_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The moment Fugaku saw the gentle smile on Akira's face, his own drained of color.
"Senior, there's no need for you to step in personally! Let me handle this. I promise I'll give you a satisfactory result!"
"Oh, spare me."
Akira flicked him aside with a wave of his hand, tossing Fugaku behind him like he weighed nothing. Still, he added casually, "Relax. I know my limits. I won't hit too hard. At most, I'll give him a small lesson."
A small lesson? Yeah, right…
Fugaku forced a bitter smile.
Last time Akira had said that, Uchiha Tajima had been fried black as charcoal and spent days in the hospital.
But he didn't dare argue. If Akira actually got annoyed, Fugaku might end up being the next "lesson."
Akira raised his index and middle fingers toward Itachi, his expression calm.
"I'll defend with just these two fingers. Come at me however you like. If you can touch any part of my body besides these two fingers, I'll give you your answer. Deal?"
Behind him, Fugaku almost choked.
Isn't that a bit too arrogant?
He knew Akira was monstrously strong. But his son, Uchiha Itachi, was no small fry either. A Kage-level shinobi who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Trying to suppress him with just two fingers? That was downright insulting.
"Bastard! Don't look down on me!"
Even Itachi, usually so composed, couldn't swallow that.
Two fingers to stop him? That wasn't confidence. That was pure contempt.
"You'll pay for your arrogance!"
With a sharp shout, his hands blurred. A storm of kunai burst from his grip.
Whistling through the air, blades rained down toward Akira from every direction.
Akira frowned slightly.
"Haven't you learned? You're still playing with toys?"
His two fingers flicked lazily up and down. One by one, the kunai were knocked aside. Not a single blade touched him.
"It's not over yet. Let me show you what true Uchiha throwing techniques look like."
Itachi let out a cold laugh.
The kunai that had flown past Akira clashed midair behind him, metal screeching as they ricocheted and shot back from the rear.
But they weren't aiming at Akira.
Thud, thud, thud.
Dozens of kunai embedded themselves into the ground around him. Thin steel wires trailed behind each blade. In an instant, the wires crossed and intertwined, forming an irregular steel web that trapped Akira in the center.
"You think toy strings like this can hold me?" Akira asked flatly, glancing down.
"I only need one second," Itachi replied. "One second to stall you. That's enough."
His figure vanished.
In the blink of an eye, he reappeared less than five meters in front of Akira.
"Drop that superior look of yours. It's time you paid for your arrogance."
"Die!"
A roar tore from his throat as the chakra he'd been building exploded outward.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
A massive surge of chakra solidified around him. A towering red giant took shape in an instant.
Susanoo. Fourth Form. Activated.
Scarlet chakra condensed in the giant's hand, forming a colossal crimson blade.
"You brought this on yourself!"
Itachi's face twisted slightly as he swung the blade down. He wasn't aiming for Akira's head. Just the arm. He didn't want to kill him.
Even so, Fugaku panicked.
"Stop, Itachi! Have you lost your mind?!"
He hadn't expected his son to go straight for the ultimate move. In such a short window, there was no way Akira could summon his own Susanoo in time.
And if Itachi somehow won with a sneak attack like this? Wouldn't that just enrage Akira beyond measure? Who in the Uchiha clan could withstand his fury?
Then Fugaku saw it.
A scene he would never forget.
Akira slowly raised two fingers.
The descending Susanoo blade met them—and stopped.
Just like that.
Then Akira squeezed.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
Boom.
Fractures spread across the massive chakra sword before it shattered outright, exploding into countless glowing fragments that dissolved into the air as if it had never existed.
Fugaku sucked in a sharp breath.
That was Susanoo. The Mangekyō Sharingan's strongest offensive technique. A blade that could cleave a mountain in half.
And Akira had crushed it with two bare fingers.
What kind of monster was this?
Fugaku felt his entire worldview collapse.
Even Uchiha Madara, the strongest in Uchiha history, couldn't have done something like that… right?
"I told you," Akira said, blowing lightly across his untouched fingers, "trapping me was meaningless."
