Fugaku has gone mad; he's going to create a new Uchiha clan in Kirigakure.

"Pop~~"

It sounded like the crushing of a ripe berry.

A thick, dark red liquid mixed with chakra seeped from between his fingers and flowed down with the rain.

The Mangekyou Sharingan, which Danzo spoke of as the "strongest genjutsu" and which countless people coveted and feared, was reduced to a small puddle of filthy fragments right before everyone's eyes.

Fugaku released his grip, and the residue mixed with the puddles and mud on the ground, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

All around was deathly quiet.

Only the sound of rain pattering could be heard.

The Hidden Mist ninjas, the Uchiha clan members—everyone stared blankly at Uchiha Fugaku.

Fugaku Uchiha seemed to sense everyone's gaze. He turned his head and raised an eyebrow with a hint of mockery.

"What's wrong?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"Don't you think I suddenly seem much taller?"

"Hahaha..."

Laughter rang out from the plaza, a laugh filled with admiration. Putting oneself in their shoes, one would never believe they could do such a thing.

"Ming, why aren't you saying anything?"

Mei Terumi did not answer.

She simply gazed at Uchiha Fugaku, raindrops sliding down his slightly damp black hair. He looked somewhat tired, but his eyes were like the sky after a rain, clear and open.

She suddenly didn't want to say anything, afraid that if she opened her mouth, she would shatter the moment.

Just now, she was certain that she wouldn't fall in love with anyone in a single day.

Now...

No one hated the feeling of being manipulated more than she did. That mysterious Uchiha rogue ninja used his Sharingan to control the Fourth Mizukage, dragging Kirigakure into the abyss of blood mist. Countless ninja clans perished silently. Kirigakure, one of the five great villages of the ninja world, couldn't even gather all seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

The person in front of him did not hesitate for a moment when he crushed the Mangekyou Sharingan.

This move killed the game.

...

"You bastard!!!"

"asshole!!!"

"You're a madman!! A madman!!!"

A fierce, almost deafening roar suddenly erupted, shattering the brief silence.

Danzo Shimura, who had always appeared calm and collected, even maintaining his composure while being pierced by a knife, finally broke down completely.

His only remaining left eye was bloodshot and bulging, staring intently at Fugaku. His old face was twisted beyond recognition, all his scheming, forbearance, and ruthlessness replaced by the purest, most heart-wrenching rage.

"That's Kotoamatsukami!! Fugaku Uchiha!! Do you know what you've done?! That's a power that can change the world!"

Fugaku Uchiha turned his head and quietly looked at Danzo, who was engrossed in frantic cursing. The playful smile on his face gradually faded, leaving only a cold calm.

The rain grew heavier, with large raindrops pounding on the bluestone slabs and splashing up fine droplets.

"Alright, Elder Danzo, your mission is complete."

He slowly rotated the wrist holding the [Blade of the Underworld]

The next moment, countless sludge burrowed out of Danzo's body, spreading rapidly like tendrils, covering his torso, limbs, neck, and finally his face, which was filled with resentment, anger, and despair.

Go to sleep.

The noise subsided, leaving only the gentle murmur of rain.

Fugaku Uchiha let out a long, slow breath. His straight back seemed to sag slightly for a moment as a heavy sense of fatigue finally overwhelmed him. He swayed and leaned against Mei Terumi.

"Have your people deliver this message to Konoha..."

Having said that, he could no longer hold on and fell into a deep sleep...

---Divider line

In a courtyard of a market town on the east coast of the Land of Whirlpools.

The room was very quiet.

The only sounds were the occasional crackling of the burning firewood in the stove and the faint sound of distant waves outside the window. The sea breeze had largely dissipated the dampness of the sea, and the air was filled with the warm aroma of dry firewood mixed with a faint scent of herbs.

Fugaku Uchiha lay on the tatami mat. He slowly opened his eyes, his vision initially blurry, then gradually clearing.

He felt like he had a very long and tiring dream.

In his dream, he became Uchiha Fugaku, experiencing many absurd yet realistic things: doing intimate things with Mikoto, fighting an earth-shattering battle against Konoha, and even signing a marriage contract with Terumi Mei—a true masterpiece of wish-fulfillment fiction...

Then he turned his head to the side.

Uchiha Mikoto knelt on the futon beside him, her body slightly tilted, her head nodding as she dozed off. Her long hair was disheveled and tied behind her head, with a few stray strands falling beside her cheeks.

"Ah, it wasn't a dream, hehe, then it's alright..."

Fugaku Uchiha moved his stiff fingers, slowly reached out, and gently grasped Mikoto's hand that was resting on her knee. When he grasped it, the fingers unconsciously curled up for a moment, then relaxed again, as if she could recognize this familiar touch even in her sleep.

