Chapter 104: Forbidden Technique Duel

"Then let me see your resolve!"

Fugaku roared, and the two struck at once; the two giants, over ten meters tall and legless, looked extremely cumbersome, yet under their combined techniques they moved surprisingly fast.

The mountain‑splitting spear and the spiral sword were colossal and weighty; each clash generated terrifying wind pressure around them.

The two fought for only a few rounds, and the surrounding houses were reduced to ruins.

The Clan Elite scattered instantly, rescued the endangered clan members, and then surrounded the area again, using ninjutsu to try to block Fugaku.

Fugaku remained unmoved, forced Shisui back with a casual push, then withdrew; he clasped his hands, blood‑tears streaming from his eyes, and Susanoo's radiance burst outward, becoming ever more solid.

Before the clan ninja's attack could land, the brown Susano's five fingers solidified in a phantom grip, and a shield appeared in his hand.

Seeing the shield, Shisui's complexion changed instantly; the green Susano grasped the spiral sword and thrust forward with force, the blade sweeping forward like a hurricane.

Fugaku controlled Susano to raise the shield, and the ninjas' ninjutsu vanished into nothingness the moment it struck the shield.

Shisui's hurricane blade was likewise not spared.

"This is the Yata Mirror, one of the three sacred treasures attached to Jōjō Kusan," Fugaku whispered, as if explaining.

Shisui had not moved, yet the surrounding ninjas surged forward together; seeing their ninjutsu ineffective, they prepared to close in with taijutsu.

Fugaku's gaze remained calm; Susano lowered the shield, spread his massive hand, and several magatama swirled within it, then he tossed them toward the group of ninjas.

"Yasaka Magatama!"

Shisui saw this, his eye power surged rapidly, and he likewise hurled several magatama to intercept Fugaku's attack; the collision caused a violent explosion that instantly engulfed the approaching clan members.

Shisui let out a sharp laugh, blood‑tears increasing at his eyes; the green Susano's chest armor opened wide, revealing an orange magatama that burst forth like furnace fire, shooting a barrage of green arrows toward Fugaku.

"Susanoo 99!"

A continuous rumbling roar echoed, and the crowd saw the brown Susano again unleash their respective ninjutsu; the Susano was bombarded by collective fire, flickering erratically, and they seized the chance to strike again.

A barrage of fireballs, kunai, and shuriken flew together.

Fugaku covered one eye, his body pausing slightly, then he glared fiercely; space seemed to solidify, and any flying snow, fireball, kunai, shuriken, or charging ninja that approached Fugaku froze as if a pause button had been pressed.

"Takamagahara!"

Shisui gasped; he had seen the forbidden inheritance bestowed by the Great Elder and knew the name of this eye technique.

Takamagahara: seals space‑time, blocks all attacks, hailed as true absolute defense.

The eye technique is immensely powerful, but its consumption is equally great; Fugaku could barely sustain a breath before it became untenable, so he seized the moment to retreat and evade the attack.

Looking at him again, Fugaku was panting heavily, blood‑tears streaming from his eyes.

Fugaku's own vision was blurred; he covered one eye and maneuvered his body to dodge the clan's pursuit.

After a brief lull, the brown skeletal frame shielded him again; he raised his hand and forced the nearest few clan members back, then seized one and crushed them into a meat paste.

"You bastard!"

A figure appeared behind Fugaku, slashing straight down with astonishing force, yet it still failed to breach Susano's protection.

Fugaku turned his head and saw the person's twisted expression, a prominent scar across the face.

"Shiliuye, haha, it's merely mortal strength; even if there are many like this, it's futile."

Fugaku's massive chakra‑clenched hand reached out, but Shiliuye had already prepared; the strike was unbreakable, and he immediately withdrew.

When Fugaku turned again, Bashiro, Yangzhe, Daohuo and other elites, along with the Great Elder and the Second Elder, had already surrounded him.

"You've already lost, Fugaku clan chief, stand down."

Shisui endured the searing pain in his eyes and said in a low voice.

Seeing Shisui also shedding blood‑tears, the Great Elder finally regained composure; faced with a choice, even though his heart ached, he had to act.

He looked at Bashiro, murderous intent rising, about to signal him to act, when his heart suddenly seized—a breath of death.

