Uchiha Ang felt those voices stab into his ears like sharp needles—piercing, shrill. Or perhaps more like a bolt of lightning, yanking him out of his daze and hurling him back into reality.
But at that moment, he would've much preferred to just pass out.
His neck moved stiffly as he raised his head. All around him stood members of the Uchiha clan, forming a tight circle, their eyes fixed directly on him.
Even his old rival, Uchiha Setsuna, stood among them.
Setsuna's expression was a tangled mess of emotions. His gaze locked on Ang, eyes filled with both envy and relief.
That envy was impossible to miss.
He had long dreamed of awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan. And yet now it was Uchiha Ang—of all people—who had succeeded.
'Why not me?' he lamented inwardly. 'Why did he awaken it and not me?'
Still, a part of him was grateful.
Grateful that he wasn't the one standing in the middle of this utterly humiliating scene.
With a gleeful flicker in his eyes, he cast a sidelong glance at Ang, quietly mocking his misfortune.
Uchiha Ang, for his part, looked like a clueless hatchling that had just stumbled into a fox's den—completely unaware he'd already fallen into the trap.
Standing frozen in the center of the crowd, he could feel heat rising to his cheeks under their relentless stares.
Then, all at once, a memory flickered in his mind—something unpleasant.
His face paled again.
Clinging to a fragile sliver of hope, he slowly parted his lips and asked in a trembling voice:
"You guys... didn't record that... did you?"
His words immediately sparked movement among the onlookers.
They exchanged glances—silent, but full of meaning.
"We weren't even here at the beginning, remember? How could we have recorded anything? Clan Head Ang, are you still a little out of it?"
One clansman stepped forward, smiling faintly as he gave a slow shake of his head.
"That's right. We only just got here. How could we have recorded anything? Don't worry—it wasn't us."
Another gently patted Ang on the shoulder, as if to comfort him.
Ang let out a long, relieved sigh.
Sure, he'd just publicly embarrassed himself in front of the entire clan. But if there was no recording, then he could still pretend it hadn't happened.
He even felt lucky, like he'd narrowly escaped a crisis.
But then, in the very next second—
Hell descended upon him.
From within the crowd, his son Uchiha Noboru emerged, a smug little smile on his face.
"Mission accomplished. I got the whole thing—crystal clear."
Noboru raised the camcorder in his hand and gave it a casual shake.
"I believe this recording will be extremely helpful in studying the conditions for awakening the Mangekyō. We should analyze it thoroughly."
His words echoed in Ang's ears like a sledgehammer, shattering the fragile illusion of safety he'd clung to.
His eyes reddened.
The next moment, he vanished in a flicker, reappearing beside Noboru like a gust of wind.
He lunged toward the camera with a desperate grab.
'Got it—!!!'
Or so he thought.
Just as his fingers touched the device, it suddenly vanished from Noboru's hand.
It all happened in a flash.
To the spectators, all they saw was Uchiha Ang use Body Flicker to appear beside Noboru and reach for the device.
And then—poof—the camcorder was gone.
"Why so hasty, Clan Head Ang? I'll go ahead and hold onto this for now."
A familiar voice called out.
Uchiha Hikaru stepped out from among the spectators, his lips curled into a sly smirk.
He held the camera up, waving it slightly at Ang with a glint of mischief in his eyes.
At that moment, everything became clear to Ang.
This entire thing... had been orchestrated by Hikaru.
But why? He couldn't recall ever offending Uchiha Hikaru.
Why target him?
Hikaru saw that look and knew exactly what Ang was thinking.
Of course, he had no intention of explaining anything.
Ang would figure it out soon enough—especially once he realized Hikaru had gone to Chiri for help.
Chiri was Ang's granddaughter. Ang could meddle in her affairs all he wanted.
But Hikaru? Hikaru was not someone Ang could command—neither in name nor in strength.
He understood Ang's motives: trying to secure Hikaru's loyalty, binding him tighter to the Uchiha's cause.
But some things—if they're not given—can't be taken by force.
So Hikaru had set up today's little show. A warning.
His plan had been simple: stage a mock abduction of Chiri by fake spies, then let her "die" in front of Ang's eyes.
Of course, both the spies and Chiri had been Shadow Clones.
As for why he asked Chiri to help?
Well, if you're going to put on a show, you need an audience.
He needed Chiri's help to convince Noboru, and then have Noboru spread the word to the rest of the clan.
Tsunade and Nonō Yakushi weren't part of the original plan, but their involvement only added realism to the performance—making it even easier for Ang to fall for the trap.
To avoid tipping his hand, Hikaru acted the moment he arrived—swiftly dispatching the "spies" and letting Chiri "die" right in front of Ang, leaving him no time to react.
Though it was meant as a warning, Hikaru had also wanted to see something:
Would a grandfather watching his granddaughter die... awaken the Mangekyō?
Just in case it worked, he'd prepared a backup plan: the camcorder.
If Ang failed to awaken the Mangekyō, he'd simply loop the footage for clan-wide study.
But to Hikaru's mild irritation, Ang had actually pulled it off.
"Tch."
Still, that was fine.
He had a third plan.
Just like Noboru had said—the footage held significant research value.
Any Uchiha dreaming of awakening the Mangekyō would want to study it.
That's why Hikaru had swooped in before Ang could take it back.
Holding the camcorder with a smile, he shot a glance at Ang that sent chills down the elder's spine.
"Awakening the Mangekyō is worth celebrating, Clan Head Ang. Especially when it's been caught on film."
"This record isn't just valuable for study. It immortalizes the exact moment you awakened it—in the most dashing way possible."
"Why not hold a celebration? Let everyone see exactly how the Uchiha Clan Head unlocked the Mangekyō Sharingan."