Uchiha Ren let out a low chuckle as the Lava Release Rasenshuriken in his hand dissipated.
"Lava Release… a trump card?"
He looked at Uchiha Raizen with open disdain.
"I think you've misunderstood."
"That was just a little trick to make them quiet."
His gaze swept lazily across the battered Uchiha below.
Raizen's heart sank.
A bad feeling crept in.
From the moment Ren seized control of the meeting—
Everything had spiraled out of control.
And now—
He still had more?
"Then… what is it?"
Ren's smile widened.
"My real trump card…"
"…is this."
In an instant—
A terrifying surge of ocular power erupted from his eyes.
His Sharingan—
Changed.
No longer three tomoe.
A new pattern emerged.
Cold.
Sinister.
Chaotic.
A wave of dark emotion flooded Ren's mind, urging destruction—whispering madness.
So this was it.
The curse of the Mangekyō.
No wonder those who awakened it often lost themselves.
But just as quickly—
A cool clarity washed over him.
Suppressing it.
Stabilizing it.
Ren threw his head back and laughed.
"HAHAHAHA!"
"So this is the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan!"
"Absolutely intoxicating!"
He clenched his fists slightly.
Power—
Exploding within him.
At this moment, he finally understood.
Why someone like Sasuke Uchiha could dare charge into the Five Kage Summit alone after awakening this power.
Because this—
Changed everything.
The gap between a three-tomoe Uchiha—
And a Mangekyō wielder—
Was no longer a difference in skill.
It was a difference in existence.
Ren stood on the platform, laughing without restraint, completely unconcerned about being attacked.
Because now—
No one here could threaten him.
"Impossible… impossible!"
Raizen's voice trembled.
"That level of power…"
"The Mangekyō Sharingan?!"
"You awakened it?!"
His voice rose uncontrollably.
That was the eye—
He had pursued his entire life.
The eye—
All Uchiha longed for.
The power that once belonged to Uchiha Madara—
Had returned.
"HAHAHAHA!"
"The heavens favor us!"
"The Mangekyō has appeared!"
"The divine power of the Uchiha!"
"The future of Konoha belongs to us!"
The elders, who had been watching quietly moments ago, erupted into frenzied shouts.
Their eyes burned with fanaticism.
They recognized it instantly.
That overwhelming ocular power—
They had seen it once before.
On Madara.
And now—
It had returned.
No one understood its terror better than they did.
No one doubted what it meant.
Uchiha Ren—
Was the future clan head.
No one could stop it.
No one dared.
"Clan Head Raizen," Ren said calmly, his eyes now bearing the intricate Mangekyō pattern, "do you understand my trump card now?"
Behind him—
A towering silhouette began to form.
A colossal chakra construct—
Dozens of meters tall.
A phantom of destruction.
Even partially manifested—
It radiated overwhelming pressure.
Raizen couldn't speak.
His eyes filled with shock—
And envy.
That eye.
That power.
Why—
Why wasn't it his?
"Uchiha Ren!!"
"He is the clan head!"
"He is the future!!"
The elders roared first.
Pointing at the looming figure behind him.
"That—!"
"Susanoo!!"
"The invincible power of the Uchiha!"
"Uchiha Ren!"
"Uchiha Ren!!"
The entire gathering erupted.
Even louder than before.
Even more frenzied.
They had forgotten everything—
The explosion.
The recklessness.
The danger.
All of it.
Because strength—
Justified everything.
A man like this—
Was allowed to be arrogant.
To be tyrannical.
To be absolute.
And those who challenged him?
Death would be their own fault.
The fact they were still alive—
Was his mercy.
In mere seconds—
The entire clan had shifted.
From doubt—
To worship.
"Silence."
Ren spoke a single word.
The roar vanished instantly.
Every gaze turned toward him.
Reverent.
Even the dozen who had just been attacked—
Now lowered their heads.
Submission.
Complete.
"Uchiha Raizen."
Ren's voice carried calmly across the space.
"I'll give you a chance."
"A chance to challenge me."
"If you win—"
"The position of clan head remains yours."
A cruel smile tugged at his lips.
Today—
He would crush more than just opposition.
He would crush pride.
"I… I…"
Raizen hesitated.
Fight?
Against this?
Impossible.
Just the pressure of Ren's eyes alone was suffocating.
"There's no shame in losing to me," Ren continued, his tone sharp. "But if you don't even have the courage to fight…"
"Then what right do you have to call yourself Uchiha?"
The words struck like blades.
Raizen froze.
He understood.
This was deliberate.
He was being made an example.
A warning to all.
And now—
There was no retreat.
Losing the position—
Was acceptable.
But losing the will to fight—
Was unforgivable.
Death?
So be it.
At least—
He would fall as an Uchiha.
Raizen straightened.
His hesitation vanished.
The bearing of a clan head returned.
"…Then let's fight."
Ren smiled.
Satisfied.
Everything—
Was proceeding exactly as he intended.
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