To Uchiha Setsuna, Ken was the future hope of the Uchiha clan, and therefore, he would not allow anyone to interfere with Ken's growth.
Unfortunately, Uchiha Tetsu was a stumbling block in Ken's path to growth; as a father, he was close to the Leaf Village faction, which could not set a good example for Ken.
On the surface, they were close friends, but Uchiha Tetsu probably never imagined that Uchiha Setsuna had always been thinking of how to eliminate him.
With the joint Chunin Exams underway, a large number of outsiders entered the Hidden Leaf Village, and Uchiha Setsuna knew that the opportunity he had been waiting for had finally arrived.
He used his Sharingan to control a person, wrapped them in explosive tags, turning them into a suicide bomb, and then guided Uchiha Tetsu to approach them.
The result proved everything: Uchiha Tetsu was caught in the explosion of the explosive tags at close range; with his mediocre talent, he had no chance of escaping.
Uchiha Setsuna could see his bodily remains; with injuries of that degree, even the top experts in the medical department could not save him.
"Father!" Ken's pained voice brought Uchiha Setsuna back, and his gaze involuntarily focused on Ken's eyes.
Ken's face was filled with disbelief; he hadn't expected that a joyful trip out with his father would end in such a tragedy.
Witnessing his father's brutal death before his eyes, tears streamed from his eyes, and then, a sharp pain, as if his heart would burst, surged through his body.
His brain felt like it was expanding, something flowed into his eyes, and his eyes felt as if they were burning, unable to see anything.
It was as if a voice whispered in Ken's ear, and a strong, bloody agitation urged him to destroy everything in front of him.
Ken's breathing was heavy, and the pain in his eyes forced him to close them.
When he opened them again, his dark pupils had turned blood-red, with a dark dot in the center and a tomoe-shaped pattern beside it.
— Sharingan!
Uchiha Setsuna's breath hitched.
He had learned from Zetsu that when an Uchiha clan member experienced intense emotions, especially the loss of a loved one, they could awaken their bloodline limit.
Of course, this was also related to their aptitude; the worse the aptitude, the greater the intense emotion required, and conversely, the better the aptitude, the less intense emotion was needed.
And now, Ken had awakened the bloodline limit that Uchiha clan members dreamed of — the Sharingan!
Awakening the Sharingan at his age undoubtedly showed that Ken's talent was exceptionally outstanding.
Uchiha Setsuna himself hadn't reached this level back then.
He couldn't help but think, 'As expected of Lord Madara's reincarnation, he will likely obtain the Mangekyo Sharingan, just like Lord Madara.'
Thinking this, Uchiha Setsuna saw Ken struggling to run to his father's side and quickly embraced him, saying, "Don't go, Ken, there might still be danger there; let others handle it."
Due to the explosion on the street, the Uchiha Police Force, who had been monitoring the commercial district, immediately rushed over, along with the Anbu who were discreetly hidden nearby.
The first to arrive was a four-person police squad, all from the same clan.
Uchiha Setsuna was one of the few high-ranking experts in the clan, and these four knew him.
The leading captain asked, "Mr. Setsuna, what exactly happened here?"
"Someone was carrying explosive tags.
Tetsu and I discovered this suspicious person, and when Tetsu rushed to grab him, that person detonated the explosive tags on his body."
Uchiha Setsuna immediately recounted the full story.
"It might not just be an individual act; immediately go to the police department and inform Lord Kagami."
"Yes!" The man replied, then ordered one of his subordinates to go to the police force, while the other two directed the surrounding civilians away from the crime scene and approached themselves.
Seeing the crater blasted open in the road and the remains within, the squad leader couldn't help but take a deep breath.
How many explosive tags had that person been carrying to be completely obliterated?
The remaining remains were likely Mr. Tetsu's.
Uchiha Tetsu had a very good temperament and was kind to people, enjoying high popularity among the civilian police members.
The squad leader himself was a civilian police member and had a very good impression of Uchiha Tetsu, but he never expected that Uchiha Tetsu would leave this world in such a short time.
"Even calling people from the medical department would be useless now," the squad leader muttered to himself.
