Keeping up Susanoo for long periods was indeed taxing on Yuhara's eyes—but it wasn't as bad as this old man imagined.
The truth was, Yuhara had awakened Susanoo with the help of Yasokami no Mikoto. That divine presence reduced the difficulty of using the technique significantly.
And after a month of training and experimentation, Yuhara realized the "reduced difficulty" wasn't just about summoning Susanoo—it also lessened the toll it took on his eyes.
The damage to his vision wasn't nearly as bad as one might expect.
Still, Susanoo didn't just burn through visual prowess—it devoured chakra like wildfire.
Most of the chakra drained seemed to be drawn from that guardian spirit that resided in some foreign dimension within Yuhara's eyes—his personal manifestation of Susanoo.
Even summoning that power through the Mangekyō required intense effort and massive chakra expenditure.
Luckily, Yuhara's chakra reserves had grown explosively since awakening the Mangekyō. And for now, he was only using the initial skeletal form of Susanoo.
The energy cost was manageable—this was a conclusion he'd confirmed through a full month of training and testing. Otherwise, he wouldn't dare to use it so casually.
Quietly, Yuhara deactivated both Susanoo and his Mangekyō, then stood silently, looking at the elder in front of him.
In his memory, this man was Uchiha Takechi, a respected elder with considerable influence in the clan.
But like Uchiha Sō, Yuhara had little connection with him. In fact, he didn't like Takechi's political stance at all.
These were the people who, after gaining enough influence, had pressured Fugaku—a deeply hidden moderate—to side with the hardliners. That shift had directly led to Konoha's crackdown on the Uchiha.
So for Yuhara to feel anything positive toward Takechi would be truly strange.
Still, the elder had kept everyone else behind, saying he wanted to talk. Yuhara was curious what exactly he intended to discuss.
What did please him, though, was that whatever came next would likely be the answer he'd been waiting for.
Once Tomoya and the others who had been beaten left the bamboo grove with their heads bowed, Takechi finally spoke.
"They've all gone. I hope you won't be too upset about tonight, Yuhara-kun."
He sighed, then continued.
"I heard about your meeting this morning with Elder Naoki. I agree with your viewpoint—at least, in principle.
"But there's one thing I couldn't bring myself to do: to force the children who follow me to let go of their grudges, their hatred… and the beliefs we've held onto for so long.
"The clash of ideologies between our factions began ages ago. At some point, it stopped being about choice. We were simply swept along."
"So you want me to be the one to set them straight?" Yuhara raised an eyebrow.
He didn't outright reject what Takechi said—it made sense—but that didn't mean he fully trusted it either.
After a brief pause, he chuckled.
"Also, you wanted to see my Mangekyō again, didn't you? That look in your eyes earlier told me everything."
Takechi didn't deny it.
"I did. I haven't seen eyes like those in a long time."
He nodded, then smiled faintly.
"Besides, the battle you fought tonight was a show of strength. You're aiming to be the clan head. You needed their recognition.
"On Sō's side, having Shisui's support is enough to earn that.
"But over here, things are different. We've hardly interacted with Shisui, no matter how strong he is.
"The kids who follow me are clueless. They've heard of the Mangekyō but have no idea how powerful it truly is.
"So in a way, you did us a favor—by showing them the truth about the Uchiha's ultimate power."
Ultimate power?
Yuhara blinked at the phrase. Mangekyō was powerful, yes—but it wasn't the final form.
Above it was the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan—an evolved state with limitless potential and no risk of blindness.
Did this old man not even know it existed?
Yuhara thought about correcting him, but chose not to bother. It didn't matter. What mattered was that Takechi had just given him exactly what he wanted.
Clan head.
Spoken directly by Takechi, coupled with Yuhara's earlier threats and tonight's overwhelming display, it was clear the elder was offering recognition—whether it came from admiration or from reluctant compromise.
Either way, Yuhara had what he came for.
"So," he said, exhaling, "what do you want in return?"
He looked Takechi straight in the eyes.
Yuhara didn't believe for a second that Takechi would obediently follow him without strings attached.
Even Sō had laid out conditions. Sure, he had Shisui to give him the confidence to do so.
But Takechi was an elder too—he'd certainly have his own expectations. Yuhara didn't have to agree to them, but it was worth hearing them out.
If nothing else, it would help him understand the man better.
"I know Uchiha Sō asked for two things," Takechi began. "Shisui as your vice-clan head, and recognition from our side.
"You agreed to the first, and you've already earned the second.
"So now, I have two requests of my own.
"Don't worry. We won't make things difficult for you."
He looked at Yuhara with sincere eyes, then continued.
"First—you must protect the clan. That's your duty as clan head.
"Second—you must fulfill every promise you've made. I want to see the Uchiha rise to greatness again.
"That's all. Just those two. Can you agree to them?"
Yuhara was stunned.
He had expected more complicated demands—or maybe even something unreasonable.
But instead, Takechi's requests were simple. In fact, they lined up perfectly with Yuhara's own goals.
In that moment, he realized something.
Maybe the Uchiha weren't as hopeless as he thought. Maybe they weren't just power-hungry or short-sighted.
Their ideologies differed—but in their own way, they were all trying to save the clan.
The results had been tragic—but at least they had tried. And for that, Yuhara gained a bit more respect for them.
He drew a deep breath and nodded solemnly.
"I agree.
"I'll do everything in my power to make it happen.
"And those goals… are exactly what I'm aiming for."
"Is that so?"
Takechi's face lit up with a rare, genuine smile.
He turned around and looked toward Sō and the others. Together, Sō, Naoki, and all the other elders—both moderates and hardliners—stepped forward.
They stood side by side, serious and silent.
And then, as one, they bowed.
"Clan Head… the future of the Uchiha is in your hands."
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