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Autumn sat on the steps below the main hall, listening as the elders above described the scene like they had seen it with their own eyes—him killing his own father. After a while, someone suddenly addressed him. He looked up.
"Uchiha Aki, do you have anything to say in your defense?" one of the Uchiha elders sneered down at him.
Aki looked up with a mocking expression. "Does my opinion even matter to you?"
The elder immediately snapped back, "So you're admitting it! According to clan law, the punishment is to sever your chakra at its root. Guards! Take this criminal, Uchiha Aki, away for punishment!"
At that moment, an elder named Uchiha Onizuka suddenly stepped up beside Aki, sword in hand. He looked coldly at the others and said, "I dare any of you to try it."
The man who had once forced Aki's mother to remarry now stepped forward and said, "Onizuka, do you even realize what you're doing? Defying the clan like this is punishable by death!"
Onizuka just laughed loudly. "Who's going to die is still up in the air! And you, a bastard-born nobody, what right do you have to pass judgment on the young master?"
The man smiled coldly. "The eighteen elders here and all the clan members present—we all refuse to accept a patricidal brat like him as head of the Uchiha clan!"
"Heh."
As the man spoke arrogantly, Aki suddenly interrupted.
"Now I finally understand why this clan has never made it to the top," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. His words stung the elders like a slap to the face.
"What did you say, Uchiha Aki?!" the man snapped.
Aki ignored him and stepped into the center of the hall. "How much time is left?"
Onizuka respectfully replied, "Perfect timing, Young Master."
He glanced coldly around. "Please, Young Master, show them your power."
Aki nodded and smiled. "My grandfather only ever chased power—he was never fit to lead. My father wasn't strong enough to manage the clan. So parasites like you all were never punished properly. But today, I'm ending that."
Suddenly, a red barrier surrounded the sky overhead.
The man looked up, shocked. "The Four Crimson Flame Formation?!"
Then a terrified voice from an elder snapped him back. He turned toward where the elder was pointing—and froze.
"Mangekyō Sharingan…"
A horrifying pentagon-shaped eye glowed in the boy's sockets. It was a terrifying presence no one could look at directly. A boy not even ten years old… had awakened that eye.
"Why? Why do monsters like this always get handed power by the heavens, while people like me get nothing?" the man screamed inside.
Aki stepped forward, grinning wickedly. "Let the slaughter begin."
The space around them twisted and warped. Black flames erupted and surged toward the surrounding Uchiha clansmen.
Elsewhere…
"Sir, the Cloud shinobi haven't launched any attacks in recent days. Even our scouts in the Land of Frost report there've been no more ambushes. Seems like the Cloud has pulled out."
The Second Hokage looked thoughtful for a moment, then smiled. "So the Second Raikage has figured it out too, huh? Those little moves by the Mist have made him feel threatened."
Then he gave the Anbu shinobi an order: "Recall all Anbu operatives in the Land of Lightning. Cease all sneak attacks on the Cloud. No one is to enter their territory until I give the order."
Just then, Shimura Danzō entered the tent. He saluted and said, "Sir, we received an urgent report from Uchiha Kagami in Konoha."
He handed the Second Hokage a sealed box. The Hokage opened it, pulled out the note inside, and as he read, he paused midway and let out a sigh.
"So we couldn't stop it after all… I didn't think hatred could drive someone this far. Hopefully the boy can come out of it. If not… sigh…"
The sigh made Danzō suspicious. "Did something happen in the village, sir? Why the long face?"
The Second Hokage smiled. "Actually, it's a good thing. See for yourself."
He handed Danzō the note.
Hyuga Clan Guest Hall
"Sir, the Hyuga clan is way too arrogant. They've kept us waiting here for nearly an hour. I say we leave!" Uchiha Mine complained as he looked at the Hyuga clan head still practicing his strikes.
Aki shook his head and smiled. "The Hyugas are one of the oldest families in Konoha. Tradition is their thing. We're here to show respect to that tradition."
