Fugaku strode over to the desk and planted both hands on its surface.
He leaned forward, fixing Chikage with an intimidating stare.
"Do you have any idea what you're saying, brat?!"
"Mangekyō Sharingan!"
"Do you think you can just throw those words around?!"
"If the Anbu heard you, the entire clan would be finished by tomorrow!"
Veins bulged on the backs of Fugaku's hands as he growled in a hushed voice.
Chikage leisurely took a sip of his cooled tea.
"Relax."
"There's nobody around."
"I already checked on my way here."
"There isn't a single Anbu spy within several hundred meters."
Chikage set down his cup and tapped the desk twice.
"Besides, you've already put up a Soundproof Barrier."
"Even if we banged drums and gongs in here, nobody outside would hear a thing."
"You don't need to be so nervous."
Fugaku stared hard into Chikage's eyes.
He couldn't find a trace of humor on Chikage's face.
This young man who clocked out on the dot every day was serious.
Fugaku sat back down, his heartbeat still not quite steady.
He looked at Chikage, his eyes filled with surprise and confusion.
"How did you know?"
Fugaku voiced the question troubling him.
He had kept his awakening of the Mangekyō Sharingan secret from everyone.
Even Mikoto, his wife who slept beside him, didn't know.
Even Itachi, in whom he had always placed such high hopes, didn't know.
He had intended to take this secret to his grave.
Chikage shifted into a more comfortable position against the back of his chair.
"Did it even need guessing?"
"A little thought is all it takes."
"The Third Shinobi World War went on for so long."
"You led the Uchiha Clan through life-and-death battles."
"You witnessed so many painful partings and deaths."
"I know what