Fugaku and Yusuke headed straight for the Uchiha dueling grounds.
News of the impending fight spread through the district like wildfire.
Uchiha clansmen clustered together in excited knots, voices rising and falling.
"Did you hear? 'Blazing Demon' Yusuke challenged Clan Head Fugaku!"
"No way. Yusuke? Challenging the Clan Head? That doesn't even sound real!"
"It's true. A lot of people already went to the dueling grounds to watch…"
"To dare challenge Fugaku-sama… did Yusuke develop some new jutsu?"
"A showdown between the Uchiha's Fire Release monster and their greatest ocular technique expert—this is going to be incredible!"
…
Inside the Uchiha District, shinobi gathered in small groups, moving toward the arena in a steady stream.
One of the clan's most famous prodigies challenging the Clan Head—
Who could resist witnessing that?
Within the dueling grounds, the debate ignited all over again: who was stronger?
"Yusuke might be a prodigy rarely seen within the clan, but at his age… beating Fugaku-sama is still a stretch, isn't it?"
"Exactly. His Fire Release is unpredictable, but the Clan Head's ocular techniques are on another level!"
"We're Uchiha. The Sharingan decides the outcome—and the one called 'Wicked Eye' clearly has the stronger eye power."
Listening to the crowd's doubts, Inabi and Tekka sneered inwardly.
"Fugaku's eye power is stronger?"
The Mangekyō Sharingan said nothing—and that silence was laughter.
"Yusuke would never do something he wasn't sure of."
"These short-sighted fools… Yusuke will lead the Uchiha to rebuild our former glory!"
The two exchanged a knowing grin.
They had seen it with their own eyes.
Yusuke's Mangekyō Sharingan.
According to clan records, once the Mangekyō awakened, one could wield the so-called "power of the gods"—
Susanoo.
Against most shinobi below Kage-level, witnessing it was nearly equivalent to defeat.
That wasn't an exaggeration.
In an era without monstrous cheats and impossible bloodline hybrids, how many shinobi could stand against Susanoo?
Even Uchiha Itachi's future "invincible" reputation owed a great deal to that very power.
…
Hokage Tower.
Hokage's Office.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was in the middle of discussing urgent matters with Konoha's two advisors when an ANBU assigned to monitor the Uchiha burst into the room, voice tight with urgency.
"Hokage-sama!"
"Something's happened in the Uchiha District—'Blazing Demon' Yusuke has challenged Clan Head Uchiha Fugaku!"
For a moment, Hiruzen, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane all froze.
Since the Nine-Tails incident, the number of shinobi assigned to surveil the Uchiha had doubled.
To put it bluntly—
No movement within the Uchiha escaped their eyes.
And yet… they had never heard of any conflict between Yusuke and Fugaku.
Yusuke suddenly stepping forward to contest the Clan Head's position—
It was far too strange.
They all knew Yusuke.
He didn't seem like the type to do something like this.
Still, if the Uchiha were stirring, Konoha's leadership couldn't sit idle.
Hiruzen made his decision instantly.
"Come."
"We're going to see for ourselves."
…
Uchiha District.
Dueling Grounds.
On the raised platform, Uchiha Yusuke and Uchiha Fugaku stood facing each other.
Below them, a massive crowd of Uchiha shinobi gathered.
Upon hearing the news, the clan had practically emptied itself into this arena.
This victory would decide the Clan Head's seat—
And by extension, the future fate of the Uchiha.
Every set of eyes was filled with tension.
The dovish faction prayed Fugaku would win and continue leading the clan.
The hawkish faction—those who had grown dissatisfied—wanted "Blazing Demon" Yusuke to take the throne and carve a completely different path.
Among those in attendance were the clan's rising stars.
Uchiha Itachi arrived alongside Uchiha Shisui.
"Shisui," Itachi asked quietly, "do you think Yusuke can defeat my father?"
Shisui fell silent for a moment, then gave a helpless, wry smile.
"By common sense, the Clan Head should have the advantage."
"But Brother Yusuke… he isn't someone you can measure with common sense."
"If he dared challenge the Clan Head, he must have a trump card."
"The outcome… even I can't predict it."
Itachi blinked, faintly surprised.
It was rare to hear uncertainty from Shisui.
To Itachi, Shisui was like a living belief—
Unbeatable. Unshakable.
A faith not unlike the one Sasuke would one day hold for his own older brother.
Shisui smiled and gently ruffled Itachi's hair.
"Even though people say I'm on Yusuke's level… Yusuke is stronger than me."
Many things within the Uchiha were inherited, just like Fire Release and the Sharingan.
Shisui had always treated Yusuke as the goal he needed to surpass.
But no matter how hard he trained, the distance between them remained an abyss he couldn't cross.
He had only just touched the threshold of elite Jōnin.
Yusuke had long since become the ceiling below Kage-level.
Shisui was extraordinarily talented—
But compared to Yusuke, he still fell short.
His ninjutsu mastery was terrifying, and at such a young age he had created a Fire Release: Chakra Mode that didn't even require hand seals.
Facing Yusuke, Shisui could only sigh.
"Even the Second Hokage, Lord Tobirama Senju… might not have been much better."
…
On the platform, neither man rushed to attack.
Fugaku's voice was low, heavy with questions.
"Yusuke… you didn't step forward without reason."
"Why challenge me?"
Though he had accepted the duel, Fugaku still couldn't understand it.
Yusuke wasn't the sort to crave power.
And Fugaku couldn't recall ever offending him.
In fact—
Privately, they even had a certain rapport.
So why?
Yusuke answered calmly.
"The Uchiha are facing a life-or-death crisis."
"And I don't believe you have the ability to guide the clan correctly."
It was blunt.
And it was honest.
A dovish Clan Head could not lead the Uchiha out of a situation where enemies surrounded them on all sides.
Fugaku's persistent belief in peaceful coexistence with Konoha's leadership—
Was naïve to the point of danger.
Having seen the cruelty of war, Fugaku had developed a stubborn longing for peace.
That very longing had blinded him to Konoha's true intentions.
Fugaku let out a self-mocking chuckle.
"So you could see it… and I, as Clan Head, didn't."
"That's… humiliating."
He wasn't without self-awareness.
No one understood the Uchiha's current predicament better than him.
Konoha's orders were shackles he couldn't break.
The disagreements within the clan were fires he couldn't fully extinguish.
If things continued—
The Uchiha's future was bleak.
But Fugaku wasn't the kind of man who surrendered easily.
His eyes sharpened.
"Then let's settle it."
He took a battle stance.
Yusuke didn't flinch in the slightest.
"In that case…"
"I won't hold back."
"Please—be careful."
Want More? Get up to +60 Extra Chapters on Patreon!
➤ https://www.patreon.com/aureliusstudios
➤ +300 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter Drop!
Thanks for the support!