Chapter 583: The Strongest Man of the Uchiha Clan

"Mmph."

After a long while, the light of consciousness gradually emerged in the eyes of Uchiha Izuna. With a splitting headache, he struggled to raise his hand to cover his head, his pupils—having faded from their scarlet hue—filled with pain.

He had just had a very, very long dream. In the dream, that white-haired man who should have been dead was standing before him, holding a sharp blade and relentlessly hacking at his kidneys, not stopping until he had sliced both of his robust kidneys into exquisite kidney flowers.

"I've been played."

Uchiha Izuna took a deep breath. If he couldn't perceive the reality that he was under a genjutsu at this moment, then the Uchiha surname might as well be thrown to the dogs.

"Oh no! Big Cousin..."

Compared to his own situation, Uchiha Izuna was even more worried about the safety of his big cousin and his son. If even he, the strongest combatant among the three, had been taken down by an enemy disguised as the Daimyo of the Land of Waves, then the fate awaiting the other two was likely nothing but extreme humiliation.

At the thought that his two closest relatives' lives were hanging in the balance, a dense, cold power erupted from Uchiha Izuna. He forcibly pushed his weakened eyes, and three tomoe appeared once more, showing signs of merging.

"Do not harm my brother and my son!"

Sensing several auras behind him, Uchiha Izuna shouted. His magnificent long robes billowed without wind, and his momentum instantly reached its peak.

"Come, come, eat more. Look how thin you've become. I don't know how your father has been mistreating you."

"I really can't eat anymore~"

As it turned out, before he could summon his ready-to-go Susanoo for intimidation, a voice filled with affection rang in Uchiha Izuna's ears. Hearing this familiar yet strange tone, the fierce expression on his face instantly stiffened.

He slowly turned his head to see four figures sitting beside the sumptuous banquet. The round old man who had just rebounded his genjutsu while he was off guard was busy piling food into his son's bowl, his face, wrinkled like a chrysanthemum, filled with kindness.

And the man chatting with the State Preceptor of the Land of Waves was none other than the big cousin he thought had met with misfortune. Looking at how happily they were conversing, they seemed like old friends of many years.

"Release!"

This bizarre scene fell into Uchiha Izuna's eyes, making him subconsciously think he was still trapped in a nested genjutsu and hadn't woken up. He immediately widened his eyes, searching for the flaws in the illusion.

"Damn it, this genjutsu is actually this brilliant."

Unfortunately, no matter how he tried to break it, he returned empty-handed. This genjutsu was too realistic; even his Mangekyo was of no use.

"Yo~ you're finally awake. Come over and have something to eat."

Just as Uchiha Izuna stood there in a daze looking for a way to break the spell, Uchiha Gin, who was discussing the recent situation in the ninja world with Uchiha Miao, discovered his little cousin had emerged from the genjutsu and immediately waved for him to come eat.

"This is all fake, this is all fake."

But Uchiha Izuna, already convinced that everything before him was an illusion, could not possibly listen to the words of a genjutsu construct. Not only did he ignore the enthusiastic Uchiha Gin, but he also glared at him with both eyes.

"Hey, you little brat, are you itching for a beating?"

Seeing his little cousin being so disrespectful, Uchiha Gin's temper flared up instantly. Just as he was about to roll up his sleeves to properly educate this disobedient little brat,

Uchiha Fuyu, standing to the side, hurriedly stood up, his handsome face—now devoid of childishness—filled with excitement. He had already learned the truth about the Land of Waves, hidden for many years, from his grandfather.

"Father! This is our home!"

"Don't call me father, you fake phantom! Taste my Amaterasu!"

Uchiha Izuna didn't care about any of that. He covered half his face with one hand, and scarlet light burst through the gaps between his fingers, unleashing a chilling, trembling ocular power. The terrifying destructive force contained within the rapidly merging, bewitching pattern was about to erupt.

"Amaterasu!"

A black lotus of fire was born out of thin air. Locked on by the ocular power, Uchiha Fuyu trembled uncontrollably. His black eyes turned red automatically under the pressure of this momentum, yet he still could not resist Uchiha Izuna's overwhelming ocular power.

This was the first time he had faced his father in earnest. Recalling the scenes of sparring with his father in the past, Uchiha Fuyu revealed a bitter smile.

So Father is this strong.

"Whoosh! ~"

The next second, the black flames burning across the sky descended, engulfing the immobile Uchiha Fuyu. Seeing his eldest grandson about to be buried in a sea of fire, Uchiha Tajima could no longer sit still.

