Valley of the End Shrine, a hidden underground chamber.
This place was the spiritual totem of the Uchiha Clan. The stone tablet left behind by the clan's ancestors stood here, along with countless memorial tablets bearing their names.
Dim candlelight flickered, casting shadows across hundreds of faces—each wearing a different expression.
"What's going on? Why did the Great Elder suddenly summon the entire clan?"
"No idea. I heard there's a major announcement."
"Is that Uchiha Tobirama? Didn't he just return from the front lines? Why is he sitting next to the main seat… and looking so arrogant?"
Whispers rippled through the chamber, filling the air with unease and restlessness.
All of the Uchiha elites currently stationed in Konoha were present—more than two hundred jōnin and chūnin packed tightly into the underground hall.
"Silence!"
A stern, aged, yet powerful voice rang out.
Leaning on his cane, the Great Elder stepped forward. His cloudy eyes swept across the room, glowing with an unmistakable fanaticism.
"I have summoned all of you today for one reason only."
He took a deep breath, then pointed sharply at Tobirama, who sat nearby with his eyes closed, and raised his voice:
"After careful deliberation by the Council of Elders—"
"From this day onward, all affairs of the Uchiha Clan shall be placed under the sole authority of Uchiha Tobirama!"
"The position of Clan Leader will also be assumed by Tobirama!"
"As for Uchiha Fuyama, who is currently on the front lines—I will personally send him a letter instructing him to abdicate and hand over his position!"
The words fell like thunder.
The entire chamber exploded.
It was as if a depth charge had detonated in a quiet lake.
"What?! Are you insane?!"
"Great Elder, have you lost your mind?!"
"He's only twelve years old! Even if he has achievements, making him Clan Leader?! What about Fuyama?!"
Outrage and disbelief erupted from all directions.
The Uchiha Clan was arrogant by nature—no one was willing to bow their head to another.
Especially the die-hard loyalists of Fuyama, who immediately stepped forward.
A burly jōnin with a vicious face pointed straight at Tobirama and roared:
"Uchiha Tobirama! You brat—what kind of trick did you use to brainwash the Great Elder?!"
"You want to be Clan Leader? You're not worthy!"
"Do you have the qualifications? The strength to suppress the entire clan?!"
"Even with merit, you can't be this arrogant! If you want to stand over us, you'll have to kill me first!"
The crowd surged with anger.
The Great Elder was about to speak—but a raised hand stopped him.
Tobirama slowly opened his eyes.
He didn't immediately stand. Instead, he leaned lazily back in his chair, a faint curve of disdain lifting the corner of his mouth.
"Qualifications?"
"Strength?"
"Arrogance?"
He rose to his feet, black robes fluttering without wind.
"Since you're so eager to see qualifications—"
"Then open your eyes wide and look carefully."
Tobirama lifted his gaze.
His pitch-black pupils instantly turned scarlet, the Three-Tomoe Sharingan spinning into existence.
In the next instant—
The tomoe rotated violently, fusing into a single, terrifying pattern.
Mangekyō Sharingan.
The jōnin who had been shouting moments earlier met Tobirama's gaze head-on.
"Tsukuyomi."
"Ugh—!"
He didn't even have time to scream.
His eyes rolled back, his body convulsed violently, and he collapsed straight onto his back.
Thud.
Like a stray dog kicked dead by the roadside.
Instant incapacitation.
An elite jōnin who had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan—taken down with a single glance.
The chamber fell deathly silent.
Every pair of eyes was locked onto Tobirama's gaze.
Fear—
And longing—
Both carved deep into the bloodline of the Uchiha.
"Th-this is…"
Someone's voice trembled, teeth chattering uncontrollably.
"Well?" Tobirama swept his gaze across the room.
Wherever his eyes landed, no one dared to meet them.
"Is that enough qualification?"
At that moment, the Great Elder stepped forward, shouting like a fervent preacher:
"Did you all see that, you fools?!"
"This is the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan!"
"These are the same eyes as our ancestor—Lord Uchiha Madara!"
"The divine power capable of controlling the Nine-Tails and pacifying the chaotic world!"
"Only those who possess these eyes are true Uchiha powerhouses!"
Mangekyō Sharingan.
The words struck every clansman like lightning.
An ocular power that existed only in legends—
Had appeared.
And on a twelve-year-old boy.
After a brief, stunned silence—
Fanaticism spread like wildfire.
"Mangekyō… it really is Mangekyō!"
"My god! Is the Uchiha finally going to rise?!"
"With these eyes, Konoha is nothing! The Hokage is nothing!"
The Uchiha worshipped strength.
They revered power above all else.
And now—
A new Madara had appeared.
