Yin and Yang United as One

Meanwhile, deep within the Uchiha District, inside the inner hall of the newly completed Temple.

The banquet outside was still ongoing, but the doors to this inner hall were tightly shut.

Thirteen Temple captains, including Tekka Uchiha and Nanami Uchiha,

the Great Elder and the rest of the clan's core leadership,

as well as Fugaku Uchiha and Uchiha Shisui, who had just shone brilliantly at the banquet, surrounded Lu Ming in the center.

Dozens of eyes were fixed on Lu Ming, their chests rising and falling.

"Lu Ming... Clan Head!"

Leaning on his cane, the Great Elder's hands trembled. He stepped forward, his voice taut.

"What you said at the banquet, in front of the Konoha Leadership and all the great clans... Is our Uchiha Clan truly descended from the legendary Sage of Six Paths?"

"Was that... merely something you said to intimidate them, or is it actually true?!"

It was not only the Great Elder. Fugaku Uchiha, standing nearby, also clenched his fists.

He had once served as clan head and had even awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, yet he had never heard of such an ancient secret.

"Clan Head, this matter is of tremendous importance. It cannot be taken lightly!"

Uchiha Yashiro swallowed, his mouth dry.

Lu Ming stood with his hands behind his back.

"Something I said? Why would I, Lu Ming, need lies to intimidate that pack of trash?"

Lu Ming's voice echoed through the inner hall.

"The stone tablet in the basement beneath Naka Shrine is irrefutable proof!"

At the mention of the "Naka Shrine stone tablet," Fugaku and Shisui froze.

Only those who had awakened the Sharingan could read that stone tablet, and the greater one's ocular power, the more of its contents one could see.

Lu Ming swept his gaze over the clan's core members and began explaining the origin of it all.

"According to the tablet's records, the Sage of Six Paths founded Ninshū, and the source of his power was Yin–Yang Release!"

Lu Ming raised both hands and made a grasping motion in the air.

"The Sage divided this power into the two principles of yin and yang. The Sharingan inherited by our Uchiha Clan represents the 'yang' among them!"

"As for the Senju clan, who could contend with us back then, their Wood Release and vitality represented 'yin'!"

Lu Ming brought his hands together, producing a thunderous crack.

"When the two principles unite and yin and yang converge, that becomes Six Paths Power—the manifestation of our divine bloodline!"

Lu Ming looked at the crowd.

"It is not just the stone tablet. If you search through the incomplete old genealogical records stored at the bottom of the clan archives, you will indeed find records of Indra Ōtsutsuki."

"He was the founder of our Uchiha, the eldest son of the Sage of Six Paths!"

The inner hall fell deathly silent, followed by a chorus of sharp intakes of breath.

"Gasp—!"

"The power of yang... The Sharingan is actually an inheritance of the Sage of Six Paths' yang power!"

The Great Elder's cane fell to the floor with a clatter.

The old man's knees gave out, and he fell to his knees.

"So that was it... So that was it!"

The Great Elder looked up at the ceiling.

"No wonder the Senju clan was able to hound our Uchiha so relentlessly during the Warring States Era."

"No wonder Hashirama's Wood Release could contend with Lord Madara Uchiha's Susanoo. So this was the root of it—they were yin, and we were yang!"

The three tomoe in Tekka Uchiha's eyes spun as he punched a nearby stone pillar, cracking it.

"Hahahaha! The Senju clan? What are they now!"

Tekka laughed loudly.

"The Senju clan, which represented 'yin,' has long since withered away completely for that ridiculous Will of Fire. They cannot even find a single descendant capable of awakening Wood Release."

"Meanwhile, we Uchiha, who represent 'yang,' have entered our golden age under the Clan Head's leadership!"

"That's right!"

Nanami Uchiha gripped the short blade at her waist.

"The Senju are dead, and yin and yang are out of balance."

"In this vast Shinobi World, who else can stop the descendants of the Six Paths? We Uchiha have no rivals left!"

The entire inner hall erupted into noise.

Yet Fugaku Uchiha frowned.

"Lu Ming..."

Fugaku stepped forward, interrupting the crowd's revelry.

"Publicly revealing the secret that we are descendants of the Sage of Six Paths may indeed intimidate the Konoha Leadership, but have you considered the consequences?"

Fugaku looked at Lu Ming.

"Beyond Konoha, there are Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure. Those four great shinobi villages are all greedy wolves."

"Once word of the 'descendants of the Six Paths' and the 'bloodline of gods' spreads through the Shinobi World, we Uchiha will inevitably become the target of the entire world!"

"They will set their sights on our eyes and our bloodline."

"Endless assassinations, spies, perhaps even a war in which the four great shinobi villages join forces against Konoha! When that happens, our Uchiha will never know peace!"

As soon as Fugaku spoke, the once-noisy inner hall fell silent. Several elders stopped talking as well.

Faced with Fugaku's concerns, Lu Ming did not retreat an inch.

He stood where he was, his black Divine Robe fluttering without wind.

"Bzzz—!"

Lu Ming's pupils transformed into Mangekyō Sharingan, the pattern of three blades linked tip to tip rotating within them.

The surging air pressure forced everyone around him to stagger backward.

Lu Ming looked down at Fugaku and shouted.

"The four great shinobi villages? The target of the entire Shinobi World?"

Lu Ming took a step forward, swept his gaze across every Uchiha core member present, and asked, "Are you afraid?!"

The question echoed through the inner hall.

"Not afraid!!!"

The thirteen Temple captains, including Tekka Uchiha and Nanami Uchiha, drew the short blades at their waists, pointed them straight toward the heavens, and roared.

"Not afraid!!!"

The Great Elder and the other high-ranking members straightened their backs and roared toward the sky.

"Not afraid!!!"

Even Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan lit up as he roared alongside the entire clan!

The waves of sound reverberated through the Temple.

Looking at his clansmen before him, Lu Ming laughed aloud.

"Good! That is the spirit my Uchiha Clan should possess!"

Lu Ming's smile faded. He spread his arms and proclaimed to the entire clan.

"Fugaku, listen carefully."

"The first reason I publicly declared our bloodline was to show our identity to the entire Shinobi World—to every one of those self-righteous ants! I want them to understand that what stands before them is a god!"

"The second reason is that I wanted to set this goal for the entire clan!"

Lu Ming spoke loudly.

"Restoring the glory of the Warring States Era? That is far too small-minded!"

"My goal is for the Uchiha Clan to stand at the absolute summit of this Shinobi World, like gods!"

"I want the four great shinobi villages to tremble at the sound of our name. I want everyone in the Shinobi World to kneel at our feet and worship us."

"Whoever dares to reach out their claws, I will chop them off; whoever dares to bare their fangs, I will wipe out their entire family!"

As Lu Ming's proclamation ended, the entire clan cheered!

"Stand in the Shinobi World like gods!"

"Receive the worship of all!"

"Long live the Clan Head! Long live the Uchiha!"

The cheers echoed through the inner hall.