The test was complete.
His physical body was now strong enough to contend with Susanoo head-on.
As for the Perfect Susanoo? Maybe he'd have to find Madara someday and test it properly. Itachi's fourth form wasn't enough.
Itachi stood frozen, like a statue.
His Susanoo blade… shattered.
By two fingers.
How was he supposed to fight something like this?
His mind crumbled.
They weren't even on the same level. Not the same dimension.
How could someone like this exist in the shinobi world?
The crimson giant vanished.
Itachi dismissed Susanoo and collapsed to the ground, face pale, eyes hollow.
"I was wrong," he said bitterly. "The arrogant fool… was me."
"I actually thought I could challenge you. I didn't know my place."
A sharp rush of wind.
Akira appeared in front of him in an instant.
"Good. Then remember it. Next time, don't come looking to get wrecked."
He flicked Itachi's forehead with his finger.
Bang.
Itachi was sent flying, smashing through trash bins before slamming onto the roadside and going completely limp.
"Senior!"
Fugaku cried out, rushing over.
"He's not dead. Why are you panicking?" Akira said casually. "If I'd been serious, his head would've exploded."
Still, Fugaku knelt beside Itachi, checking him carefully. Only after confirming he was breathing steadily did he finally exhale in relief.
"Thank you for showing mercy, Senior. After this… I believe Itachi won't trouble you again."
He summoned another Uchiha to carry Itachi off for treatment, then turned back to Akira, cautious as ever.
"So, senpai… since everything's settled, should we head to the meeting now? Or would you like to rest a bit first? I'll follow your lead."
After what had happened, Fugaku's attitude had grown noticeably more deferential.
After all, this was someone who had tanked a Susanoo with his bare body. No way was he going to show the slightest disrespect.
And for reasons unknown, this powerhouse had chosen to take on the appearance of his second son, Akira.
Wasn't that basically a god-tier backer delivered straight to his doorstep?
He'd better hold on tight.
As for his real son, Uchiha Akira… Fugaku felt, honestly, that the boy wasn't all that important.
Trading an underwhelming son for an unparalleled expert? No matter how you looked at it, that wasn't a bad deal.
Sons could be born again.
But a chance to cling to a thigh like this? Once in a lifetime.
He had to seize it.
It might've been cold-blooded, but that was exactly how Fugaku saw it.
…
Before long, the two arrived at the Hokage Building.
The grand conference room used for full-village meetings wasn't on the first floor, but the second. Akira followed behind Fugaku up the stairs and reached the corridor outside the hall.
"Clan Head Fugaku, you're finally here! Please, go in. Everyone's already arrived. You're the only one we've been waiting on."
The guard stationed at the entrance quickly stepped aside to let Fugaku pass.
But when Akira moved to follow, the guard raised an arm to block him.
"Sorry. This meeting is limited to clan heads and Konoha's top officials. An ordinary member of the Uchiha clan should wait outside."
Again?
Akira glanced at the arm in front of him, one brow lifting slightly.
He was just about to toss the man aside when Fugaku noticed what was happening and barked sharply,
"Who do you think you're stopping? Open your eyes and take a good look!
This is the hero who exposed Danzō's crimes! The man who saved Konoha! He's no ordinary Uchiha!"
"What?!"
The guard jumped, hurriedly studying the handsome young man in front of him.
Since Akira hadn't dispelled his White God form, the guard hadn't recognized him at first glance.
But the more he looked, the more the features overlapped with seven-year-old Uchiha Akira's face.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't recognize you, Hero-sama! It's my fault for being blind!
But honestly, you can't blame me! You've gotten so handsome it's impossible to tell!"
He quickly stepped aside, laying it on thick with a clumsy compliment, all smiles and flattery.
Watching the two figures disappear down the corridor, the guard wiped cold sweat from his forehead.
That was close. Way too close.
He'd nearly signed his own death warrant just now.
Stopping a monster like that? What was he thinking?
Still shaken, he patted his chest.
After work, he'd have to head to the pleasure district and find a few cute girls to calm his frazzled nerves.