"Did I lose?"

Unexpectedly, Fugaku looked up and laughed heartily, utterly indifferent.

"Hahaha, Shisui, you have not truly grasped the Uchiha's power! Watch closely!"

He glared, sweeping his gaze toward the Great Elder in the crowd; the Great Elder had no time to react before being engulfed by a swirl of black flame.

"Amaterasu!"

Shisui's heart sank; he commanded Susano to raise its hand and seize Fugaku, but Fugaku reignited his eye power, and his skeletal frame instantly solidified with flesh.

The brown Susano immediately drew a long sword and thrust it toward Shisui.

"Lord Shisui, be careful!"

The three Daohuo closest leapt to block the light sword's path; they were instantly pierced, their bodies contorting as they were sucked into a gourd.

"This is the Ten-Fist Sword, the final sacred treasure of Jōjō Kusan. Do you see, Shisui? You understand far too little about the power of these eyes."

Bloodwater dripped as Fugaku shut his eyes tightly; several powers not belonging to these eyes were forced out, nearly blinding him. He stood amid the ruins, ignoring the clan members as he whispered to Shisui.

Shisui's expression was solemn, fine sweat constantly sliding down his forehead; he knew all these eye techniques but had never used them, for the price was too steep.

"Do you understand? With my power, as long as I can control the Nine-Tails, I can lead the clan to destroy the Village and obtain everything."

Fugaku shut his eyes, stood amid the ruins, and extended his right hand toward Shisui, his words laced with temptation, "With your meager power, what can you achieve? Abandon your ideas, join me, strive together—for the Uchiha."

"No, the Uchiha you lead will gain nothing."

Shisui shook his head, looked around, only corpses and ruins, terror and hatred.

"You will only obtain a wasteland; Konoha and the Uchiha will only get destruction and hatred. This is not what I, nor the clan, desire!"

"What do the clan want? Can your eyes see it clearly?"

"Of course! I have already seen the future!"

Shisui lowered his gaze, his eye power rose again, he pounded his chest and looked at Fugaku with firm eyes, "Ordinary clan members only want a stable life, not so‑called glory!"

Clan ninjas truly desire the Village's recognition, comrades' acknowledgment, the family's stability! After returning from war, ninjas truly want peace, family, comrades! Not some glory!

Everyone in the Police Department wants fair treatment, villagers' respect, not a wasteland and a field of corpses! I know what they want, which is why I stand here, yet I am greedier than they are; I want more.

I want all clan members to live peacefully without war, not forced into dilemmas by the clan's persecution; I want each to pursue their own dreams without abandoning them because of their status; I want every clan ninja to use this power to help others, not just to accumulate hatred! This power has brought so much hatred and pain; if possible I would rather discard it.

"Foolish fantasies, let go of this power—by what right do you fulfill them!"

Fugaku shook his head, his words tinged with disappointment; he hadn't expected Shisui to be so naive.

"I know! It's for the family I cherish, for my kin to enjoy a peaceful golden age, so I cannot abandon power—whatever form it takes, I will grip it tightly!"

Shisui's words grew heated, his eye power surged suddenly, the green Susanoo Tengu armor solidified further, becoming almost tangible, its height reaching nearly seven zhang.

"And you? Clan Leader, do you know their intentions?"

Shisui's pupils contracted, and he unleashed the last forbidden technique recorded on the scroll.

Sensing the shift in Shisui's eye power, Fugaku closed his eyes, furrowed his brows, and his expression changed abruptly.

Beside Shisui, one ethereal figure after another slowly materialized, stepping out of void, and after a moment of bewilderment they regained clarity.

One of them looked at Fugaku, surprised, calling out lightly, "Captain Fugaku, is that you?"

"Gu Ren!!"

Fugaku's heart jolted, he forced his eyes open despite discomfort, gazing at the familiar face, a swirl of emotions welling inside.

"This is the last forbidden technique recorded in the scroll, Moonlit Vision; the Clan Leader should know it, right?"

Uchiha Forbidden Technique, Moonlit Vision: can summon a deceased's soul to linger briefly.

"The scroll? I see. It seems the Elder already knew about you—was this his idea, or the will of those elders?" Fugaku heard this and relaxed his body slightly.

