Exposure

The next day!

After a night of rest, Uchiha Chen woke up leisurely to the melodious chirping of birds in the early morning, then slowly sat up from his bed.

As usual, he spent the morning by the river honing his control over his power; at noon, he would guide Izumi in her cultivation, teasing her intentionally and watching the girl, who was becoming increasingly bold yet shy, fill Uchiha Chen's heart with a sense of pleasure.

After all, the joy of raising someone lies in exactly this.

In the evening, he lay lazily on a chair, listening to the useless information Uchiha Mikoto brought him, while restlessly moving his hands over her, drawing soft gasps from her.

Time slipped away silently just like that; tomorrow would be the day Kotoamatsukami fully recovered.

Over the past month, the relationship between Izumi and Uchiha Chen had become increasingly intimate, and she seemed to have completely forgotten the existence of Uchiha Itachi.

As for the physical contact with Uchiha Mikoto, Uchiha Chen had already experienced everything except for that crucial final step.

Next, once Uchiha Chen successfully controlled Uchiha Fugaku, no one would be able to stop him from breaking the virginity he had maintained for two lifetimes.

After all, such a commemorative moment naturally requires a witness to be perfect! Thinking of this, Uchiha Chen couldn't help but reveal a smug smile.

Meanwhile, in a hidden room, as the news returned via a shadow clone, Uchiha Fugaku's heart was sliding bit by bit into a bottomless abyss.

His eyes were wide with rage, his face a mask of disbelief.

Because he had discovered that his wife, that woman who was the most noble of the Uchiha clan, seemed to have betrayed him!

What made it even harder for him to accept was that the object of her affair was a clansman under his own rule!

For a moment, endless sorrow surged into his heart; Uchiha Fugaku's head felt as messy as if it had been bombarded by dozens of Great Fireballs in succession.

He truly could not understand why such a thing would happen. In terms of power, strength, status, and position, which part of him was not completely superior to that arrogant, wet-behind-the-ears brat? Could it be just because the other party was young?

Yet, for so many years, his wife had always been the model of a high-society lady; her elegant demeanor, her refined upbringing—everything about her was a benchmark among the noble ladies of Konoha.

Thinking of this, Uchiha Fugaku's mood crumbled further, his thoughts becoming increasingly chaotic. Recalling how Uchiha Mikoto had paid more attention to her appearance over the past month, and the sudden, charming expressions she wore every night... all of it now felt like sharp blades carved into his heart.

Uchiha Fugaku's hand, gripping his sword, tightened involuntarily, even crushing the hilt, as if hinting that he would crush that man into pieces just like the broken hilt.

He gritted his teeth tightly, the friction of his teeth making a faint sound from the excessive force. From between his clenched teeth, he struggled to squeeze out the name he hated to the core: "Uchiha Chen!"

His voice was filled with endless anger and hatred, as if he wanted to chew the name up and swallow it. Then, he continued through gritted teeth: "I will kill you with my own hands! And Uchiha Mikoto..." As he said this, he clenched his jaw even tighter, as if trying his best to suppress the surging emotions within.

As the fire of rage in his heart grew more intense, his originally calm eyes suddenly changed. The eyes representing the curse of the Uchiha clan opened uncontrollably, and the pattern in his pupils rapidly transformed from three tomoe into the magnificent Mangekyo form.

The ocular power churning within was as surging as waves, as if it might erupt at any moment.

Susanoo: A repressed voice came from his mouth; the long-hidden Mangekyo ocular technique was thus revealed, though unfortunately, none of this was known to anyone else.

Accompanied by a low roar, a line of bright red blood tears slowly flowed from the corners of Uchiha Fugaku's eyes.

As if he had understood something, he muttered: Is that so, Mikoto? So that's how it is. His heart gradually returned to calm, but his bleeding eyes became even deeper red, like burning flames.

Under the moonlight, his eyes were scarlet, yet his figure was shrouded in darkness like a demon returned from hell, chilling to the bone.

Night fell, and all was silent.

With only one hour left until Kotoamatsukami unsealed tomorrow, Uchiha Chen, dressed in simple clothes, sat quietly in his room in a cross-legged position.

The kunai in his hand spun nimbly, rotating rapidly at his fingertips to form a dazzling light. This seemingly simple action actually revealed the excitement he could not suppress in his heart.

At this moment, a ghost-like black shadow appeared quietly about a hundred meters outside Uchiha Chen's house.

Looking closely, the person was none other than Uchiha Fugaku. He looked solemn, his hands forming seals rapidly, and with a loud "poof," he instantly split into three shadow clones identical to his original body!

Immediately after, Uchiha Uchiha Fugaku took four palm-sized miniature scrolls from his vest and distributed them to the shadow clones.

The four figures each held a scroll, and after receiving them, the shadow clones flashed away like lightning, disappearing from the spot in the blink of an eye.

Once the four of them had taken their positions with Uchiha Chen's house as the core, firmly occupying the east, west, south, and north directions at a distance of one hundred meters from each other, they knelt on one knee in unison. Each person placed one hand gently on a scroll while the other hand stood upright in front of them, whispering softly: "Release!"

In an instant, chakra flowed gently from the palms pressing on the scrolls, and the scrolls in their hands seemed to sense something, beginning to expand at an astonishing speed.

Within a few short breaths, these scrolls, which were originally only the size of a palm, had expanded to a height of one meter.

When the scrolls were fully unfurled, one could clearly see that their surfaces were covered with dense, strangely shaped runes, and in the very center of these complex runes, a large character emitting a faint light was tightly wrapped—"Barrier."

Undoubtedly, this was a secret barrier scroll passed down through the Uchiha clan, originating from the early days of the Warring States period. As time passed, this heirloom began to reveal the sharpness of the Warring States era, and tonight it would eliminate an enemy for the head of the Uchiha clan.

This scroll was developed during the Warring States period to ambush enemies, divided into hundred-meter and thousand-meter levels. Once deployed, the barrier operated automatically, absorbing all vibrations, scents, sound fluctuations, and even chakra fluctuations within.

Even if a chaotic battle took place inside, outside ninjas would not be able to detect it. However, after being used successfully many times, its flaws inevitably became exposed; the biggest drawback of this barrier was that it could not block sight, so it was countered by the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan.

Although it would absorb more chakra and become stronger as the battle intensified inside, the outside of the barrier remained fragile. After being ambushed a few times, it was gradually forgotten by the clan.

One wonders from which dusty corner our clan head managed to dig it out.

At this moment, Uchiha Chen, still inside the house, did not know that the crisis was approaching, and was anxiously waiting in his room for Kotoamatsukami to recover.