…
"When did I become Konoha's hero?"
Akira asked dryly.
"Oh! I forgot to mention it. My mistake."
Fugaku slapped his forehead and explained quickly,
"You've been in seclusion cultivating these past few days, so you wouldn't know.
You not only exposed Danzō's crimes, you also uprooted the Shimura clan, that festering tumor within Konoha.
With those two achievements alone, how could you not be the village's great hero?"
"A hero?" Akira let out a short laugh. "I have zero interest in being anyone's hero.
I killed Danzō and wiped out the Shimura because I felt like it. No grand reasons behind it."
"And who knows? This could just be Hiruzen Sarutobi's way of killing with praise."
His voice was calm.
Wasn't Sakumo Hatake once Konoha's great hero? Look how that ended.
And Minato Namikaze too.
Being Konoha's hero usually meant a tragic ending. Even a dog wouldn't take that job.
Of course, with his current strength, tragedy wasn't exactly on the table.
"Praise as a weapon from that old fox Sarutobi?" Fugaku shook his head. "I can't say. But a lot of the village ninja are calling you that."
"They can call me whatever they want. If that old geezer thinks a cheap title can bind me, he's dreaming."
A faint sneer tugged at Akira's lips.
Creak.
The doors to the conference room swung open, and Fugaku stepped inside first.
The room was bright, lit by a massive floor-to-ceiling window and overhead lamps. A long table dominated the center, both sides already filled with people.
At the head of the table sat the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Every attendee held a position of influence. You could say the core of Konoha's power structure was gathered here.
Hearing the door, all eyes turned toward the entrance.
Seeing the late-arriving Fugaku, Hiruzen's expression darkened.
"Fugaku. Why are you only arriving now?"
As he spoke, his voice rose, clearly trying to stir the room and give Fugaku a public dressing-down.
Inside, though, he was delighted.
Who would've thought Fugaku would be foolish enough to show up more than two hours late to such an important meeting?
It handed him the perfect excuse.
He didn't even intend to give Fugaku a chance to speak. His old mouth fired like a machine gun.
"Fugaku! Your behavior is outrageous! Are you treating this crucial meeting like a joke?!
Or perhaps you simply don't take any of us seriously? Showing up whenever you please?"
"Outrageous!"
Bang!
Hiruzen slammed his palm onto the table, face flushed with righteous fury.
"Fugaku, give me an explanation. Give everyone here an explanation!"
The moment he finished, Homura Mitokado sneered,
"Tch. A little merit and he's already drunk on it. That's the arrogance of the Uchiha."
Koharu Utatane immediately chimed in with a cold laugh,
"As expected of the Uchiha. That insufferable attitude. A dog can't stop eating filth."
One after another, the three piled on, as if Fugaku's tardiness were some unforgivable crime.
Their goal was simple: amplify everyone's distaste for the Uchiha and push the clan back into isolation.
"So, Fugaku, nothing to say?" Hiruzen said lightly. "It seems you truly hold us in contempt.
Fine. Since you think so little of us, then the Uchiha need not attend this meeting at all."
His gaze toward Fugaku was thick with disdain.
In his heart, he hoped Fugaku would lose his temper and storm out.
That would make things much easier.
Marginalizing the Uchiha would become perfectly justified.
"That's right. I agree with Hiruzen," Koharu added. "Get out, Fugaku. You're no longer qualified to sit in on this meeting."
Standing at the doorway, Fugaku watched their performance without expression.
Then he stepped aside, bowing his head slightly in respect.
"Senpai, please. Though I did just hear someone say the Uchiha aren't qualified to attend this meeting."
"Oh?"
A calm voice sounded.
"Who said the Uchiha aren't qualified to be here?"
Clad in white, strikingly handsome, Akira walked in at an unhurried pace.
His gaze swept across the room.
There was no killing intent. No visible pressure.
And yet, everyone present felt their scalps prickle.
For a fleeting instant, it was as if an ancient, ferocious beast had fixed its eyes on them.
"..."
________________________________________________________________________________________________________