"Susanoo!"

Scarlet light that could seize one's soul erupted from those eyes, which were narrowed into slits. A pair of white, bony hands instantly condensed, shielding Uchiha Fuyu, who had closed his eyes to await death.

"Second stage."

Following that, the white skeleton rose, and Uchiha Fuyu was completely encased within it, isolating the black flames.

"Nani? Susanoo!"

Seeing this shocking scene, even Uchiha Izuna, who had long been prepared for all sorts of inconceivable situations, couldn't help but scream.

He could never forget this white, horned Susanoo in his life; it was the giant piloted by his father, who had passed away early.

"Phew, it really is all fake."

Feeling the cold aura emanating from the white giant, Uchiha Izuna became even more convinced that he was trapped in a genjutsu. His father had been dead for so many years, how could he possibly appear in the Land of Waves? This enemy casting the genjutsu was too sloppy!

"You brat, are you trying to kill my precious grandson?"

Uchiha Tajima, who had pulled Uchiha Fuyu back from the brink of death, completely lost his composure. He immediately knit his brows and angrily scolded his unfilial son for being reckless.

"Hmph! You really have no respect for reality. With that fat pig appearance of yours, daring to impersonate Father, it's enough to make one's teeth fall out from laughter."

Uchiha Izuna didn't care at all about Uchiha Tajima's scolding, and even brazenly attacked the other's physique, not knowing that this sentence had completely enraged his old man.

Slap! ——

"Unfilial son!"

Uchiha Tajima slammed the table and stood up. The man-eating red glow in his eyes made Uchiha Gin, who was preparing to mediate, shrink back.

"Uh... Uncle, little cousin isn't a child anymore. Please, by all means, don't go easy on him."

"Whoosh——"

Uchiha Tajima's round figure flashed, and he transformed into a bolt of lightning, disappearing from the edge of the table. Uchiha Izuna, having just finished his output, narrowed his eyes; he felt a threat to his life.

"Bang!"

The next moment, a hand like a palm-leaf fan appeared before his eyes. Unable to dodge in time, Uchiha Izuna could only raise his hands to block.

The result was beyond his expectations. The immense force coming from the other's palm far exceeded his imagination—the strength was as if he had been struck by Hashirama Senju's wooden golem at a full sprint.

Suddenly struck, he flew backward instantly, embedding himself heavily into the magnificent wall of the palace.

"Pfft! ~"

With blood churning in his chest, Uchiha Izuna couldn't hold it back, and a stream of blood sprayed from his mouth, his face gradually turning deathly pale.

"Thump!"

"So... so strong. Who exactly are you?"

After landing, Uchiha Izuna endured the pain in his body and slowly straightened up, his sharp eyes filled with deep confusion.

He didn't claim to be the strongest in the ninja world, but he was at least in the top five. And apart from his big brother and Hashirama Senju, he had never truly submitted to anyone. Even that "Decade" guy who was hyped up to be incredible, he had the guts to take on.

"I am your father."

Looking at his second son with blood hanging from his mouth, Uchiha Tajima felt both heartache and anger, and immediately retorted unhappily.

"Do not insult Father!"

Dragons have a reverse scale; touch it and you die.

The emotion Uchiha Izuna valued most in his life was family affection; no one could blaspheme his relatives in front of him.

"Susanoo!"

After being provoked, his body seemed to be filled with power again. His eyes desperately squeezed out the chakra within him, and a bright yellow, tall figure emerged behind him.

"Don't fight anymore~"

With his grandfather's help, Uchiha Fuyu, who had successfully broken free from his father's ocular restraint, jumped up and down in anxiety. He didn't know why his father was acting as if possessed, determined to fight his grandfather to the death, even going so far as to use the strongest power of their Kekkei Genkai.

"Boom!"

Two half-body Susanoos collided. The bright yellow long blade slashed against the white light shield, erupting with a harsh metallic sound.

"Gin, are you really not going to stop them?"

Uchiha Miao, sitting by the dining table calmly drinking tea, asked Uchiha Gin, who was watching the fun and didn't mind the chaos, with some curiosity.

"If we let them keep fighting like this, this palace might not survive."

"Doesn't this just give the grandfather and grandson a chance for an in-depth exchange? What's a palace? As long as no one dies, it's fine."

His uncle was currently in a fit of rage, and Uchiha Gin didn't want to touch that hot potato. After shaking his head calmly, he gathered the small desserts on the table toward himself, ready to feast.