Fugaku just watched her quietly.

The fire crackled and popped again.

Mikoto's body trembled slightly, her eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.

"You're awake? How are you feeling?"

"It's nothing, I was just too tired. I feel much better after a nap."

"How long did I sleep?"

"About a day, from yesterday afternoon when you fell into a deep sleep until now."

She paused, then continued.

"The battlefield has been cleaned up. All the clay figurines have been moved to the central square of the market and placed together with Shimura Danzo's clay figurines. Mei has sent that Kirigakure Jonin named Ao to guard them personally. His Byakugan can see through everything, so it's to prevent anyone from tampering with them. Also, news from here has been sent to Konoha through special means by Mei. It seems that the news has already spread."

Upon hearing this, Fugaku Uchiha nodded. Before losing consciousness, he had only mentioned it briefly, but for a ninja like Mei Terumi, that was enough; after all, they were all veteran players...

"Where are the reinforcements from Kirigakure?"

"The Ninja Alliance has arrived, with about two hundred people. They are led by the current head of the Hozuki clan, who is also a super genius of Kirigakure, Hozuki Mangetsu. However, Mei privately asked me to tell you that the bloodline faction and the non-bloodline faction of the ninja clans in Kirigakure need to be balanced. The ninja clans cannot send too many people. This is the limit."

"That's enough. There's no way they'll fight. Hiruzen Sarutobi is no longer the ninja hero he was thirty years ago. Besides, his close friend, one of Konoha's highest administrative officials, is now in our hands. It's even less likely that they'll fight."

As he spoke, he threw back the covers, intending to get out of bed.

"Hey, why don't you rest a little longer?"

Fugaku stopped moving, turned his head, and looked at her with a helpless expression.

"I need to pee."

"..."

...

The bathroom behind the room wasn't large, but it was very clean.

A half-person-high cypress bathtub was placed in the center, filled with warm water. At this moment, Uchiha Fugaku was soaking in the water. After all, he had been fighting for thousands of miles and his body was already filthy.

Uchiha Mikoto was standing behind him, leaning against the outside of the wooden tub, gently rubbing his back.

They've been married for a long time, and their movements are very skillful.

The bathroom was quiet, with only the sound of running water and the soft rustling of a towel against the skin.

"You're not angry, are you?"

Fugaku suddenly spoke, his voice sounding somewhat muffled in the steamy bathroom.

"Um?"

Mikoto didn't stop moving.

"What are you angry about?"

"I gave that eye to Mei Terumi."

Mikoto paused in her back-rubbing motion, then continued.

"Why would I be angry? It's not like I don't have any. Besides, Meijin is a good person. You're doing this for the Uchiha clan. If we want to gain a foothold in Kirigakure, winning a battle alone isn't enough. We need stronger bonds."

She paused, then lowered her voice.

"And also..."

"Um?"

"I...I really can't eat anymore."

Fugaku was taken aback for a moment, then realized what he meant and couldn't help but chuckle softly, the water rippling gently with his laughter.

Mikoto's face turned even redder, and she gave him a light pat on the back, a little embarrassed and annoyed.

"What are you laughing at!"

"I wasn't laughing at anything..."

It was quiet for a while.

"Mikoto."

Fugaku suddenly called her name.

"Um?"

"You should treat my illness."

"Huh? I should go find a medical ninja?"

"No, it was you who treated my illness."

"you..."

Mikoto Uchiha blinked, her face flushed red, and she slapped Fugaku Uchiha hard on the back.

"Don't be ridiculous, this is in front of other people... Ah!!"

Through the bathroom door, one could hear Mikoto Uchiha's exclamation, the sound of water falling into the bathroom, and Fugaku Uchiha's mutterings.

Phrases like "This is for my safety, it's part of my rehabilitation" filled the bathroom for a few moments, followed by a cheerful atmosphere...

...

After finishing all her tasks—counting the spoils of war, arranging the base for the Kirigakure reinforcements, and negotiating with Hozuki Mangetsu, the seventeen-year-old who had become the head of the clan—Mei Terumi finally had some free time and went to the courtyard where Fugaku and his wife Uchiha were currently living.

She opened the front door and found the room empty, but the fire in the stove was still burning, and the bedding on the tatami was a little messy. Just as she was about to ask a question, she suddenly heard some strange noises coming from the direction of the bathroom at the back of the room.

It sounded like the splashing of water being violently stirred, mixed with the subtle creaking of a wooden bucket.

"What are you doing?"

Being inexperienced, she didn't think much of it and tiptoed towards the bathroom.

The bathroom door wasn't closed properly, leaving a thin crack.

She leaned closer and peered through the crack in the door...

