"All of us Uchiha who support the coup do not acknowledge you! Today you're trying to use some baseless excuse to move against Elder Setsuna. I can only say this—you've miscalculated!"
"Even if it costs us our lives, we will protect the interests of the Uchiha Clan! Besides, we are no fewer than ten—"
"One." Keizumi's voice cut him off, cold and final.
Clearly, no matter what words the other side spoke, to him they went in one ear and out the other.
He cared only about their choices and actions.
And now, they had already made the wrong choice.
Suddenly—!
Keizumi's eyes turned into a pair of scarlet three-tomoe Sharingan. The blade at his waist, already drawn a few centimeters, was unsheathed in an instant.
Before anyone could react, a flash of silver light swept across the air, tracing the arc of a half-moon.
[Splurt—]
The young Uchiha's stunned expression froze on his face as his head, as large as a bowl, flew skyward. Blood sprayed from the torn neck like a fountain, drenching the surrounding clansmen.
"Meow!!!" Tachibana Jirō launched himself from Izumi's shoulder in a sudden bound, his body swelling in size mid-leap.
With a heavy thud, an Uchiha chūnin was slammed flat against the ground beneath its weighty body.
The faint sound of bones snapping echoed through the air.
"Ahhhhhh!!!" The Uchiha chūnin pinned beneath Tachibana Jirō's weight let out a blood-curdling scream. At last, the others reacted—Uchiha Keizumi had truly killed someone!
One Uchiha's pupils shrank sharply, and in an instant, his Sharingan opened to two tomoe.
He drew his blade immediately, holding it before him.
[Clang!!!]
Steel clashed, sparks scattering dimly. The Uchiha shinobi gritted his teeth, glaring at the young Uchiha girl who had nearly driven her blade into his throat.
"Uchiha Izumi!"
Realizing she could no longer remain still, Anko flew through hand seals. From the sleeves of her hands shot several white serpents, striking toward two Uchiha shinobi with snapping jaws!
The hasty clash exploded in an instant. Those radicals willing to stand by Uchiha Setsuna clenched their teeth and drew their blades to meet the attack.
Meanwhile, some of the radicals who hesitated quietly stepped back a few paces, trying to slip out and avoid being dragged into the fight.
Their retreat made Uchiha Setsuna's liver ache with fury.
But now, there was no time to demand more of them.
Setsuna cried out urgently, "Stop that little beast who slaughters his own kin! I will go call for aid!!"
Even as he turned to sprint away, he didn't forget to hurl words as a weapon.
Yes—he ran.
At his advanced age, unsure how many years of life remained, he knew well that this old body of his could not hold out for long.
Had he been thirty or forty years younger, he would have drawn his blade without hesitation to settle things with that damned brat.
But now…
He was old!
To avoid battle was only natural!
…
"It's really started." Outside the main gate of Uchiha Setsuna's residence, Uchiha Fugaku stood alone. He could hear the chaos within, smell the iron tang of blood in the air, and through the gaps, he could even glimpse the scene unfolding inside.
Fugaku had not expected his suspicion to be confirmed.
Keizumi had struck against Elder Uchiha Setsuna!
Keizumi, whose wings had fully spread, was nearing the point where he feared no one.
At the very least…
He no longer feared Fugaku, the clan head, nor did he fear Elder Setsuna, the radical elder.
By all rights…
As clan head, Fugaku should have led men inside at once to stop the clash. Especially since the moment Keizumi drew his blade, there would certainly be blood, and it would be more than a single life lost.
But...
When he thought of Setsuna—obsessed with his coup plan, trying to drag the Uchiha into the abyss—
The step Fugaku had been about to take froze.
Yes, Keizumi's actions endangered the clan's survival; but were Setsuna's deeds any different?
If one of the two were gone, the Uchiha's future might at least be a little steadier. There would be one less man trying to lead the clan into disaster.
Fugaku fell into silence, standing still in place.
"Hah… I truly am no fit clan head."
Murmuring to himself, he chose instead to watch tigers fight from the mountain—
And even barred anyone from approaching this place.
…
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!!!" Rolling flames surged into the shape of a dragon's head, roaring straight toward Uchiha Keizumi. But in the next instant, the blazing head was completely shattered by the overwhelming force of a torrent of magma!
One radical Uchiha jōnin was swallowed by the magma directly—so fast that he hadn't even managed to activate Izanagi before death claimed him.
