A hundred-meter long blade turned red, ignited, and then erupted into surging, raging flames.
An unseeing withered leaf, swept by the wind, vanished into ash the moment it touched the tip of the flame.
The scorching heat, inches away, condensed into waves of hot air that brushed Uchiha Setsuna's white hair back...
Roy slowly rose, the three tomoe in his blood-colored pupils spinning slowly, reflecting the shocked and disbelieving face of his opponent. The young man allowed Snow Run to traverse the entire shrine, willfully drawing a thin, burning line. With a flicker of movement, he reappeared, sitting cross-legged before the main hall's gates. With the hundred-meter burning Snow Run behind his back, he looked at the crowd without saying a word.
The fire cast a sliver of light and shadow, stretching the boy's silhouette very, very long...
The clamor within the hall vanished, falling into an eerie silence for a time; not a sound was heard.
"Gulp..." Uchiha Obito's Adam's apple bobbed; he could even hear the sound of his own swallowing. He sat at the edge of the crowd, closest to the entrance. Feeling the intense heat scorching the air and the waves of heat hitting his face, sweat broke out on Obito's forehead. He glanced at Roy silently and shifted his buttocks, cautiously scooting deeper into the hall.
'Brother...'
Before the coffins, Shisui had been clinging to Roy's sleeve just a second ago, trying to find a trace of security. A second later, he felt his palm go empty. Looking up again, his elder brother was like a god or a demon, carrying a hundred-meter giant flaming blade on his back, his pupils etched with a hint of crimson... Shisui's slightly baby-fat face could not help but flush with excitement. His eyes, bright as light bulbs, stared blankly at Roy!
'Brother always says that my amateur swings are far from being called swordsmanship. Now it seems... Brother was right... This blade, this is swordsmanship!'
The emotional turbulence of those like Obito and Shisui invisibly added fuel to the fire of 'intense stimulus'...
[PANEL PROMPT... "EMOTIONAL FLUCTUATION" CURRENT ACCUMULATION... 110%... 120%... 130%...]
Ten points... twenty points... thirty points... even... growing at an exponential burst...
Like a great sun rising in his heart, Roy's shoulder-length black hair swayed slightly. His ears hummed, as if he were deaf to the outside world...
But the people in the hall, like Uchiha Yashiro, Uchiha Inabi, Uchiha Tekka... even the various Uchiha who had lost parents, siblings, or loved ones, could not turn a blind eye. Their mouths hung open, their pupils constricted, showing total bewilderment!
"Jin..."
"Jin Uchiha!"
"Another pair of Three Tomoe!"
The inner thoughts were swallowed by the heart-bug, vanishing into its belly and serving as nourishment for 'emotions'...
After a long period of deathly silence, Uchiha Fugaku's light voice of reprimand drifted out: "Jin, do not be presumptuous!"
"Release the Clan Elder at once!"
"Yes." Roy gave Uchiha Setsuna a faint glance and simply said, "Snow Run..."
Zing!
Another sword chime echoed!
The hundred-meter long blade, with its white hilt and body like snow but burning as if in a furnace, suddenly retracted. At Roy's thought, it whirled around the main hall in a circle before landing in front of the boy... Roy reached out and caught it gently, holding it steadily in his hand. He placed it across his knees and pulled a square handkerchief from his robes to wipe it carefully...
Uchiha Setsuna, who had been aggressively preparing to split the clan and lead the others away, found himself unable to move an inch, as if he were nailed to the spot, no longer under his own control.
Wisps of smoke rose...
Though Snow Run no longer blocked the path, a scorched trench nearly a hundred meters long lay before them. After a moment, a faint sigh sounded. The old man's blood-red eyes remained fixed on Roy as he took a deep breath, finally regaining use of his feet. This time, he chose to take a few steps back, returning to his spot in the hall.
"Clan Head, forgive my lack of insight. I was impulsive..." Uchiha Setsuna's already hunched back bent further, nearly folding into a bow... Just like Fugaku before, he bowed deeply. Beside him, Uchiha Yashiro, Uchiha Inabi, Tekka... and all the Uchiha, including Obito and Shisui, looked at Roy sitting like a rock at the entrance, then at Uchiha Setsuna and Uchiha Fugaku... A thought emerged in their minds in unison: 'This is how it should be.'
"Clan Head,"
"Lord Fugaku,"
"I was confused. My apologies!"
With Uchiha Setsuna's bow, the dozens of Uchiha who had followed him toward the door all leaned forward in apology.
Uchiha Fugaku gave Roy a deep look before raising his hand, a warm smile appearing on his face. "We are all one family; there is no need for such talk. Clan Uncle, Tekka... Obara... please, stand up..."
