoil in his heart, the Uchiha Clan's powerful leader stayed calm as he approached Uchiha Chen step by step.
They drew closer and closer until only a meter separated them. Fugaku's cold voice echoed through the silent night: "Chen, you actually dared to try to manipulate me and become the Uchiha Clan's leader?"
Uchiha Chen was privately startled that the very person in question had exposed his thoughts in a single sentence. Fugaku, watching him closely, caught the flicker of surprise in his eyes.
Then, before Uchiha Chen could react,—
Uchiha Fugaku roared, "You want to replace me? Then you can die first!"
Before the words had even faded, Fugaku tore off his shirt. Countless Explosive Tags were plastered all over his body, as densely packed as locusts.
In an instant, a deafening blast erupted, and a huge fireball shot into the sky. Caught completely off guard, Uchiha Chen could only summon every ounce of strength to defend himself with Susanoo.
The scorching blast wave and billowing smoke from the explosion rolled and rose through the pitch-black night.
Uchiha Chen had raised Susanoo in time, but he had still been a moment too late.
Flames had burned him in several places, and the pain was unbearable.
Before he could catch his breath, more fierce attacks came one after another.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" At Uchiha Fugaku's furious shout, four enormous fireballs, blazing like meteors, hurtled toward Uchiha Chen with incredible speed.
Uchiha Chen had been about to dismiss Susanoo, but seeing this, he could only grit his teeth and reinforce his defenses.
Uchiha Fugaku knew how terrifying the Mangekyō Sharingan could be, so he kept a safe distance and used ninjutsu to wear down his opponent. After all, Susanoo was powerful, but it consumed even more chakra.
After a sustained barrage of ninjutsu, Uchiha Chen finally reacted from within Susanoo.
He didn't know how Uchiha Fugaku had seen through his intentions, but now that he had been exposed, he decided to go all out. He closed his left eye, preparing to attack.
A moment later, he suddenly opened his eyes wide, and a line of blood trickled from the corner of his eye.
At his command, black flames appeared from thin air beneath the gaze of his Sharingan. In an instant, they reduced every attack and obstacle around him to ash.
With everything before him devoured, the attacks around him came to a halt as well. It was as if the domineering flames of Amaterasu had already burned their attacker to nothing.
Uchiha Chen knew that Uchiha Fugaku wouldn't die so easily, so he kept Susanoo active. But waiting around wasn't an option either: the commotion would soon draw people over to investigate, so he had to finish this quickly.
He still hadn't realized that a barrier had been erected around the area. After a moment's thought, he swayed as if his chakra had run out and he could no longer maintain Susanoo, then swiftly withdrew it into his body.
He hoped to lure Uchiha Fugaku into attacking again.
Hidden in the darkness, Uchiha Fugaku gazed at Uchiha Chen, who appeared weak and was struggling to dismiss Susanoo. Scorn filled his heart, and a contemptuous glint flashed in his eyes.
He was nothing but a green youngster, fresh out of the gate. Even though he had risen to Jonin, he had no real combat experience.
How could such terrible acting fool anyone?
Even with the most powerful eyes in the Uchiha Clan, he was still so weak it was laughable.
Still, that was something Fugaku could use to his advantage. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he began to move slowly.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Chen, pretending to be exhausted, grew anxious.
If this dragged on any longer, his wounds would be almost healed thanks to his Sage Body.
Just then, Uchiha Chen suddenly felt a strong hand clamp around his ankle.
He showed no surprise. Instead, a trace of delight rose in his heart.
Using the other person's strength, Uchiha Chen let himself be pulled into the earth.
He knew that even if he were buried, once Uchiha Fugaku appeared and he used Kotoamatsukami, all his problems would be resolved.
Thinking this, he stared at the figure bursting from the earth, katana in hand and poised to strike, and shouted excitedly, "Kotoamatsukami!"
In an instant, a vast surge of ocular power poured forth like a raging torrent.
But to his astonishment, the figure before him and the weapon in his hand burst apart the moment they were struck, dissolving into a dense cloud of smoke.
Uchiha Chen's face darkened. This was the second time since his rebirth that he had been fooled by a Shadow Clone. Was this technique specifically designed to counter him?
The sound of hurried footsteps rapidly approached. Having just unleashed Kotoamatsukami with all his strength, he was temporarily short on chakra.
Now the situation was truly dire. This wasn't another act.
He was about to say something to buy time when a cold flash of light suddenly cut across the night sky.
The next instant, Uchiha Chen felt a chill at his throat. Then the world spun, his consciousness grew hazy, and he finally sank into darkness.