"I can't let the Mangekyo Sharingan fall into your hands. If anyone's taking it, it might as well be me."
The Xuanyuan Clan's Asura Path moved like a ghost through the shadows, making his way toward Uchiha Fugaku's home. Before long, he arrived at his destination.
Without hesitation, he silently eliminated the guards stationed at the entrance.
Inside the house, Uchiha Fugaku let out a quiet sigh as he heard the disturbance outside.
"So…"
"The day has finally come."
"The clan… the Uchiha Clan…"
Fugaku knelt inside the room alongside his wife and son, all three wearing expressions of quiet sorrow.
"Since you've come, then come in."
"I know you're already here."
Hearing Fugaku's voice, the Asura Path stepped inside.
Looking at the family of three kneeling before him, he spoke calmly.
"It seems you've already accepted what's coming, Uchiha Fugaku."
Fugaku frowned slightly as he studied the five strangers before him.
"Who are you?"
"Danzo's men?"
"Or the Hokage's?"
"We're neither."
"We serve neither Danzo nor the Hokage."
"Besides…"
"At a time like this, does it really matter who we are?"
Fugaku slowly shook his head.
"You're right."
"At this point… it doesn't matter anymore."
He looked like a man who had already resigned himself to death.
The Asura Path sighed softly.
"What a tragedy."
"The once-mighty Uchiha Clan has fallen this far."
"If your grandfather, Uchiha Seiyou, and your father, Uchiha Mori, had made a different choice back then…"
"…none of this would have happened."
"One wrong turn can change the course of an entire lifetime."
Fugaku's eyes narrowed.
"What are you talking about?"
"Forget it."
"Even if I showed you what happened back then, it wouldn't change anything now."
As he spoke, the Asura Path cast a Genjutsu, revealing the events surrounding the Uchiha's departure from Konoha and the subsequent war against the Five Great Nations.
After witnessing those memories, Fugaku's face filled with disbelief.
"This…"
"This can't be…"
"The clan actually has a history like this?"
"Impossible!"
"Nothing is impossible."
"As I said…"
"If your grandfather and father had chosen to leave Konoha with us back then…"
"…today's tragedy would never have happened."
"In my opinion, remaining in Konoha was the greatest mistake your family ever made."
"You can't deny that."
Fugaku fell silent.
After a long pause, he looked back at the Asura Path.
"If what you've shown me is true…"
"…then you're members of the other branch of the clan."
"I have no reason to lie."
"Nor do I care whether you believe me."
"I am Uchiha Isamu, the man who led the clan away from Konoha."
"What you see before you are merely my Six Paths puppets."
"My true body isn't here."
"Uchiha Isamu?"
"Why should I believe you?"
"Lord Isamu hasn't returned to Konoha in over ten years."
"His descendants are still serving the village."
"How could he possibly have betrayed Konoha?"
"Everything you've said sounds absurd."
The Asura Path folded his arms.
"I'm not asking for your trust."
"I've never needed anyone's approval."
"Especially not from a group as weak as the Moderate Faction."
"The only reason I've told you any of this…"
"…is out of respect for your grandfather, Uchiha Seiyou."
"I spent time here once."
"I simply don't want you to die without ever learning the truth."
Fugaku pondered quietly before letting out a bitter smile.
"You're right."
"A dying man has nothing worth deceiving."
"I have nothing left for you to gain."
"Exactly."
"I've said what I came here to say."
"We're running out of time."
"The others are already on their way."
"I came for one reason."
"To reclaim the clan's bloodline."
"The Uchiha's greatest treasure must never fall into outsiders' hands."
"Hand it over."
"The bloodline?"
"What are you talking about?"
Although he knew exactly what the Asura Path meant, Fugaku still pretended not to understand.
"The Mangekyo Sharingan."
"Don't waste my time."
"Others may not know…"
"…but I do."
"If you still care about the Uchiha Clan…"
"…then you understand better than anyone how important that bloodline is."
"I will never allow it to end up in someone else's hands."
Fugaku's wife and son both stared at him in shock.
Neither of them had known about the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Looking at their astonished expressions, Fugaku sighed.
"So…"
"You knew all along."
"It seems all these years of hiding it were meaningless."
As he spoke, his Mangekyo Sharingan slowly emerged.
Its pattern resembled a three-bladed pinwheel.
The Asura Path looked at it calmly.
"So it really is the Mangekyo Sharingan."
"Not a single person in Konoha ever discovered your secret."
"Uchiha Fugaku…"
"You really knew how to keep your head down."
Far away at the inn, Isamu watched everything through their shared vision.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"So it really exists."
"Fugaku really kept it hidden."
"He stayed in the shadows for years…"
"…and accomplished absolutely nothing."
"In the end, all he did was watch the Moderate Faction walk to its destruction."
"If I were him…"
"…I'd have fought Konoha to the bitter end with those eyes."
"In the end…"
"A coward is still a coward."
"He didn't even dare to fight when death was staring him in the face."
"He doesn't deserve those eyes."
With his Mangekyo Sharingan activated, Fugaku slowly stood and walked toward the Asura Path.
"You'd better not be lying to me."
"Otherwise…"
"Otherwise what?"
"You think possessing the Mangekyo Sharingan puts you on equal footing with me?"
"I outgrew those eyes a long time ago."
"You're in no position to threaten me."
"If your grandfather, Uchiha Seiyou, were standing here…"
"…I might show him some respect."
"But you?"
"Heh."
The Asura Path released a terrifying surge of Chakra.
The pressure alone forced Fugaku several steps backward.
Cracks spread across the floor and walls beneath the overwhelming force.
After regaining his footing, Fugaku finally nodded.
"To push me back with nothing but your Chakra…"
"A man like you has no reason to deceive someone who's already as good as dead."
"I believe you."
"Heh."
The Asura Path merely sneered.
Looking back at his wife and son, Fugaku spoke quietly.
"Since we're both Uchiha…"
"…may I ask one favor?"
"You're in no position to bargain."
The Asura Path glanced at the woman and child.
He immediately understood Fugaku's intentions and rejected them without hesitation.
Taking in the remnants of the Moderate Faction?
Not a chance.
If they were brought into his clan in the future, they would only become a source of endless trouble.
As the one responsible for the clan's future…
Isamu would never make such a reckless decision.