The crowd gradually dispersed, leaving behind only the wreckage of battle and an oppressive silence in the square. Dragging his weary, heavy body, Fugaku Uchiha prepared to leave with the last few people, abandoning this place where his dignity had been trampled.
"Fugaku-senior, please wait."
A calm voice stopped him. Fugaku halted, his back stiffening slightly. He slowly turned around and looked at Kyohaku Uchiha, who had called out to him. His eyes held emotions too tangled to decipher—desolation, bitterness, and a trace of vigilance that was hard to detect. Had the lesson just now not been enough? Was Kyohaku going to humiliate him again?
But Kyohaku did not look at him. Instead, his gaze swept over the Uchiha Clan's true core members who had yet to leave—the dozen or so formidable Jonin, several people in charge of the clan's finances and businesses, and several captains from the Security Department. When his gaze passed over them, they all subconsciously stopped, unease filling their hearts as they wondered what other thunderous measures this new clan head had in store.
"Everyone, please wait as well." Kyohaku's voice was not loud, but it carried an unmistakable air of command.
The core members exchanged looks and could only remain despite themselves, gathering again in the center of the square. The atmosphere was even tenser than before. They looked at the expressionless new clan head, then at the pale-faced former clan head, their hearts in turmoil.
Kyohaku did not speak immediately. With a flick of his wrist, an exquisite sealing scroll appeared in his hand. He deftly released its seal, and amid a faint puff of smoke, more than a dozen small glass test tubes appeared in his palm.
Inside the test tubes, golden liquid flowed with a warm, mysterious sheen beneath the lingering rays