Uchiha Clan Compound, Shrine Hall.
Zhengye's words landed like a bomb, silencing everyone in the hall.
Everyone stared at Zhengye in shock. They had never imagined he had come to force Fugaku out!
Fugaku shot to his feet, his eyes boring into Zhengye. The corners of his eyes twitched, and veins bulged in his neck.
"You bastard!"
"Convincing Itachi to return was a service to the clan, but that doesn't give you the right to act so insolently!"
"You want me to step down? You don't have the standing!"
Time was short, and Zhengye had no intention of arguing with Fugaku. In the Uchiha Clan, the strongest fist spoke the truth!
Clang!
With a piercing ring, Zhengye drew his sword and pointed it at Fugaku.
"The Uchiha need a new voice. Uchiha Fugaku, you've grown old. You're no longer fit to lead the clan!"
Fugaku's face turned livid. "Zhengye! Have you lost your mind?"
An uproar broke out around them. They had seen radicals before, but never anyone this radical!
He was challenging the clan head outright!
Faced with this, Fugaku could not afford to back down in the slightest.
"Very well. You actually dare to challenge me!"
Zhengye pushed off the floor and lunged at Fugaku like lightning. "You talk too much!"
Facing someone who dared challenge his authority, Fugaku decided to defeat him swiftly and decisively.
Only then could he uphold his dignity as clan head!
Fugaku snorted. Locking onto Zhengye's eyes as Zhengye stared straight at him, he unleashed a sudden surge of Visual Prowess!
The surrounding clan members were all elites. They immediately sensed a torrent of Visual Prowess shooting toward Zhengye.
"It's the clan head's genjutsu!"
"Looks like Zhengye's going to suffer for this!"
"Did he really think he could challenge the clan head?"
Fugaku might have been indecisive in his handling of affairs, but his strength was nothing to scoff at.
He had earned the name "Wicked Eye Fugaku" during the Third Shinobi World War, a testament to his expertise in genjutsu.
With Visual Prowess surging out now, anyone caught unprepared would have been unable to defend against it.
But Zhengye was different. He had come prepared to demonstrate his strength.
Facing Fugaku's genjutsu, he immediately unleashed his full power.
Mangekyō Sharingan—activate!
Before everyone's eyes, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan instantly transformed into three diamond shapes.
His exploding Visual Prowess slammed head-on into Fugaku's.
Fugaku felt as though his mind had struck a cliff face.
Step... step... His head spun, forcing him a step backward.
"M-Mangekyō Sharingan!?" the people around them cried out.
It wasn't over yet!
"Susanoo!" Zhengye growled, unleashing a torrent of chakra mixed with Visual Prowess.
The chakra rapidly took shape, forming a gray skeleton around him!
It reached out to seize Fugaku!
He actually has the Mangekyō Sharingan!
Fugaku was both shocked and furious!
But at a moment like this, he absolutely could not let Susanoo catch him in its hand!
Whoosh!
An equally violent surge of chakra and Visual Prowess erupted from Fugaku.
A purple-black Susanoo formed in an instant!
Clang!
A heavy crash rang out as the two Susanoo collided head-on!
The surging chakra spilled outward, knocking every nearby clan member to the floor.
"Susanoo!?"
"The clan head has the Mangekyō Sharingan too!?"
Fugaku stared fixedly at Zhengye. Once the shock and anger in his eyes passed, delight spread across his face.
"Good, good, good! I never imagined you had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan!"
"I'll forgive your disrespect!"
"And add another seat among the clan elders!"
Zhengye took a step back, but did not dispel his Susanoo.
"Uchiha Fugaku, I told you. You must step down as clan head today!"
Fugaku frowned and gave an angry snort.
"Zhengye, do you think awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan makes you qualified to lead the clan!?"
"Look around! How many people in the clan will support you!?"
Everyone present was an Uchiha elite, each commanding at least five to ten squads. They glanced between the two men.
Then their gazes settled on Fugaku.
After all, if both possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan, they still preferred Fugaku, their longtime clan head.
After a brief silence, two young clan members walked behind Zhengye.
One was named Dongyou, the other Junxia. Both were key members of the radical faction and had long disliked Fugaku's conservatism.
Their thinking was simple. Zhengye already possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan at such a young age. His future was bound to be limitless.
Even if he failed to win leadership today, supporting him early would make them founding supporters when he eventually rose to power.
Zhengye nodded to them, then beckoned to Itachi and the others.
"What if we add them?"
As soon as he spoke, Inabi was the first to respond. He glared at Fugaku, fury mounting as he looked at that face still filled with pride and dignity!
"Step down, Fugaku! You don't deserve to lead the clan!"
An even fiercer, more violent torrent of chakra and Visual Prowess erupted.
The three tomoe in Inabi's eyes instantly transformed into three intersecting rings.
A fiery-red Susanoo skeleton burst into existence around him!
The surrounding clan members stared wide-eyed. Some even rose to their feet without realizing it.
"Susanoo... Inabi has the Mangekyō Sharingan too!?"
Fugaku's pupils contracted slightly as he stared at Inabi in disbelief.
Although Inabi had attained three-tomoe long ago, he had still been some distance from the strongest Uchiha. Fugaku had never imagined he would awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan without a word!
But...
The surprises Zhengye had brought him tonight did not end there.
Two equally powerful torrents of chakra erupted from Itachi and Shisui behind Zhengye.
Orange-red and emerald-green Susanoo appeared around Itachi and Shisui.
"Good heavens... Itachi and Shisui both have the Mangekyō Sharingan!"
Everyone present was already numb with shock. There had been too many surprises in a single day. They felt as though they were dreaming.
"Fugaku, do you still want to fight?"
Fugaku's pupils shrank sharply.
Four.
Four Susanoo.
His gaze moved from Zhengye to Inabi, then to Itachi and Shisui—the Mangekyō patterns in each person's eyes gleamed ominously in the candlelight.
He had only one.
A long silence followed.
Fugaku slowly closed his eyes, and the purple-black chakra of his Susanoo dissipated into the air.
When he opened his eyes again, all desire to fight had vanished, leaving only exhaustion and resentment.
"...What do you want?"
Zhengye and the other three dispelled their Susanoo at the same time.
But the lingering waves of chakra continued to churn through the Shrine Hall.
Itachi raised his head and glanced at his father, who was still struggling to hold himself together. The last trace of hesitation in his heart faded.
"Father, step down."
Itachi, who had been admitting his mistakes just moments earlier, now stood firmly at Zhengye's side.
Shisui's voice was gentle, but utterly serious. "Lord Fugaku, you aren't suited to lead the clan. Please step down."
Fugaku fell silent. He had no idea what had happened. Even Shisui, who usually respected him most, had joined those forcing him out.
He exhaled, with no time to rejoice over their awakening of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
His voice strained as he asked, "Zhengye, what are you trying to do?"
"Are you planning an armed coup!?"
Previously, Fugaku would never have worried about that. Powerful as the Uchiha were, they could take on only three or four opponents each at most.
But awakening Susanoo brought a fundamental change in strength.
With these Mangekyō Sharingan wielders, an attack on Konoha would have a very high chance of success.
"An armed coup? Do you want the clan's women and children to die with you?"
Zhengye's gaze swept over every clan member present.
"What I want isn't war. It's survival. The greatest victory at the smallest cost."
Before you continue