The ancient stone steps of the Naka Shrine were blanketed by the faint mist of evening dew, each footfall echoing against the hollow silence that had settled inside the sacred ground of the Uchiha Clan.
A stillness had enveloped the shrine, as if time itself awaited something—or someone.
Inside, the tension was heavy. Uchiha Fugaku, the clan head, stood firm with his usual grim expression. His sharp eyes swept across the gathered clansmen.
The entire Uchiha inner circle was present: the Dove Faction, advocating cooperation with the village, and the Hawk Faction, seeking clan autonomy and strength.
The two opposing forces filled the dimly lit hall with barely restrained hostility. The air buzzed with political anticipation.
And yet, one crucial group had not yet arrived.
Whispers rippled through the shrine, a chorus of murmurs among both factions as their eyes shifted between each other and the sealed entrance.
"Where is Setsuna-dono?" a voice from the Hawk side questioned with a hint of irritation masked as concern.
"And that boy... Indra Uchiha. He should be present for a meeting of this importance," a Dove elder murmured, disdain heavy in his voice.
Suddenly, the great wooden doors creaked open.
The sound shattered the growing unease like a thunderclap.
All heads turned.
Three figures strode into the shrine with deliberate calm—Setsuna Uchiha, a former elder known for his wisdom and subtle influence, his grandson Indra, the youth cloaked in mystery and arrogance, and their loyal companion Toru Uchiha, silent as always.
Their arrival was no coincidence.
They were late—deliberately so.
Indra's cold gaze swept the shrine as if it were his domain.
He walked with the confidence of a man who knew his value—no, of a king whose throne waited for him.
He had insisted they arrive after everyone else, ignoring his grandfather's suggestion to be punctual. But Indra had his reasons.
He understood something most didn't.
Powerful people never arrive early. They arrive late—fashionably, confidently—because they can afford to.
They make others wait, not out of disrespect, but to remind the world of one fact:
Without them, the gathering cannot begin.
The three halted before the altar. The silence was electric, thick with unsaid judgments.
Fugaku's eyes narrowed.
His pride already felt scorched by their entrance. "Why are you late?" he asked, voice sharp and biting, as though expecting an apology or an excuse.
But Indra merely offered a small shrug, completely at ease. His eyes met Fugaku's with unshaken calm.
"Do you... have the habit of arriving early, Clan Head?" he replied casually, tone light, almost teasing.
A beat passed.
The Dove Faction was momentarily struck speechless. Even Fugaku, ever composed, felt his lips twitch in frustration. The very air seemed to pause.
From the Hawk side, faint chuckles escaped. Several members smiled, barely containing their amusement. To them, this boy—this symbol of rebellion and strength—was their rising sun.
Setsuna Uchiha, standing behind Indra, twitched his lips in helplessness. He could already feel a headache brewing.
'This boy,' he thought to himself, sighing inwardly. 'He's really not planning to hold back today...'
But still, despite his exasperation, there was a faint glimmer of pride in Setsuna's aged eyes.
The clan had grown stagnant, locked in its own traditions. Perhaps this disruption was exactly what they needed.
Fugaku, his expression icy, gestured stiffly. "Sit," he ordered coldly.
They obeyed, settling into their seats. Fugaku composed himself, though irritation still lingered in his gaze.
Without wasting another breath, the clan head moved on, beginning the formal discussion. "As for our first topic, we'll be reviewing the patrol arrangements of the Uchiha Guard..."
His words droned on.
Indra sat unmoving, but inside, his mind was already drifting.
Boring.
'Is this what passes for leadership?' Indra thought, struggling not to yawn. 'Pointless squabbles and administrative logistics... I could do this blindfolded.'
His fingers tapped lightly on the wooden bench, eyes half-lidded. He let out an audible yawn, completely unbothered by the insult it implied.
The room went still for a second. Fugaku's eyebrow twitched.
The Doves tried to ignore it. The Hawks smirked silently.
But it was when Fugaku finally came to the real reason for summoning the entire clan that the atmosphere thickened like a gathering storm.
Fugaku's gaze narrowed to a knife's edge. His voice dropped, becoming cold, clipped.
"Indra Uchiha," he said slowly, "you interfered in the Hyuga Clan's internal matters without authorization.
You've brought shame to the Uchiha name by involving yourself in a conflict that had nothing to do with us."
Indra blinked lazily.
"You also repeatedly defied my orders," Fugaku continued. "As Clan Head, I am placing you under home imprisonment for one year."
The Doves straightened in their seats, satisfied smirks tugging at their lips.
One leaned over and sneered to the Hawks, "See what happens when you let that brat off his leash?"
Another chuckled quietly. "He thought strength alone could defy tradition. Fool."
The Hawks, however, remained expressionless—some even tense.
Indra's face twitched.
Not with fear. Not with concern.
But with... confusion?
"Hah?"
He stood up slowly, staring directly at Fugaku.
"You're... punishing me?" he asked, tone flat, almost curious.