Uchiha Tetsu had been blown to pieces; what medical ninjutsu could bring him back?
Then, the squad leader saw Uchiha Setsuna comforting a child.
He vaguely remembered this child; he should be Uchiha Tetsu's son.
How devastating it must be for a son to witness his father's tragic death?
The squad leader felt a pang of sadness and walked forward, preparing to offer comfort, but when Ken wiped his tears, he saw his blood-red eyes and was stunned: "Sharingan?"
Within the Uchiha clan, the Sharingan was a very rare bloodline limit; if awakened, it would undoubtedly be cultivated as a primary combat force for the clan.
Civilian police members basically did not awaken the Sharingan — and it was precisely because of this that they could maintain a humble attitude — therefore, civilian police members actually envied those who awakened the Sharingan and could enter the combat police force responsible for military power.
Just as with the pursuit of love, the Uchiha clan's pursuit of power was also ingrained in their bloodline.
"If Mr. Tetsu knew about this, he might be very happy," the squad leader thought to himself.
No matter what, Ken could reach a mid-level position in the clan in the future, and if he could advance his Sharingan further, reaching a high-level position was not impossible.
He himself did not have that fortune.
Soon, combat police members arrived and immediately cordoned off the area, preventing other civilians from approaching.
Medical ninjas from the medical department were also dispatched for an autopsy.
The Hidden Leaf Village placed great importance on the joint Chunin Exams, and now that such an unexpected situation had occurred, not only would the joint Chunin Exams be affected, but even the Hidden Leaf Village's commercial investments would suffer.
It could be said that if not handled well, the consequences would be very serious.
Because of this, Uchiha Kagami personally came here to be the primary person in charge of investigating this incident.
He glanced at Uchiha Setsuna, who was holding Ken, and then went to the side of the explosion crater, asking the medical ninja who was conducting the autopsy, "Have you found any valuable information?"
"No, that person probably wrapped explosive tags around himself, and the explosion was almost at point-blank range.
The entire person was blown to smithereens, with almost nothing left.
The visible remains all belong to the unfortunate Mr. Uchiha Tetsu."
The medical ninja shook his head.
"So, we can't determine the identity of the suicide bomber?"
Uchiha Kagami couldn't help but frown, finding the matter a bit difficult to handle.
No one knew if there would be other human bombs like this throughout the Hidden Leaf Village, and what their objectives were.
The suicide bomber left no body, so no matter how experienced the medical ninja, it would be impossible to investigate any information that could prove their identity.
— Heh heh, of course, you won't find anything.
If that person's body had been left behind, traces of Sharingan pupil power might have been found in their head.
Uchiha Setsuna sneered inwardly.
His main target for this plan was Uchiha Tetsu, but causing trouble for the Hidden Leaf Village was also something he was happy to see.
Destroying that person's body not only kept him free from suspicion but also made the police force suspicious, wondering if there were similar people still in the village.
"Captain, if such an incident happens elsewhere, our police force will be disgraced," a high-ranking police officer said to Uchiha Kagami.
"Hmm." Uchiha Kagami nodded slightly, pondered for a moment, and said, "Immediately increase patrols, investigate suspicious individuals in the village.
Be careful not to involve civilians, and also pay attention to your own safety."
Looking at the collected remains of Uchiha Tetsu, Uchiha Kagami felt a pang of sorrow and said, "I don't want to see such things happen again."
"Yes!" Everyone replied in unison, then quickly sprang into action.
"Setsuna, do you remember that person's appearance?
If so, could you draw it?" Uchiha Kagami asked.
"I remember, I'll start right away." Uchiha Setsuna immediately replied, then asked for a piece of paper and began to draw on it.
While Uchiha Setsuna was drawing the suspect's portrait, Uchiha Kagami walked over to the silent Ken, knelt down, placed his hand on his shoulder, and said, "I'm very sorry about your father, Ken-kun."
"Lord Kagami, can that person's accomplices be caught?" Ken asked, his head bowed, his hair obscuring his face.
"We will do our best.
Once the suspect's identity is confirmed, we will apprehend all accomplices and make them pay the price," Uchiha Kagami solemnly promised.
