Uchiha clan compound.
Inside an underground secret chamber.
Uchiha Yusuke and Uchiha Fugaku sat facing each other, the atmosphere calm and cordial.
"Yusuke, these two scrolls record the forbidden techniques passed down through our Uchiha clan for generations."
"I'll entrust them to you for safekeeping from now on."
Uchiha Fugaku took two scrolls from a hidden compartment and handed them to Yusuke.
The Uchiha clan's forbidden techniques—
Izanagi and Izanami.
By tradition, these two taboo ocular jutsu were always controlled by successive Uchiha clan heads.
"Mm."
Yusuke accepted the scrolls but did not open them immediately.
Uchiha Madara had survived his battle with Senju Hashirama precisely by relying on Izanagi.
These two forbidden techniques were undeniably powerful—but unfortunately, they were expensive.
A technique that cost one's eyesight with each use was something Yusuke simply couldn't afford.
Seeing Yusuke remain so composed even in the face of the clan's forbidden arts, a trace of admiration appeared on Fugaku's face.
Back then, he himself had eagerly picked up the scrolls and begun studying them at once. Yusuke was far steadier by comparison.
Fugaku asked tentatively,
"Yusuke… you've already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, haven't you?"
Though phrased as a question, his tone was filled with certainty.
He had personally experienced Yusuke's ocular power—it was far beyond what an ordinary Three-Tomoe Sharingan could achieve.
Without awakening the Mangekyō, how could Yusuke have reflected his Sharingan genjutsu?
Yusuke nodded calmly.
"Yes."
Fugaku was not a "filial executioner" like Uchiha Itachi. He was someone Yusuke could trust.
"Good… that's wonderful."
Fugaku's face lit up with genuine joy.
Yusuke was powerful, composed, and forthright. Handing the Uchiha over to someone like him finally allowed Fugaku to feel at ease.
Over the years, facing constant pressure from Konoha's higher-ups had truly exhausted him.
Stepping aside and yielding his position was, in a way, not such a bad thing.
Being the Uchiha clan head sounded glorious, but how many could understand the loneliness and pressure that came with standing at the top?
Fugaku felt deeply satisfied with Yusuke as his successor.
Under Yusuke's leadership, the Uchiha would surely have a completely different future.
After a moment of thought, Yusuke suddenly asked,
"Uncle Fugaku… you've also awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, haven't you?"
A bitter smile tugged at Fugaku's lips.
"So I really couldn't hide it from you."
Yusuke's tone suddenly sharpened.
"Then why didn't you step forward during the Nine-Tails Incident?"
Before Fugaku could respond, Yusuke pressed on.
"As long as you, who possessed the Mangekyō, had stepped forward, the Nine-Tails disaster could have been resolved."
"Not only would that have proven the Uchiha's innocence, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, would not have died."
"You, Uncle Fugaku, would have become the hero who saved the village and protected the Hokage."
"If that had happened, how could the Uchiha have fallen to their current state?"
The series of questions left Fugaku utterly speechless.
With the Mangekyō Sharingan, he truly had possessed the ability to stop the Nine-Tails.
If he had intervened back then, how could Konoha have suffered such devastating losses?
How could the Fourth Hokage have died?
How could the villagers have come to misunderstand the Uchiha?
At the time, in order to avoid suspicion, he had chosen to obey Konoha's higher-ups.
Looking back now, it was a catastrophically foolish move.
Not only had it failed to clear the Uchiha of suspicion, it had only deepened the misunderstanding toward them.
On the surface, Konoha's leadership claimed to trust the Uchiha—but how did that explain the ever-increasing number of surveillance personnel?
Fugaku might have been naïve, but he was not stupid.
He understood perfectly well the prejudice Konoha's leadership held against the Uchiha.
His greatest mistake was failing to see through Hiruzen Sarutobi's true nature.
He truly believed that the always-benevolent Third Hokage would never raise a cruel hand against the Uchiha.
Yusuke spoke bluntly.
"Uncle Fugaku, you were too weak."
"Constantly compromising with Konoha's higher-ups can never lead the Uchiha out of their predicament."
"Status and the right to speak are things you must fight for with your own strength!"
Time and again, Fugaku had compromised with Konoha's leadership—yet all he received in return was greater mistrust.
You extend goodwill again and again, and others only suspect ulterior motives.
Wasn't that bargaining with a tiger for its skin?
Out of fear that Konoha's leadership would grow wary of the Mangekyō Sharingan's power, Fugaku had refused to act at all.
Even holding back had its limits.
What kind of person was Minato Namikaze?
He held absolutely no prejudice against the Uchiha.
If Fugaku had assisted Minato in grasping Konoha's power, how could the Uchiha have ended up in such a desperate situation?
Faced with Yusuke's questions, Fugaku's expression dimmed. He didn't know how to answer.
His lips parted, but in the end, all that emerged was a helpless sigh.
Yusuke was right.
He had been far too weak back then.
He was always worried about not exposing himself, not appearing too strong, afraid of provoking suspicion.
Yet the Uchiha were still placed under intense scrutiny by Konoha's leadership.
Yusuke was right…
He truly had not been a qualified clan head.
Fugaku let out a weary sigh.
"One wrong decision back then pushed the Uchiha into this predicament. This is entirely my responsibility."
"Now that you are the new clan head, the task of setting things right falls to you, Yusuke."
He gently patted Yusuke on the shoulder, believing that Yusuke had the ability to correct his mistakes.
Yusuke chuckled softly.
"I won't let the clan down."
"But I won't allow you to become a deserter either."
After a brief pause, he continued,
"Mistakes you make yourself should be corrected by your own hands."
"I'll give you that chance, Uncle Fugaku. I hope you'll stay and help me."
Since Yusuke intended to revitalize the clan, there was no way he would let go of a Kage-level powerhouse like Uchiha Fugaku.
The road ahead for the Uchiha was still long.
Without everyone's support, it would be impossible to walk it.
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