Rēn was absolutely determined to establish his dominance.
Even if no one stepped forward to provoke him, he was prepared to take the initiative.
If he didn't subdue these unruly clansmen here and now, then even if he took the position of clan head, it would mean nothing. What he wanted was a clan that would follow him obediently, like Samehada—obedient and reliable. Not a group of Uchiha who said one thing and did another, who shot arrows while pointing spears, who chased dogs while being told to catch chickens.
"Chihaya, Ranzan, and Shisui—don't interfere. This is my round."
Rēn stopped his companions from acting.
This moment was not for teamwork.
He had to establish a personal authority that belonged to him alone.
Uchiha Genshi stood up and, with help from Uchiha Ranzan, restrained Rēn's supporters. They guided the others to retreat to the right side of the chamber, leaving the center open for Rēn and the clansmen who resented his dominance and bluntness.
"Rēn, what exactly are you trying to do? The clan head position…"
Uchiha Fugaku's brows were tightly furrowed. Things had completely slipped out of his control. This wasn't the outcome he had wanted.
If he was being honest with himself, did he ever intend to make Rēn a figurehead while keeping real power in the shadows? His answer was maybe..... He simply thought Rēn was too young and impulsive, afraid that he would make mistakes that couldn't be undone.
He truly wanted to support Rēn—unless Rēn proved completely beyond redemption.
Clang.
A shuriken flew across the short distance like a cannonball, grazing Fugaku's temple and slamming into the stone wall behind him. Chunks of rock were blasted free from the impact, rolling to the ground. Even the tengu mural was damaged.
Rēn lowered the arm that had just thrown the shuriken. His crimson Sharingan eyes locked onto the clan head.
"Clan leader, I believe I made myself clear. I think you lack the ability and the resolve. When faced with the village's mounting pressure, you've done nothing but tell the clan to endure. You've made repeated bad decisions. The current state of the clan—you're directly responsible."
"So don't talk to me about stepping down. I'll take over this mess as it is, but don't expect your past mistakes to be erased just like that."
"Uchiha Rēn, do you realize what you're saying?"
Uchiha Yashiro stepped forward.
"I do."
"Then do you understand what the clan head has done for the good of the clan—"
"Shut up. Are your ears broken? Didn't you hear what I just said?"
Rēn's voice was sharp and cold.
Without hesitation, he released a cast of Genjutsu: Shackles of Binding. The technique instantly crushed Yashiro's resistance, pinning the respected senior jōnin in place, rendering him unable to move.
"Yashiro!"
"Uchiha Rēn, you little brat."
Seeing Yashiro fall triggered a fierce reaction from several of his allies. Four veteran jōnin, all around forty years old, began attacking in unison. Their years of cooperation allowed them to coordinate without a single word.
In such a narrow, enclosed space, large-scale offensive ninjutsu was dangerous to use. With Yashiro and Uchiha Kōhei—the one who had been previously pinned by Shackles of Binding—as recent examples, trying to outmatch Rēn in genjutsu would clearly be unwise.
That left only two options: taijutsu and kenjutsu.
Shuriken and kunai rained down like a storm.
"You're really trying shuriken techniques? Did you forget I have the Sharingan too, old man?"
Rēn clearly saw the nearly invisible steel wires attached to the weapons, coated in non-reflective material. With a slight flick of his wrist, Samehada swelled in size. Its rows of sharp spines rose up. With a few sweeps left and right, Rēn knocked away all the incoming projectiles, not giving the wires a chance to get close.
"Uchiha Style: Gale Blade."
"Uchiha Style: Sword Flame Leap."
The two attacked in a pincer movement. It was obvious the shuriken barrage had only been a feint to cover this attack. Of course, if Rēn hadn't noticed the wires, the feint would have become a real threat.
"Samehada: Devouring Strike."
Rēn responded instantly.
They were all survivors of brutal battlefields and had slaughtered many enemies. Perhaps these four uncles had more combat experience than he did, but Rēn wasn't someone they could easily overpower. The title of Flame Demon had been earned atop the corpses of hundreds of Mist ninja.
He swung Samehada. The weapon, already nearly the height of a man, extended to nearly twice its length. With overwhelming speed and strength, it crashed into both attacker's blades. The shock and the brief chakra drain caused by the strike forced them to retreat.
"Samehada: Chain Fang Slash."
Having blocked their combined attack, Rēn immediately launched his counter.
Samehada's hilt extended like a serpent.
Its jagged mouth opened wide and clamped down on one of the clansmen who had failed to retreat in time. Not even Substitution or Body Flicker could be used in time. Everyone had overlooked—or didn't realize—that this blade had its own will. Its shifting form wasn't a feature of the weapon, but a result of the fact that it was a living being.
The victim screamed and his chakra was drained away.
The other three tried to move in to help. Rēn used Body Flicker and closed in on another target. In the blink of an eye, their eyes met. Just as the man realized what was coming, Rēn unleashed another Shackles of Binding.
Two of the four were instantly neutralized.
And this was with Rēn holding back and not killing them. Everyone understood one thing: unless you had overwhelming advantage, capturing someone alive was exponentially more difficult than killing them. But Rēn had done just that, and while under siege.
This alone was enough to intimidate many who had been considering stepping in.
The clansmen weren't blind. By now, most had already activated their Sharingan. They had seen every move of the clash between Rēn and the four veteran jōnin.
They deeply understood just how powerful and terrifying Rēn was.
On paper, all five had three-tomoe Sharingan. All were jōnin. The four elders had decades more experience and should have had the upper hand. Even if Rēn was gifted, it shouldn't have been this one-sided. And yet, he had cleanly and efficiently defeated two of them in moments.
The reason was clear.
The strength of the Flame Demon wasn't just in his famous Fire Release. His precise kenjutsu that downed two veteran jōnin, his genjutsu that subdued three elite shinobi—he had no weaknesses in ninjutsu, taijutsu, or genjutsu.
Even Shisui, standing on the right side of the chamber, began to wonder.
"Rēn… did he really not awaken the Mangekyō?"
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