Of the dozen or so radical Uchiha, a few had already chosen to retreat and stay out of the fight, leaving fewer on the battlefield.
Add to that those stubborn radicals being held up by Tachibana Jirō, Uchiha Izumi, and Mitarashi Anko…
There were even fewer left to block Keizumi's advance.
Half his body a flowing torrent of magma, the other half gripping a blade, Keizumi thrust one hand straight through the chest of an Uchiha shinobi while driving his blade into another's heart. In the blink of an eye, two more fell.
The three-tomoe Sharingan in his eyes spun and transformed into the Mangekyō Sharingan. With just a glance, he cast a genjutsu on another, freezing him in place.
[Splurt—]
The blade slid across his throat, and yet another dropped into a pool of blood.
By the time five Uchiha shinobi had fallen to his hands…
Keizumi had broken through the line.
His calm, unshaken gaze fell toward the direction where Setsuna had fled.
Without hesitation, he gave chase.
…
"Huff… huff…" Even the slightest exertion left Setsuna wheezing heavily. His aged body no longer obeyed him, forcing him to grit his teeth.
If only he were a few decades younger, how could he be reduced to such a pitiful state?
Damn it!
In the heart of Uchiha territory, to be chased down by some radical brat—his old face had been utterly disgraced!
Setsuna flung himself forward in a desperate run for his life, shoving aside a clueless Uchiha civilian who stumbled into his path. "Out of my way, old man!!"
His mind raced. Where could he seek help?
Go to the Konoha leadership? Impossible! They'd sooner kill him.
That left only one option—Uchiha Fugaku!
Fugaku did not wish to see the Uchiha clash with Konoha. Surely, then, he would not want to see conflict between Setsuna and Keizumi either!
On his own, he couldn't stop Keizumi. But with Fugaku's strength added… then there should be no problem.
For now, he could only hope those young radicals would stall Keizumi a little longer. Five or six minutes would be best! Even three minutes would do!
"It hurts…" The Uchiha civilian Setsuna had shoved aside tried to struggle back to his feet. At that moment, a hand suddenly caught his arm and pulled him upright with ease.
He froze, wincing in pain, just about to thank the person—when his eyes suddenly widened.
"He ran left, didn't he?" Keizumi's indifferent voice entered his ears.
"Gulp!"
The injured civilian swallowed hard, then bobbed his head rapidly like a pecking chicken. He didn't dare hide anything, didn't dare deceive Keizumi.
At the same time, he was slightly surprised. The Keizumi spoken of in rumor as utterly terrifying… didn't seem quite so terrifying after all.
He even helped me up!
But before the civilian could react, the infamous "Uchiha Plague God" vanished without a trace.
"What… what just happened?"
Clutching his arm in confusion, he muttered, "The one who shoved me earlier looked a lot like Elder Setsuna… wait!"
"Uchiha Keizumi…"
"Chasing down Elder Setsuna?!"
He froze on the spot.
…
Meanwhile, Setsuna, thinking he had finally reached some measure of safety, slowed his frantic pace, gasping raggedly. His twisted face contorted as he ground his teeth. "That damned radical brat—after today, I swear I'll—"
Before he could finish, his expression changed in an instant.
From behind him came a blast of scorching wind, thick with the stench of sulfur that stung his nostrils.
Setsuna's breath hitched.
He spun his head in panic, blur written across his aged features, words spilling in haste: "Keizumi, wait—"
But the instant he turned, his clouded eyes caught only the blinding gleam of cold steel.
In that moment, a chill swept across his neck, as though ice had traced a perfect circle along the skin of his throat.
The words caught in his mouth. His hand instinctively shot up to clutch his neck.
His fingertips met warmth—wet, sticky warmth.
When he lowered his gaze, his eyes widened.
"Blood… ghh—"
Setsuna's pupils dilated as a crimson line split open across his neck, growing clearer, blood sliding down in rivulets. His head tilted slightly to the side—
With a dull thud, his head slipped free, rolling smoothly across the ground, bouncing several times before coming to rest.
His body, drained of all strength, collapsed backward in silence.
The severed head finally stopped, its wide, lifeless eyes fixed squarely on Uchiha Keizumi.
The air itself seemed to fall still.
[Ding! You have successfully slain a "Red Name" villain! Your chakra has increased slightly! Congratulations, you have obtained: "All of Uchiha Setsuna's youthful Sharingan ocular power"!]
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