"You say I brought shame?" Indra's voice rose, layered with sarcasm and amusement. "I chose to intervene in the Hyuga matters. It was my decision. Who are you to say what I can or can't do?"
The Doves scoffed, murmuring again.
Indra continued, lips curling.
"Second accusation," he mocked. "You say I defied your authority. Yes, I did. And I'll do it again."
He stepped forward boldly.
"What can you do about it, Fugaku?" he asked, eyes gleaming. "Can you beat me? Can you suppress me? Go ahead. Show me."
The air turned sharp. Fugaku's hands clenched the arms of his chair.
"And if you can't," Indra added, venom now coating every syllable, "then maybe you should stick to your position... or go hide behind your wife for protection, you bastard. Coward."
The entire hall fell into stunned silence.
Even the air seemed to stop breathing.
Fugaku's face turned dark, his expression twisted in fury. Without a second thought, he surged to his feet, his chakra exploding from his body like a storm.
The pressure in the room doubled.
Tripled.
The stone beneath him cracked, and the wooden panels trembled as his chakra surged outwards.
"Enough!!" he roared. "You insolent brat! Submit!!"
But then...
Something happened.
Something no one expected.
Indra smiled.
A crooked, sharp grin that chilled spines and set pulses racing.
Then he released his own chakra.
Not gradually.
Not cautiously.
Violently.
The shrine quaked under the sheer force of Indra's presence. His chakra—raw, dense, suffocating—clashed against Fugaku's like a tidal wave crashing against a rock.
And then...
Fugaku Uchiha fell to his knees.
The entire room gasped.
The man hailed as the strongest Uchiha of his generation...
Kneeling.
Not by choice.
But by sheer, overwhelming pressure.
Indra stepped forward slowly, towering over him, his golden Mangekyō Sharingan glowing ominously in the dim shrine light.
He leaned in slightly.
"Reversal," he whispered mockingly. "I like the sound of that."
The Hawk Faction's jaws dropped in disbelief.
The Doves? Their faces turned ghostly pale.
Setsuna's eyes narrowed in quiet thought.
'So this is his true strength... It's not just arrogance. He truly... surpassed Fugaku?'
And then—
Indra spoke, loud enough for all to hear.
"Starting from today," he declared, voice echoing, "the Uchiha Guard belongs to me. You—" he pointed at Fugaku without an ounce of respect—"have no authority over them anymore."
A deadly silence followed.
From the Dove side, one elder who had always supported Fugaku sprang to his feet in outrage.
"You insolent boy!" he shouted. "What right do you have to claim that? The Uchiha Guard belongs to the clan, not some brat with a big ego!"
His voice rose in indignation.
"You're drunk on power and youth! This is treason against the structure of our clan—!"
Indra's grin widened.
He didn't argue.
He didn't raise his voice.
He simply looked at the man.
And in a heartbeat—
His Mangekyō Sharingan flared.
The elder froze, then crumpled to the ground—lifeless.
A wave of shock blasted through the crowd like a lightning strike. Time stood still.
The Dove Faction—staunch supporters of order, politics, and cooperation—stared wide-eyed in utter horror. Many were trembling, pale to the lips. Their previous confidence shattered like broken glass beneath a storm.
Even the younger clan members who once scoffed at Indra now looked at him with reverence… or terror.
Fugaku's eyes flicked across the crowd. He saw it.
His control… was slipping.
He gritted his teeth, knuckles white.
But he knew.
He couldn't challenge Indra now—not after seeing the fate of the elder, not when his own knees had been forced to the ground by pure chakra alone.
Slowly… reluctantly… almost choking on the words, Fugaku spoke.
"...Fine," he said.
A single word, but it echoed like a bomb.
"The Uchiha Guard… is yours."
Indra said nothing for a moment.
But then—he smiled. That dangerous, arrogant grin returned.
He tilted his head slightly, amusement flickering in his golden Mangekyō eyes.
"Good," he said. "You finally understand your position."
Setsuna Uchiha, Indra's grandfather, let out a low breath, eyes half-lidded.
'Fugaku… your downfall has just started.'
That thought lingered in his mind as he looked at his grandson—so young, yet already reshaping the power structure of the most feared clan in Konoha.
Indra took a final look around the room.
He saw their fear.
He saw their awe.
He knew he now had their full attention.
But more importantly...
He had their submission.
He turned his back on them without another word, walking toward the shrine doors with slow, deliberate steps. The faint echo of his footfalls filled the entire chamber.
Toru and Setsuna rose silently and followed him.
No one dared to stop them.
No one dared to speak.
As Indra reached the threshold, he stopped and looked back over his shoulder. His words were soft, but they cut like daggers.
"Remember this moment," he said. "This… is where the real Uchiha history begins."
And then, without waiting for a response, he stepped out into the fading light.
Behind him, the shrine remained silent—shaken, shattered, and changed forever.
And in the mind of Fugaku Uchiha, one truth burned like fire:
He had lost.
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Chapter ends
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