In their eyes, Mitsuki certainly had strength, but nowhere near enough to command an entire shinobi unit on his own.
For them, aside from their own Clan Head, only someone on the level of the Sannin was qualified to lead them.
Just as Fugaku was about to reprimand these arrogant clansmen, a cold and crisp voice cut through the hall.
"...Heh. Trash like you think you're worthy of talking about him?"
The insult was so sharp and so direct that the entire Naka Shrine froze for several seconds.
A few of the Uchiha who had been shouting the loudest instantly exploded in anger:
"Who was that?! Who said that just now?!"
"Trash is trash. The Uchiha's reputation is tarnished precisely because of brainless idiots like you."
Ruri's proud voice rang out again.
This time, her words were even sharper. Several senior Uchiha jōnin stepped forward, all revealing their spinning three-tomoe Sharingan as they surrounded her.
"Ruri, even if you're a clan prodigy, that is not something a junior is allowed to say."
Naoto Uchiha's gaze was dangerous, fixed on Ruri, who didn't seem to grasp the gravity of the situation.
Fugaku hadn't expected Ruri to be this bold — but for him, this was actually a good thing. At least it proved he invested in the right person. Besides, Ruri and Mitsuki were very close. Very.
Descending from the shrine's main seat, Fugaku prepared to help defuse the situation. Yes, Ruri was strong, and she had learned powerful Lightning Release directly from Mitsuki — but her words had been truly sharp, and she had angered too many at once.
Better for him to step in now. Otherwise, if Mitsuki found out his friend was being bullied, he could easily make these Uchiha suffer on the frontlines in Land of Hot Water without anyone suspecting a thing.
"Naoto, Inabi, Sho — you three are going too far. Ruri wasn't wrong. You indeed have no right to question Mitsuki's strength."
Hearing their clan head outright take sides, the Uchiha clansmen erupted in protest.
"Clan Head, are you saying that Shimizu Mitsuki is stronger than you?!"
A vein twitched on Fugaku's forehead. His eyes darted around, trying to find the idiot who said that.Of course he couldn't beat Mitsuki. That man had infiltrated a Hidden Village and killed a Kage alone — he was a monster.
But he couldn't say that in front of his clan.
"Heh~"
Hearing someone compare Fugaku to Mitsuki, Ruri let out a mocking laugh.
At that moment, the hot-tempered Sho could no longer stand Ruri's arrogance. He strode up to her, using his height advantage to stare down at her with his crimson three-tomoe Sharingan.
"You brat. Just because you learned some Lightning Release from who-knows-where, and scored a flashy 'Chidori Ruri' title fighting Mist-nin because of element advantage… you think you're hot shit?"
The instant the words left his mouth, something strange happened.
A wave of dread washed over the gathered Uchiha, as if a terrifying presence had manifested among them.
And they weren't wrong.
Seeing Ruri close her eyes, Sho thought she was backing down.
He couldn't have been more wrong.
When she opened them again—
They weren't the familiar three-tomoe of the Uchiha.
What kind of eyes… were those?
In her crimson irises bloomed six snowflake-like petals, slowly rotating, their centers encasing three connected droplets—elegant, eerie, beautiful.
"Th–this is…?"
Before Sho could even process it—
BOOM—
A violent wave of chakra exploded outward from Ruri's body.
The ocular power of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan manifested as invisible shockwaves, forcing back every Uchiha who had tried to surround her.
Except Sho.
To Sho's perception, Ruri's form grew taller and taller until she appeared to be towering over him—because she was now looking down at him.
But to everyone else, Sho had suddenly bent his knees, knelt, and then dropped flat to the ground like a dog prostrating—never breaking eye contact with Ruri for a second.
A puppet to her will.
Ruri released the genjutsu, letting his consciousness return.
Sho blinked rapidly, suddenly aware of the cold floor beneath him.He didn't know when he had ended up groveling like an animal.
He tried to stand, but his body refused to obey.Looking back, he saw several metal spikes pinning his limbs to the ground.
Agony surged through him. He tried to scream for help—
"S—help, hghhh—!"
CRACK—
Ruri stomped down on his face. Blood poured from his nose and mouth as he let out a distorted scream.
"Be grateful, trash. The only reason you're still alive is because he told me not to go too far."
Ruri looked down at the man who dared mock a gift Mitsuki had given her, her expression icy and merciless.
"M–Mangekyō Sharingan!?"
One Uchiha shout out in shock.
No one cared about Sho anymore. Because that—that was the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Even if Ruri were stepping on Fugaku's head right now, they would probably praise her:
"Lady Ruri, splendid footwork!"
That was the impact the Mangekyō had on the Uchiha.
The crowd was already fantasizing…
"Perfect! It's the Mangekyō! We finally have one!"
"The next Hokage must be from the Uchiha!"
Ruri found them unbearably noisy and swept her Eternal Mangekyō across the room.
Every Uchiha in her gaze immediately lowered their eyes, unable to endure the overwhelming pressure.
Those who weren't Uchiha would never understand the sheer suppression higher-tier Sharingan exerted on lower ones.
Fugaku, however, felt something wrong. Very wrong.
As someone who had awakened the Mangekyō himself, he could feel it clearly—
This power… was not normal.
During her outburst, he had felt something irresistible.
This was no ordinary Mangekyō.
Could it be…?
The same eyes once awakened by Madara?