"What?! What did you say?!" Yūma's voice rose in disbelief.
"Shiroha defeated Fugaku?!"
"Fugaku was imprisoned by him?!"
The Uchiha ninja's report sent shockwaves through him.
"Yūma-sama, although it's unbelievable, it's all true," one of the ninjas insisted. "We saw it with our own eyes. Shiroha's strength is truly formidable." The other clansmen nodded in agreement, their voices filled with a mixture of awe and fear.
"Damn it! How could this happen?!" Yūma exclaimed, his face pale with shock. He doubled over, coughing violently, the news hitting him like a physical blow.
Uchiha Fugaku was his chosen successor, the one he had high hopes for. He had tasked Fugaku with dealing with the Hokage's son.
As for Shiroha, he hadn't given him much thought. Shiroha had a good reputation within the clan and was known to be strong, but Fugaku was older and a staunch believer in the Will of Fire.
How could Fugaku, with all his abilities, be defeated by Shiroha?
He never expected this outcome. Not only was Fugaku defeated, but he was also imprisoned.
"Yūma-sama, what should we do now?" one of the ninjas asked, their voices filled with worry. "Captain Fugaku is still imprisoned!"
The Uchiha ninjas looked to their clan leader, their eyes seeking his guidance.
"Take me to the interrogation room," Yūma commanded, his voice firm despite his inner turmoil. "I want to see what Shiroha is planning to do." He stood up, his movements purposeful, and strode towards the interrogation room.
No matter the reason, Fugaku was someone he valued. Now that Fugaku was imprisoned by Shiroha, he, as clan leader, had to save him.
...
In the interrogation room, Uchiha Fugaku had woken up.
"Uchiha Fugaku attacked ninjas from the same village. I suspect you plan to become a rogue ninja." Shiroha's voice was sharp as he addressed Fugaku.
"Damn it, Shiroha, you're framing me!" Fugaku roared, his face twisted with anger. "Let me go immediately! Hokage-sama will never let you get away with this!"
[Ding! Feel the anger of Uchiha Fugaku, +300 negative energy, genjutsu +30]
Excellent. Uchiha Fugaku is proving to be a valuable source of negative energy.
Seeing Fugaku's angry eyes fixed on him, Shiroha felt no fear, only excitement. Be angry! Hate it! The more angry you become, the more negative energy I get.
"Shut the fuck up!" Shiroha commanded, his voice cold. "Ookami, I'll leave him to you. Give him a good lesson."
Ookami grinned, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Don't worry, Shiroha-sama. I'll entertain him well."
Ookami didn't hesitate, immediately began to beat Fugaku violently.
"Stop!"
Yūma entered the room at that moment. Seeing Ookami beating Fugaku, he yelled, "What are you doing?! How dare you attack people of your own clan!"
His voice was sharp, but perhaps due to his physical weakness, his scolding lacked intimidation and instead gave off an air of vulnerability.
"It turns out to be the clan leader," Shiroha remarked calmly, his gaze fixed on him. "Clan leader, why do you have time to come to the interrogation room? Your health isn't good, you should leave quickly. If you die in here, it will be unclear what happened."
Another fool blinded by the so-called Will of Fire, he thought. This old man had constantly suppressed himself to pave the way for Fugaku to become clan leader.
"Hmph, Shiroha Uchiha, you still know that I am the clan leader!" Yūma boomed, his voice laced with anger. "Do you know what you've done? You captured the Hokage's son and are beating your fellow clan members! What is the meaning of this?"
"Of course I know what I'm doing," Shiroha retorted, his tone dismissive. "According to my investigation, Sarutobi Shinnosuke plans to betray the Leaf Village. Uchiha Fugaku attacked ninjas from the same village, also intending to betray the Leaf Village. I'm conducting a routine interrogation."
"Nonsense!" Yūma roared. "Bring them to me immediately! How could the Hokage's son betray the Leaf Village? If this incident spreads, how will the Hokage see our Uchiha clan!"
"What if I say no?" Shiroha countered, his voice laced with a hint of challenge.
"Uchiha Shiroha, what are you going to do?!" Yūma's voice sharpened, his Sharingan activating. "Don't forget, I am the leader of the Uchiha clan. Don't you even listen to me, the clan leader!"
A powerful pressure erupted from Yūma's three-tomoe Sharingan, aimed at Shiroha. As the head of the Uchiha clan, Yūma was once a powerful force, a quasi-Kage powerhouse. Unfortunately, he had been seriously injured during a mission, leaving his strength diminished, barely reaching the level of an elite Jonin.
Despite Yūma's pressure, Shiroha remained unmoved. Yūma's current strength was nothing to him, not even in his prime, especially now that he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Sarutobi Shinnosuke has confessed," Shiroha stated calmly. "Uchiha Fugaku attacked a fellow villager. They are both traitors. The clan leader actually asked me to let them go. Has the clan leader also betrayed Konoha?" He fixed his gaze on Yūma, his tone laced with suspicion.
"What did you say?!" Yūma sputtered, enraged by the accusation. He ignored the pain in his body and unleashed a genjutsu, targeting Shiroha. He had to stop him, to put a stop to this madness.
"Genjutsu? Unfortunately, it doesn't work on me," Shiroha mused, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "Genjutsu rebound."
He effortlessly deflected the genjutsu back at Yūma. The sudden backlash felt like a heavy hammer striking his head, causing Yūma to stumble and fall to the ground, dizzy and disoriented.
"It seems the clan leader really wants to be a rebel," He remarked, his gaze fixed on the fallen Yūma. "Come on, lock up the clan leader first."