The Uchiha Clan had always produced handsome men and beautiful women, and Uchiha Mikoto had been one of its renowned beauties in her youth. Though she was now in her thirties, the years had left few marks on her. Instead, they had lent her a mature grace.
To keep word of Uchiha Fugaku being controlled from getting out, Qiu Shan Uchiha had no choice but to bring Uchiha Mikoto under his control as well.
Qiu Shan lifted Uchiha Mikoto from the tatami and used the Mystical Palm Technique with his right hand to bring her out of her unconscious state.
As Uchiha Mikoto woke and opened her eyes, still a little dazed, her gaze met Qiu Shan Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan.
Before Uchiha Mikoto could grasp what was happening, Qiu Shan Uchiha activated Kotoamatsukami. A strange power silently but forcefully invaded her mind, altering her thoughts and will so that she would obey his commands from then on. In the end, Uchiha Mikoto, too, fell under Qiu Shan Uchiha's control.
Qiu Shan Uchiha slowly deactivated his Mangekyō Sharingan. By then, Uchiha Mikoto had regained her senses. The moment she saw him, she scrambled up. Rather than threatening to kill him, she knelt on the floor and bowed her head to him.
"I am terribly sorry, Lord Qiu Shan. I behaved rudely just now and injured you. Please forgive my insolence." Her voice was filled with fear.
Qiu Shan Uchiha watched Mikoto keep her head bowed. It seemed she would refuse to raise it without his permission and forgiveness. He could not help feeling deeply satisfied with the ocular technique, Kotoamatsukami.
In the original story, Shisui Uchiha's Kotoamatsukami had been absurdly powerful, yet it had never been put to proper use. Shimura Danzō had used one at the Five Kage Summit, only to be exposed on the spot. The other had helped Uchiha Itachi break free of the control of Impure World Reincarnation. Though both had achieved something, it always felt as though they had been wasted on peripheral matters.
In a world where talking people into submission reigned supreme, Kotoamatsukami was still the surest way to prevent anyone from turning against him.
Seeing Uchiha Mikoto still kneeling with her head bowed, while Uchiha Fugaku remained silent beside her with no intention of pleading on her behalf, Qiu Shan Uchiha could only tell her to rise.
"Get up. I don't blame you. We stood on different sides, so it was inevitable. Make sure you work hard for me from now on. I forgive you this time."
At Qiu Shan Uchiha's words, Mikoto finally raised her bowed head, and the tears brimming in her eyes spilled down her cheeks.
"Thank you, my lord. From now on, I will brave any danger without hesitation. I will do everything in my power to carry out your orders."
Even the hard-hearted Qiu Shan found Uchiha Mikoto's tear-streaked beauty a little too much to bear. He could only change the subject.
"Where are Uchiha Itachi and Sasuke?" After what had happened with Uchiha Mikoto, Qiushan felt he needed to check on these potential sources of trouble. If Uchiha Itachi picked up on even the slightest clue, his intelligence would make him an enormous threat to Qiu Shan Uchiha's safety.
At the mention of Itachi and Sasuke, Uchiha Mikoto's expression softened with a mother's affection.
"My lord, Itachi received a mission and has been away from the village these past few days. Sasuke is asleep in his bedroom."
Hearing that Uchiha Itachi, the person who worried him most, was away on a mission, Qiu Shan let out a great sigh of relief. As long as Itachi was not home, he was confident he could keep him from noticing anything wrong when he returned.
As for Sasuke, his age and abilities put Qiu Shan at ease. He trusted that nothing would go wrong there.
Now that things were more or less settled and no one remained who could stop Qiu Shan Uchiha, it was time to get down to business.
Qiu Shan Uchiha had Fugaku and Mikoto sit down and began his formal conversation with the clan head.
"Clan Head, do you know why I used a Dōjutsu to control you?"
Uchiha Fugaku shook his head.
"I'm not entirely sure. Still, if an ambitious man possessed an ocular technique like yours, Lord Qiu Shan, it would be understandable for him to use its power to control leaders or other people in high positions."
Qiu Shan Uchiha shook his head at Uchiha Fugaku's answer. Although Fugaku now obeyed him, Qiushan still intended to explain things clearly.
"Clan Head, my interest has always been in pursuing strength and finding different ways to improve my abilities, not in pursuing authority. Had there been any other choice, I would not have taken the risk of controlling you and your wife."
Qiu Shan Uchiha pointed at his eyes and said meaningfully,
"These eyes of mine can see much farther than yours."
Uchiha Fugaku was no fool. As though something had occurred to him, he blurted out,
"Can your eyes see the future?"
Qiu Shan nodded. "More or less. They can see fragments of the future."
He then repeated to Fugaku what he had previously told Shisui Uchiha: Shisui Uchiha's tragic death and the annihilation of the Uchiha Clan.
After hearing Qiu Shan's account, Uchiha Fugaku could not believe such things would happen in the future. He sat there in a daze, unable to recover for a long time.
"Was my approach wrong? Should I never have tried to draw closer to the Third Hokage and Konoha? Should I have aggravated our conflict with Konoha, like the Elder? Is that the only way to preserve the Uchiha Clan?"
Uchiha Fugaku felt lost about the Uchiha Clan's future and no longer knew what to do. He had always firmly believed that, as long as the rift between the Uchiha and Konoha could be healed, the Uchiha Clan would eventually become fully integrated into Konoha.
Seeing Uchiha Fugaku trapped in that line of thinking, Qiu Shan Uchiha shook his head.
"You were wrong from the very beginning. Do you know who has always held power in Konoha?"
"Of course. The Hokage Faction has always held power in Konoha-the First Hokage, the Second Hokage, and the Third Hokage. Our Uchiha Clan has never held power," Uchiha Fugaku replied.
"Exactly. It has always been the Hokage Faction." Qiu Shan Uchiha nodded.
"Then do you know who calls the shots in Konoha now? The Second Hokage's students-the Third Hokage, Shimura Danzō, and the others. They inherited the Second Hokage's will and have always guarded against us and isolated us. As long as they remain in power, the Uchiha will never have a chance to rise."
Uchiha Fugaku hurriedly asked, "Then what should we do?"
"There are two options. The first is to leave Konoha and establish a village of our own. That would solve the problem."
"The second is to stall for as long as we can. Once my Dōjutsu's cooldown is over, I can bring all of Konoha High Command under my control, or control the people beneath them. Then we'll be the ones calling the shots in Konoha. We won't be the ones being isolated anymore—we'll be the ones isolating others."
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