"Y-you… you…!"
Uchiha Kagami pointed at Uchiha Ren, his fingers trembling, a chill running down his spine.
Sixteen years.
Sixteen years of deception.
Someone had worn a mask for that long—fooled all of Konoha.
And that person…
Was an Uchiha.
Terrifying.
Ren looked at him with a strange expression, as if wondering whether something had clogged Kagami's throat. The man stuttered like a broken record.
"Spit it out."
"How did you find out about Lord Tobirama's death?!"
Kagami's eyes burned with fury.
He had been forced to carry the blame.
Mocked by Ren's deception for years.
Made into a fool.
That resentment—
He couldn't swallow it.
Ren's expression turned cold.
"What gives you the right to interrogate me?"
He tilted his head slightly, voice dripping with disdain.
"You're nothing more than Tobirama's dog."
"A dog that abandoned its master."
The words landed like knives.
Ren didn't hold back in the slightest.
In the Uchiha—
Morality meant nothing without strength.
Before, he had played the outlier, the "reasonable" one.
But now—
That was useless.
If he wanted to seize the position of Hokage—
He needed to dominate.
Crush dissent.
Establish authority.
And the best way to do that—
Was to pick the hardest target.
And break it.
Kagami's face stiffened, then darkened.
Dog?
He was Tobirama's disciple!
His body trembled with anger.
"I suspect… Tobirama's death has something to do with you!"
He roared.
Ren had hidden himself too well.
Fooled everyone.
Even Tobirama Senju.
And now—
He had access to information that should have been impossible to obtain.
How could Kagami not suspect him?
"Defamation! That's slander!"
Ren threw his hands up in exaggerated shock.
"I'm a captain of the Military Police! I've bled for Konoha! I've earned my merit!"
His expression twisted.
That kind of accusation—
That was no small matter.
If he could have orchestrated something on that level and killed Tobirama himself—
He would have done it long ago.
Why wait?
Still—
Kagami's words crossed a line.
Ren's eyes turned sharp.
Enough talk.
"Then try this!"
His hands flashed through seals.
A blade appeared in his grip.
Lightning burst to life.
Blue arcs crackled along the edge.
"Lightning Flash!"
His Sharingan spun—three tomoe whirling as his body surged forward.
The blade cut through the air with a thunderous roar.
Clang!
Sparks exploded.
Kagami barely managed to block with a kunai. The ground beneath his feet cracked under the force, pain blooming in his chest.
He didn't hesitate.
"Body Flicker Technique!"
His figure vanished instantly.
He had no intention of fighting Ren at close range.
Too dangerous.
Too many had died under that blade.
Ren straightened, amused.
"Not bad reaction speed."
He rolled his shoulders.
Killing Kagami in one strike had never been the plan.
"Just as I thought… you're hiding something!"
Kagami's voice turned cold. From a distance, killing intent gathered in his eyes.
To him—
Ren's attack was proof.
A move to silence him.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon Technique!"
Flames erupted.
A massive fire dragon coiled through the air, its body stretching over ten meters as it roared toward Ren.
Ren grinned.
"Now that's more like it."
Lightning surged across his body, stimulating every muscle, pushing his speed to its limit.
He moved.
A blur.
Straight into the flames.
His blade flashed—
The fire dragon split cleanly in two.
It exploded into embers, scattering across the air.
"Die."
Ren appeared beside Kagami in an instant.
The blade descended.
Kagami staggered back, barely keeping up.
Ren's speed—
Relentless.
His swordsmanship—
Precise.
Every strike aimed at a vital point.
Kagami felt the pressure mounting rapidly.
His earlier injuries flared.
This couldn't continue.
While defending, his hands moved subtly.
Seals formed.
Their eyes met—
Sharingan to Sharingan.
"Ninjutsu: Binding Restraint!"
Ren's eyes dimmed.
The spinning tomoe stilled.
His blade lowered.
His body froze in place.
Kagami exhaled sharply, chest heaving.
Blood rose in his throat—he coughed violently, crimson staining his lips.
The earlier clash had already left him with internal injuries.
He had been holding on by sheer will.
Ren's blade—
Too dangerous.
Another few exchanges—
And he would have died.
Thankfully—
The genjutsu worked.
But there was no time to rest.
He had to bind Ren immediately.
Bring him to Mito Uzumaki.
Clear his own name.
Ignoring his injuries, Kagami stepped forward.
"Swallow Reversal."
A voice—
Right beside him.
The blade flashed again.
Too fast.
Too sudden.
Kagami couldn't react.
The strike landed cleanly.
A grotesque wound tore open across his chest—deep enough to reveal bone. Blood poured out as his body went slack.
"Did you really think I fell for your genjutsu?"
Ren's voice carried a mocking edge.
"I've been guarding against that from the start."
There had always been rumors.
That Kagami's genjutsu was exceptional—even among the Uchiha.
Ren wasn't foolish enough to ignore that.
Kagami's lips moved weakly.
"Y-you…"
Darkness swallowed his vision.
His body collapsed.
Unconscious.
Ren walked over, glancing down at him.
Satisfied.
The cut was perfect.
Severe—
But not fatal.
Killing him outright would cause unnecessary trouble.
But letting him walk freely?
Even worse.
Ren crouched down.
A green glow gathered in his hand.
Medical ninjutsu.
He stopped the bleeding, applied a rough treatment—just enough to keep Kagami alive.
The rest—
Could be handled by the clan's medics.
Ren stood up slowly.
Sixteen years of restraint—
It's over.
And from this moment onward—
Anyone who stood in his way… would learn exactly what that meant.
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