Duel of Light and Darkness (1) - Request for Monthly Votes

In the night sky, brilliant stars dotted the pitch-black expanse, ensuring this ancient darkness was no longer deathly silent.

A bright, clear moon hung high at the zenith, its cool light casting away the usual desolation of the scenery below.

Under this pale moonlight, a winding river shimmered, its surface rippling like a narrow galaxy, refracting the starlight and lunar glow.

"Whoosh—"

A gentle breeze swept past, causing the branches on both banks to sway softly, as if they were spirits of the night filled with vibrant life.

Just then, under the illumination of the moon, a young figure lay reclined on the slope of the riverbank.

Although he was dressed in the formal kimono that symbolized his status as the head of the Uchiha Clan, Fugaku paid it no mind, simply lying on the grass and feeling the blades brush against him.

Whenever a breeze drifted by, a look of comfort would cross his face, making him appear as carefree as a young boy.

Yet, most of the time, he simply gazed at the shimmering river with calm eyes; a glimmer would occasionally flash through his pupils, but no one knew what he was truly thinking.

Just as he was immersed in this atmosphere of comfort, which might be difficult to experience again in the future, a soft rustling sound from the path above the bank instantly caught his attention.

"Swish..."

He bolted upright and whipped his head around, his black-and-white eyes instantly transforming into crimson three-tomoe Sharingan, his gaze cold as he stared toward the source of the noise.

"My apologies, I was just so exhausted that I didn't mean to disturb you. I am truly sorry."

An apologetic voice drifted slowly from the bushes above the bank.

What came into Fugaku's view was a disheveled figure, his