Uchiha Fugaku could no longer hide the excitement surging in his chest.
Even though deep down he wanted to believe Shisui, this matter was far too important to the Uchiha clan to treat lightly. He had to be cautious. After all, the Mangekyo Sharingan was the ultimate secret of the Uchiha.
Truth be told, it wasn't just him. The expressions on the faces of the other Uchiha who had come along were equally complicated—shock, disbelief, hesitation, mixed with undeniable excitement and expectation.
One had to understand—ever since Uchiha Madara left Konoha, and Uchiha Kagami met his mysterious and tragic end, not a single Uchiha had awakened Mangekyo.
Now, with signs of a pair of eyes suspected to be Mangekyo appearing again, how could they not be thrilled?
"Of course I'm certain," Shisui nodded, his face gravely. "Mangekyo is far too important to the Uchiha—I wouldn't dare lie about such a matter."
"Besides, if not for Kai awakening the Mangekyo, how could the four of us alone possibly have defeated the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?"
"Though Susanoo's overwhelming power left almost no complete corpses behind, the seven swords of the Mist are here. Those can't be faked."
Nara Kazama immediately added, "I can vouch for this as well."
"I'll testify too," Hyuga Aya said with a nod. "That colossal skeleton-like giant of energy… even now, thinking back on it, I still feel shaken."
Unlike the Nara, the Hyuga, as another great clan, naturally possessed records about Susanoo.
At that moment, Shisui didn't hesitate. He handed over the sealing scroll containing the seven swords to Uchiha Fugaku.
Fugaku did not refuse. He immediately unsealed the scroll, inspected the seven blades inside, then returned it to Shisui.
During wartime, all spoils belonged to the one who claimed them. Since the Seven Swordsmen were slain by Uchiha Kai, those swords were rightfully his. Fugaku only needed to see and record them.
And besides, Kai was a clansman. As clan head, how could he possibly seize his own kin's spoils? The Uchiha had no need for such petty greed.
"Shisui isn't lying," Fugaku declared.
"These are indeed the Seven Swords of the Mist. That proves the Seven Swordsmen are dead."
Hiss!
With those words, even though they had yet to lay eyes on the Mangekyo itself, the gathered Uchiha erupted in rapture.
"A Mangekyo, truly!"
"The Uchiha are the strongest!"
"Glory to the Uchiha!"
"…!"
The clan members drowned in celebration.
By contrast, the other Konoha Jounin frowned, their gazes filled with complicated emotions.
Yes. Even though the Nine-Tails incident had not yet occurred, the Uchiha's reputation in Konoha was already dreadful.
Ever since Madara's departure and the rise of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, the Uchiha's standing in the village had been awkward at best. Now with the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, in power, the so-called "Konoha F4" had fully entrenched themselves in the leadership and their suppression of the Uchiha had never ceased.
Especially Danzo. His hatred and suppression of the Uchiha bordered on pathology.
Fortunately, the Uchiha were strong enough. Even though their hotheadedness often created problems—and despite the village leadership trying every trick to weaken them—their Sharingan was simply unreasonable.
Many had indeed fallen in the wars, but even more powerful Uchiha kept emerging.
And now, of all times, Mangekyo has awakened.
No wonder the Jounin of Konoha looked so conflicted. None of them were fools. As Jounin, they naturally qualified to join the council of Jounin that held voting rights in Hokage policies and elections.
They all knew the ugly truths of the higher-ups. Which meant they also understood that the awakening of a Mangekyo was a direct blow to the Hokage's faction.
The implication was clear: the coming days in Konoha would be turbulent.
Normally, that might not matter. But this was wartime. If Konoha erupted into civil strife now…
Thinking that far, the Jounin exchanged glances, then sighed helplessly.
After confirming the truth, the group returned.
The unconscious Uchiha Kai was taken directly into the very center of the Uchiha camp.
He was surrounded entirely by fellow Uchiha. Outside his tent, three elite Uchiha squads guarded every angle, maintaining round-the-clock protection.
It was obvious—
The Mangekyo Sharingan was simply too important.
And since Kai was still comatose, without the slightest ability to defend himself, Fugaku had mobilized the highest level of security.
At this point, every Uchiha at the front could die—except Kai.
This was the terrifying power of a great clan.
Meanwhile, inside Nara Shikaku's tent.
The moment he finished listening to Nara Kazama's account, Shikaku's face changed drastically. Rarely for him, he actually lost his composure.
He shot up from his seat, eyes wide, staring at Kazama in disbelief.
"What… Did you just say?"
"Uchiha Kai awakened the Mangekyo?"
"This—how could that be?"
"You've got to be joking! How could he possibly awaken Mangekyo?"
"…!"
Yes. At that moment, Nara Shikaku's face was full of incredulity.
But, being a Nara through and through, he soon drew a deep breath, forcing himself back into calm.
His brows knit tightly as he pondered for a long moment, then looked back at Kazama.
"Kazama, tell me everything in detail."
"What exactly happened with Uchiha Kai?"
"How did he awaken Mangekyo?"
As a member of Konoha's high command and leader of the Jounin squad, Shikaku was naturally part of the Hokage's faction.
In fact, not just him—the entire Ino-Shika-Cho trio of clans were aligned with the Hokage.
Even though Shikaku could see perfectly well that Hiruzen Sarutobi was not exactly a good Hokage—so what?
As long as Konoha remained stable, as long as the Ino-Shika-Cho reaped benefits, nothing else mattered.
As a member of the Hokage's camp, he had no need to care for the Uchiha. Whoever became Hokage, the Ino-Shika-Cho would support them.
But unless the Uchiha themselves claimed the Hokage's seat, he was bound by duty to strategize wholeheartedly for Hiruzen.
And the appearance of a Mangekyo was a matter of such significance that he had to understand it completely.
Across from him, Nara Kazama looked at his shocked uncle and gave a bitter smile.
After a long silence, he finally spoke helplessly:
"Well, how should I put it…"
"At that time, our squad was cornered, about to be annihilated. Then Uchiha Kai suddenly erupted—his Sharingan leapt straight from two tomoe to Mangekyoṣ."
"The Uchiha… they just don't play fair!"
"…."
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