"Snap——"

As soon as he finished speaking, the rubble above their heads, unable to withstand the fluctuations of the two Susanoos' battle, fell one after another, coincidentally smashing right in front of Uchiha Gin, shattering his carefully selected desserts into pieces.

┻━┻︵╰(‵□′)╯︵┻━┻

In a fit of rage, Uchiha Gin flipped the messy dining table. His dull, dead-fish eyes were filled with a murderous intent never seen before.

"Uh?"

Along with the overflow of this murderous intent, the two giants colliding intensely paused simultaneously. The grandfather and grandson inside the cockpits felt a chill from the bottom of their hearts at the same time.

The next second, a ghostly voice rang in their ears.

"You!"

Rip——

The two blinked in confusion. Before they could find the source of the voice, they discovered in horror that their indestructible Susanoos had been torn open by a violent person.

"Give it back!"

Crunch~ crunch~

Immediately after, they saw a curly-haired man exuding a man-eating aura walk in, clenching his fists that were making crunching sounds.

"My sugar!"

"You..."

"Enough talk, get flying!"

The grandfather and grandson, unaware that danger was imminent, widened their eyes. Just as they wanted to ask, they felt the world spin, followed by an intense sense of dizziness entering their brains, their souls separating from their bodies.

Gulp! ~

Not far away, Uchiha Fuyu, who had been standing in a daze, tremblingly turned his head and looked at the wise old man sitting calmly behind him, asking with uncertainty,

"Master Sansanshui, did I see that right? How could Grandfather and Father be..."

"My real name is Uchiha Miao; in terms of seniority, I count as your distant great-uncle."

Uchiha Miao walked slowly to his side, brushing the dust off his clothes as he spoke, a faint, kindly expression appearing on his iceberg-like face.

"By the way, Uchiha Kagami is my own grandson."

"Greetings, Great-Uncle Miao."

Uchiha Fuyou looked in surprise at the elder he had once respected immensely; he had not expected the other party to be his own relative, so he immediately performed a junior's bow very politely.

"Little Fuyou, you saw that correctly, but there is something you might not know."

Nodding with gratification, Uchiha Miao shifted his gaze from Uchiha Fuyou's puzzled face and finally let it rest on the noisy battlefield in the distance, his aged voice filled with unconcealable emotion.

"Huh? What is it?"

Hearing Uchiha Miao's non-sequitur, Uchiha Fuyou's confusion deepened.

"The strongest man in the Uchiha clan is actually him."

Uchiha Miao slowly raised his hand and pointed into the distance; Uchiha Fuyou followed the direction he pointed and saw a tall, upright figure standing between two collapsing Susanoos, his small body possessing a greatness that overshadowed the Susanoos.

Uchiha Tajima and his son, who had been violently swung around until they vomited by the suddenly intervening Uchiha Gin, had already lost consciousness and were being held in his hands like two dead dogs.

"You mean Great Cousin? Isn't he..."

Even though he had witnessed Uchiha Gin tearing apart a Susanoo and treating his father and grandfather like ragdolls, Uchiha Fuyou still found it hard to believe.

In his impression, Uchiha Gin's strength had remained stagnant for years due to an accident long ago; setting aside his extraordinary wealth, his overall level had settled at the Jonin rank—not weak, but definitely not a powerhouse.

Yet now, the highly respected Uchiha Miao was actually saying that Uchiha Gin was the strongest man in the clan.

Xiao Guang: Oh? Hmm!

This incredible truth rushed over him like a tide, battering the worldview and values he had just established.

"This kid is too cunning; so many years have passed, and he's still there playing the pig to eat the tiger."

Uchiha Miao shook his head; if he and Uchiha Fuyou were to swap roles, he too would find it impossible to accept that an uncle who usually seemed idle would suddenly take off his mask and leap into becoming a powerhouse he could never hope to reach.

"Fighting? Why have you stopped fighting? Have you forgotten how to fight?"

On the other side, Uchiha Gin, with a cold expression, held the two culprits who had ruined his sugar intake up in front of his face and questioned them sarcastically.

"Ugh, Gin, can you save your old uncle some face?"

Uchiha Tajima, who was the first to wake from his dizziness, looked at his own disheveled state and then glanced at his grandson in the distance, who was wearing a worried expression, and whispered a plea.

Having finally reunited, he did not want to lose face in front of his grandson.

Uchiha Gin, who had suffered the loss of his sugar, did not care about that at all; he looked at his unrepentant uncle with tears in his eyes, his voice filled with heartbreaking grievance.

"Face? Have you ever thought that I can't live without my sugar? No, you only care about yourself!" (End of chapter)