"Mm!" Ken nodded heavily, then looked up, his blood-red eyes revealing a chilling hatred.
"Those people must pay the price!"
Seeing those Sharingan eyes, Uchiha Kagami was also slightly startled.
He gently stroked Ken's head, then stood up and walked back, feeling a little uneasy.
If this incident turned out to be a cold case, it would be difficult to explain to this child.
"It's finished, Lord Kagami." At this moment, Uchiha Setsuna presented the suspect's portrait.
For a ninja, quickly remembering information and drawing it is a basic skill.
Uchiha Kagami took it and looked, nodding slightly, and said to someone, "Immediately go to the village gate registration and ask if anyone remembers this person and what their basic information is."
After arranging the tasks at the scene, Uchiha Kagami headed to the Hokage Tower.
He assumed Tobirama already knew about the incident and was waiting for Uchiha Kagami's report.
Upon entering the office, he saw both Tobirama and Fumori Masaki.
After closing the door, Fumori Masaki said, "I never expected something like this to happen, Kagami."
"I didn't either.
It seems we've been too lax." Uchiha Kagami sighed, then looked at Tobirama, who was observing him with an inquiring gaze, and recounted all the information he had gathered.
"Entering the village as a human bomb covered in explosive tags is not something an individual can do.
There must be an organization behind it." Tobirama's brows were tightly furrowed.
"To be able to cultivate such fanatics, it's highly likely to be a ninja village.
I truly hope it's not one of the other four great nations."
If it were just a small country, the Land of Fire, as the currently strongest nation, could naturally punish them legitimately.
However, if it were one of the other four great nations, it could very likely spark the Second Shinobi World War, and the significance of the joint Chunin Exams would cease to exist.
"In terms of possibility, it's unlikely to be those great nations.
In recent years, the village's propaganda has been very effective.
After secret investigations by the Anbu, both in the Land of Fire and other countries, there's a strong anti-war sentiment among the populace, a desire for peaceful lives, and conflicts are not prominent.
Even great nations cannot completely disregard the opinions of their people," Fumori Masaki said.
"Indeed, I also think it's unlikely," Uchiha Kagami supported Fumori Masaki's view.
"Perhaps so.
If it's not a great nation, then to cultivate such fanatics, it might be some kind of tight-knit, small organization, as they wouldn't care about public opinion," Tobirama said.
"For example?" Fumori Masaki's eyes narrowed slightly.
"The Jashin cult," Uchiha Kagami said.
"Because of the purification movement in the Land of Hot Water back then, the Jashin cult's strongholds within the Land of Hot Water were basically purged.
However, we cannot guarantee that there are no remnants or those who escaped." Tobirama paused.
"They would target Masaki with their hatred, so there's a possibility they intended to cause trouble in the Hidden Leaf Village."
"Such suicidal bombing acts also align well with the Jashin cult's ideology," Uchiha Kagami said.
"So, should we investigate in that direction?"
"Let's make that the primary target for now, at least for public promotion," Tobirama said.
"Although the possibility of the Jashin cult is very high, we cannot completely dismiss the suspicion of other great nations.
Kagami, you should know how to strike the right balance, right?"
"I understand." Uchiha Kagami nodded solemnly.
Afterward, Fumori Masaki and Uchiha Kagami walked out of the office.
Uchiha Kagami asked, "Masaki, do you think it's the Jashin cult or one of the nations?"
"Personally, I lean towards the Jashin cult, but the question is how they got past the inspection.
If it were a great nation, they might be able to get past inspections, but their motive cannot be guaranteed," Fumori Masaki said.
"In any case, please investigate thoroughly."
"Indeed, there are inconsistencies in both," Uchiha Kagami pondered silently.
Fumori Masaki didn't tell Uchiha Kagami that there was actually another possibility: that there was an internal spy in the village.
This thought had occurred to him when he heard that Uchiha Setsuna was also at the scene, and also Uchiha Tetsu's son.
Although there was no evidence, he somewhat suspected that Zetsu was behind it.
But perhaps it was due to his prejudice against Uchiha Setsuna; the exact situation would have to wait until Uchiha Kagami's investigation results were released.