Dōjutsu-Takamagahara

A few days later, at the Uchiha Clan Compound.

Uchiha Ao sat beside the table, looking over the clan roster. The densely packed names stung his eyes, while Sister Izumi lay beside him.

She idly poked the boy's cheek with one finger, occasionally resting her chin on his shoulder. "What are you thinking about, little brother? Is it more important than your big sister?"

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door.

Before Uchiha Ao could look up, the door creaked open.

"Clan Leader!" Uchiha Tekka came in, his face alight with fervor as he looked at his leader.

Ever since Uchiha Ao had defeated him with overwhelming strength a few days ago, Uchiha Tekka had become his most devoted fan.

"Anyone who dares badmouth the Clan Leader can take it up with my Sharingan."

"Tekka, what do you need?" Uchiha Ao was startled by his expression. He cleared his throat and asked.

"It's like this, Clan Leader. In my investigation with Inabi, we found that although most of the clan members agreed to have you become Clan Leader at the clan meeting, a small number were still unhappy about it."

"And it's not just them. Plenty of clan members who didn't attend the meeting and don't know how strong you are are also unhappy about you becoming Clan Leader."

Uchiha Ao had wondered what the issue was. So that was all.

Uchiha Ao raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "And? What are they planning to do? Spread rumors around the clan, or challenge me directly?"

Uchiha Tekka's face flushed with excitement, and he clenched his fists. "They actually dare question the Clan Leader's abilities! Inabi is already keeping an eye on the ringleaders. If they make a move, I'll take people and capture them immediately."

"That's enough." Uchiha Ao raised a hand to stop him, his gaze passing over the kunai swaying at Tekka's waist. "No need to watch them, and you're not to lay a finger on them. Gather them together. I'll talk to them myself."

It was the perfect chance to test out his newly awakened Mangekyō Sharingan.

Uchiha Tekka froze in place. He had caught the brief flash of crimson in Uchiha Ao's eyes, and only then did he answer, his face alight with fervor. "Yes!"

"Little brother, want me to beat some sense into them for you?" Uchiha Izumi asked, leaning against his back.

"No need, Sister Izumi. You know how powerful the Mangekyō is. Don't worry." Uchiha Ao smiled and rubbed the little head resting on his shoulder.

Uchiha Izumi puffed out her cheeks, displeased by her little brother's cheeky behavior.

Why was her little brother getting stronger so quickly?

How annoying!

"All right, all right. Once this is settled, I'll take you for Three-Color Dango, Sister Izumi." Seeing her pout made Uchiha Ao feel even better.

Hahaha! At last, he wouldn't have to be pinned beneath Sister Izumi anymore!

The two soon arrived at the training ground in the center of the clan compound.

Hundreds of clan members had already gathered there. Their discussions were as noisy as boiling water.

Several older ninjas stood at the front of the crowd with their arms crossed, distrust written all over their faces. The one-eyed ninja leading them, Uchiha Lei, made no effort to hide the contempt in his eyes.

"Kid, you said you wanted to talk, so let's talk." Uchiha Lei stepped forward, leaning on his cane. Its metal tip tapped against the ground with a series of clacks. "Why should we take orders from some green kid like you?"

Uchiha Ao calmly walked up onto the platform. Looking down at the gathered clan members, he lowered his eyes and chuckled. "Since Uncle Lei asked, why don't we put it another way—"

The boy suddenly looked up, his Mangekyō Sharingan crimson as blood. "In the face of absolute power, does questioning me still mean anything?"

Uchiha Lei snorted and slammed his cane against the ground. "You're all talk, kid! If you've got what it takes, then—"

Before he could finish, Uchiha Ao vanished like a ghost. The crowd saw a flash of crimson, and in the next instant, the boy was behind Uncle Lei, his fingertip pressed against the artery in his neck.

Everyone sucked in a sharp breath.

"Uncle Lei, your reaction time doesn't quite match your big mouth." Uchiha Ao's voice held a hint of amusement, yet it sent a chill down everyone's spine.

He slowly withdrew his hand. The light in his right Mangekyō Sharingan grew more intense. "Since you all want to see what I can do, I'll open your eyes."

As soon as he finished speaking, the ground beneath them began to tremble. The bright sky was suddenly swallowed by blood-red clouds.

Uchiha Lei was horrified to discover that he could no longer draw on his chakra.

"What kind of genjutsu is this?"

"This isn't genjutsu." Uchiha Ao's voice echoed through the strange dimension, though he was nowhere to be seen. "This is the power of my Mangekyō—a dimension that belongs to me alone: Takamagahara."

"Anyone stronger than me will be heavily suppressed here. As for those weaker than me, I can change them however I please."

The moment his voice fell, Uchiha Lei found himself floating in the air, his body drifting uncontrollably toward the middle of a lake.

He struggled in terror but couldn't even make a sound.

The other clan members were caught in equally bizarre situations. Some were bound by vines, while enormous whirlpools opened beneath others. Each person faced a different peril in this space.

This was the power of his right eye—Takamagahara.

"In Takamagahara, anyone weaker than me will have their understanding, chakra, and even their soul analyzed by me." Uchiha Ao's voice was no longer a simple echo; it exploded directly in the depths of everyone's consciousness.

The clan member bound by vines watched in horror as the plants sucked away his chakra, converting it into energy that nourished the space. Those trapped in whirlpools were swept into the currents of spacetime. Their bodies continuously disassembled and reassembled in the void, yet they could never escape this domain.

Uchiha Lei hung suspended in midair, bound by chains, his remaining eye nearly bulging from its socket.

His Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun wildly, but he couldn't even cast genjutsu—the laws of this space had already been rewritten.

Even worse, his body was turning transparent, as if an invisible eraser were wiping away every trace of his existence.

"This is impossible..." Lei's roar caught in his throat.

"Nothing's impossible." Uchiha Ao chuckled.

In truth, he was shocked by his Mangekyō's ability, too.

To those weaker than him, he was practically a god.

Even if someone stronger entered this space, he was confident he could trade a few blows with them. Even a being like Hashirama or Madara would be no exception.

Yet this seemingly invincible power had one limitation.

He could pull those weaker than him inside with ease.

But those stronger than him had to enter through a door. Just as Obito had to make contact before he could suck someone into his Kamui Dimension.

Uchiha Ao lightly pinched his fingers together. Countless stone cubes materialized in the air, floating and rearranging like pixels. In the blink of an eye, they formed a three-headed, six-armed Vajra Statue.

The statue swung chakra-forged weapons. Every blow sent pixelated ripples through the space and blasted the ground into deep, square-edged ravines.