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Chapter 66: Ambush – The Clan Head – Mangekyō Sharingan
"By the way, Mikoto—how familiar are you with the power of your Sharingan now?"
As the two stepped out of the teleportation gate and emerged from the alley, Ling Yu asked her.
"Mm… I've gotten pretty used to the power. It's just that I haven't tested it in real combat yet, so it might not be as smooth in actual fighting."
Mikoto nodded confidently at first, but then a hint of worry appeared on her face.
The ability of her Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan worked similarly to Senbonzakura's Bankai in Bleach—controlling countless cherry blossoms to attack enemies.
But its wide range made it difficult to control precisely, leaving potential blind spots that enemies could exploit.
She needed more real combat experience to identify and fix any flaws in her technique—otherwise, she might make mistakes on the battlefield.
"It's fine. Once we're on the battlefield, you'll get plenty of chances to practice."
Ling Yu took her small hand and comforted her gently.
"Mm."
The two continued chatting casually as they walked toward Mikoto's house.
Not long after, they arrived. Just as Mikoto placed her hand on the door to open it—
"Wait. Something's wrong."
Ling Yu suddenly frowned and quickly pulled her back, scanning the surroundings warily.
He had a bad feeling about the Uchiha compound today.
"What's wrong? Is something off?"
Mikoto turned back, looking at him in confusion.
Without answering, Ling Yu closed his eyes and focused, activating Observation Haki to sense the area.
"This is…"
His eyes snapped open. Grabbing Mikoto, he retreated rapidly, staring cautiously all around.
Just now, through Observation Haki, he had detected more than a dozen living presences surrounding Mikoto's house—likely Uchiha ninja.
They had completely suppressed their chakra, which was why he hadn't noticed them immediately.
And it wasn't just outside—the house itself had four or five ninja inside, clearly lying in wait for Mikoto's return.
The moment she opened the door, the ones inside would rush out and coordinate with those outside to trap her.
"Come out! No need to hide anymore."
Squinting, Ling Yu shouted toward the surroundings.
But everything remained eerily silent—no response at all.
"Could it be…"
Hearing Ling Yu's words, Mikoto also realized something. She activated her newly mastered Observation Haki and quickly sensed the hidden ninja as well.
"Who are they? Why are they surrounding us? Wait—no, Granny is still inside!"
Mikoto's face paled. Sensing so many people around, she instinctively wanted to rush in.
But Ling Yu immediately pulled her into his arms and reassured her:
"Don't worry—your grandma is fine. They're not that crazy."
Through his stronger Observation Haki, Ling Yu could clearly sense one weak presence inside the house—likely unconscious from being knocked out.
This proved the Uchiha ninja hadn't harmed her. They had only put her to sleep before secretly setting up this ambush for Mikoto.
"Uchiha Mikoto—you still dare come back?"
At that moment, a dark, sinister voice came from behind Ling Yu.
"How dare you betray the Uchiha clan and side with the Senju? Don't you know our two clans have been mortal enemies for generations?"
Ling Yu turned around. A middle-aged man with a gloomy expression led more than a dozen ninja toward them—the very ones who had been hiding outside the house.
The leader was someone Ling Yu recognized: Uchiha Tomiyama, the current head of the Uchiha clan.
Wait—this doesn't make sense.
Logically, as one of Konoha's major clans, the Uchiha should have been heavily exploited by Danzo and Hiruzen. They should have been sent to the front lines in large numbers.
So why were so many still here—even the clan head himself?
"Surprised? Surprised that I didn't go to the battlefield with Hiruzen and the others?"
Uchiha Tomiyama noticed the confusion in Ling Yu's eyes. He sneered and explained through gritted teeth:
"It's all thanks to that old bastard Hiruzen Sarutobi. To suppress our Uchiha clan, he deliberately sent most of our young ninja to the battlefield—claiming it was to 'temper' them. He left us older ones behind to 'protect Konoha.'"
His emotions seemed to boil over. Tomiyama turned and glared hatefully toward the Hokage Tower in the distance.
"I really should thank him. By sending our young generation to be cannon fodder, he wants to cut off our future and prevent us from earning any merit on the battlefield. How truly insidious."
Hearing this, a glint flashed in Ling Yu's eyes.
No wonder he hadn't seen many young Uchiha ninja around lately—they had all been sent to the front.
Tomiyama continued:
"But thanks to his decision, in my rage I awakened the most sacred eyes of the Uchiha clan—the Mangekyō Sharingan."
As he spoke, he opened his eyes wide. His three-tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly—then transformed into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
In an instant, his aura surged wildly, rising straight to quasi-Kage level.
"With these eyes, I am invincible. The next Hokage will definitely be from our Uchiha clan!"
Ling Yu's eyes widened in shock.
In this era, besides Mikoto, there was now a second person in the Uchiha clan who had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Hiruzen had actually left the Uchiha clan head—who now possessed the Mangekyō—in the village? Wasn't he afraid of a coup?
But now that a second Mangekyō Sharingan had appeared… Ling Yu wasn't going to be polite anymore.
"And you! Senju Ling Yu—I never expected you to be this capable. If Fugaku hadn't told me everything before he left, I would still be in the dark."
Tomiyama adjusted his emotions and turned his cold gaze toward Ling Yu.
"Your son? Uchiha Fugaku? What did he tell you?"
Uchiha Fugaku was the only Uchiha besides Mikoto whom Ling Yu hadn't hypnotized with Kyōka Suigetsu.
Ling Yu still remembered beating him badly inside the Uchiha compound once before.
After that, he hadn't seen Fugaku again. Could it be that he had figured out the secret of Kyōka Suigetsu?
"Hahaha, of course—it's that strange katana of yours. That blade works like our Uchiha clan's genjutsu—anyone who sees it falls under illusion, right?"
"The old me might have been caught by your genjutsu, but now I possess the Mangekyō Sharingan—the same eyes as the great Lord Madara. All genjutsu is powerless before me."
Tomiyama stood full of confidence, believing he had Ling Yu completely figured out.
"Hmph. Foolish."
Ling Yu sneered inwardly.
He had thought Fugaku might have uncovered the true secret of Kyōka Suigetsu. Instead, it was just blind confidence from awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Even Mikoto—with her Eternal Mangekyō—wouldn't dare claim invincibility. Yet this low-grade Mangekyō user thought he was untouchable?
And did he really believe Kyōka Suigetsu's hypnosis was that simple?
It completely dominated all five senses. Anyone who had fallen under it even once would be forever controlled by Kyōka Suigetsu.
"So—what exactly did you come here to do today?"
Knowing his only real trump card was a single pair of Mangekyō Sharingan, Ling Yu asked calmly.
"Hmph, do I need to spell it out? The Third Hokage is gone. Your sister is gone. No one can protect you now."
"I'm here to 'invite' you to spend some time in the Uchiha clan's dungeon—and to punish this traitor of the Uchiha clan."
Tomiyama snorted coldly. His gaze toward Mikoto carried a sinister glint.
He would show no mercy to this clan traitor. Genius or not—betrayal of the Uchiha meant severe punishment.
"Attack! Capture them all!"
With a wave of his hand, Tomiyama stopped wasting words and ordered the ninja behind him.
Whoosh whoosh—
The moment he gave the command, the Uchiha ninja who had been hiding around the house—and those who had just emerged—charged toward Ling Yu and Mikoto.
"Heh… so you really think you've got us cornered?"
Ling Yu gave a cold laugh. His gaze toward Tomiyama was filled with mockery.
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