Uchiha Fugaku Made His Move, Still as Cowardly as Ever

"Who are you? Why are you on our Uchiha Clan's grounds?"

"And why did you help us?"

Uchiha Fugaku had seen it clearly. This stranger had just helped his son Itachi by eliminating everyone watching him.

But although the stranger had seemingly helped his son Itachi, his true intentions deeply worried Fugaku.

After all, who knew whether this stranger was some hidden trump card in Hiruzen Sarutobi's or Danzo's hands that Fugaku knew nothing about?

Beneath the night sky, Uchiha Fugaku and Shisui Uchiha faced each other from two trees, the atmosphere growing colder.

Shisui Uchiha merely shrugged, however, and spoke calmly, his expression untroubled.

"You're the Uchiha Clan's current head? Heh. A coward has no right to ask my name."

"A coward? You have a death wish!"

Hearing Shisui Uchiha's words, Uchiha Fugaku rapidly formed hand seals and brought his palms together, moving so fast that his hands left afterimages, as though he had cast the technique instantaneously.

"Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon Technique!"

Roar!

A ferocious fire dragon burst from Uchiha Fugaku's mouth the next instant, lunging at Shisui Uchiha.

Shisui Uchiha simultaneously formed hand seals and brought his palms together.

Facing Uchiha Fugaku, a fellow member of the Uchiha Clan and its current head, he dared not underestimate his opponent in the slightest.

"Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall!"

A wooden wall rose from the ground, forcibly blocking the fire dragon Uchiha Fugaku had summoned.

"Wood Release? You can actually use Wood Release! Who are you?"

"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"

Ignoring Uchiha Fugaku's shout, Shisui Uchiha formed hand seals again and pressed his palms together.

The next instant, a wood dragon appeared, every bit as large as Uchiha Fugaku's fire dragon, yet even bigger than the one he had used in his last fight with Teacher Chen.

It crashed straight into Uchiha Fugaku's fire dragon!

Fire could indeed overcome wood, but if the wood could regenerate endlessly, that advantage no longer held.

And his Wood Dragon Technique could absorb chakra, making it perfectly suited to stopping Uchiha Fugaku's Great Fire Dragon Technique!

"You bastard..."

Whoosh!

The moment Shisui Uchiha summoned the wood dragon, Uchiha Fugaku suddenly circled around to his flank and hurled shuriken one after another.

At the same time, he rapidly formed hand seals and brought his palms together.

"Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon Technique!"

"Don't you have any other tricks? How boring."

Bang!

As Uchiha Fugaku formed his seals and pressed his palms together, Shisui Uchiha finished his own seals as well.

"Wood Release: Four Pillar Prison Technique!"

The next instant, clusters of wooden spikes descended from above, instantly forming a prison that trapped the fire dragon Uchiha Fugaku had summoned.

His right hand, meanwhile, transformed into a massive wooden spike and smashed down on the fire dragon.

Rumble!

"..."

Seeing his fire dragon blocked yet again, Uchiha Fugaku finally understood.

The man before him was certainly no weaker than he was.

He might even be stronger!

Unless Fugaku used the power of his Mangekyō Sharingan and unleashed abilities such as Susanoo.

Otherwise, he truly had no guarantee of defeating his opponent.

But if he actually used his Mangekyō Sharingan's power, all the time he had spent pretending to be weak would lose its meaning.

With that thought, Uchiha Fugaku finally abandoned the idea of attacking again, softening his tone slightly.

"Who exactly are you? Why can you use the First Hokage's Wood Release?"

"Who I am doesn't matter. All you need to remember is that I won't attack the Uchiha Clan."

Shisui Uchiha paused at that.

"But I truly am puzzled. Under that man's leadership, the Uchiha Clan's name once resounded throughout the shinobi world. How has it been pushed aside to this extent?"

"Even its current head is a coward who secretly hides his Mangekyō Sharingan."

"..."

Hearing Shisui Uchiha's words, Uchiha Fugaku fell silent.

He was trying to work out exactly who the man before him was.

And whether he should risk exposing his Mangekyō Sharingan to strike and kill him instantly.

But while Uchiha Fugaku hesitated, Shisui Uchiha gently shook his head.

"An overly peaceful life and pride in past glories have blinded the Uchiha Clan."

"But this is only temporary. Before long, the Uchiha Clan will be reborn."

As he said this, Shisui Uchiha suddenly turned away, showing his back to the grave-faced Uchiha Fugaku.

"When that time comes, if you still can't make the right choice, you should stop being the clan head."

Whoosh!

Seeing Shisui Uchiha finally leave, Uchiha Fugaku couldn't help breathing a sigh of relief.

The next instant, he turned to look toward Uchiha Itachi's room.

"No matter what, I'll protect you, Itachi."

"..."

Uchiha Fugaku had no idea that, as he returned to the compound, Shisui Uchiha remained concealed in the darkness.

He was watching Fugaku with a calm expression.

Uchiha Fugaku, you're as cowardly as ever.

In that case, before long, when the Nine-Tails' Rampage comes, that position of clan head of yours...

Will go to someone else!