Just then, a voice came from outside the hall. "Well said. Your posture may be improper, but your words are right. Tradition is the very foundation of the Hyuga clan's strength."
Aki turned and saw the Hyuga clan head, dressed in a formal kimono, slowly walking to the main seat. After sitting down, he looked at Aki and said, "So, head of the Uchiha clan—what brings you here?"
Aki smiled. "Come on, after all that I did, you're telling me you don't know?"
The Hyuga head chuckled. "You didn't do anything wrong. In our clan, anyone who defies the head's orders deserves death. And now that you're head of the Uchiha, we're equals. I'm just curious—why are you here?"
Aki thought for a moment, then said, "We had traitors in the clan. I took care of them myself. But I'm short-staffed in a few areas. So I came to talk about possible cooperation."
The Hyuga head went quiet for a moment. "Such as?"
Seeing he wasn't immediately turned down, Aki quickly said, "The Konoha Police Force."
The Hyuga head raised an eyebrow. "You're certainly decisive."
When he said no more, Aki explained, "After the purge, the Uchiha clan doesn't have the energy to fully manage the police force. To avoid causing the village instability like we did within the clan, I want to share authority with the Hyuga clan. Would you be willing to help?"
The Hyuga head looked at him strangely. "Are you really not even ten years old? You're something else."
Aki smiled. "So what do you think? The Uchiha clan isn't a den of corruption anymore—we're aligning with the village now."
The Hyuga head nodded. "I'll help. But how do you plan to split authority?"
"Konoha Police Force is split into two parts: internal and external. Internal handles village security and defense. One of those departments will go to the Hyuga clan. External has prisons and regional law enforcement, which we'll divide among smaller clans across the Fire Country. The Uchiha clan will only issue commands and oversee operations."
"And the head of the whole department?"
"He'll be chosen by anonymous vote from mid-level officers, with oversight from the Hokage, Anbu, and the Administration Department."
The Hyuga head nodded. "That's a solid plan. Okay then. I'll report it to the Hokage, and we'll see what he says. For now, I'll help you by taking over one department. Which one do you want us to manage?"
Aki thought for a bit and said, "Your Byakugan and our Sharingan each have their specialties. Byakugan has that X-ray-like vision and can see chakra flow from far away. I want the Hyuga clan to take over village defense and monitoring."
The Hyuga head nodded. "That suits our strengths well. Alright, we'll take over that department. I'll send our people over tomorrow."
Aki bowed respectfully. "Then I'll take my leave."
After Aki left with Uchiha Kagami, a Hyuga ninja appeared behind the clan head and asked, "Sir, why are we helping the Uchiha?"
The Hyuga clan head smiled. "When the root of evil is completely cut off, there's no reason for more to grow. The Second Hokage's plan has been completely disrupted by this young clan head. He understands the importance of balance. I'm just giving him a little push in the right direction."
Uchiha Onizuka led Aki to a hidden Uchiha base inside the village. He brought him to a secret chamber and pointed to a stone monument inside.
"This is the Uchiha Clan Monument. It holds all our secret techniques. It can be partially read with a Sharingan, more so with a Mangekyō Sharingan. But nearly half of it is still unreadable. Lord Madara, with the First Hokage's help, managed to read about three-quarters."
But Aki didn't look at the monument right away. Instead, he activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and scanned the room.
"How long has it been since anyone came here?" he asked.
Onizuka looked puzzled. "Ten years ago, Lord Uchiha Hikaru came here. After that, he ordered it sealed."
Aki nodded. "That was the year my grandfather died, wasn't it?"
Onizuka nodded back.
Aki then stepped toward the stone monument and said, "Leave me. Unless something major happens, don't disturb me. Just send food every two days."
Onizuka bowed and quietly left the chamber.
Once alone, Aki touched the monument and stared at the writing. He muttered to himself, "So my grandfather really didn't die… How did you survive the teacher's attack and the Second Hokage's detection? Why did you come here?"
Aki stared at the monument in silence.
"....."