Chapter 55: Two Mangekyō Sharingan! Fugaku Challenges Akira
The clan meeting began in silent confrontation. Uchiha Akira stepped forward. "Everyone." There was no beating around the bush; he went straight to the point. "The Uchiha Clan has reached the edge of a cliff. Under Konoha's surveillance and suppression, we have been ostracized and isolated.
The compromise and concessions that Clan Head Fugaku insisted on did not bring the Village's understanding, but rather escalated oppression. What honor is there for a clan whose members are monitored even when walking on the Village streets?"
Kenji and Shunichi, who were behind Akira, stepped forward and unrolled thick scrolls one by one on the long table. "During the time I participated in handling clan affairs, the crime rate within the Village decreased by 20%, and the Police Force's patrol efficiency increased by 40%. The total assets of the clan's industries increased by over 25%. The most important point," Akira's voice suddenly rose.
"In the past year, a total of 38 young clan members awakened their Sharingan. This is the sum of the previous 3 years! Among them, 7 have already activated their Two-Tomoe Sharingan. Facts prove that concessions cannot bring about the awakening of our clan; concessions will only cause the Uchiha Clan to continuously sink! Only by continuously reclaiming the Uchiha Clan's honor can the Uchiha Clan become stronger!"
Uchiha Akira's gaze finally fell on Uchiha Fugaku, who was in the main seat. "Therefore, I propose a change of Clan Head. The Uchiha Clan needs a leader who can lead us to reclaim everything."
All the clan members' gazes focused on Akira and Fugaku. The next second, "I agree!" Uchiha Yashiro, a Hawk Faction Elder, was the first to stand up and support Elder Akira. "Fugaku's weakness will only lead the clan to destruction! I support Elder Akira!"
Immediately after, another representative of the Dove Faction, Uchiha Honoka, spoke. "For the future of the Uchiha Clan… I also support Elder Akira's proposal."
With the two core Elders taking the lead, the remaining Elders and elites no longer hesitated. "I support Elder Akira!" "We cannot wait any longer!" "Please lead us, Elder Akira!"
The voices of support came like a tide. Only a few neutral Elders remained silent, their cloudy eyes filled with worry for the unknown.
Facing the one-sided situation, Uchiha Fugaku slowly raised his hand and pressed it down. The surroundings instantly quieted down. The dignity belonging to the Clan Head still existed at this moment.
"Akira, you did very well. However, what you see is only the superficial manifestation brought by power. The forbearance I practiced was not weakness, but to protect the clan from being consumed by this overly powerful force." Uchiha Fugaku slowly took a few steps forward, and an invisible pressure spread from his body.
The moment his words fell, his eyes, with their 3 tomoe, spun rapidly, finally merging into a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan!
"Man… Mangekyō Sharingan!"
"Clan Head, he… actually…"
"This eye power… it's terrifying…"
The legendary eyes, the forbidden power only recorded in the clan's oldest stone tablets, actually appeared before them just like that. Fugaku had hidden too deeply. Possessing such formidable power, yet he had endured for decades. For a moment, some of the clan members who had just been passionately supporting Elder Akira looked at Fugaku with renewed awe and fear.
It turned out that their Clan Head was not cowardly. He was merely a lion who had deeply hidden his claws and fangs to protect his pride. This was the Uchiha Clan, a clan that only worshipped power.
"Clan Head Fugaku, have you changed anything with those eyes?" Uchiha Akira asked a penetrating question. Yes! What good was having a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan if he hid it for so long? It was as good as not having it at all!
"Clan Head Fugaku!" Akira's voice was sharp. "Uchiha Shisui, do you still remember that name? Shisui possessed a Mangekyō Sharingan no less powerful than yours. Shisui believed in compromise and peace more than anyone present. And the result?"
Uchiha Akira took another step forward, his aura aggressive. "What did his compromise bring? It brought Danzō's ambush, the humiliation of having one eye stolen! What did his loyalty bring? It brought being forced to a dead end by the Village, ultimately leaving him with the tragic fate of drowning himself in the river! Clan Head Fugaku, I ask you! When Shisui was cornered, where were your proud Mangekyō Sharingan, which you claim exist to protect the clan?! Did your forbearance save him?!"
Every word was a stab to the heart. But the truth was indeed so; Uchiha Fugaku's hidden Mangekyō had not played any role. Fugaku's face became extremely grim.
"A Clan Head who cannot even protect the clan's most brilliant genius! Your trump card is not a deterrent; it's a joke!"
Under the gaze of all the clan members, Uchiha Akira's eyes also changed. 3 jet-black tomoe spun wildly, finally converging into a pair of Mangekyō patterns distinctly different from Fugaku's.
[Buzz!]
A surge of eye power far more immense and vast than Fugaku's spread outwards. What powerful eye power pressure! Some ordinary clan members even fell to their knees with a "thud," their bodies trembling violently from extreme excitement.
"Two pairs… two pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan!"
"Oh my God! Our Uchiha Clan…"
Uchiha Akira looked at Fugaku and slowly spoke. "Clan Head, times have changed."
Two pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan. One represented the last dignity of the old era. The other heralded the forceful arrival of a new era.
Uchiha Akira's previous heart-piercing words echoed repeatedly in Fugaku's ears. "When Shisui was cornered, where were your proud Mangekyō Sharingan?!" Yes, where were they. His proud forbearance, his self-proclaimed protection, was nothing but a complete joke in the face of cruel reality.
Uchiha Fugaku took a deep breath, slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the Mangekyō pattern had receded. The Uchiha Clan had never believed in reason. It believed in power. Absolute power, enough to crush everything and change everything.
"Akira, you are right, times have changed. Since that is the case, there is no point in saying more." Uchiha Fugaku's gaze swept over the clan members, over their faces that were either awestruck, fanatical, or fearful. "The future of our Uchiha Clan should not be decided by verbal skirmishes. It should be decided by power."
Fugaku refocused his gaze on Uchiha Akira, and the fighting spirit of a strong individual ignited within him. "I, Uchiha Fugaku, as the current Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan, challenge you to a duel."
At these words, many Uchiha present gasped. The Clan Head was going to publicly duel Elder Akira! This was unheard of in the history of the Uchiha Clan.