Their first reaction was not fear—
But exhilaration.
The thrill of overturning decades of suppression.
"Lord Tobirama!"
"Clan Leader!"
Cheers rang out sporadically, then merged into a thunderous chorus.
But at that moment—
Two figures at the edge of the crowd quietly began to retreat.
They were Fuyama's most trusted confidants, and also squad leaders within the Military Police Force.
"Run! We have to inform Fuyama—and the Third Hokage!"
"This kid is insane! He'll drag the entire Uchiha into the abyss!"
They exchanged a glance and turned to flee.
"Trying to run?"
Tobirama stood atop the platform, not even bothering to turn his head.
Under his eyes, not even the flight of a fly could escape his perception.
"If you don't want to be part of the Uchiha—"
"Then go be ghosts."
He slowly raised his right hand and clenched the air toward their retreating backs.
"Susanoo: Skeletal Arm."
Boom!
A terrifying surge of crimson chakra erupted.
A massive skeletal arm formed in midair, moving like lightning.
"What—?!"
Before they reached the exit, darkness swallowed them.
The giant hand seized them like chicks.
"Ahhh! Let us go!"
"Tobirama! We're from the same clan! You can't—!"
"Same clan?"
Tobirama sneered, eyes cold and merciless.
"Traitors don't deserve the Uchiha name."
"Since you like reporting so much—go report it in hell."
"Die."
Crack.
Splat.
The skeletal hand tightened.
Like crushing overripe tomatoes.
Blood and shattered bone spilled through the gaps, dripping onto the floor.
The screams ended abruptly.
The scene was overwhelming.
Too brutal.
Too bloody.
Too—
Exhilarating.
The clansmen who had been cheering moments earlier now stared at the crimson skeletal arm with blind worship in their eyes.
This—
Was power.
A divine force beyond ninjutsu.
Before such power, what was impossible?
"Anyone else object?"
Tobirama dismissed the Susanoo. Two mangled corpses fell heavily to the ground.
He clapped his hands, as if brushing off dust.
"Anyone else think I'm unqualified?"
"Or… anyone else want to inform that weakling Fuyama?"
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The next second—
Everyone knelt on one knee in unison.
Even the elders who had questioned him moments earlier.
The motion was perfectly synchronized, as if rehearsed countless times.
"Greetings, Clan Leader!"
"Greetings, Lord Tobirama!"
The voices were deafening, echoing through the chamber with hysterical devotion.
They were subdued.
Whether their hearts truly accepted it no longer mattered—
Under absolute violence, their bodies had already submitted.
And following such a powerhouse was far better than following Fuyama, who endured humiliation day after day.
"Very good."
Tobirama nodded in satisfaction.
"Rise."
"I don't care for empty formalities. I only care about results."
"The Uchiha have been silent for far too long."
"Konoha's upper ranks treat us like guard dogs."
"From today onward—those days are over."
"I will lead you to reclaim everything that belongs to us."
"Yes!"
The clansmen were fired with passion, itching to rush out and slaughter a few ANBU on the spot.
"That's all for today."
Tobirama waved his hand.
"Dismissed."
The crowd withdrew respectfully, faces flushed with excitement, already envisioning a future where the Uchiha ruled Konoha.
When the chamber finally emptied—
Only Tobirama, the Great Elder, and the two corpses remained.
Tobirama walked over and crouched down.
With practiced ease, he removed the two pairs of Three-Tomoe Sharingan and placed them into bottles filled with nutrient solution.
They weren't Mangekyō—but they were still valuable resources. Useful as spare batteries.
"Great Elder."
He spoke while wiping his hands.
"Yes, Lord Tobirama!" The Great Elder bent even lower than before.
"Handle two matters."
"First, take people to the Shimura Clan and reclaim their shop deeds. If anyone resists, break their legs—tell them it was my order."
"Second, dispose of these bodies cleanly. Tell the outside world… that they died in the line of duty while carrying out a secret mission."
The Great Elder glanced at the corpses, his expression unchanged.
"Understood!"
"Rest assured, Lord Tobirama—I'll handle it immediately!"
"Danzo's remaining assets are a feast. I'll squeeze every last drop of marrow from his bones!"
Watching the Great Elder's greedy yet loyal expression, Tobirama smiled faintly.
A clan—
At its core—
Was nothing more than a community of interests.
As long as you led them to meat, even if you were a devil, they would place you on a pedestal.
"Uchiha Fuyama…"
Tobirama gazed at the massive fan-shaped clan crest engraved into the chamber wall, his eyes unreadable.
"Sorry."
"Your Clan Leader trial period has expired."
"Next—"
"The Uchiha will enter my era."