The three tomoe in his eyes slowly faded. Uchiha Fugaku helped Uchiha Setsuna, Uchiha Tekka... and several radical, dissatisfied Uchiha who had long-standing grievances with the leadership up one by one. Only then did he sigh. "I should be the one apologizing to everyone. My son is headstrong and offended you all. Please do not take it to heart."
"The Clan Head must be jokes." Assisted by Fugaku, Uchiha Setsuna swept away his previous sharp aura. He proactively deactivated his Sharingan and looked at Roy, who was still wiping his blade by the door, saying with deep emotion, "Years ago, I followed Lord Madara and had the honor of witnessing his majesty. Today... what I see in Jin is already the bearing of Lord Madara!"
Awakening three tomoe at eight years old, with a single strike displaying swordsmanship beyond human comprehension!
Uchiha Setsuna said candidly, "Fugaku, having a son like this is the fortune of our entire clan!"
"Clan Uncle is right." Uchiha Yashiro narrowed his eyes so much they nearly closed, but a golden light leaked from the slits, all focused on Roy. He agreed, "Clan Head, the Young Clan Head did nothing wrong."
"On the contrary, he was right... leaving the meeting without the Clan Head's order is indeed wrong."
"The Elders and Clan Uncles are right," Uchiha Inabi, who served as a Captain in the Police Force and valued rules the most, said, "Without rules, there is no order. Jin was helping everyone maintain the rules!"
"That's right... it wasn't the Young Clan Head's fault. It was me... and me... I was also hot-headed and confused... Please punish me, Clan Head..."
In a corner of the shrine, the wind chimes hanging from the eaves rang happily as the wind blew. Glances, both open and hidden, were cast toward the boy wiping his blade at the door...
Uchiha Obito and Shisui watched and listened intently... deep in their pupils, ripples appeared, filled with unspeakable envy!
'Brother/Jin... he doesn't need to say a word. Just by sitting there, absolutely no one can ignore him. Just like the Hokage... everyone is revolving around him. So impressive...'
The young boy's heart surged with emotion, and with it, much of the negative emotion hidden in his heart was extinguished... Gradually... the heart-bug had nothing left to eat... It burped, retracted its mouthparts, and following the thread of karma constructed by blood ties, rolled its round belly and shrank back into Roy's body.
[PANEL PROMPT... "EMOTIONAL FLUCTUATION" ACCUMULATION +50%...]
[CURRENT "NEGATIVE EMOTION" ACCUMULATION: 370%... MAY HELP OTHERS AWAKEN THEIR EYES THREE TO FIVE TIMES. CONSUMPTION DEPENDS ON THE OTHER PARTY'S "BLOODLINE DENSITY"...]
[NOTE: ACCUMULATED "NEGATIVE EMOTIONS" IN THE HOST'S BODY ARE OVERFLOWING. HOLDING THEM LONG-TERM WILL HARM THE HOST'S HEALTH. PLEASE EMPTY OR CONSUME THEM IMMEDIATELY...]
'Take from the people, use for the people... after all, it is not my own thing, nor is it provided by my own believers...' Roy received the panel prompt, his focus lingering for a moment on the "helping others awaken their eyes" option. He then carefully reviewed the pasts of the many Uchiha in the hall brought by the heart-bug... At the same time, a force coexisted within his body, faintly condensing toward his eyes, seemingly waiting for him to develop and summon it... As the boy organized the useless information belonging to Uchiha Setsuna, Yashiro, Inabi, Tekka... even Obito and Shisui... he gradually formed a clear idea for the development of his own "Ocular Jutsu."
"Clan Uncle praises him too much." In the main hall of the shrine.
As Uchiha Setsuna, Yashiro, Inabi, and the others actively made excuses for Roy... Fugaku shook his head and beckoned to Roy. "Jin, come here and greet the Clan Elder and your Uncles."
Clang—
Snow Run was sheathed... The young man stood with his back to the high-rising sun outside the door, letting the sunlight through the eaves cast a layer of halo over him like a radiant garment...
Roy rose, carrying various thoughts about his "Ocular Jutsu." He stood tall and slowly walked before everyone, nodding slightly to Uchiha Setsuna, Yashiro, Inabi, and the others. "Jin greets the Clan Elder and Uncles. This junior was discourteous; I have made a fool of myself."
The younger generation, like Uchiha Inabi and Tekka, quickly waved their hands. "It's nothing, it's nothing."
"The Young Clan Head is too modest..."
It was a scene of peace and harmony, completely devoid of the usual dark, twisted, and oppressive atmosphere of the Uchiha...