"I personally approached the Elder to request his aid; this is my thought, and indeed the thought of all Uchiha."

After Shisui finished, his gaze flickered, and he whispered to Fugaku, "I see—you have already lost yourself, lost yourself in those people's consciousness, even lost the name 'Fugaku'."

Beside him, the completely transparent Uchiha Gu Ren scanned the surroundings and then looked at the Clan Leader.

"What exactly happened? Clan Leader, why have you become like this? Is this a Village? Why has it turned into ruins? Clan Leader, what did you do?"

Facing Gu Ren's question, the Clan Leader's body froze, his eyes trembled, and he slowly lowered his head.

"I'm sorry."

Uchiha Gu Ren, once his best companion who gave his life to save him and left him these precious eyes, could only watch as the Uchiha stepped deeper into the abyss, powerless to stop it.

"Clan Leader, didn't you promise me to take my share and protect the family properly?"

In response to Gu Ren's accusation, the Clan Leader could only keep his head down, repeatedly saying, "I'm sorry."

"Now tell me, Clan Leader, what does he want?"

Shisui's voice echoed in his mind, everything around him plunged into endless darkness, only phantom shadows kept emerging.

"Clan Leader, please stop!" Tie Huo appeared behind him, kneeling on the ground, pleading in a mournful voice.

The Clan Leader, puzzled, turned back but saw no Tie Huo, yet heard a familiar shout.

"Clan Leader, I beg you, stop."

He turned again, only darkness surrounding him, with Itachi Uchiha holding Sasuke there; Itachi opened his mouth in pleading, seemingly calling out to the Clan Leader.

Looking down, corpses littered the ground; Fugaku and Mikoto lay in pools of blood, while phantom souls gradually stood behind Shisui, their numbers swelling—several Clan Elders, Dao Huo, Badai, Yang Zhe, Shi Liu Ye, adults and children, men and women, both familiar and unfamiliar to him.

All members of the clan, in ghostly form, stood opposite him, countless corpses sprawled at Itachi's feet.

"This is the future of the clan under your leadership, Clan Leader—do you see them? What do they want?" Shisui's whispers continued.

The Clan Leader's aura grew increasingly feeble as he looked toward Shisui's back.

Mikoto, Itachi, Gu Ren, and Tie Huo's bodies gradually turned transparent, then faded into void, sinking into darkness, leaving only one person: Fugaku Uchiha.

He stood opposite the Clan Leader, arms crossed, his calm gaze tinged with disappointment.

"Why didn't you stop them?"

Stop whom? The Clan Leader was bewildered, unsure why, and looking at this man felt an innate revulsion.

Pfft—amidst the confusion, a short blade pierced a heart; searing pain jolted the brain, and Fugaku before his eyes gradually faded. The Clan Leader glanced sideways with difficulty, seeing Itachi shedding tears.

When he lay down, he saw another person in the blood pool.

"Mikoto."

"I'm sorry, father."

"So Itachi... is that me?"

The sky suddenly brightened, night turned instantly to day. At the family gate, Mikoto helped Fugaku tidy his Police Department uniform. Then Fugaku, after bidding farewell to Itachi, walked along Konoha's streets; passersby nodded at the two, their faces full of smiles.

As they walked, Fugaku leisurely chatted with Itachi, until they reached a spot where he suddenly looked up.

There, on Hokage Rock, five stone statues stood majestically, revered by all.

"So..."

"This is my enlightenment!"

Soft whispers drifted by his ears, all flowers, birds, fish, and insects vanished, leaving only biting cold wind and lingering snow; opening his eyes again, the choice remained.

Fugaku remained seated on the long corridor, Shisui half‑kneeling in the snow; the two stared at the Three Curved Jewels, then simultaneously bowed their heads and closed their eyes, a few drops of blood trickling from their eyelids.

The crowd was bewildered, only the Elder's face turned extremely grim, his gaze at Fugaku filled with disbelief.

"Why, why does it have to be you, why now?"

I originally wanted to write ten thousand words, but it really wasn't feasible; after lunch I started writing, already an hour overdue, only managed less than nine thousand. That's it for today; tomorrow maybe four thousand, otherwise on the fifth I'd have to stop updating.

(End of Chapter)