...

Outside the courtyard, Chojuro leaned against the wall, intending to take a nap. His injuries had already been treated by medical ninjas, but being able to rest a little longer would definitely be good.

Hearing hurried footsteps, he was jolted awake and saw his clan patriarch rushing out of the gate through the wall of the courtyard, his face flushed.

"Clan chief?"

Chojuro quickly stood up straight.

"You finished your business with the Uchiha clan head so quickly?"

"Oh... um... I forgot to turn off the gas at home! I need to go back and check!"

"What the heck..."

Chojuro scratched his head, looking bewildered.

"Isn't the clan head's family in Kirigakure? Where would they get gas from in Uzushiogakure?"

But seeing Mei Terumi's retreating figure, he sighed and resignedly followed after her.

Who told him to be a guard?

---Divider line

Mikoto fell asleep again, curled up on the tatami mat, wrapped in a blanket, fast asleep.

Fugaku Uchiha changed into a loose, dark blue nightgown, casually draped a haori over it, opened the paper door of the room, and walked out into the small courtyard.

The rain had already stopped.

The sky looked as if it had been washed clean, clear and bright.

He sat down under the eaves, leaned against a pillar, and stared blankly at the sky.

Confucius said, "I examine myself three times a day."

He suddenly muttered to himself like this.

In his first formal confrontation with Konoha, he achieved unprecedented results, annihilating a thousand of Konoha's elite troops, capturing Danzo Shimura alive, and even becoming engaged to the future Mizukage of Kirigakure.

His reputation will soon spread throughout the entire ninja world along with the fleeing merchants and lurking spies.

However, Fugaku Uchiha was well aware that his strength had essentially reached its limit.

The body left behind by the previous incarnation, combined with the Sharingan that was refreshed and evolved into the Mangekyou Sharingan due to the transmigration, has already developed the potential of this body to the extreme.

While the combination of the Yellow Springs Restaurant and the Yellow Springs Azure Pool Blade is powerful, its limitations are also extremely obvious. It relies heavily on the strength of the enemy's ninjutsu and consumes a terrifying amount of energy.

Today's battle has almost drained him.

More importantly, his intelligence has been completely exposed.

The markets on the east coast of the Land of Whirlpools were a mixed bag. Besides the Hidden Mist Village and the Uchiha clan, there were also many civilians and merchants who had fled. One hundred percent of them were spies and agents from other countries, and even White Zetsu hiding underground.

The characteristics, weaknesses, and activation conditions of his abilities are probably already encrypted scrolls, being sent at breakneck speed to the desks of ninja villages around the world.

From now on, no one who opposes him will easily use large-scale combined ninjutsu to give him a chance to "recharge".

Therefore, it would be almost impossible for him to summon a Susanoo of the same level as today by taking drugs alone.

Take the most common soldier pills as an example. The ingredients that directly contain energy actually only account for a small part. Most of them are drugs that stimulate the body's potential and accelerate chakra extraction, which is why there are strict daily dosage restrictions.

Those rare and precious natural treasures that directly contain enormous energy are extremely rare, not only in this ninja world where ninjutsu is the main focus, but also in the cultivation novels I read in my previous life. They are things that can only be encountered by chance and cannot be sought after.

In other words, his peak performance today may very well be his swan song.

A person who does not plan for the future will surely have trouble in the present.

As Fugaku watched the last vestiges of orange-red on the horizon gradually disappear into the night, he silently made plans in his mind.

The evolution of the Sharingan seems to end with the Mangekyou Sharingan.

The Eternal Kaleidoscope requires the eyes of a closest brother, which he does not possess.

As for the higher-level Rinnegan, there's no need to even think about it. Let's not even talk about Ashura's and Indra's chakra. He does know where those two chakras are, but the prerequisite for activating the Rinnegan is that you must have the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. Although he can ignore the drawbacks of the Mangekyou Sharingan by relying on the ability of his right eye, it doesn't mean that the ability of his eye is equivalent to the Eternal Mangekyou.

So, how should we proceed in the future?

One finger tapped unconsciously on his knee, while the other hand gently stroked the summoned [Blade of the Underworld], lost in thought...

"that..."

A voice suddenly rang out, interrupting his thoughts.

Fugaku looked in the direction of the sound.

Mei Terumi had returned sometime earlier and was standing at the gate of the courtyard, her hands behind her back, her toes unconsciously grinding the pebbles on the ground. Her face still had a blush that hadn't completely faded, and her eyes were somewhat unfocused, not daring to look directly at Fugaku.

"You're awake."

Fugaku found her appearance somewhat amusing, after all, he knew she had come earlier...

He patted the wooden planks of the eaves beside him.

"Come and sit down."