Roy then gave a light hum. Cooperating with Uchiha Fugaku's "self-deprecation," he shook his head and said, "The elders can forgive me because I am young and ignorant, but as a member of the Uchiha, I cannot be ungrateful."
With Snow Run at his waist and wearing the fan-patterned haori symbolizing the Uchiha clan, the boy bowed to Fugaku. "Father, let me make up for my mistake. I will give the Clan Elder and several Uncles a gift as an apology."
Uchiha Fugaku was stunned. Uchiha Setsuna, Uchiha Inabi, Tekka... and dozens of radical Uchiha all looked over together...
Fugaku felt as if he were meeting his son for the first time. He stared at him for a long while before coming back to his senses. "You decide for yourself."
Roy straightened his back and nodded. "Very well. Then I shall now help several Uncles and Brothers awaken their eyes."
"Wait!" A sudden deep shout vibrated the shrine's tiles!
As soon as Roy finished speaking, a gust of wind blew before him. From the wind emerged a pair of withered old hands that grabbed his shoulders. That wrinkled old face, which even ten-plus years of imprisonment could not smooth out, nearly pressed against Roy's face. It was none other than Uchiha Setsuna, the most prestigious and highly-ranked Uchiha today besides the Clan Head, Uchiha Fugaku!
The old man's hunched body trembled as if he were trying to straighten up again. Holding Roy and staring at him, he said tremulously, "Child, do you know what you are saying?"
The wind outside blew again, making the wind chimes ring...
Following Uchiha Setsuna, Uchiha Yashiro, Inabi, Tekka... and a group of Uchiha clansmen all stared in unison. Even the carefree Obito was stunned, staring at Roy with his mouth wide open.
The boy met his father's stunned gaze and, behind him, Shisui's dazed expression, and seriously reiterated: "I said, I want to help several Uncles and Brothers awaken their eyes."
Roy's shoulders jerked, shaking off Uchiha Setsuna with perfect precision. He strolled through the sea of stunned gazes to the coffins that occupied nearly half of the shrine. Imitating Uchiha Setsuna, he stroked the surface of a coffin and said deeply, "I don't understand the things Father and the Elder argue about, but I know that if people are weak, they will be bullied and killed."
"Some time ago, I also went to the battlefield. I saw many people die, mostly because they were too weak and were slaughtered at will..."
The boy stopped here, turned to face his father, Uchiha Setsuna, Yashiro, Inabi, Tekka, and the other Uchiha. He clenched his fist and raised it diagonally upward. "So I believe that I must become strong, and our Uchiha must become strong—so strong that the entire Hidden Leaf dares not oppose us, so strong that the Cloud, Mist, and Rock are afraid of us. At that time, I think, no one will dare to oppose us again!"
The wind chimes swayed. Silence was the Uchiha clan at this moment...
With his back to the coffins, the boy's words—whether naive, arrogant, or absurd—at least at this moment, caused that small but straight-backed figure to be etched into everyone's eyes, like a great sun overhead, shining with boundless light!
"Jin, shut up! Do not speak such nonsense!"
"Fugaku!"
Uchiha Setsuna's cane struck the ground with a heavy thud, immediately stopping Fugaku's impulse to silence Roy. He stood between Roy and Uchiha Fugaku, scolding Fugaku with a stern face: "What did the child say wrong? I think he is quite right!"
"To be weak is to be bullied, to be killed!"
Uchiha Setsuna's eyes were like a hawk's as his sharp gaze swept over Yashiro, Inabi, Tekka, and every Uchiha clansman. He snorted and said, "Think about it. If Lord Madara were still alive, would Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura dare move?"
"Now, they are only so unscrupulous because there is no one in the clan to hold the stage, and we can't even produce a few decent Jonin!"
The old man glared with a bristling beard. "Child, do it!"
"I shall watch you awaken the eyes!"
Fugaku: "Clan Uncle, those are just jokes, they shouldn't be taken seriously."
"You shut up!" Uchiha Setsuna raised his cane as if to strike!
Roy said nothing, only calling out softly, "Shisui."
Uchiha Shisui, who had been sitting blankly like a dazed goose, stood up in a daze. His short legs scurried through the gazes of the Uchiha clan until he reached Roy. "Brother."
Then, his head was grabbed by Roy. In an instant, a burst of pure negative emotion was refined and poured into his crown.
Supplemented by the [SUN CHARACTERISTIC] to protect his mind from being crushed.
Then, it was seen...
Uchiha Shisui's small brow furrowed. Between the closing and opening of his eyes, a hint of crimson slowly emerged!
Uchiha Setsuna, Uchiha Fugaku, along with Uchiha Yashiro, Inabi, Tekka, Obito, and a crowd of Uchiha clansmen all looked over in unison...